Bass amps (heads and cabs) New developments!

Justin J · Post by **Justin J** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 4:11 am

damienblair17 wrote:Has anyone ever played Acoustic brand bass amps?

knew i was forgetting something. acoustic amps are great and usually dirt cheap, though the tube models are rare. they were professional quality back in the '70s. john paul jones used 'em.
the higher-end cabs have electro-voice speakers.

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:50 pm

Thanks for your input guys. I still want an Ampeg head, 'cause you can't go wrong with them. As far as cabs go, I may go with an acoustic 4x10 if I can find a cheap one. Of course, I'm not going to be looking for a while, since the job I thought I was getting didn't work out.

endsjustifymeans wrote:When would you ever need more than a tube 100w?

You think I'm gonna let the guitarists in my band have the biggest toys?

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:54 pm

Your dick measuring contest is going to lead to a deaf audience.

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:13 pm

WE ARE NOT COMPENSATING FOR ANYTHING WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

I play with a lot of lows and I use heavy overdrive quite a bit. Extra power couldn't hurt if I ever played a larger gig or a festival.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:28 pm

damienblair17 wrote: Extra power couldn't hurt if I ever played a larger gig or a festival.

Yes it could, most soundmen prefer you keep the stage volume down these days given how efficient mic-ing small amps and running them through big PAs is. the louder your amp is running, the more it's bleeding through the drum/vocal mics. It ain't the 70s anymore.

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:43 pm

Yeah? huh. Maybe I'll have to re think my amp buying. Maybe keeping using the combo for a bit longer.

filtercap · Post by **filtercap** » Tue Oct 13, 2009 7:37 pm

I used a 300W Ampeg for years alongside two guys with AC-30's and a moderately loud drummer, and it was def the right size amp for that situation. I was always the one trying to get our stage volume under control too...

Note that I was playing a 4-ohm output into an 8-ohm cab, so the mismatch was likely giving me 150W instead of 300. With a proper 4-ohm cab, I'd likely get another 3db. Regardless, I was playing the amp at maybe two-thirds, which is a good spot if you want the option to play either with a little growl or totally clean.

Clean headroom @ bass frequencies @ whatever stage volume balances with your band = the main factor.

Gap · Post by **Gap** » Wed Oct 14, 2009 12:42 pm

This may be anathema, but I can't recommend Hartke enough. They're quite cheap to pickup 2nd hand and the new HyDrive systems look excellent though I have not tried these first hand.

Try and find those with aluminium cones as these give off a really crisp sound and are not overly toppy.

I have a Kickback 15 which is bulky and awkward to carry but I can get any sound of it and it's LOUD. I have read people write them off for distorting at higher volumes but this is not true. Once past halfway on the volume dial, the EQ gets pushed hard so just backing off the Bass and Mid controls gives you the same sound at high levels. You can pick these up on eBay for about Â£100 here and there. I can not stress enough how good they are.

Wilbur · Post by **Wilbur** » Fri Oct 16, 2009 4:26 pm

+1 on Hartke. My live rig is an LH500 running through a pair of 2x15s and i couldnt be happier. LH500/1000 are great deals. Simple, rackmountable, reliable, and cheap. Good clean/old school vibe. Beyond that, you really cant go wrong these days with something from Markbass, SWR, Mid to high end Ampeg, or GK. Backline 600 is a particularly good deal. Do yourself a favor and skip the low end Peavey and Fender gear however...IMHO its worth it to save for a while longer and get good solid gear. The cheap Fender/peavey etc. combos just cant hack it past the bedroom.

Dogma Hollow · Post by **Dogma Hollow** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 5:16 am

Can't really go wrong with Ampeg. If you can afford the HLF series cabinets, I highly recommend them. Tough as fuck, and sound great.

I've never owned a tube bass head, so all I can speak for is solid state. Usually I'd go for a good preamp with a 500-1000 watt power amp.

Billy3000 · Post by **Billy3000** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 5:04 am

I play an all tube Ampeg SVT 2 Pro. It's basically the rackmount version of the classic, but it has sliders. BUT the sliders have an on off switch, so if you don't want to use them, just de-press the EQ button, and you can just use the eq knobs that are on it. It's a great amp at any volume honestly.

For recording my bass was actually recorded direct in, and then re-amped into one of these:

The signal was run through a Tech 21 sansamp (no matter what amp you get, I recommend one of these, great pedal/DI), and some sort of overdrive pedal... I can't remember what pedal. But it actually sounded amazing! It was the same exact amp that was used on Saves The Day's record Sound the Alarm which has my favorite recorded bass tone ever I think. My record was mixed by the same producer that recorded it, so he made my bass sound as close to that as he could.

I have a lot of friends that have been using a solid state Ampeg SVT 350 or 450 and running a sansamp into it and it sounds just about as good as my all tube SVT2 so I would look into that setup too if I were you. Way cheaper, and way lighter! Also an Ampeg SVT 3 pro might be good for you too, solid state power amp with tube pre-amp, it has sliders but again I believe you can switch them on and off. I have a lot of friends that also play Gallien Kruger and have great things to say about them. I've heard bad things about the newer Acoustic amps. I've heard they were good in the 70's but the new ones are just budget amps made under that name so people that associate them with the 70's amps will buy them. I'm not a fan of the markbass amps I've played, though I know some people that do like them.

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Fri Oct 30, 2009 8:13 pm

After much deliberation, advice from yous guys, and my lack of funds and no job, I've decided that I'm not buying a new amp any time soon. But when i do, I'm definitely gonna try to find a vintage Acoustic 370 amp Like this one. I know I said I'm no good with eq sliders, but there are only five of 'em. I'll figure out which cab to buy later too, but if i find a good head, then I'll probably spend on an ampeg. We'll see.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice.

Billy3000 · Post by **Billy3000** » Sat Oct 31, 2009 7:41 pm

damienblair17 wrote:After much deliberation, advice from yous guys, and my lack of funds and no job, I've decided that I'm not buying a new amp any time soon. But when i do, I'm definitely gonna try to find a vintage Acoustic 370 amp Like this one. I know I said I'm no good with eq sliders, but there are only five of 'em. I'll figure out which cab to buy later too, but if i find a good head, then I'll probably spend on an ampeg. We'll see.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice.

If you keep your eye out you can find all sorts of good deals on ampeg cabs too. My roommate got an 810 with really torn up tolex for only $250! It works and sounds good as new but the tolex is all torn up so that's why it was so cheap, so if you don't mind a beat up cab then that's the way to go.

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:24 am

Billy3000 wrote:
damienblair17 wrote:After much deliberation, advice from yous guys, and my lack of funds and no job, I've decided that I'm not buying a new amp any time soon. But when i do, I'm definitely gonna try to find a vintage Acoustic 370 amp Like this one. I know I said I'm no good with eq sliders, but there are only five of 'em. I'll figure out which cab to buy later too, but if i find a good head, then I'll probably spend on an ampeg. We'll see.

Anyway, thanks for all the advice.
If you keep your eye out you can find all sorts of good deals on ampeg cabs too. My roommate got an 810 with really torn up tolex for only $250! It works and sounds good as new but the tolex is all torn up so that's why it was so cheap, so if you don't mind a beat up cab then that's the way to go.

Totally would get a beat up cab. looks sweet, sounds the same.

BoringPostcards · Post by **BoringPostcards** » Sun Nov 01, 2009 6:37 am

this kills everything posted in this thread:

damienblair17 · Post by **damienblair17** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:28 am

You guys! I just got an Acoustic 140 head FOR FREE!

It's almost the exact amp I was looking for.

Doesn't work though. Gotta get it looked at, but still, this is good! awesome amp head is awesome!

Haze · Post by **Haze** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 5:53 am

i've always thought these sounded great

500W RMS @ 4 ohm

great score on the free acoustic!

Viljami · Post by **Viljami** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:54 am

brambleperro wrote:
laterallateral wrote:Our bass player brought a Fender Rumble 100 at the space a few weeks back.
Constant hazing and fun poking from the rest of us, over the pulsating red light that comes out the bottom of the thing has caused him to reconsider his choice. It's not like it sounds all THAT bad but the pulsating red light is such a joke... I think he's trying to sell the thing to some chick in some other band now and he's looking to just DI his bass straight into the P.A. (which sounds a lot better than the Rumble anyway)

Do not want light show bass amp.
That was my first "real" amp when I started playing. It's a pretty bland bass amp, and the you're right - the red light is just ridiculous. (there's a switch for it in the back)

Have it. Tryin' to get a better. Damn economy.

Post by **Doog** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:36 pm

They're not awful, a friend's band has one that I've borrowed a few times. It certainly ain't an Ashdown, but not as bad as some of the smaller Peavey bass combos I've used. But yeah, veeeery bland.

stubborntiny · Post by **stubborntiny** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 9:52 pm

Doog wrote:They're not awful, a friend's band has one that I've borrowed a few times. It certainly ain't an Ashdown, but not as bad as some of the smaller Peavey bass combos I've used. But yeah, veeeery bland.

Speaking of Ashdown - I own a MAG 300H but got to play through a BTA 400 recently, really impressed! I haven't been able to play through the MAG since without pining for the warmth and general BOOM of a tube amp, anyone able to recommend gear of a similar quality/ price tag?