Your Primary Rig

[Steve Dallman]

I gigged with a GK1001RB for years until it died, through a variety of cabinets. I bought a PF-500 and absolutely love it. I never bonded with the GK and had to use a Sansamp to get the character of low end I like. Not needed with the PF-500. It takes me back to my SVT days in the late 70's, early 80's.

In the late 80's I built a tube preamp. I put in everything I wanted, three band passive EQ with mid slope control, voicing switches, and four band active EQ. I used to use it with a big biamped rig.

I got it out the other day and tried it through the PF-500 power amp. It was glorious. I tweaked the controls to the tone I wanted. It can produce some tube compression depending on how it's set up (Volume, an interstage gain and master.)

Then I wired things up so I could switch between the tube preamp and the PF-500 preamp. Dang if the PF-500 didn't match the tone I had set up on the tube preamp. The PF compressor copped the slight but noticeable tube compression exactly.

I had considered using that great tube preamp again, but don't need it. The designs (gain staging, baxandall bass and treble, active mid circuit in the PF...all SS) of each are so different, but the resulting tone is so very close, there's no need to mess with the tube preamp.

I carry a back up amp to gigs, usually a class D Peavey PA head with two 600 watt power amps, and my Sansamp to go into the power amps if my bass head goes down (It is a PF-500) but I'll start bringing my tube preamp instead of the Sansamp.

 

[gjbassist]

Markbass LMIII driving two GK Neo 112s.

 

[Hamlet7768]

Crate BXH-220 into a Peavey 4x10.

 

[MyMusic]

Other, Carvin BX1500.

 

[Lee Moses]

I've been playing the same Peavey Mark IV since I bought it new in late '87-early '88. Maybe I need to branch out, but it gives me the sound I want, it's crazy reliable, and I know how to work it.

 

[DrumsAndBass]

Aguilar DB 659 and a fEARful 1515/66.

 

[BrentSimons]

Gallien Krueger 400RBIV into the cabinet of an Ampeg B-15T Portaflex or the Portaflex's 100 watt head or a Line 6 Bass Pod XT.
I really want a new speaker cabinet. I really like a lot of "Geddy Lee" top end and the 15 obviously can't do it.
Take Care,
Brent

 

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Heathen though I may be, my main amplifier is a Laney LC-30 II. It's a valve guitar amplifier in a 1x12 configuration. The distortion channel gets a lovely grind and it handles the low-end very well. I bought it from a guy at University a few years ago for £120, which was an absolute bargain. I'm quite happy with it and use it for my guitars and basses. Not ideal but it does a good job.

In an ideal World, it'd probably be an Ampeg SVT.

 

[kcole4001]

I've been playing the same Peavey Mark IV since I bought it new in late '87-early '88. Maybe I need to branch out, but it gives me the sound I want, it's crazy reliable, and I know how to work it.

I used to have have one of those, and would still have if I hadn't foolishly traded it.
Fairly light and a really versatile amp.
The compression IC failed in mine during the very last song one night, but I had it replaced and never had a bit of trouble from it afterwards.

I use SWR now (since 2005), and am very happy with the tone, and never had anything more than a dirty jack as far as problems.

 

[BassmanPaul]

In my case a Carvin DCM1000L driven by a tube pre-amp I designed and built. My #2 amp is a Carvin BX1500 hybrid.

 

[Abrahampost]

I am surprised to not see more Eden love. I am currently running a world tour 800(1992 us made) through an Aguilar gs 212 at most gigs. When I want a little more oomph I biamp it with a bag end 18 which is just a great open tone. At home I use a Eden CXM 112 with it.

 

[9mmMike]

Everything I use currently is Genz Benz. I have a 6.0 combo that I've using for practice at home and also toting to church. I have a SM9.2 that I've been using for gigs along with an Uber 410 and a 9.0 (my backup fir gigs) that I take with me to the practice space and attach to an older GB XB3.
I did not plan it this way. It was a a slow(ish) migration.

I have just recently started using a VT Bass pedal (set to get that SVT sound...or so I've read) though so we'll see which way the wind blows........

 

[Geezer Brown]

Anyone know how a Sunn 300T or 1200s compares to an SVT?

 

[Geezer Brown]

Peavey Classic 400 - 400 watts all tube, dual mixable channels. Bad a$$ amp.

Carvin B1500 - Huge clean SS power.

Ampeg PF-500 - Cheap, sounds good, easy to carry.

Aguilar TH + Crest ProLite 3.0 - Huge power, sounds great.

Tell me more about the 400.

 

[Gaolee]

Anyone know how a Sunn 300T or 1200s compares to an SVT?

I don't have a whole lot of experience with either Sunn or Ampeg, but I have played through an older Sunn 1000s (I think that's what it was) and an SVT. I liked the Sunn better. With all due respect to JimmyM, there's a harsh edge to Ampeg amps that I don't like. It showed up in an Acoustic 370, too, and I didn't like that amp, either, so it isn't just Ampeg.

 

[JimmyM]

Hey, if everyone liked the same things, there wouldn't be a need for more than one company to exist.

Anyway, this poll follows identically to all the previous polls on the subject...Ampeg, GK, other, and Genz Benz.

 

[Bass_Thumper]

I use a Markbass Jeff Berlin combo (Combo Head II/LM III into a 15) paired with an Aguilar GS112. Brings a smile to my face

 

[Gaolee]

Anyway, this poll follows identically to all the previous polls on the subject...Ampeg, GK, other, and Genz Benz.

Maybe we need the same poll again in a month to see if anything changed. Just saying.

 

[ArtechnikA]

Hartke LH1000 into GK 4x12 Neo.
'2' is enough.
3 -> 10 is for 'headroom' ...

 

[bb5000]

I make them myself

But the designs are Weber, Sunn(ish) and Hiwatt.