experience with tube amps for bass?

[flank]

my bass player is looking to upgrade his rig. we got a line on a 2x15 EVM/Eminence loaded cab, and we need to find a decent priced bass amp head for him. Theres a couple older tube amp heads around town for decent prices that we are looking at, such as a Fender PA100 and an Ampeg V4.

anybody have any thoughts about using bass through old tube heads? I know that the bass may have a bit of drive to it, not be totally clean, but we like that kind of sound. We dont play a tremendous volumes, but we do turn up pretty good sometimes, so im just looking for those with experience in this area, cause we need to keep some clean headroom for the bass

 

[Stratman]

Re: experience with tube amps for bass?

Three letters

SVT

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: experience with tube amps for bass?

I jam on and off with a bass player who has an old traynor bassman head with a 1X15 and it sounds awesome . . .

 

[flank]

Re: experience with tube amps for bass?

Three letters

SVT

those are quite expensive nowadays, no?

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: experience with tube amps for bass?

Several hundred dollars per letter. :chairfall

Seroiusly I've used vintage Fender guitar tube heads for bass, and they're really fun and great sounding, but not loud, and not versatile. I just do it in a pinch, and don't try to get anything other than a nice, round vintage bass tone. Nice for a small combo. Otherwise the SVT stuff that just has the tube preamp is okay, but not really the same. Check out the Trace Elliot V-Type stuff, too. The preamp alone is cheaper, and would make a nice pseudo SVT with a solid state power amp.

 

[drew_half_empty]

Re: experience with tube amps for bass?

an old fender showman would work

or a bassman 135, those things are ultralinear & great for bass

of course you can mod em to make em even better, if either completely depleats the cash fund

 

[Tom M]

Re: experience with tube amps for bass?

The V4 probably won't cut it if you guys are using 50 or 100 watt guitar amps. I'd look for something at least 200, Mesa and Orange made or make heads in this range. Then there's always the 300w SVT. With bass, it never hurts to have too much power.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: experience with tube amps for bass?

With bass, it never hurts to have too much power.

When playing with a band, a Bassman is about useless (I'm speaking of the 45w old Bassman amps) I wasn't impressed with the Bassman 135, but I liked the newer SS stuff. I picked up a 66 Showman and after it didn't work for guitar I tried it for bass- the 85w just wasn't enough to get good bottom end or keep any headroom. I've never gotten the tube amps to have the "immediacy" that I like out of my sound- I've played loads of SVTs, Mesa Bass 400 and 400+, Sunn 300/350T/350L. While they're plenty loud, and you get plenty of thump- it's just not my sound. Add to the weight of a 300+w tube amp, and they're just not practical.

However, if you're trying to get that massive "warm" sound, you're really not going to find it in a SS amp. (despite what some high end SS amp builders would have you believe)

Pound for pound, tone for tone, and dollar for dollar, I personally believe these days you're better off getting a SS bass amp.