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Vintage vs New amplifiers Your dream Amp?

#81
Don't get me wrong: the first time I played through a tube amp into a fridge, 35 years ago, it just blew me away. I couldn't quite believe I was making THAT sound! Right away, I knew 2 things:

1. Bass guitar was my musical home.
2. I would have that type of sound someday myself.

The gear I have now is way different than what I played back then, but it gives me everything I loved about it, both tone and volume. Combined amp and cab (GK 212 MBE-II) weight is slightly less than 40 lb. That's just crazy!
 
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#82
I have very little practical use for vintage bass amps. There are so many new rigs that out-perform the old stuff with a fraction of the weight. There are a few that I would like to own out of nostalgia, The puffy Kustoms, Univox, and even some of the early Peavey festival rigs. They don't compare to my current rig and would just be around as conversation pieces.
Now guitar amps on the other hand... :woot::woot::woot::woot::woot:
 
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#84
I have a big beautiful puffy Kustom amp sitting in my living room, and thats probably where it will stay, its quite the specimen though. If I had some help to load it and unload it I would love to use it at some outdoor gig just because you know...its cool, and it actually sounds good. But I digress, I dont have help, I'm a one man operation so Bag End cabs and light weight heads it is.
 
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#85
I am fortunate enough to finally own my dream amp.

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#86
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I just sold a 1971 Marshall Major, bass model 1978. It was crazy powerful, but not as articulate with a strong mid range like my SVT VR.
I have a bunch of big vintage amps, and my favorite rig is a mid-1970’s Ampeg V4B with the matching 2x15 folded horn cabinet. It has the best tone and gets very loud. That rig next to the SVT w/810AV is the ultimate big stage setup.
 
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#87
Having to plug in to a vintage Ampeg fridge on the backline was basically my worst nightmare when I was performing bigger shows. Never worked out well for me. I always preferred a nice, shiny new, little, solid state combo, a line out, and monitors. Now, I think modeling is finally there, so my dream rig now would be a Helix and a powered neodymium 1x12 (if I needed it).
 
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#91
CoffeeLove said:
Mesa 400+ tube head.

Still my favorite sound to date, despite all the tube amps and solid state heads I have tried over the years. It spoke to me more than the Fender and Ampeg tube amps I have owned.

Just too much weight, so now a Mesa WD800 into a pair (when needed) of Bergantino Reference 210 cabs.
Click to expand...
How do the 400+ and WD800 compare? I will never get rid of my 400+ but haven't tried the newer Mesa's
 
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#93
SehlraC said:
How do the 400+ and WD800 compare? I will never get rid of my 400+ but haven't tried the newer Mesa's
Click to expand...
Well, nothing can really compare to the 400+, just keeping it real. There are a couple that get close. I have tried almost every lightweight amp imaginable and the WD800 would be one of the closest, along with the Mesa Walkabout (but lacks big-gig headroom). Surprisingly, the GK Fusion 800 has some resemblance with proper EQ work, and more tube-tone-thickness (like the 400+) than the WD800. That was the long answer to your question. If you can handle hauling around the 400+, then enjoy. But when/if you want to settle for something lightweight, than those would be a good place to start.
 
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#95
wmhill said:
I have very little practical use for vintage bass amps. There are so many new rigs that out-perform the old stuff with a fraction of the weight. There are a few that I would like to own out of nostalgia, The puffy Kustoms, Univox, and even some of the early Peavey festival rigs. They don't compare to my current rig and would just be around as conversation pieces.
Now guitar amps on the other hand... :woot::woot::woot::woot::woot:
Click to expand...
I love old amps and own a lot of them, but I missed out a few years back on a clean Peavey Super Festival with a matching 218. It was priced right too.
 
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#96
CoffeeLove said:
Well, nothing can really compare to the 400+, just keeping it real. There are a couple that get close. I have tried almost every lightweight amp imaginable and the WD800 would be one of the closest, along with the Mesa Walkabout (but lacks big-gig headroom). Surprisingly, the GK Fusion 800 has some resemblance with proper EQ work, and more tube-tone-thickness (like the 400+) than the WD800. That was the long answer to your question. If you can handle hauling around the 400+, then enjoy. But when/if you want to settle for something lightweight, than those would be a good place to start.
Click to expand...
Thanks for this insight - I'm stubborn and still (sort of) young. I'm still enamored with the 400+ but probably look at amps with a high degree of bias. I'm glad I was able to hear from someone who's worked with both.
 
#97
SehlraC said:
Thanks for this insight - I'm stubborn and still (sort of) young. I'm still enamored with the 400+ but probably look at amps with a high degree of bias. I'm glad I was able to hear from someone who's worked with both.
Click to expand...
Cool. Well, if you decide to pick up a 2nd amp at some point and don't need a lot of headroom, I would start with the Walkabout (the blackface model looks quite nice) as it will probably get you closest. I would give 2nd place to the GK "Fusion" 800 as far as getting the thick tube vibe of the 400+, and 3rd place to the WD800 as far as coming closest to actual tone of the 400+, just not as thick sounding as the Fusion (Walkabout still closest in all aspects overall, IMHO). I am 48, but the weight is still too much, so hope you can hold longer than I did.

Peace
 
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#99
I found my dream amps; a Phil Jones Bass Double Four that I use for rehearsal in a large multipurpose room with 35 uke players and small gigs, a Carvin MB15 for larger gigs, and an added 115MBE for even larger and outdoor gigs. Also a Blackstar Fly-3 Duo Bass hanging on me for walking room to room in hospitals.
 
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#100
Silky Johnson said:
I would way rather have the modern stuff available today, imo it smokes the old gear. Mesa WD800 would be mine if my current head ever stops working.
Click to expand...
Amazingly I just got what I wished for today, my current head just released it's magic smoke while playing at hilariously low volume. which is the smell of a new mesa wd800 in my future
 
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