What were the classic bass amps of the 60's, 70's, and 80's?

[Bunk McNulty]

At this point, I have to stop, as this is turning into a book, but there are plenty of books, brand specific and general overview, that you should seek out. Look up everything that author Tony Bacon has issued to start out with.

Looks good!

 

[Dynacord]

In the ‘80s, absolutely. GK heads (and EV cabinets) were the standard backline in most clubs in the ‘80s. Everywhere you looked there were RB-400s and RB-800s. For big venues the SVT still reigned supreme. Large Mesa/Boogie rigs were also becoming popular.

Well-heeled bassists were using Trace Elliot here in the states but that was still considered pretty “boutique” at the time. The same goes for Bag End cabs which were some of the earliest boutique bass cabs on the market, as I recall. In the mid ‘80s they were still pretty exotic.

The other ubiquitous rigs for club dates were Peavey. They were part of a lot of club backlines because they were so reliable. I remember seeing a lot of Traynor heads and single 15” cabinets in the clubs then, too.

In the studio most people were going direct in the ‘80s but every studio had a B-15 and a lot of recordings (other than mainstream pop) still used them.

In the ‘70s Ampeg SVTs on stage and B-15s in the studio were the norm but Acoustic and Sunn were also big. The Brits were using Marshall, HiWatt and Sound City. (IIRC, Watkins/WEM, sound City and a couple of other British companies were all interrelated).

In the ‘60s it was B-15s in the studio and Fender Dual Showmans and Bandmasters on stage.

Agree. Also started seeing SWR a lot starting in the mid 80's.

 

[brianrost]

Umm, surprised nobody mentioned the Fender Bassman piggyback which was perhaps the most common amp seen on US stages in the 1960s. Amps like the Acoustic 360 and the SVT arrived right at the end of the decade (68 and 69 I believe). Sunn and Kustom were making big stacks that were pretty common starting around 1965 or so. Vox was pretty popular in the mid 60s due to the Beatles, but I don't think they ever sold anywhere near the numbers that Fender did. The Bassman fell out of favor in the 1970s and the B15 was too low power to compete with the big boys so by around 1980 they were out of production.

Keep in mind that Fender was available pretty much anywhere in the US. Ampeg being based in New Jersey was most popular on the East Coast and especially NYC. Kustom was in Kansas, Sunn in Washington state so all those brands were stronger in their regions until they were able to get wider distribution.

Traynor has always had spotty distribution in the USA and I thnk of them first showing up here in the 1970s. Peavey was primarily regional until the mid 1970s. Being seen on stage with so many Southern rock bands helped them get wider distribution. The real big deal in the 70s was the arrival of rack systems, with preamps from Alembic, Yamaha, Ashley matched to high wattage solid state power amps and custom made speaker cabs such as those built using EV's TL-606 plans. Bag End cabs started to show up as well. Rack systems also helped kick off the interest in biamping.

Other than Vox, UK bass amps had limited success in the US until Trace arrived around 1980. Sound City, Marshall and HiWatt all advertised here but to be honest I never saw one in a local store...if I lived in NYC or LA it might have been a different story.

In the 80s Peavey was really huge, Acoustic and Sunn were both running on fumes and Ampeg was changing ownership and even made some SVTs in Japan! GK, SWR, Hartke (cabs only at first), Trace and Eden started becoming popular. I played a number of festivals where a GK 800RB atop two Hartke 410s was the backline. Mesa entered the market with the D-180 and the EVM-loaded RoadReady cabs but they were only selling direct, not through dealers until late in the decade.

So to recap:

1960s
++++
Fender Bassman
Ampeg B15
Kustom
Sunn
Acoustic 360 (1968)
SVT (1969)

1970s
++++
SVT
Acoustic 360, 370
Sunn
Peavey
Rack systems
Bag End

1980s
++++
Trace
SWR
GK
Eden
Peavey
Mesa
SVT
Rack systems
Bag End

 

[Dynacord]

1980s
++++
Trace
SWR
GK
Eden
Peavey
Mesa
SVT
Rack systems
Bag End

Very good overview. I don't recall Eden amps coming out until the 90's though (they were building the SWR cabs in the 80's though).

 

[Ostie]

In the seventies Peavey started offering sone affordable and indestructible gear for the average workingman. Skynyrd’s white Tolex gear was well known. It never reached the mythical status of Ampeg, but a lot of working bands toted them around the country because they were dependable and affordable.

 

[Spupilup]

In the '70's I had an Acoustic 360/1 and 370/1 by the early '80's it turned into an early GK and 2 EV TL cabinets. The 360 will always hold a special place for me. The two Acoustics along with the SVT really were the choice of people I knew who were playing live back then.

 

[J Wilson]

What hamstrung bass guitar and amps was in the 50's through the 70's, bass was just side money for the industry: Basses were simply big guitars, and take your guitar amp and add fifteen inch speakers, and you were in the bass business. Even SVT 's were originally marketed as guitar amps by turns.

I have no warm and fuzzies for most of the brands others have listed previously. I was never able to keep up and/or hear myself cleanly and properly until I built a preamp/power amp rig, as most bass amps were sputtering sleds that struggled to make an honest 200 watts, and most had the tone of a transistor radio. A flip-top Ampeg was indeed a great tone, but totally overwhelmed in a rock band.

For me, things didn't begin to turn until the advent of dedicated bass amp companies with SWR and Trace Eliott, and on up through today where solid high power amps and speaker cabinets that complement them have become the norm.

For me, the old days, that was a pipe dream.

 

[nixdad]

In the 80's it was primarily GK, SWR & Trace Elliot (in no particular order.)
Trace Elliot was responsible for many innovations, and design-wise was easily the most copied bass amp on the planet for many years.

 

[Pings Bass]

When I started in the 80s all the cool kids had GK heads. 4x10 Hartke cabs with aluminum cones were quite popular on top of a 1x15.

For those of us just learning, 1x15 combos were the thing, often Peavey, but I had a Yamaha.

 

[rodak]

While the big names probably used mostly Ampeg and Acoustic in the late 60s/early 70s, those of us with less disposable income went for Peavey (personally, I bought a Carvin, which was even cheaper). Kustom was, I think, a notch up, price-wise, from Peavey, but for appearance(especially the 3x15), beat ALL of them. I saw a lot of local bands with Kustom backlines during that period. Peavey was solid, reliable and affordable, but they just looked so dorky.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

I was 3 years old at the end of the 80s, so I'll sit this one out and respect the lawn while I spectate

 

[happygilmour]

Traynor was big in Ontario.

 

[Siggy]

I bought this one new in 1965. the 193rd one built.

Still have it.

 

[grocker]

Mesa and Peavey 80s owe me for hernia operations...

 

[bassliner50]

Fender Dual Showman was my 60's bass amp. (JBL D140's)

 

[rodak]

I bought this one new in 1965. the 193rd one built.

View attachment 5137365
View attachment 5137366


Still have it.

Wow, cool - a white(silver) Frankie! What is that, a 2x12 cab? Very unusual!

 

[primusfan1989]

At least for 60s-70s these seem to be the most common bass amps (or amps utilized for bass but not necessarily bass specific)

Ampeg:
B15
SVT
V4B

Fender:
Bassman (50 watt, 70 watt, 100 watt and 135 watt)
Showman
Dual Showman

Marshall:
Super Bass
Major

Acoustic:
360/361

Sunn:
2000s
Beta Bass

 

[Lance Bunyon]

1980s: GK 400 RB or 800 RB. Hartke stack, 410 on top of 115.
The Hartke transient attack 7000 was a better head. I got one about 10 years ago for $199 on GC Used. Found it didn't really translate to the new millennia. Two biampable internal power amps, I never did get a straight answer whether they bridged properly or not.
But it was a hella better head than the GK's they were making at the time. Smooth tube preamp with a blendable solid state preamp. Useable compressor. Stu Hamm is no dummy.

 

[Michedelic]

I was 10 in 1978 when I discovered music with my older brothers. At that time, I think all the bands we were listening to from the punk and post-punk area were playing Ampeg SVT + fridge (The Clash, Elvis Costello & the Attractions, XTC, Siouxie and the Banches, to name a few…). It was the standard for bass amplification. I suggest you listen to the first 2 albums of Joe Jackson ("I'm the man" and "look sharp"), the bassist Graham Maby has a great sound, very representative of the Ampeg SVT + playing with a pick.

Even though they toured very little in the states before Andy’s meltdown, I got to see XTC two years in a row, and I recall Colin using an Acoustic rig, perhaps there was an HH head one of the times. Costello and Bruce Thomas used Peavey when I saw them.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

What were the classic bass amps of Classic Rock, Prog Rock, Hard Rock, Southern Rock, Metal, and so on, of the 60's, 70's, and 80's? I tried to do some digging and have been kinda coming up dry at the moment.

C.

Classic, Iconic, or what was used?