Vintage tube bass amp..for bass??

[Tim Armstrong]

I'll add a recommendation: I'm currently gigging with a Hartke LH500 head, which has a tube preamp voiced like a blackface Fender and a 500 watt solid state power amp. It sounds just like my old Fender Bassman head, but has a lot more power. I'm just plain in love with it, can't get a bad sound from it, and best of all they cost $350 shipped from any of the usual online sources (MF, Sweetwater, etc).*Oh, and the LH1000 (a thousand watts) is under $500, too.

Tim

[Warm Gums]

I wouldn't discount a b series Ampeg ; they are rated conservatly, project well, and with a high efficiency speaker in the box (and depending was size room you are in,) the 15 ( 30 watts or so) could probably cover the gig,as long as the drummer was using jazz size drums with traditional heads like the Remo ambassador or fibreskins.
They were a popular club amp BITD and were often miked for bigger gigs. I used on in college in a 250 seat hall for jazz band and it was right there.
The 18 is 60 + watts and is a great gig amp for a traditional bass sound, harder to find though.
Alas all of these are kind of $$$ now , the SB 12 is less $ but is probably a little under gunned for any thing but a small room, semi acoustic type of gig.

[bigmuff113]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

I'll add a recommendation: I'm currently gigging with a Hartke LH500 head, which has a tube preamp voiced like a blackface Fender and a 500 watt solid state power amp. It sounds just like my old Fender Bassman head, but has a lot more power. I'm just plain in love with it, can't get a bad sound from it, and best of all they cost $350 shipped from any of the usual online sources (MF, Sweetwater, etc).*Oh, and the LH1000 (a thousand watts) is under $500, too.

Tim

+1 meelion. My dad has the LH1000 and 2 15 cabs. Amazing big fat cleans. He lets me use his LH500 with 410s and I get the best sludge, but I use a rat for distortion because it is super clean

[Rod Parsons]

A blackface or silverface Showman amp with one or two 15"s is huge... The showman original "ported" cabinets are the best.

[jefrs]

Nobody mentioned the Marshall Super Bass, this evolved from using the Super Lead head (100W plexi) into a bass cab. The reason I ended up with a Super Lead (gone) is that the bass player left it with me.

[jh45gun]

Just curious why this thread was moved from the Amp section as it is about bass amps not bass guitars.

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by jh45gun

Just curious why this thread was moved from the Amp section as it is about bass amps not bass guitars.

Because this is the Bass Place.

I suspect most of the bassists who post here wouldn't see it if it were in the amps section.

[jh45gun]

OK but there is plenty of bass amp talk at the amp section this is the first time I ever seen a thread about a bass amp moved out of the amp section. Not being critical just curious the reasoning behind the move. You look at every post it is amp talk not guitar talk. Just wondering why.

[Tim Armstrong]

I moved it (and have moved plenty of similar posts in the past) because this is a subforum for bassists, and we talk about all kinds of bass gear here, amps included!

Tim

[Beatbx]

As an audience member, V4 through a 4x12 is one of the best bass sounds I have ever heard.

[jh45gun]

ok Tim first I have noticed it. I have seen other bass amp threads that were not moved so just wondering .Thanks for the reply.

[Joely]

Hiwatt dr103 if you can get a 70's one.

[Warm Gums]

Oh and you could always consider a 4x10 Bassman, the original RI are pretty inexpensive 2nd hand, and in the right situation can sound very good.
A friend of mine plugged a Squier CV "original" p bass that I had knocking around, it had a Duncan "bass line" pu in it ( the old school one..not the high out put) in to one and it just flat out boomed, perfect for Rock and Roll, old style R&B etc. again the PA is your friend in bigger rooms, and you might want to use the ss rectifier,and this won't fly with big drums or too much guitar amp.
But as a complement to a DR or a AC15 it's perfect.

[Tim Armstrong]

The biggest problem with a 4x10 tweed Bassman is that it has an open-back cab with guitar speakers (that like to blow when you play loud bass) in it, and isn't really very good for bass at any real volume...

Tim

[Warm Gums]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

The biggest problem with a 4x10 tweed Bassman is that it has an open-back cab with guitar speakers (that like to blow when you play loud bass) in it, and isn't really very good for bass at any real volume...

Tim

Well like I said " in the right situation"..
The OP was a little vague as to what he means by club, and exactly what kind of volume he was looking for, he also didn't mention the style of music.
I have seen any thing from a small bar with 6 tables and a couple of booths to a hall with the same but a floor that can hold 500 people called a club.
The smaller amps can handle the first but not the second...given adherence to some of the parameters on other instruments I laid out.

IMHO most of the bands that I hear in dining establishments play far too loud, their sound bleeds out of the stage/ dance floor area, and makes conversation difficult, in the rest of the building. The bulk of the problem is modern drums that over-project and have everybody especially the bassist playing catch up. Modern rigs require a lot of power to keep up with those tubs and are often "edgy" and don't sit well which I assume is the reason the OP is considering tubes.

Neighborhood has a small club, bar with 50 seat dining area, on Fridays this winter they tried a house reggae band that was way over amped for the space, big SWR rig on the bass.
Now I like a sold bass sound when playing reggae, it's part of the deal, but this was over the top. They didn't last too long.
Sat was a small "early music " combo..lots of 50s 60 s stuff, sounded excellent, B-15, sat in the mix great, ocassionaly I catch them in a smaller space, tweed Bassman was in use, no problem, guitarist often uses a brown Princeton...

You don't always need thunder bass, I'm a big fan of " presence bass" where you know its there, but it's not overly obvious. I often do small "back ground" gigs with my Beatle bass and a La 8, we are well received, and no one has ever asked or commented about the "lack of bass" I also don't have the phobia that many do about miking the bass. I wouldn't mike a big modern rig with lots of transients, but a round warm sound from a vintage combo is a perfect candidate for a mic, the AKG bass drum mike is great on the b-15.

With a bit of thought and planning you can really get some nice solid sounds out of vintage bass gear, it will require the cooperation of your bandmates, but the rewards are worth it.

[Dave W]

Originally Posted by Warm Gums

Well like I said " in the right situation"..
The OP was a little vague as to what he means by club, and exactly what kind of volume he was looking for, he also didn't mention the style of music.
I have seen any thing from a small bar with 6 tables and a couple of booths to a hall with the same but a floor that can hold 500 people called a club.
The smaller amps can handle the first but not the second...given adherence to some of the parameters on other instruments I laid out.

IMHO most of the bands that I hear in dining establishments play far too loud, their sound bleeds out of the stage/ dance floor area, and makes conversation difficult, in the rest of the building. The bulk of the problem is modern drums that over-project and have everybody especially the bassist playing catch up. Modern rigs require a lot of power to keep up with those tubs and are often "edgy" and don't sit well which I assume is the reason the OP is considering tubes.

Neighborhood has a small club, bar with 50 seat dining area, on Fridays this winter they tried a house reggae band that was way over amped for the space, big SWR rig on the bass.
Now I like a sold bass sound when playing reggae, it's part of the deal, but this was over the top. They didn't last too long.
Sat was a small "early music " combo..lots of 50s 60 s stuff, sounded excellent, B-15, sat in the mix great, ocassionaly I catch them in a smaller space, tweed Bassman was in use, no problem, guitarist often uses a brown Princeton...

You don't always need thunder bass, I'm a big fan of " presence bass" where you know its there, but it's not overly obvious. I often do small "back ground" gigs with my Beatle bass and a La 8, we are well received, and no one has ever asked or commented about the "lack of bass" I also don't have the phobia that many do about miking the bass. I wouldn't mike a big modern rig with lots of transients, but a round warm sound from a vintage combo is a perfect candidate for a mic, the AKG bass drum mike is great on the b-15.

With a bit of thought and planning you can really get some nice solid sounds out of vintage bass gear, it will require the cooperation of your bandmates, but the rewards are worth it.

There's no right situation that would justify the use of an open-backed cabinet for bass. It's not about volume or "thunder bass" -- it's about accurately reproducing bass frequencies, which you can't do with an open-backed cabinet. You can't get "presence bass" or a solid bass sound when low frequencies cancel each other out.

[Warm Gums]

Originally Posted by Dave W

There's no right situation that would justify the use of an open-backed cabinet for bass. It's not about volume or "thunder bass" -- it's about accurately reproducing bass frequencies, which you can't do with an open-backed cabinet. You can't get "presence bass" or a solid bass sound when low frequencies cancel each other out.

That's your take on a bass sound and if it works for you and gets you paid that's great

However...

People actually used the open backed Bassman for bass for many a year, was the Ampeg superior? Sure in many ways, but the open 4x10 (compromise or not) was the sound of many bands, just as a string bass with a "Elvis" mike somewhere near it is a legit sound..no "accurate reproduction of bass frequencies" there.

I'm privileged to often work with folks are willing/looking to experiment and try different things (I sometimes use open back guitar amps for bass in the studio)and the concept of "no" just dosen't get the job done.
Physics is fine and you need to know the rules before you can break them, but at the end of the day what my job is "about" is coming up with something that works for the client, either live or on a track.You don't always need full reproduction of low frequencies for that, you just need a cool sound that makes people happy.

Since the OP didn't put anything off limits, I threw out some funky alternatives that might just be the ticket....

[Paul in Colorado]

Originally Posted by Arbiter

Depending on how loud you'd like to get, an Ampeg V4B might be the way to go. I can hardly lift mine anymore - weight is a real issue with any tube bass head - but it has the fattest sound I've heard out of any bass amp ever.

I haven't looked in a while. They used to be pretty cheap.

I used to have an Ampeg V-4B. I wish I'd never sold it. I bet it'd sound awesome with a cab with a 15" JBL or EV bass speaker. Old school for sure, but great tone.

[Warm Gums]

Originally Posted by Paul in Colorado

I used to have an Ampeg V-4B. I wish I'd never sold it. I bet it'd sound awesome with a cab with a 15" JBL or EV bass speaker. Old school for sure, but great tone.

The bassist in "Too Much Fun " used a V series Ampeg with a modern cab at one time. Interesting rig, of course there s no place to hang your towel;-)
IIRC it was a 4 x10, I agree with Paul that a good old school 1x15 with a decent speaker would be a " best of both worlds " situation.

[Cadfael]

25 years ago our bass player had a used Marshall 100 Super Bass with a 4x15 cab.
Transport was horror ...

When he bought an H|H amp, I bought his bass Marshall for m Telecaster guitar.
I wouldn't play a tueb amp anymore because of the weight. But I think the A&O is the efficiancy of the cab.
With a good cab and a roadie I would play a 135 Bassman. Or maybe I would modify my Fender Super 60 guitar combo (1989 red knob) into a bass head. Even together with my (Rockinger) Telecaster guitar the combo has a hell of bass punch!

Once I played guitar in a band and a bass player played a 50W Engl amp (over a 15" cab). The amp setting was a little bit "unusual", but thesound was very good!