Author Topic: Bass combo amps  (Read 8577 times)

rahock

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Re: Bass combo amps
« Reply #45 on: May 26, 2011, 05:48:43 AM »
If you like to be able to dial up tubey overdrive at will, yes.

The Shuttle has one tube, the Streamliner has three. Is three that big a difference over one?
I'm not sure that I was speaking clearly in my previous comment.
Rick

Pilgrim

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Re: Bass combo amps
« Reply #46 on: May 26, 2011, 07:58:28 AM »
That seems to be the G-B approach; give the user the chance to drive a preamp tube hard to achieve a tube-like sound.  The G-B amps have a reputation of being very clean, but having the ability to add some overdriven sound more typical of tube amps.
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JazzBassTbird

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Re: Bass combo amps
« Reply #47 on: July 23, 2011, 04:24:31 PM »
I've used a Peavey Data Bass for 20 years.  ok, I know, Peavey, eccch. But they made a few great sounding bass amps, the Mark IV head is cool too.

Other than changing out the stock Black Widow for an Eminence Kapa 15C, (they blow the BWs sooner or later) it's never let me down. Big stages or small, very satisfied.
They are not perfect, though. A lot of guys might want more treble (although it's enough for me) and an extension speaker jack would've been nice. If you want to use the pre/post volumes for distortion, NO WAY...a Data Bass will NOT distort no matter what. Maybe on 10, but I wouldn't want to be in the room with it! And pretty heavy, thanks too particle board construction...

Pretty sure these are Class D amps, but I always found it to be very dynamic.

I'm curious to try the Peavey VB-3 Class D all tube 300 watt amp. It's a head, no combo version available to my knowledge. Never saw one in a store. Maybe they discontinued them already.

The stores near me only carry LCD stuff, no Orange, Genz-Benz, etc. One shop does carry some high end stuff, but that never worked for a rock sound IMO. Not even any PEAVEY dealers!

Psycho Bass Guy

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Re: Bass combo amps
« Reply #48 on: July 23, 2011, 07:08:28 PM »
I've used a Peavey Data Bass for 20 years.  ok, I know, Peavey, eccch. But they made a few great sounding bass amps, the Mark IV head is cool too.

Peavey's all right. Trust me; I live in the cheap redneck capital of the world. Old Peavey TNT and TKO combos are as common around here as roadkill. Where I used to bitch about having to work on Peavey gear, now I just tell them to throw their Chinese or Vietnamese junk away. Most of that stuff is not worth fixing and they won't pay me for the time and equipment it would take for me to do it properly anyway. Even the manufacturers themselves only do refurbs, not repairs, swapping out section cards and most times not even QC checking to see if that fixed whatever the problem was.

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NO WAY...a Data Bass will NOT distort no matter what. Maybe on 10, but I wouldn't want to be in the room with it! And pretty heavy, thanks too particle board construction...

Those amps are very reliable and were VERY expensive, especially for Peavey, when they came out.  They never made a big dent in the market because of their prices, but I've never heard anyone say a bad thing about them at all outside of the BW speakers not being to handle them as you mentioned. I've never had to work on one either.

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Pretty sure these are Class D amps, but I always found it to be very dynamic.

IRRC, they are. There's nothing inherently wrong with Class D; it's just that most amp makers do it on the cheap.

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I'm curious to try the Peavey VB-3 Class D all tube 300 watt amp. It's a head, no combo version available to my knowledge. Never saw one in a store. Maybe they discontinued them already.

...most likely. I'd say the only player to take one home was Michaeal Anthony. The VB-2 was a killer amp and killer priced, and had to be discontinued, so its upmarket, much more expensive brother didn't have a prayer.
« Last Edit: July 23, 2011, 08:41:51 PM by Psycho Bass Guy »