"Bass players don't need tubes."

drbassman · December 16, 2011, 06:26:45 AM

Oh yeah. Someday I'm gonna buy an old B-15 and rehab it, just because! That's what I played trough for years as a kid and my final amp in the 70's was an SVT with 2-15" cab. Both really nice sounding rigs!

Bionic-Joe · December 17, 2011, 04:28:41 AM

I like Hiwattt DR103's best of all amplifiers for my bass. I thought I was going to go back to solid state, GK and then I yused a peavy solid state Piece of Crap....That settled it for me. Love that British Iron!!!!

Chris P. · December 19, 2011, 07:10:04 AM

Rob, you're always busy with sounding good, finding the right strings, ...

SKATE RAT · December 19, 2011, 03:30:33 PM

i prefer tubes.because thats the sound i'm after. but there are some great ss amps too. i recorded with a marshal ss amp that once belonged to Keith Richards and the Winos awesome sound. but the guy who owned it moved away and i cant remember the model it was beige and had 2 cabs a 4X10 and a single 15". i used 2 mics and no DI (Kick drum mic on the 15 and an Sm57 on a 10) GK's are in every practice room and house backline in NYC and i can always get my sound pretty close on 'em. but tubes smell better. the weight doesn't bother me as i am still strong and fit enough (i just turned 39 last thurs)

Chris P. · December 20, 2011, 03:39:42 AM

Quote from: SKATE RAT on December 19, 2011, 03:30:33 PM
but tubes smell better.

A friend and I always say we will start using modeling amps as soons as they can smell like a real tube amp:)

drbassman · December 20, 2011, 05:33:53 AM

Quote from: Chris P. on December 20, 2011, 03:39:42 AM
A friend and I always say we will start using modeling amps as soons as they can smell like a real tube amp:)

Hey, maybe that's my hangup, the smell!!!!

I played my Mesa at practice last night and the sound is so close to my old B-15 of my youth, I just can't get enough of it.

Aussie Mark · December 20, 2011, 03:30:47 PM

Quote from: Chris P. on December 20, 2011, 03:39:42 AM
A friend and I always say we will start using modeling amps as soons as they can smell like a real tube amp:)

And heat the rehearsal room in winter. I wish I lived somewhere cold enough to benefit from the 12 power tubes that are in my Traynor YBA-300

drbassman · December 21, 2011, 05:33:22 AM

I'm envious, someday I want a fully tubed amp, vintage preferably.

stiles72 · December 21, 2011, 04:24:21 PM

Quote from: drbassman on December 16, 2011, 06:26:45 AM
Oh yeah. Someday I'm gonna buy an old B-15 and rehab it, just because! That's what I played trough for years as a kid and my final amp in the 70's was an SVT with 2-15" cab. Both really nice sounding rigs!

My '63 B-15 was a rehab. It took a while, but it was a fun project! The good thing about B-15's is that there are plenty of parts and resources out there. Here's a link to my restoration photos: http://s554.photobucket.com/albums/jj401/stiles72/63%20Portaflex/

Before:

After:

Aussie Mark · December 21, 2011, 04:55:23 PM

Quote from: stiles72 on December 21, 2011, 04:24:21 PM
My '63 B-15 was a rehab. It took a while, but it was a fun project! The good thing about B-15's is that there are plenty of parts and resources out there.

Same with my SB-12, which had been tolexed by a previous owner and had various incorrect hardware .....

Before -

After -

dadagoboi · December 21, 2011, 07:49:57 PM

Great job on those 'pegs! My '64 needed a recap when I bought it from the original owner's nephew around a year ago, smelled like it had lived most of its life in a cedar closet. It's in better shape than I remember my B-18 being in 1967. Traded that in on a first generation SVT.

drbassman · December 22, 2011, 12:49:25 PM

OH MY!!!!! You guys are killing me with envy!

I'm gonna do this someday. Gotta get back to my roots, ya know! Great inspiration in those pics, thanks for posting them.

fealach · December 22, 2011, 04:13:14 PM

Quote from: stiles72 on December 21, 2011, 04:24:21 PM
My '63 B-15 was a rehab. It took a while, but it was a fun project! The good thing about B-15's is that there are plenty of parts and resources out there. Here's a link to my restoration photos:
After:

Extra points for the coily cord!

I lack the skill to rehab mine, so I have to settle for sounding great but looking like a "before" picture.

stiles72 · December 22, 2011, 09:24:32 PM

Quote from: dadagoboi on December 21, 2011, 07:49:57 PM
Great job on those 'pegs! My '64 needed a recap when I bought it from the original owner's nephew around a year ago, smelled like it had lived most of its life in a cedar closet. It's in better shape than I remember my B-18 being in 1967. Traded that in on a first generation SVT.

Wow - that's a beauty!

SGD Lutherie · December 23, 2011, 12:54:26 PM

Quote from: uwe on December 13, 2011, 05:33:31 AMI don't think an Ampeg SVT (though I own and play one) is the be- and end-all of bassdom.

Amen brother! I loathe SVTs. I'm forced to use them at rehearsal studios, and cannot get a decent sound out of them to save my life. And I have no problems getting amps to sound good.

They just have awful EQ stacks. There's a big hump around 250Hz that you can't get rid of, and the low end is intentionally rolled off. The mids sound boxy.

My first good amp was a mid 60s B-15n. Wasn't loud enough to play over a rock drummer though. Wish I still had it, but it was stolen. My first good big amp was a Peavey "Bass".

(me and the Peavey in 1977)

Personally I have a Mesa 400+, which is a very nice sounding tube amp. But it weighs a ton. So lately I have been using the head from a Trace Elliot BLX SMC combo. When I need some extra warmth, or tube drive, I use a TubeWorks Blue Tube, which has a 12AU7 in place of the stock 12AX7. That combination through my Mesa/Eden 4X10 cab is just wonderful.

I've removed the head from Trace since.

What I expect from an amp is to hear my bass the way it sounds DI'd into a board, with a little extra girth.