Double Bass what amps are good for rockabilly/psychobilly?

[xXMikeHellXx]

Hey guys just wondering what amps are good for rockabilly/psychobilly I don't have too much experience with amps so some guidance would be awesome...I'm also thinking about picking up a Fishman pro platinum preamp

 

[Jeff Bonny]

Over the years on my "dayjob" I've heard people sounding great with a lot of different setups from guts and a fairly traditional piezo pickup and preamp through a small combo to big amps and multi pickup systems and even steel strings with a magnetic p.up through an SVT. I play a bunch of different music besides rockabilly so I compromise pretty heavily and use strings that are pretty stiff and work well with fingers and the bow but are kinda hard to slap. For playing loud I've been using an Underwood pickup, D-TAR preamp, Aguilar TH350 through a Bag End single 15. I also get a good sound with my GK MB200 and a Fender 2x12 cab that's at a rehearsal space and those are pretty different sounding rigs....honestly the amp is the least important part of the system for me. If I had to give generic advice I'd say that a lot of players have consistently gotten good sounds from Gallien Krueger amps and that would be a safe way to start. By no means is it the only way to go though.

 

[xXMikeHellXx]

I've got a k&k bass master rb pickup/preamp and innovation super silver slap strings on my c1. I've heard that the setup can make a big difference even when amped up...my brother in law had a db a couple years back with weedwackers and a basic bridge pickup and played through his marshall mb450h and a behringer 4x12 cab the bass was real absent and I'm pretty sure it was his setup with no preamp but I just don't want to run into the same problem..

 

[Feral Feline]

Used to be a lot of info at RaBB, now known as dbc: Forum: Amplification / Pickups / Mics / Recording | www.DoubleBassChat.com Place is sadly a ghost-town now.

+1 to Mr Bonny's advice. GK works for a lot of RaB/PsychoB players. However, as he also said — there are no hard'n'fast rules ... Some guys or gals like a typical 8x10 rig, some are into fEearful cabs with a GenzBenz, others are into GK with a 4x10, yet others still are into an Aguilar 4x12 rig with matching Aguilar head, some swear by their Mesa Boogie...

Check out your favourite bands, what are the bass players in those bands using?

Check out (some info may have changed)...
Mark Robertson, Legendary Shack Shakers — GenzBenz [EDIT: Using Greenboy-design cabs he builds himself; also a TBer, Dukeorock (thanks to Rebop & DukeLeJeune)]
Eve Hell, Eve Hell and the Razors - Mesa, IIRC
Jimbo, Reverend Horton Heat - Ampeg switched to GK
Nigel Lewis/Hendrik Corleone, formerly/currently with the Meteors
Eric Haamers, Batmobile
Geoff Firebaugh, BR549/Hillbilly Casino/other bands — Fender TB1200 8x10 Pro (not sure if he's still using Fender, but you could PM him, he's on TB) [EDIT: GK 1001RBII with a Greenboy cabs fEARful 1515/66/1 and 12/6/1cube (update courtesy Rebop)]
Kim Nekroman, Nekromantix [EDIT: GK 1001RBII with the GK 4x12 neo cabs (update courtesy Rebop)]
Patty Day, Horrorpops
Djordje Stijepovic
Scott Owen, Living End
Brandy Bones/sCare-oline, Big John Bates
Slim Perkins, Tremors – GK
Thomas Lorioux, Surf Rats, Frantic Flintstones, Kings of Nuthin' etc — Ashdown
etc...

Do your homework and you should land something close to what you want/need without having to get on the E-ticket ride "find-my-sound Merry-go-round" (E-ticket, ie "E"xpensive, constantly buying/selling gear in search of...).

Also, there's a lot of misinformation I've seen on the psychobilly forums about "what you need" — 15"/18" speakers, steel strings & mag pickups and then slap 'til your fingers are a bloody pulp... . Helck, there's a lot of misinformation on TB, too...

Do your homework, then forge your own path to find what works for you.

BTW, great new avatar.

 

[xXMikeHellXx]

Thanks guys for the great advice. I'm thinking maybe I need to do some more research and maybe even take a trip with my bass to some shops and try a few things out

 

[Rebop]

Geoff Firebaugh, BR549/Hillbilly Casino/other bands — Fender TB1200 8x10 Pro (not sure if he's still using Fender, but you could PM him, he's on TB)
Kim Nekroman, Nekromantix

Geoff is using a GK 1001RBII with a Greenboy cab (fEARful 1515/66/1 and 12/6/1cube) last I checked and Kim is using the GK 1001RBII with the GK 4x12 neo cabs.

Mark Robertson is also using the Greenboy cabs.

 

[DukeLeJeune]

Check out (some info may have changed)...
Mark Robertson, Legendary Shack Shakers — GenzBenz

Mark Robertson's alter-ego is dukeorock, he's an authorized builder for Greenboy, and quite the artisan too. I have a feeling he would be an excellent source of information if not equipment.

 

[Feral Feline]

Right you are Monsieur LeJeune! If I recall correctly now, he's using something other than GBenz to power his cabs, too.

Thanks Rebop, Duke.

 

[mpdd]

last week i saw a band use a fender bassman 210 combo and an old L2000 with flatwounds, cut through really well and probably wouldn't cost a fortune

 

[bigshiny]

I've used the K&K RAB system since about 1999. Lots of amps and cabs since then. Rule of thumb is lots of clean power and a cab that can take it. The transient spikes are just incredible when you slap an upright bass. Only other item I would reccomend is a parametric eq. Narrow Q.

 

[samson3382]

I play upright in a a few bands that play a wide variety of genres.
I've got a cheap ply bass, k&k bassmax, fishman platinum pre, Genz benz shuttle 6.2, and one or two Baer ML112s depending on the gig. I can get plenty loud without feedback, and even decent slap sounds at reasonable volume levels.

 

[xXMikeHellXx]

I'm curious to see what my bass would sound like running through my brother inlaws rig...he's got a marshall mb450h with a behringer 410 cab...haven't heard much about either one