Peavey VB-2

[drbassman]

Is it really as good as some folks say it is?  My experience with a new tube amp turned out unsatisfying.  I ended up with a woofing indistinct sound.  Would this be the case with the amp too or do the "clean gain" and "resonance" controls help eliminate some of the woofiness?

[Basvarken]

I wasn't too enthousiastic about this amp when I got to test it for De Bassist magazine.

Didn't have the dynamic response I expect from a full tube.
Plus biasing this map is no sinecure. You're going to have to screw it open and dig deep into the circuits.

To me it sounded a bit like a caged monster.

[drbassman]

I wasn't too enthousiastic about this amp when I got to test it for De Bassist magazine.

Didn't have the dynamic response I expect from a full tube.
Plus biasing this map is no sinecure. You're going to have to screw it open and dig deep into the circuits.

To me it sounded a bit like a caged monster.

Oy!   

[Hörnisse]

I've got an old Alphabass head that I really like.  You hear mixed views on the web but I never worried about the loudness of the head.  I like a nice clean sound and that is what it delivers.  We had a full PA and I used IEM's.  You can get them cheap too.  I paid $199 for mine from Guitar Center a few years back.

[Granny Gremlin]

  Would this be the case with the amp too or do the "clean gain" and "resonance" controls help eliminate some of the woofiness?

Any knob labelled 'resonance' is usually some sort of bass boost or subharmonic generator.  Not likely to help with the woofiness.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

Resonance in Peavey amps is a high-pass negative feedback loop. Turning the control up reduces the amount of feedback voltage at low frequencies and makes for a looser low end. It's a feature they borrowed from their guitar amps that's mostly useless for bass players.

RE the VB-2 (which has almost nothing in common with the Alphabass, which is a Fender Studio Bass copy with a Mesa-style s/s graphic EQ) The VB-2 uses EL34's and depending on output tube quality and biasing, could be a VERY different responding amp if not set up right. I played one and was super impressed with it and it exhibited none of the constipated qualities is showed others. It sounds nothing like a Mesa, but that Alphabass and early Mesa Bass 400's are both brothers off the Fender family tree and from what I've seen of the new Mesa Prodigy, it still follows that line. The VB-2 is a completely different animal: active s/s preamp that doesn't sound like it and a very hi-fi like output section. I'd buy one in a SECOND if I had the money.

[drbassman]

Resonance in Peavey amps is a high-pass negative feedback loop. Turning the control up reduces the amount of feedback voltage at low frequencies and makes for a looser low end. It's a feature they borrowed from their guitar amps that's mostly useless for bass players.

RE the VB-2 (which has almost nothing in common with the Alphabass, which is a Fender Studio Bass copy with a Mesa-style s/s graphic EQ) The VB-2 uses EL34's and depending on output tube quality and biasing, could be a VERY different responding amp if not set up right. I played one and was super impressed with it and it exhibited none of the constipated qualities is showed others. It sounds nothing like a Mesa, but that Alphabass and early Mesa Bass 400's are both brothers off the Fender family tree and from what I've seen of the new Mesa Prodigy, it still follows that line. The VB-2 is a completely different animal: active s/s preamp that doesn't sound like it and a very hi-fi like output section. I'd buy one in a SECOND if I had the money.

You know my feelings about the Prodigy.  Could I get a deeper tighter bass tone out if the VB?

[Psycho Bass Guy]

You know my feelings about the Prodigy.  Could I get a deeper tighter bass tone out if the VB?

Most definitely. As you turn up the Resonance control, the low end will become more like the Mesa's.  The only Peavey amp I have is a Classic 400 and its Resonance control stays at zero. The VB-2 has probably THE most versatile preamp I've ever seen- it easily cops just about any famous tube bass tone with minimal tweaking and it's got a decent power section to back it up. Examples that have stifled dynamics are probably biased too cold.

[drbassman]

Thanks, that's great food for thought!

[drbassman]

Damn, I went to buy it and I missed the auction end.  Someone beat me to it.  I did pick up a nice Scout Walkabout 300 watt amp head.  I wanted one for a backup, so I'm happy about that.  They are great little amps.