Tube amps that are good for bass...

ledzepp29

ledzepp29

New member
My friend and bass player is getting a tube head soon. He almost bought a traynor yba-1a head but lost the auction. He's now looking at black face bassmans etc.
We weren't sure if the 50w BF bassman would be suitable. It'll be going through a 4x12 with bass speakers. We don't play incredibly loud but loud non the less. He doesn't mind a little grind as long as its managable but he doesn't want any unmusical type break up going on.
So should he go for 100w BF bassman or a 50? He found a good deal on 66 50w BF bassman head retolexed in white.
Any other ideas in that price range? or input on good bass tone through these type of amps?
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

Look for one of the 135 watt Bassmans (Basssmen?). Their ultralinear output stage is actually good for bass, but they aren't popular (i.e. expensive) in the used/vintage market because they are not great for guitar, unlike the lower-powered Bassmen.

Also, look for old Sunn heads, or Ampeg. Don't go less than 100 watts.

That Traynor was a good choice. Too bad...
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

Sound City 120's can be kinda cool if you find one in good shape. 120 watts from 6 EL34's...that'll get some air moving. I'd keep it in the 100-150 watt range myself, bass needs the extra juice & RMS for headroom & tone. Nothings worse then fighting an under-powered bass rig.
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

I've used my Bassman with a single EV 12L for recording and sitting it at acoustic sessions. It sounds good with my Ric, but I don't think it'd have enough balls to go up against electric guitars and a full sized drum rig.

Check into the high powered SF Bassman heads.
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

+1 to Sunn and Ampeg. Also, higher wattage Marshall, Matamp, and Orange amps can do well too....particularily if you're looking for grind. I wouldn't go 50w unless he's also doing a DI into the PA system.
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

fender showman (or showmaster, can't remember what they're called)

100 watts & they stay clean forever

or the 135

eventually switching to kt88's or something like that would probably be a good idea
 
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Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

Hey chief. I have a Traynor YBA-1a. I currently have a deal pending on it, but if the deal falls through, we should talk.
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

CapoFirstFret said:
I had a 1971 Marshall Super Bass back in the day. Just not my flavor :)
Click to expand...

Wait till you plug in a Fender Precision! :fingersx:
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

Nah, I'll stick to my good old clean heads for bass power :) or I could always go to an Ampeg tube head :)
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

The 45/50w Bassmans (Bassmen?) are about useless for a "modern" bass tone. The Showman I had was too burly for guitar but too wussy for bass. There was the Bassman 135- i'd imagine that would be cool. I'd stay away from EL-34s unless you're looking for grind.

I know it wasn't your question, but... My personal opinion, as someone who's primarily a bass player, is that until you're running around 300w tube, you're running into headroom trouble down around 40hz (that's the low E). The biggest tube bass heads are around 300w, Like the Sunns, Ampegs and Mesa 400 and those heads weigh around 70 pounds and cost a bank load of money.

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, you're better off getting a good solid state head. First, they're much more portable (a 'newer' 600w head will run under 20 lbs), they're much more versatile (get one with a tube preamp and run it like a master volume- and there's amps like the Mesa M-Pulse that drives similar to a tube amp, but cleans up like a SS amp.).

Another thing, make sure the speakers in your 4x12 can handle the power and the frequency you'll be throwing at them.
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

The Golden Boy said:
Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, you're better off getting a good solid state head. First, they're much more portable (a 'newer' 600w head will run under 20 lbs), they're much more versatile (get one with a tube preamp and run it like a master volume- and there's amps like the Mesa M-Pulse that drives similar to a tube amp, but cleans up like a SS amp.).
Click to expand...

I must admit, I have to agree with that. I play my basses through an Ashdown ABM300 combo, which is a 325 watt hybrid. It holds two tubes in the preamp that can be blended into the solid state signal with a blenderpot. It can go from very clean to big, heavy and fuzzy. I usually set both the gain and the blender just over halfway.
 
Re: Tube amps that are good for bass...

Bass is an instrument that doesnt really need tube amps. Eden and other companies make Solid state amps tha tsound as good (better in my opinion) than tube bass amps.
 
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