Your First "Real" Bass AMP (Caution, Old Guy Content)

[ThudThudThud]

I 'kissed a lot of frogs' when I was starting out. Mostly because of abject poverty. I played a lot of underpowered rigs for a good while (I started gigging regularly at 14-15). The first 'real' rig I had was an Orange Matamp head, and an Ampeg 8x10 (SVT810e?).

It weighed about the same as a small cruise ship, but sounded immense. For 19-20 year old me the weight wasn't a huge problem.

I saw a new Orange AD200B in a GC recently, and for old times' sake I gave it a cheeky lift to feel the heft...
Well, that was my intention. What really happened was that gravity made itself very present, and my 51 year old body decided discretion was the better part of valour and didn't press on with the lift.

 

[Roxbororob]

My first "real amp" was back in 1967 or so. A Guild Thunderbass. About 70 watts of tube goodness, into two 15's. Not a lot of power, but it sure moved a lot of air.

Thats beautiful.

 

[RustyAxe]

Thats beautiful.

I thought so, too. It always got a lot of attention at gigs, and lots of comments.

 

[Phil508]

1st real amp picked up in 1972-73- followed by Traynor w 2x15" (crap) , then Peavey 2x15" (cheaper crap) , then 2 x 18" folded horns (kept up with 8x12 Marshall nicely) till the SVT in 82

 

[Al Kraft]

A 1978 Peavey TNT100, bought new at Giant Music.

 

[byacey]

Started out with an Acoustic 450 with a Jbl E140 equipped TL606
recently switched over to a Peavey Tour 450 working into a BFM Simplexx 212, and not too long ago was bequeathed a Fender Bassman, 1965.

 

[jazzbass_5]

First real bass amp (sorta) was a Peavey Combo 300. First amp I had that could keep up volume wise with my friends.
Not my amp or picture..

 

[JimmyM]

Acoustic 136 combo...not mine pictured. 100w, sounded pretty OK and very much like an Acoustic, a giant beast of an amp to move for a 100w combo.

 

[NoiseNinja]

Well, I am not that old, my first real bass amp though was, a Dynacord Bass King T 50W hybrid (solid state preamp, tube poweramp).

I used it first with 115 cab of unknown origin and then later expanded that with an additional 215 cab, also of unknown origin.

You could claim I have gone full circle and returned to my roots since half of my rig now, beside my SS Trace Elliot SM combo, consist of a Bass King also 50w but unlike the T version a full tube amp, though just with 115 cab, still of unknown origin though.

I don't really have any pictures of my first amp but here's one from Google:

And here's one of my current Bass King:

 

[philvanv]

1984 SUNN Coliseum 300 w head with the matching cab. I probably cut down a miles worth of bamboo over growth to pay the owner...
Used that until I came across a SWR 4004 WM and a DRB 212D that matches the sound of the SUNN that was the desired outcome. When I use the SVT with the DRB cab I can't mimic the SUNN overall tone. I imagine because one is SS and one Tube....This made me an SWR fan for life.

 

[Stu_Bass]

First real bass amp (sorta) was a Peavey Combo 300. First amp I had that could keep up volume wise with my friends.
Not my amp or picture.. View attachment 1161616

I had one and although it was a good amp it never quite worked for me. Funny thing is when Bruce Thomas used one with Elvis Costello it sounded awesome. Guess there's something implied here!

 

[Manticore]

Gibson Thor combo quickly followed by a HiWatt 200. I occasionally wish I still had the latter.

 

[Bob_Ross]

In my local classifieds I found a Fender Bassmam 50 head with a 2-15" cabinet for $150.

Very similar to my first "real" bass amp: Circa 1975 shopping on 48th Street in NYC I found a used Fender Dual Showman 2x15" cabinet with JBL drivers for, I think it was either $100 or $150...and a silverface Fender Bassman 50 head that was missing the vinyl-covered wood case and two output tubes, so they sold it to me for $25!

I built a totally ghetto case out of chipboard, painted it flat black, got a couple of RCA 6L6GC tubes from the Lafayette mail order catalog and BOOM! I had an awesome rig that was almost taller than I was!

(Truth be told that was a very good sounding bass rig...but it was a COMPLETELY AWESOME sounding guitar rig!)

 

[basscooker]

Translating "real" to mean gig worthy, powerful and/or "big boy":

I put a Combo 300 chassis into a head box and set it atop a 3620. Sometimes I used the biamp connections to run a Crate B-150 head into the upper. Sometimes even added a DIY 215. Huge. Heavy. Ridiculously loud rig.

 

[chadds]

A 1978 Peavey TNT100, bought new at Giant Music.

First real:
A 1968 Fender Showman head bought new at Giant Music.
A 1968 Ampeg B25 2x15 cab bought new at Chucks.

 

[Al Kraft]

First real:
A 1968 Fender Showman head bought new at Giant Music.
A 1968 Ampeg B25 2x15 cab bought new at Chucks.

After my first combo amp I was pretty much a customer at Chuck Levin's, Veneman's, and occasionally at Rolls throughout the 80's and 90's.

 

[Bassamatic]

My first "real" amp was a Vox Super Beatle head into a 2x15 cab I built back in the 60's with two Altec 421As. I gigged that setup for years and years, and - - I still have it! The cab was built following plans for using E-V SRO-15s I think, and worked well for the super efficient Altecs.

 

[turbo2256b]

My first was a Fender dual showman reinforced cabinet and installed a JBL bass speaker...upps that isnt a real bass amp

 

[bobyoung53]

Ampeg V4b with matching 2x15 folded horn cab. Bought used (untested) off a "friend". When I hauled it downstairs and we jammed it didnt sound right. Opened up and found I had been stiffed one speaker. The entire band paid a courtesy visit to seller to recover missing item. Man that thing kicked. Things fell off shelves upstairs and crashed to the floor in pieces, cops came knocking, etc. That was in the early 80s. I cant find photos so none of this happened.

I only use a V4-B cab a few times in my life but I loved them, thought they were the best sounding cabs I ever used.

 

[bobyoung53]

My first amp was a Univox approx 30 watt tube amp with a single 15" matching speaker. I can't even remember what it looked like, this was after blowing speakers in both of my guitar players' black face Bandmasters (sounded good though, haha!), then I bought a used black face Dual Showman with the big double 15" cab which was my first real bass amp, that was a pretty good sounding amp. From that I moved onto a Marshall Major head with two Sunn 2000S cabs with JBL D-140's in it, now that thing moved some serious air, then on to SVT's which I've been using continuously for 40 years now.

Not mine but identical to my Dual Showman: