Your Favorite AMP (head/preamp) and CABINET - Combination or separate

In my opinion, you already have 2 of the best out there!! Thunderfunk gets the top nod for me with the 750 in second!

edit - I forgot to add the cabs! My all time favorites are the Accugroove El Whappo and TRI 210 and anything Jim Bergantino makes!! I would love to have an NV610 for my T-Funk and 750 Jones's!!!

Peace,

T

 

I, too, have a DB750. I find it to be the best hybrid, super-powerful amp out there. As you know, there ain't nuthin' fancy about the big, bad Aggie... basic eq's, master volume and gain. IMO, the effects loop is the only thing that's fancy on this beast, but for raw power, that can be tuned to sound as warm and sweet as a mother's lullaby... kinda hard to beat the DB750.

I also have an Ashdown ABM500-RC Evo-II. This is a fabulous amp. While not as powerful, it has more tone shaping capability than the DB750, but this Evo-II has plenty enough power for most gigs... 575 watts! This amp has a couple of whistles and bells: a sub-harmonizer, and an overdrive. I use the overdrive all of the time to get the sound I like, and I'll use the sub-harmonizer on a handful of tunes. My favorite feature on this amp is the way-kool Vu Meter. I find it to be a nice "old school" touch.

My FAVORITE AMP... is my Marshall VBA400. That would be 400 watts of all-tube tone and power- 8- 6550 power tubes! This is one hellava beast... she weighs-in at about 78 pounds! Since I got the DB750, I don't use my Marshall as much, but that's a good thing, as I'm prolonging her life. I've also noticed that not too many TB'ers have one of these, which kinda surprises me. IMO, I think a lot of people are a little wary of this amp. I belive they think that Jim Marshall only knows how to build little guitar amps, and he certainly does that rather well... indeed! The old man got it down on the VBA... trust me!

I have two cabinets: a Bergantino NV215, and an Eden D410XLT... both are 4 Ohm cabs.

 

Keeping in mind that we are talking about "personal taste", here:

I like G-K 700/1001 RBII. It just seems to be "my sound", frankly. I've tried a lot and, for my purposes and for the money, G-K is it for me.

Cab-wise? I still have a ways to go before I can register an honest opinion on that one. I really like my Avatar and Musicman Audiophile cabs, but there are too many cabs that I haven't tried yet.

 

I'm still an SWR Professional Series guy.


Someday, I might find something better, but thus far I haven't.
I plan on an all-tube head in the future. It wouldn't replace my 350 head. It would just be an option...like another color. In hunting down my 2nd cab, I'm pretty much decided on SWR's Son of Bertha, but I want to check out the Big Ben yet.

 

Tonewise, the best I've heard is he Aguilar DB359...but overall the DB750 is probably the one amp I would go with if I should choose. Favorite cab.: Bergantino NV610

 

I have a Glockenklang HeartCore head and it it the best sounding head I have ever heard. Although it is only rated at 300 watts, I have never needed more power. I have used it with a lot of different cabs (Eden, SWR, Ashdown, Epifani, EA, and Bergantino) and it always works well.

I LOVED my Epifani 2x12, but reached the point that I wanted a change. I've been using a Berg NV 610 - it sounds great too!

Dan K.

 

HIWATT DR103 w/ SE4123 is my favorite tonewise, it just sucks that they're so damned expensive!!!

 

I have been putting together my pre/power amp and played it out for the first time last night. It is a BBE-Bmax on a Crown K2 on a Bergantino 210 and 322. It sounded great. Loudness wasn't my primary concern but we do have 2 guitarists. The tone is always gal #1 and it was wonderful I could dial in any sound I wanted and man it was deep as the Grand Canyon.

 

the TF head is by far one of the cooler heads i've tried all year.

and you cant go wrong w/ a DB750. and if you do, you're nuts. no really. i'm not kidding. really. i'm not making it up. it happens. think i'm joking? i'm sooooo not joking.

 

They're all purpose amps.

 

iAmp 800 -> EA VL208/110
Articulate, but has nice lows for a mini; not thunderous, but sweet. Plus iamp is so versatile.
I have a GS112 on the way. Once I try it, I have a feeling I'll be looking for another. Prolly sound good with my old Hartke 3500 too.

 

Another vote for the Aguilar DB-359 and an Acme Low-B2. It's just pure, wholesome, natural goodness.

Van's iAmp 800 and EA NL-410 is one of the best combos I've heard that wasn't mine.

 

Love my EA Iamp800 and my EA CXL112s. Lightweight, loud and super clean!

 

I love my db750 and it sounds good with jsut about anycabinet taht I put under it. I played a two nighter where I didnt have room to pack my cabs and I played through a rented, beat up, older yorkville 115.
I felt like duck dunn with the tone I had that day, and you can't beat that blue carpeting.
I usually pair it up with 2 aguilar 210s and it kills in most respects, but I definitely think I can do better in terms of the cabs.

 

Can you shed some info on the tone of the BBE BMAX... I have been really looking at getting one of those lately. I have an SWR 4004 head (older model that has the rackspace under the amp) that I just bought and I want to keep my existing SWR tone but warm it up (not with anything tube because thats far too expensive). I was looking at the BBE BMAX preamp maybe you could tell me if the BMAX can assist my quest for inexpensive warmth

 

Right now I favor a WWU into either an Epifani UL-110/UL-112 stack or a Bergantino HT/EX112 stack. Before I found the WW, I was using the AI Clarus II with the Bergs. It, of course, didn't have enough juice for larger gigs so now it waits as a backup. I also have an old SWR SM-400S that I love. I've had it since I started playing bass so I can't bring myself to part with it, loud-@$$ fan and all!

My main rig for several years was either a Demeter 201s or a Raven Labs MDB-1/TBEQ combo into a Stewart 2.1, then into an AG Whappo, sometimes adding a Tri112 for outdoor shows. I sure do miss my Whappo but I do get to use it whenever I return home for the holidays. I sold it to a friend who opened a studio in Lawrence, KS.

Recently I hooked up all four of my cabinets (1-10 + 3-12's) at once with the Demeter/WW/Raven pres into the Stewart and was blown away. While the cabs don't quite have the low-end extension of the Whappo, they cut much better and seem comparatively louder. I'm happy for now I suppose! .....

 

My old Demeter 201 with Telefunkens is the best thing I've ever heard.