I rented my Acoustic 136 for $9 for the weekend and on Monday when I took it back, I bought it for $100..
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Your First "Real" Bass AMP (Caution, Old Guy Content)
- Thread starter knockerjoe
- Start date
I rented my Acoustic 136 for $9 for the weekend and on Monday when I took it back, I bought it for $100..
Here from another non-amp thread and suggested a "your first bass rig"
thread and got multiple redirects (careful what you ask for). FWIW my
first was a David Bogen PA amplifier HE10 70W (pic)into a home made
red tuck 'n roll (not Kustom- no pic- use your imagination) 215. The head
was a gift from the Dad (USAF) and the 215 and Kingston bass (pic) pkg,
I bought from a fellow HS bass friend for $75. Only had to compete
w my friend's Heathkit 212 stack.
Pretty soon thereafter traded in my 120bass accordion for a Peavey series 200
head and 315 "coffin". The '67 Gibson Melodymaker bass in the pic (first pro bass,
I still have) was also gifted to me. Dad purchased from local pawn shop. Tortured sd Dad
from my bedroom pounding clumsy GFR/Mountain/Iron Butterfly bass lines. Good times.
thread and got multiple redirects (careful what you ask for). FWIW my
first was a David Bogen PA amplifier HE10 70W (pic)into a home made
red tuck 'n roll (not Kustom- no pic- use your imagination) 215. The head
was a gift from the Dad (USAF) and the 215 and Kingston bass (pic) pkg,
I bought from a fellow HS bass friend for $75. Only had to compete
w my friend's Heathkit 212 stack.
Pretty soon thereafter traded in my 120bass accordion for a Peavey series 200
head and 315 "coffin". The '67 Gibson Melodymaker bass in the pic (first pro bass,
I still have) was also gifted to me. Dad purchased from local pawn shop. Tortured sd Dad
from my bedroom pounding clumsy GFR/Mountain/Iron Butterfly bass lines. Good times.
A Peavy 400 series bass head and a generic 2x15 cab that had been painted pink so I had to spray paint it black. They sounded like total garbage
Various iterations of 70's Traynor bass heads and Garnet bass amps were my first gear . The Traynor cabs weren't very good but the amps were quite nice.. Garnet amps were a Winnipeg company that had both great and so-so gear . The Guess Who used all Garnet. Randy Bachman had something called a Garnet Herzog pre-amp that gave him that unique early sound on his leads( No Time, American Woman.. etc.). I used an early model Bass rig from Garnet but again the cabs weren't that great. Eventually I got a Marshall 100 watt head and 4 x 12 cab with a Gibson EB3 to copy Jack Bruce but no matter what I did , it always seemed to sound like a goose honking through an overdrive pedal. Eventually I got an Acoustic 370 /360 rig that I kept for years. It had a great sound with my Jazz. I wish I kept that fricken' head. I don't know if they were all that good but this one was nasty loud and the tones were awesome. After that? GK, Quilter, Fender, MarkBass, Ampeg and finally my fresh off the line WD800 ( that I will never let go)
When I first picked up the bass as a teenager I just happened to have an opportunity to buy a used Ampeg V4B with a Kustom 2x15 cab from a musician friend of mine.
I had no idea what gear was good or what was bad, but this was what was available and so I bought it.
As I've since learned, the Ampeg V4B was a remarkably good amp, especially for its day.
Unfortunately, I only had it for about a year because it got blown up. My band at the time rented a rehearsal space and I always left my amp set up there because it was secure. But the guitarist decided to throw a party there and invited some of his friends to hang out there and drink and do drugs. Of course, they fired up the music gear (drums, guitar, bass, PA) without permission from the owners.
One of these nitwits had heard that Tom Sholz (the guy from the band, Boston) got his guitar sound by cascading two amp heads together. What Tom did was take the preamp out from one Marshall amp and run it into the input of a second amp.
But the dumdum who borrowed my amp didn't quite understand the concept so he took the speaker out from the guitarist's Marshall head and ran that into the input of my Ampeg V4B.
He was quoted as saying that it sounded "really cool" for about three seconds before it went poof.
He actually paid me $100 for the head in restitution after I sold it for $50 for parts. It was worth a lot more than that, but I consider myself lucky to have gotten anything from his broke ass.
I had no idea what gear was good or what was bad, but this was what was available and so I bought it.
As I've since learned, the Ampeg V4B was a remarkably good amp, especially for its day.
Unfortunately, I only had it for about a year because it got blown up. My band at the time rented a rehearsal space and I always left my amp set up there because it was secure. But the guitarist decided to throw a party there and invited some of his friends to hang out there and drink and do drugs. Of course, they fired up the music gear (drums, guitar, bass, PA) without permission from the owners.
One of these nitwits had heard that Tom Sholz (the guy from the band, Boston) got his guitar sound by cascading two amp heads together. What Tom did was take the preamp out from one Marshall amp and run it into the input of a second amp.
But the dumdum who borrowed my amp didn't quite understand the concept so he took the speaker out from the guitarist's Marshall head and ran that into the input of my Ampeg V4B.
He was quoted as saying that it sounded "really cool" for about three seconds before it went poof.
He actually paid me $100 for the head in restitution after I sold it for $50 for parts. It was worth a lot more than that, but I consider myself lucky to have gotten anything from his broke ass.
Borrowed an Ampeg B18 for 3 years, then a series of cheap Harmony practice amps until a 1985 100-watt Fender amp head with the largest and heaviest 15" speaker cab you can imagine. Was enough for playing bars but load in was brutal. Played that for 30 years and gave it to a neighbor
In its honor, I now play a much lighter and powerful Genz Benz Contour 500/15" and am saving for a Genzler Mag 350 combo
In its honor, I now play a much lighter and powerful Genz Benz Contour 500/15" and am saving for a Genzler Mag 350 combo
I found an old picture of my first amp . It's really my older brothers but I practiced and played my first gig with it . Blackfaced Bandmaster . Someone changed the grill cloth on the head and 212 cabinet before my brother bought it . The picture is from 1970 and shows my first real bass amp too , a Bruce .
First "real" rig I had was a Sunn 200s with a 118 folded horn reflex cabinet with a CerwinVega speak. Took over payments for a bass player I replaced in a high school cover dance band junior year '72. Hated the 118 cab = bulky, heavy, and hard to move - especially on stairs. Traded it for a Plush 215 cabinet with Altec 411 which was a much more manageable cab in the roadie dept. Still have all this stuff, only now have a Sunn Concert head and 215 JBL cab, so if taking either Sunn head out this is what gets used.
Sold the Sunn 118 to Joe Preston of The Melvins late '80s.
Interesting tale, don't know if it's true: Evan Sheely, who used to run Bass Northwest in Seattle, claimed this cabinet was used by John Entwistle when The Who's equipment truck rolled on the freeway while en route to Seattle Dec '71. Had to scramble to the local music stores to round up gear for the concert and Seattle Music had a full Sunn Coliseum 2x18 rig to lend. These 118 cabs were designed to be placed one inverted on top of the other to create a huge 218 horn. Evan claimed to have the other 118 cab and was willing to sell it = NO thanx! haha! Remember that concert didn't start 'til almost 11pm and I didn't get home until almost 2am on a school night - a little 'splainin' to do! haha! Also remember that Coliseum rig was plenty beefy enough to fill the Seattle Center Coliseum (now Climate Pledge Arena - home of the Kraken NHL ).
Sold the Sunn 118 to Joe Preston of The Melvins late '80s.
Interesting tale, don't know if it's true: Evan Sheely, who used to run Bass Northwest in Seattle, claimed this cabinet was used by John Entwistle when The Who's equipment truck rolled on the freeway while en route to Seattle Dec '71. Had to scramble to the local music stores to round up gear for the concert and Seattle Music had a full Sunn Coliseum 2x18 rig to lend. These 118 cabs were designed to be placed one inverted on top of the other to create a huge 218 horn. Evan claimed to have the other 118 cab and was willing to sell it = NO thanx! haha! Remember that concert didn't start 'til almost 11pm and I didn't get home until almost 2am on a school night - a little 'splainin' to do! haha! Also remember that Coliseum rig was plenty beefy enough to fill the Seattle Center Coliseum (now Climate Pledge Arena - home of the Kraken NHL ).
My first real amp (not my photo).
I spent my first year playing through one of these using an RCA cable and adapters. It sounded as good and noisy as you imagine, but at least it was audible at very low levels. I was thrilled when I could afford the new Basic 50.
My first big amp was used rental Fender Bassman head (most of the knobs were missing) with a matching 2x15 cab. I think I paid $250 in 1986. I started playing with some guys and my Basic 50 was unable to keep up with the guitarsts 15 watt Gorilla practice amp which he plugged into his grandpas 100 watt accordion amp. Good times.
