Which Amp for what? For Newbie..

[wjl]

Can you comment on why you didn't like it. I realize it was a long time ago, but you might remember some things about it. Does the Rumble line sound similar as the Bassman when using the built in preamp, by the way does anyone know?

I don't know, the Bassman I was allowed to use (but not allowed to change any of its settings) just sounded kind of uninspiring, yes it was my bass (an Ibanez Jazz Bass copy which I first borrowed and later bought from my younger brother), but for the music we made at that time - think something like Rory Gallagher's "Taste" - it just didn't have what I was looking for. But I was kind of a newbie then as well...

The bassman model sounded boring and mediocre, but I didn't spend a lot of time with it or understand what kind of tone I should be trying to get out of it. Same with the SWR, Markbass and GK models.

Hm "boring" or "mediocre" does perhaps describe it. The Bassman 100 - a tube amp - was ok but it didn't get me excited. The modern Rumble line - transistor - sounds much more modern, and since nowadays almost every bass combo has a symmetric XLR DI out, each of them are enough as a smallish stage monitor I think. The sound of bass normally comes from the instrument itself, even these more than 45 years ago we went staright into the mixing consoles when recording...

Can't say anything about SWR or GK, haven't really tried them long enough.

Can you put into words or refer to any artists or songs which represent any of those bass amp sounds that you said you loved "for what they delivered"?

Well when generalizing I'd like to think of an "American" vs a "British" sound, so yes, an Ornage amp had (and probably still has) much more "bite" than say an Ampeg. During that time I first got the Orange because both guitar players in that band had one, second it had 120W instead of the 100W of Marshalls or Hiwatts, so it must have been better, right? Wrong. As I later learned, a Hiwatt was much nicer and more "HiFi" for bass, but that's another story... and soon I also learned that when/if your guitar player(s) use 120W, you as a bassman need at least 300W to "compete" (think Fletcher Munson curve).

That's what I meant when I said the SVT has some built in light distortion. The tube warmth IS distortion. its just subtle. Same reason guitar tube amps will NEVER be replaced by solid state...(excluding modeling).

Well some say that even with modeling you won't get that tube sound. Tubes are individuals, each one is slightly different... even the same EL34 or whatever, also depends on where and who made them and so on...

Yea I am approaching 60, will not be schlepping around an SVT, but I'm pretty sure I would fall in love with it if I had one. But I also love Marshalls and rock music and THAT sound. However I am not limiting myself to rock bass music this time.

Right. I also play to lots of different music these days, but you still have to find "your" sound as Stanley Clarke put it:

Well first I don't have a bass sound in my head. For one thing I haven't been paying close enough attention to bass sounds to even know what I want. Secondly I like a LOT of different bass sounds I hear, it totally depends on the music being played along with it, the situation.

Right, and see above. Maybe listen to session players, and see what they use. A modern and very good sounding one is in my opinion Sean Hurley:

What I can say so far is that the SVT models push the low-mids, and I bump the gain every so slightly and get some of the warmth we're talking about. I notice the RocketBass amps have their SVT circuit also that does some similar stuff....emulates tube warmth. And I really like it a lot. But it also sounds less "clear" to me. I can see rocking a rock band with the SVT sound almost exclusively and never concern another minute with other models...but as I said, I'm looking to go into different styles of music, including rock, but not only rock.

Yes, that's why I sometimes just switch off that emulated SVT in my "channel strip" (which I built myself as a template for Ardour). Sometimes you want the bass more pure, and then the sound just comes from your fingers...

what about that Acoustic 360. The first impression, I didn't spend a lot of time with it...but it was HUGE bottom end in comparison to the SVT model.

Well yes, during that time I wasn't so much into the 18" Acoustic cabinet which was normally used with that amp - its speaker was back-firing into a horn structure, and I built my own ones at that time, an Altec Lansing type 15" horn on top of a "Martin bin" (also back-firing, but 15"). That setup was never completed since I've sold it all to get the SVT.

I know that Jaco played the Acoustic with its cabinet, but normally I'd recommend those more for Reggae or something like that...

There is a B15 model also. What is it specifically about the B-15 you like?

It's basically James Jamerson's sound which we're trying to come close to. Think Motown and Funk Brothers, the ultimate reason to want a P bass which was revolutionary at the time. But think Pink Floyd's "Money", also a P, and that sounds very different...

Oh, and I think others also try to help here, even if their answers weren't probably what you expected - but everyone tries to be helpful and nice, normally...

Hope that helps a little?

Cheers,
Wolfgang

 

[Ewo]

Whelp, I'll take a shot at describing a few amps I've actually used. These are my personal reactions to them. YMMV, of course.

Bassman, Dual Showman: Plentiful low mids, but not as much in the deepest register. Not all that punchy, but with the right bass could get some good growl.

Acoustic 371 (related to the 360): Heavy bottom end, plenty of low mids, tails off above that. Can be very punchy if you EQ it that way.

B-15 (I owned an SB-12, but it's similar): Punchy as heck, and growls nicely when you dig in. Full of the desirable light tube breakup when you keep the volume within its limits.

That the kind of commentary you were looking for, @Dewdman42 ?

 

[hbarcat]

maybe if you want to contribute you can comment on YOUR rig and specifically WHY you like the way it sounds.

Sure. The amp I use most often for live gigs is a Mesa Boogie M2000. I add extra compression with a Symetrix 501.

You can see how everything is set.

My main gigging bass is an Ibanez 4 string with a poplar body and bolt on maple neck, EMG Geezer PJ set, and DR high beam strings. My speaker cabinet is a TL-606 1x15"


I like it because it sounds ******* awesome!



Hope this helps.

 

[Tommy Sparks]

Used a 200 watt amp and a 810 cab for bedroom practicing for years. I just turned it down. Never a problem waking someone up. Just use the volume knob. It didn’t sound as good as turning it a bit, good enough for practice.
Maybe as said above, head phones will work for you.

 

[DwaynieAD]

And another bad attitude. Dang.

 

[DwaynieAD]

The svt sound is PROBABLY what you're hearing when you think of recorded bass tone.

Any reputable brand of Amp is more than likely going to sound generally good.

After that it comes down to personal preference and no one can do that for you

As far as characteristics. I mean all you're gonna get is flowery advectives like deep, bassy, tinny, blah blah blah and who really knows what any of that means

 

[TommyGunz]

Its impossible to describe the "nitty gritty characteristics" of different amps with words. Its like trying to describe a specific color. You're going to get a ton of different answers and the truth is everyone perceives things differently anyway. I'm sorry thats not what you want to hear but its the truth.

You have models of different amps, they aren't perfect replicas, but I'm sure they will give you a general idea of tone. Just mess around with them and see what sounds good to you. Then you can build your own understanding of what different amps sound like. There are no rules about what kind of amp is best for what kind of music. Don't try to box yourself in with amp A is only good for X kind of music, etc.

 

[bste9]

this is like asking what is your favorite car...it comes down to personal preference. And then he gets mad at you when he doesnt understand that.

 

[Dincrest]

Wow, another thread that went from "I'm curious about a thing" to "do my homework for me."

As for me, I wasn't thinking at all about tonal nuances when I bought my amps. All I wanted was enough power to compete with loud guitarists and gorilla-fisted drummers, a price that I could afford, that didn't break my back to haul to and from gigs, and was durable enough to survive a gig at Bob's Country Bunker.

I may be a jazz trained bassist, but I keep it "punk simple" when thinking about amps. It just needs to be:

Loud, affordable, portable, durable.

My preferred rig is all of those things. I make it work for me. Heh, bands used to scoff at my "pee wee" rig, until I turned it on and they would exclaim, "Holy poop, that thing is filthy LOUD!" And in quieter musical contexts, all I have to do is turn the volume down and I'm good.

 

[Element Zero]

There are no rules about what kind of amp is best for what kind of music. Don't try to box yourself in with amp A is only good for X kind of music, etc.

This.
But to @Dewdman42’s questions…

I did a gig through a backline SVT-CL and 810HE once about 20 years ago and it was nothing short of incredible. Played some rock-ish/funk 311 type music. The amp felt like a table saw cutting through down pillows. It was cool and loud and just plain fun but I like a super pristine and clean sound. I play rock, country, metal, and contemporary worship music primarily. My Mesa Subway amps and cabs have been excellent. I suggest reading through some of the pages of that thread, if you’re interested in one of the most versatile and tonally nuanced lines of amps and cabs out there. I recently posted up a review of the WD800 which I’ve owned for awhile now and the D800+ (both wildly popular heads) which I owned year before and sold only to come full circle.

I don’t have much experience with anything more recent. Tried an Aguilar TH500 and the SL112 a few year back and wasn’t a fan. Too, loose and wooly… like a tube amp. Great gear. Just wasn’t, “me”.

 

[Element Zero]

this is like asking what is your favorite car...it comes down to personal preference.

Nonsense. If you don’t answer the Ferrari 458 plain and simple, you’re wrong.

I will accept the Ferrari 488 as an answer though.

 

[swagbotbilly]

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I am a new bass player. I am trying to get a handle on how and why certain PreAmps/amps/combos have a certain kind of sound compared to others and when or why I'd want to use one of another. I see a lot of comments on this forum about the "SVT" sound or whatever...or people like a certain thing..but really most of that commentary assumes I have the slightest clue what an SVT sounds like vs some other like a Fender Bassman...or why one might be preferable over another for certain kinds of music or whatever. Or what rigs certain famous players are using, as a guideline.

I do have a modeler, THE GT-1B and I am fooling around with it and definitely can hear lots of differences between different preamps and cabs...but honestly...I have no idea how or why one would be preferable over another for certain situations...

Can we have a discussion that gets into the nitty gritty about the characteristics of the various popular amps out there? What specifically is it about each one that gives it its characteristic sound?

My modeler has models for SVT, B-15, Bassman, SWR SM-400, Acoustic360, GK 880RB, Little Mark III, and then some generic things like a flat response amp and and acoustic bass amp. I'm just wondering what are the actual characteristics of these different amps that would make me want to choose for different situations.

This is a tall order my friend mainly because our reasons for buying specific gear is subjective. As you will find in a lot of cases conflicting opinions on amp A vs amp B that gleaning useful information be difficult.

IMO, your best bet is to have a clear mental idea of what sound you want to create, then base your research off of that. However, to answer your question, the only characteristic of gear I own is it allows me to create the tones I need for the music I play. Or more to the point, I play the gear, the gear doesn’t play me.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Can you please describe the characteristics of these different amps? I will not be able to try any of the real ones out any time soon.. I'm just wanting to have an actual discussion about the characteristics of each of these amps. I hear you that a modeler is not as good as the real thing. We can talk about the real things and their differences, that is fine.

It's not that a modeler isn't "as good" as the real thing, they're just different.

Well as far as ampeg goes, ampeg is full and meaty. Big.

While they're class D amps sound nice, their tube amps are where it's at.

If I were to recommend a starter amp for you, it would be a Micro Vr, and a 112av. It's a great combo.

 

[Dincrest]

Nonsense. If you don’t answer the Ferrari 458 plain and simple, you’re wrong.

I will accept the Ferrari 488 as an answer though.

Consider me completely wrong then.

One of my students used to say to me, "Yeah teach, you want a Lamborghini right?"
Me: "Nope."
Student: "I'm shocked! Why not?!?"
Me: "Because I can't fit my bicycles, music gear, or camping stuff in a Lambo."
Student: "Okay, I'll buy that. I like camping too and my tent ain't fittin' in no Lambo."

There is an analogy in there that applies to the amp discussion too, so I'm not completely tangenting off the rails. LOL.

 

[smogg]

this is like asking what is your favorite car...it comes down to personal preference. And then he gets mad at you when he doesnt understand that.

What's the best car for metal?

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I'd like to post something, but it's probably not the answer that the OP wants, so it will be wrong.

 

[dbase]

You need this .. <end of discussion>

 

[Element Zero]

Consider me completely wrong then.

One of my students used to say to me, "Yeah teach, you want a Lamborghini right?"
Me: "Nope."
Student: "I'm shocked! Why not?!?"
Me: "Because I can't fit my bicycles, music gear, or camping stuff in a Lambo."
Student: "Okay, I'll buy that. I like camping too and my tent ain't fittin' in no Lambo."

There is an analogy in there that applies to the amp discussion too, so I'm not completely tangenting off the rails. LOL.

What about the Lamborghini Urus? It’s an SUV and it’ll carry all that… kind of.

 

[Element Zero]

What's the best car for metal?

Pretty much any well done resto-mod classic muscle car.