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Bass Amp


WoodyRATM

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yo, I'm after a new amp for gigging.

though im not sure what to get. I'd prefer to be no less than 300w.

also whats the benifits of using a cab/head rather than a combo (yeah its prob a daft question)

also i know my "sound" by a lowly 3band EQ. so i'd rather not have like 120000 band eq (ok slight sarcasim. . )

any help would be appriciated.

i was thinkin of saving for an ampeg (since using 1 in the moorings) or goin for ashdown maybe.

ack i just dunno

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if you are thinking ampeg svt try and get one of the older SVT models. the newer ones are hybrid SS/TUBE amps and dont quite have the power of the all valve ones, the older ones are fantastic amps and if looked after will last you for ages. and generally seem to go for the same prices too, keep checking ebay and forums for bargains

there is a mesa boogie for sale on ebay atm one of the older ones, a nice amp if you have the cash.

im not a fan of the gallien krueger stuff, pretty unreliable form what i have seen. can get some nice sound out of them though

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i'd agree with the shout for older SVTs amd that'd suit your simple EQ requirements better too. sweet as fuck but obviously you need to get one in good nick. i've never heard of reliability probs with GK stuff but always worth googling whatever amp you fancy before buying and seeing what's been said. have never played through a mesa but they seem to come highly recommended. as always, try before you buy and find what suits.

/x

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Save for an Ampeg, industry standard for SO many genre's. Not because they're cheap, but because they sound great, and are pretty versatile.

Introduction of a "Sansamp Bass Driver DI" to any setup will do WONDERS though.

If you've not heard of / got a Sansamp...you're missing out!

Best Bass 'Effects' pedal for dialing in a little crunch or just generally beefing up your sound. Also is a DI box, so that dastardly soundman has more of a task to make you sound AWFUL. ;)

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if you are thinking ampeg svt try and get one of the older SVT models. the newer ones are hybrid SS/TUBE amps and dont quite have the power of the all valve ones

Inaccurate... the SVT2PRO is all valve, with valve preamp, driver, and poweramp stages. It's all the other SVT models that have MOSFET poweramp stages.

So 'YES' it is possible to buy a brand new all valve Ampeg.

The SVT2PRO is the top of their product line, and the most expensive amp they make. People wrongly assume that an SVT3 or SVT4 etc. must be better but this is not the case. I'm guessing that the '2' simply indicates that it's an older product.

The SVT2 'only' has 300 watts output, but trust me this is MORE than enough LOL!

http://www.ampeg.com/products/pro/svt2pro/index.html

RMS Power Output (4 Ohms): 300-Watts

RMS Power Output (2 Ohms): 300-Watts

Preamp: Tubes (4 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AU7)

Driver Tubes: 1 x 12AX7, 2 x 12AU7

Power Amp: Tubes (6 x 6550)

There is a downside though, the SVT2 alone weighs 30 kilos (around half your body weight)!!! So is a complete bitch to lug around - I cannot stress that enough. It also costs a small fortune. Due to the weight issue along, I'd probably settle for an Ashdown combo. Seriously! Unless you just plan using it at home.

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Inaccurate... the SVT2PRO is all valve, with valve preamp, driver, and poweramp stages. It's all the other SVT models that have MOSFET poweramp stages.

So 'YES' it is possible to buy a brand new all valve Ampeg.

The SVT2PRO is the top of their product line, and the most expensive amp they make. People wrongly assume that an SVT3 or SVT4 etc. must be better but this is not the case. I'm guessing that the '2' simply indicates that it's an older product.

The SVT2 'only' has 300 watts output, but trust me this is MORE than enough LOL!

http://www.ampeg.com/products/pro/svt2pro/index.html

RMS Power Output (4 Ohms): 300-Watts

RMS Power Output (2 Ohms): 300-Watts

Preamp: Tubes (4 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AU7)

Driver Tubes: 1 x 12AX7, 2 x 12AU7

Power Amp: Tubes (6 x 6550)

There is a downside though, the SVT2 alone weighs 30 kilos (around half your body weight)!!! So is a complete bitch to lug around - I cannot stress that enough. It also costs a small fortune. Due to the weight issue along, I'd probably settle for an Ashdown combo. Seriously! Unless you just plan using it at home.

One of these:

Ampeg89SVTII_128.jpg

Sounds better than this:

ampeg_svt2pro.jpg

FACT.

Although the SVT2PRO's are NOT to be shirked at, the SVTII (Notice the difference in name) is the all-tube Rackmount Ampeg.

An SVTII or a Mesa 400+ are high on my GAS list!

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Thomann are good.

I got free shipping on my cab from them. They only take Credit Card or Bank Transfer payments though, something to consider perhaps.

GAK are great service-wise, but are a little overpriced in my experience.

An SVT2PRO through any Ampeg cabinet will be fine. I've no idea if this is the one in the Moorings. Something to definately consider is a Flight/Rack case, around an extra £60-£90, depending if you get it from a shop or from Ebay.

An Ampeg 4x10 will fit fine in a Touran, with the seats down.

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aye, sorry flash, forgot about that!

tech 21 sansamp bass driver is my next purchase. those things are fucking excellent, proper good. gus fom IX gets a fantastic drive out of his one, and you can get that justing broadrick-esque low end drive too :D

can only agree with the dj here, ANY ampeg cab kicks the jams. they are simply the best bass cabs around

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also impedence STILL confuses me.

isnt impedance basically resistance? but for ac? (im sure that's what i learned in physics... but have no idea what this means towards the music...)

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It's pretty straightforward really. That stuff you learned in Physics at school really doesn't have much bearing on it. So, like most of what you learned at school...forget it! :D

This FAQ should hopefully shed some light on it for you.

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yo, I'm after a new amp for gigging.

though im not sure what to get. I'd prefer to be no less than 300w.

Soundlevels are measured in spl, not watts. Just because it may be powered with more watts does not necessarily mean it will be louder. Some old 100W marshalls are louder than 300W amps today.

also whats the benifits of using a cab/head rather than a combo (yeah its prob a daft question)

It all depends on the combination of gear and the sound you are going for. Generally stacked speakers will give you more bass but in a gigging situation you quite possibly will take the pre-amp signal (or even DI signal) or a mic'ed signal and the benefit of having a large speaker cabinet is practically non-existant.

The point of backline is primarily to colour your instrument's tone and in some situations such as those without a proper monitor setup it is used to hear yourself on stage. Many sound engineers will tell you that their life is made conciderably more difficult by extremely loud backlines.

also i know my "sound" by a lowly 3band EQ. so i'd rather not have like 120000 band eq (ok slight sarcasim. . )

There are no real disadvantages in having more bands available in your equaliser unless the equaliser it is of a lower quality.

i was thinkin of saving for an ampeg (since using 1 in the moorings) or goin for ashdown maybe.

The ampeg is a a great sound for heavy rock music but I personally prefer Ashdown amps for the sound clarity and useful features. The Ashdown ABM series allows you to pan between the valve and solid state preamp and has a main 3 Band EQ in addition to 4 smaller bands to 'fine tune' your sound further.

Admittedly, the built in octaver is a fairly stupid feature to have on an amp.

The principle of saving for high end gear I am deeply in favour of.

ack i just dunno

The best idea is go and try out amps in shops. Unfortuatnly Aberdeen has a shortage of music shops with a good selection of bass amps.

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right cheers for all the help and all that jazz. i think im sorted for what i'll go for.

probs an ashdown. its cheaper and from the amps ive tried it gives a quite nice tone. also its pretty simple too :) which is always good.

then probs gonna try and get a sansamp DI driver with it.

my setup will be complete :)

except cab. . .anyone recomend which size of cab would be compact enough to move around a bit, but still be able to take a little amount of power without blowing up?

again ta for ALL the help

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right cheers for all the help and all that jazz. i think im sorted for what i'll go for.

probs an ashdown. its cheaper and from the amps ive tried it gives a quite nice tone. also its pretty simple too :) which is always good.

then probs gonna try and get a sansamp DI driver with it.

my setup will be complete :)

except cab. . .anyone recomend which size of cab would be compact enough to move around a bit, but still be able to take a little amount of power without blowing up?

again ta for ALL the help

Just go for an Ashdown combo, easy to lug around that way.

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Out of interest, why? It would seem that it would be more sensible to buy something that you can exploit to it's full potential, rather than spending a lot of cash on something that might be barely used?

why would you use something more just because it cost less? i think the point that was being made is that you're better off saving longer for something good and which you really want than buying something now that is substandard.

/x

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