Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

PFDarkside

PFDarkside

of the Forum
Fender Bass + Ampeg amplification pretty much equals bass heaven. ;) To me, Ampeg = 6x6550s plus a 8x10. However, seeing as I play bedrooms and basements, not Wembley and the Silverdome, how does one achieve the Ampeg tone at reasonable volumes? I there a smaller tube head and 2x10? A decent combo? You don't want to lose the punch and bass by scaling back the power too much...

In the guitar world it's scaling a Marshall Half Stack down to a 2x12 combo. What is the answer for bassists?
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

my gallien 212 combo weighs 37 pounds so I go with that over my "810" (each 410 weighs only 40 pounds)

for tube sound I use my tech 21 vt bass pedal and dig my decimator, but

the mesa prodigy bass head weighs 30 pounds!~!!!!!
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

Music Man HD 150 into a 1x15 or 4x10. Makes for a great rig with a half power option to drop the wattage to 75. Not Ampeg, but killer anyway.
 
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Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

If you are serious about where you play...a single 12 or 15 inch cabinet will be more than enough.
A SF Bassman head makes a great amp for low wattage tube playing.
Though I would look for a Solid State head just in case you do start playing at bigger rooms.
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

Well, garage, small bar... Basically enough to keep up with a 100W 2x12 guitar and a rock drummer.

When I was actively gigging with my bass I had a ~75W SS 12" amp that did NOT cut it. In rehearsals it was weak, and gigging it disappeared. I always asked other bands if I could use their bass rig, and we played with a friends band often enough I used his 4x10 setup.

Good call on the bassman, I could run it through a bass cab as well as my 2x12 guitar cab for guitar!

How much solid state wattage is needed to reliably keep up with rock drummer?
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

Solid State class D power is pretty affordable. I would think 200 watts is as low as you need to go.
Just start looking on CL...go to the Talk Bass Forum classifieds ... etc etc.
Carvin
Aguilar
Mesa
Markbass
Traynor
Fender
I am sure you can get a Great Deal on a Used head.
If you were closer (a lot closer ;) ) you could plug into my Aguilar 500SC. You will forget all about tubes after your stick into a good SS bass rig.
best
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

I agree that 200W is about the minimum that you'd want SS. Cabinet-wise, if you're willing to spend $$$ for a builder, go DIY, or buy a used cab (I did) it's hard to beat a fEARful for compact volume. I found a 12/6 cube on craigslist here a few months ago, and they absolutely live up to the hype. I've played tons of bass cabs including high-end stuff like Aguilar and Bergantino, and I've yet to find anything that can compare. My favorite feature is the dedicated mid driver which helps to disperse better than any other cab I've heard.
 
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Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

in comparison to a retail $2000+ marshall tube head and a two speaker cab,


I think we should consider comparing tube bass setups (or very similar) and at least two speakers
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

This will certainly be a Craigslist special rig. ;)

I was initially thinking Hartke. 3500 head with a 2x10 and 1x15. That should cover literally everything from practice (1x15) to jamming/rehearsal (2x10) to pretty much any venue I'd play (1x15 & 2x10). I remember the heads sounding decent and they are readily available. The only issue I see is the speakers are modern, and I think the Ampeg style is a very vintage speaker.
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

also consider because of the different sized speakers and different cabs that there is MORE phase cancellation

If two frequencies reach the same point, one half cycle out of phase, then they cancel etc. So if you calculate the time different in sound reaching a certain point from two sources of different distances, you know that that time difference will cancel if it is half the cycle time of a particular frequency.

Ampeg solid state and many other solid state offerings do not have that much growl, try before you buy, I am interested in orange terror 1000 for my 810
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

The Catalinbread SFT is meant to get Ampeg-like tones - I've never tried one but would like to if I got a chance.
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

SVT with a smaller cab, if you must have the SVT sound.
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

If your going for the SVT sound on a budget. I highly recommend an Ashdown MAG 300 head.
Best SS bass amp I've tried!!! They can be found used for good prices!
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

I can't admit to being a bass player, but I found a good deal (CHEAP!!!!) a few years ago on a white panel Peavey Combo 300 with a 115 BW and we've done several small club gigs with it. That's 210 WRMS into the amp's internal speaker. I could hook up another 115 4 ohm cab and get 300 watts @ 2ohms out of it. AND...the really cool thing is..it has a built in X-over for easy bi-amping. So I could add another power amp and run the lows into a 410 or 118 and the HI back into the Combo's internal amp and speaker; or simply use the HI OUT to go into a small guitar amp, like a Peavey Backstage, Studio or Basic and run the LO back into the Combo. This is a really efficient set-up, and if you like to do slap bass styles, it really helps define that top end.

I like a lot of Peavey gear for this kind of patching versatility. There's lots of ways to get the job done.

Bill
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

I love Ampeg's but I have a Fender 300W all tube head, modeled after the old Sunn 300W all tube head, I use an Eden 1 x 15 and 4 x 10 Cabnet
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

the closest thing to a svt that ive found is the ampeg svt3pro. old or new doesn't matter. its got a tube gain control that adjusts the voltage of the tubes, turn it down and its very svt like in tone and response without the weight or bulk. if I didn't already have a svt5pro head id get the svt3pro in a heartbeat since I think it sounds better
 
Re: Bass Amplification (or Ampeg for mere mortals)

^ that is great! Just what I want! If you need more power , go pre-amp out into a good , like Qsc, Crown or Peavey Solid State Power amp.
As far as cabinets, it seems like all the bass players are getting four ten cabs with the horn in the center for the main rig, and maybe adding a 1x15 or 2x12 as needed.
Basically, you want twice as much power for your Bass amp as your guitar amp I think.
 
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