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Wow-just picked up a Peavey Databass

Lync

Lync

Supporting Member
Apr 13, 2004
2,287
726
NY
www.bigskycountryband.com
#1
This little amp is loud!!! Amazing from such a small package. Not the lightest, but not too bad to move.

I can't believe how loud this thing is...on just under 3 it over powers the band. It may be too loud actually for some of the smaller places we do.

Any fans of this combo here?

(I actually went to check out subs for my Bose system and I get this LOL!).
 
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#3
A great combo...but be aware, these amps are famous for blowing the Black Widows in the cabinets. I'm not sure what causes it as Black Widows are VERY capable nearly bulletproof speakers when not abused...but this combo was promptly discontinued because of the huge amount of warranty claims due to speakers literally ripped apart by this amp. To be safe...keep the low end from being super "maxed out" and the risk should decrease somewhat...but I'll bet that this amp clips a certain way that you might not hear (even with the DDT compression, which you should NEVER disengage) but that might send very dangerous voltage spikes to the speaker in an obvious different manner than a standard Peavey high powered power amp (such as an old school CS-800 or 1200...which I've NEVER seen rip apart a single 1502 Black Widow through years of gigging back in the day). I've seen some of the damage these Black Widows in this amp suffered back in the day...and was always amazed at the carnage. Be careful.
 
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#4
ggoat!!! said:
A great combo...but be aware, these amps are famous for blowing the Black Widows in the cabinets. I'm not sure what causes it as Black Widows are VERY capable nearly bulletproof speakers when not abused...but this combo was promptly discontinued because of the huge amount of warranty claims due to speakers literally ripped apart by this amp. To be safe...keep the low end from being super "maxed out" and the risk should decrease somewhat...but I'll bet that this amp clips a certain way that you might not hear (even with the DDT compression, which you should NEVER disengage) but that might send very dangerous voltage spikes to the speaker in an obvious different manner than a standard Peavey high powered power amp (such as an old school CS-800 or 1200...which I've NEVER seen rip apart a single 1502 Black Widow through years of gigging back in the day). I've seen some of the damage these Black Widows in this amp suffered back in the day...and was always amazed at the carnage. Be careful.
Click to expand...

That may be one of the problems--to get any warmth from this combo you need to boost the bass, which is almost pointless as the cabinet tuning doesn't allow the black Widow to operate that low. So users crank the bass trying to get some warm bottom and promptly blow the driver.

I used a Databass that was on loan from a music store for a couple loud rehearsals. I was thinking of buying it. It certainly was loud-from about 100 hz and up. But considering the weight and the fact that in most situations I couldn't get the sound I wanted, I passed.

Still, it was a forerunner of the high powered combo. If you look at the Scout combo, which isn't much different in size, you can see how improvements in technology have affected the sound of small cabinets.
 
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#6
I've had my Peavey Database for about 15 years! It still amazes me 'how' %$#@! powerful this thing is. I've blown 2 speakers since I've owned it. I never abused it or cranked it really loud, so I was always suprised when a speaker blew - with no warning. The sound is pretty good. The single 15" speaker doesn't provide the greatest spectrum of sound but if you play with the EQ, you can get pretty good punch, and warmth out of it. An all-around Awesome practice amp and good gig setup - I certainly got my money's worth:
16 + years of heavey use!

The biggest drawback is the weight of it. It really is heavey and cumbersome to get around.

Someone mentioned something about a Limiter switch on the amp - I don't have one ??

Enjoy it.
 
#7
njbass said:
I've had my Peavey Database for about 15 years! It still amazes me 'how' %$#@! powerful this thing is. I've blown 2 speakers since I've owned it. I never abused it or cranked it really loud, so I was always suprised when a speaker blew - with no warning. The sound is pretty good. The single 15" speaker doesn't provide the greatest spectrum of sound but if you play with the EQ, you can get pretty good punch, and warmth out of it. An all-around Awesome practice amp and good gig setup - I certainly got my money's worth:
16 + years of heavey use!

The biggest drawback is the weight of it. It really is heavey and cumbersome to get around.

Someone mentioned something about a Limiter switch on the amp - I don't have one ??

Enjoy it.
Click to expand...

I think the limiter is referred to by Peavey as DDT or something beginning with a D. There is a switch for it.
 
#8
Played a gig with the Databass last night. It was way loud...in fact, I'm not sure my band is loud enough for the amp. This was a club that could hold 150 people. No PA support and I was just at 3 on the master.

I'm surprised Peavey didn't take this design and put a lighter speaker in it-they would have a hit for sure.
 
#9
Searched in every guitar shop on Denmark St (London) looking for my first amp - the only cheap 2nd hand combo I could find was the Databass, sitting on its side in tatters at the back of a bass cellar... I very nearly passed, wanting something new and shiny, but went for it as my budget was tiny... Best decision I ever made.

I'm no expert but I've never had a problem with the sound, and the volume is simply ridiculous - if I turn it beyond 3 on the master control the furniture in my room starts shaking and the neighbours complain. Having said that they'd complain anyway, but still...
 
#11
Well, I sold mine. I just didn't need the volume and the amp was way heavy. I did use a Programmable Bass Driver to get a good tone out of it however.

They should take the head and match it up with a lighter cab/better speaker and it would compete with some of the modern offerings out there.
 
#12
i had one for about 7 years when the speaker would kinda distort, then the amp itself would start cutting out on me and coming back on like it was overheating. After that, it just never worked again. Can I get the amp fixed? Is it worth fixing?
 
#14
Sorry for the thread resurrection, here... I did a search for the schematics for one, last night, and this came up on the search results.
I have one I bought about 14 years ago; got it and a '91 RI of a '62 Jazz, both for $600. It had a problem where the fan was getting RF into the signal chain. I started to take it apart to fix it, then ended up moving a few states away. The project got shelved until recently.
Sadly, it's in pieces at the moment, and the screws are long lost. LOL. No worries, I can get more, and any parts I need I'll just pick up at work. I have the schematics somewhere, probably on one of my older Macs, but haven't located them yet.

I never really got to play with this before tearing it apart. So, as I'm just getting around to messing with this again after far too long, it's interesting, this info I'm finding out. What's the end result of people fixing the amp for the blowout issue? I noticed someone said the cabinet wasn't optimized for the speaker efficiency, and I'm curious what anyone might have done to resolve that? Any other interesting tidbits I should know?
 
#16
63bass said:
What's the end result of people fixing the amp for the blowout issue? I noticed someone said the cabinet wasn't optimized for the speaker efficiency, and I'm curious what anyone might have done to resolve that?
Click to expand...

The ports on most Peavey combos of this era were simply triangular holes cut in the 3/4" baffle, which gives a pretty high tuning. Below the tuning frequency, the speaker is unloaded. The Black Widow speaker had high sensitivity, but not high excursion. 450w + high cab tuning + low excursion = potential for speaker damage.

As long as you don't play loud with bass boosted, you should be ok. Beyond that, you could try to drop the tuning by lengthening the ports, and/or replacing the speaker with a longer-excursion model. The Kappalite 3015 would probably be a good candidate, since it has greater excursion and doesn't mind being in a small box.

Ditto to previous comments - this amp is surprisingly loud for it's size. I wouldn't hesitate to gig it as-is, but I wouldn't need to push it.
 
#18
T. Alan Smith said:
So, was the Databass just a high powered TNT?
Click to expand...

That sells it a little short, I'd say. I think the power section was based on their DECA series PA amps - one of the first commercial class D power amps. The front end was similar to some of the later TNTs, but not the same. It had a balanced DI; don't remember ever seeing that on a TNT. Speaker cab was a little smaller than TNTs of the era, as I recall. Aside from the usual heavy Peavey cabinetry, I'd say it was ahead of it's time. It might be the first class D bass amp; I don't know of an earlier one.
 
#19
1n3 said:
That sells it a little short, I'd say. I think the power section was based on their DECA series PA amps - one of the first commercial class D power amps. The front end was similar to some of the later TNTs, but not the same. It had a balanced DI; don't remember ever seeing that on a TNT. Speaker cab was a little smaller than TNTs of the era, as I recall. Aside from the usual heavy Peavey cabinetry, I'd say it was ahead of it's time. It might be the first class D bass amp; I don't know of an earlier one.
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks. So, more accurately, a more refined and all around more professional TNT. Got it. Nice!
 
#20
When I was high school, playing through a TNT115, I played with a guitarist who used a Databass. Yeah, a guitar through it. It was astoundingly loud and powerful for that! He played smashing pumkins - sounding stuff, and it was like having your head split open when he'd hit a open drop-D chord.

Not surprisingly, I couldn't keep up. The joys of teenage bands. :rock:
 

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