Can We Talk About Amplifier Quality These Days? Junk, junk, junk!

[sonofa_lembic]

OK, I admit this is kind of a rant stemming from my personal frustration in the past few years concerning reliable amplification.  But, have you noticed most of what is available is just not working, sounding good, or even leaving you stranded on a gig? 
As I have aged, I have sought lighter weight solutions to my rig.  It started with moving away from large transformer power amps to A/B class switching amps.  In most situations these lighter weight (14lb) amps are outstanding, offering high power and reliability as long as the power source is consistent.  They just don't like to run on generator power, so my solution was to maintain one of my old big transformer amps as an alternate.  Even with the lighter amp used in conjunction with an F1X preamp, the rig gets heavy for me to load in and out comfortably as the three herniated discs in my back take their tole. 
My next solution was to try the new generation of D class amps in small packages.  I tried virtually everything from Darkglass to Demeter 400 and 800, Markbass Markus Miller, Fender Rumble 800, Walter Woods Blue Light, TC, Quilter, Mesa, Genzler 350, Behringer, Aguilar etc.  Most were either lousy sounding, or severely underpowered.  A few just plain blew up like the Markbass, Demeter, and my latest, GRBass 800. The best performers by far were the Behringer and the Fender Rumble, but I simply can not get anything approximating the "Alembic" tone from any of them.  Sure I could add a Super Filter to the mix, but that is something I would prefer to avoid. 
I had high hopes for the GRBass 800 Cube combo in carbon fiber, and found it to have great tone, ultra light weight, and it was loud and responsive.  Alas, the amp section and tweeter fried on my last gig. 
So why can't anyone test their products under real world conditions to assure reliability?  And why for God's sake can't anyone attempt to duplicate the magic Alembic tone which has been available to copy for 55 years? 

[gearhed289]

My #1 amp that I've been using since January 1997 is an Ampeg SVT III Pro. It broke down once in the first year I had it. Got it repaired under warranty, and it hasn't had a single problem since, through hundreds of gigs, weather conditions, van rides, etc. This was my "lightweight" substitute for my '74 SVT. I added a class D mini amp to the arsenal maybe about 10 years ago with a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. Fine amp with some interesting tone shaping options. But, I finally gave up on trying to make it sound like an Ampeg and bought a PF-500 which has proven to be reliable.

[sonofa_lembic]

Once again, the big stuff is the reliable stuff.  My issue is that I do a lot of slap playing, and I really push the limits of what an amp can handle.  I also am totally spoiled by the Alembic tone which is critical for my style of playing....basically a symbiotic relationship.  LOL.  I am searching for good tone and light weight, but only finding reliability problems.

[Glynn]

Hello. I have to say I was amazed when I read the title of your thread.  I may live to regret this but I have never experienced in 60 years of playing what you describe. I think you must have been very unlucky.  I wonder if there is anything in your set up which is causing the blow up of equipment - don't ask me what - I just play bass.
I am now using a Genzler Magellan 800 which has bags of power.  Nate Navarro says he used them on tour without any fault.  Andy Irvine says similar.  I play an Alembic Orion 4 and the bass is so good that I just use my tone and don't need to duplicate any expected tone.  Alembics are just so versatile - I play covers, jazz, blues, country and choral.  I love the bass.
I also had a Genzler 350 and a Genz Benz Streamliner 900.  I use Bergantino cabinets which I find match perfectly with Genzler.
I didn't get on with MarkBass and before that I had Fender and Trace Elliot stuff and Acoustic back in the day.  I think amplifier choice is a long journey which I am at the end of.
I am fortunate to live 30 minutes away from Bass Direct UK and they stock all the high end bass gear and it is all good and the only problems are finding your own preference.
I am sorry for your frustration but cannot agree that there is nothing good out there and gear isn't tested properly.
Glynn

[bigredbass]

Lots of cats use many of the amps you've mentioned with no problems, at least not in almost every case you encountered.  This is a far different day in terms of 'what the market wants', the 'replace not fix' mentality a lot of manufacturers have had to follow to try and keep prices below the stratosphere, there's lots of reasons, and to do it when more and more stages are going ampless, they're behind an 8-Ball that's getting bigger every day.

And like Glynn, I've never heard of any one man 86-ing that many different amps.

If it were me, it would be simple:  Avalon 737SP into powered Bag End bins.  Utterly musical and clear, optical compressor, used reliably by many studios as channel strip or preamp, and the add-on amp in the Bag Ends adds 700w and 7 lbs. 

Generators?  Generators?  You're on your own, you REALLY roll the dice there.

[cozmik_cowboy]

Once again, the big stuff is the reliable stuff. 

And like Glynn, I've never heard of any one man 86-ing that many different amps.
 

Well, I know I've said this before, but in my pro sound days I used big stuff; Crown, Crest, QSC, BGW, Trayner, Peavey, probably some I'm forgetting, and except for Yamaha, every one crapped out mid-gig on more than one occasion (Crest, QSC, and Peavey were the worst for that.


But on modern stuff I can make no contribution (except that I've used Yamaha stuff over the last 15 years or so, and it still rules!)


Peter

[BeenDown139]

ok i'll chime in.

i loved the sound of my old big rig - series II ->F2B -> mesa stereo tube power amp ->18" bag end cab + peavy 2x10 on top.  the rack alone was 85 lbs. (US).  sounded great.  never had a problem with it.  a real baack-breaker.  that was 20 years ago.

now it's an SII or MKD driving a markbass 15" with a separately powered PJB 2x5. the whole schmear weighs 45 lbs. sounds OK.  plenty o'power.  fits in my clown car. i don't need help moving my rig to a gig, even with a broken leg on the mend.  been gigging with it plus 2 rehearsal a week.  haven't had a problem with it yet.  but - our stage volume is fairly low and FOH handles the heavy lifting, so i'm in a fairly benign environment and not really pushing anything that hard.

replace not fix' mentality a lot of manufacturers have had to follow to try and keep prices below the stratosphere

as a retired electronic engineer, i'll go out on a limb and say most class D stuff (at least the mass market gear) is impractical to repair because it's so closely designed to the edge to keep it cheep.  unfortunately there's no safety margin so it won't take much abuse and when it craps out it's easier/cheaper to to toss than repair.

old engineering saying - everyting's a tradeoff - make it bulletproof and it'll cost a fortune.  cheep, fast or good.  pick any 2

<edit>  my old avatar's back.  yay!

[garyhead]

My $0.02. Wheels!  I can’t remember humping stuff around. I hard-mounted my rig to a hand truck. Got a portable boat winch mounted on a piece of plywood laying in the back of my pickup.  Band mates used to gather to watch me winch the whole rig into the bed. Bass in one hand…..pulling a hand truck in the other hand.

[cozmik_cowboy]

My $0.02. Wheels!  I can’t remember humping stuff around. I hard-mounted my rig to a hand truck. Got a portable boat winch mounted on a piece of plywood laying in the back of my pickup.  Band mates used to gather to watch me winch the whole rig into the bed. Bass in one hand…..pulling a hand truck in the other hand.

Having spent 7 years as a fulltime roadie (and 40 or so as an off-and-on, part-time thing), then 17 delivering windows and doors, my mantra is:  Don't lift what you can slide, don't slide what you can roll, and don't roll what you can leave there; be smarter than the [gear or freight, depending on audience].

Peter

[rv_bass]

I’m surprised the Walter Woods and Quilter didn’t work out.  I have both of those and can get fine Alembic tones out of them.  Same goes for my GK MB 500. My 70s era Walter Woods can do things similar in a way to my SF-2.

[peoplechipper]

I've been thinking about some of the class D stuff whenever I do shows again (if my drummer ever gets stable or I replace him) as my current rig is huge, but I love it (Acoustic 370, G-K 4x10, Verlage 15" w/Fane speaker) sounds huge, but it is huge, comes up to about my neck and weighs a ton; but it is bomb-proof...thing with some of the class D amps is they're so small you might lose it! but at the same time, that small size means they don't have to take the same abuse as big black boxes; put in your gig bag, your coat, pedalboard case, glove box...

[chrisalembic]

I always found Alembic and Glockenklang to be a great combination and I remember reading that some people around here felt the same.

[jazzyvee]

I've been using Alembic Preamps and Crown XLS series power amps for a few years now and not had any issues with either the sound or reliability. Granted I'm not gigging every week. Also having not been a bass player in the era of the classic bass rigs, i've probably missed out on the attraction of that valvey tone, so I guess suitable rigs have been less challenging for me to find. I hope you find something to meet your needs.

[sonofa_lembic]

Once again, my playing style and the loud dance bands I work with really push the limits of my amps.  I don't have the option of using in ears, so I have to rely on the amp to give me good feedback on stage as well as pull its own weight out in the audience. When you thump on a bass as much as I do in a 3 hour stretch, and then take a screamin' slap solo for a minute, it puts stress on an amp that most players will never foist upon their rigs. 
I can assure you it is not something I am doing wrong.  I have plenty of rigs that can handle the abuse. It has just been hard finding a small amp that 1. can be reliable, and 2. sounds good to my ear. 
This last week I have revisited Darkglass, and have found the Microtube 500 to be working well.  It is louder than many of the 800 watt amps out there, and has a lot of tonal control so I can dial in a sound I like.  It also runs cool under stress, so I am encouraged by this one.  I also tried a Genzler Kinetic 800 today that is a good candidate.  I know these amps are well made and will likely be totally reliable, but this is the first model I have tried that did not sound overly mid rangey. It has three 12AX7 tubes which sound quite good. 
My Genzler 12 Array cabinets have been 100% reliable for almost two decades, and I love the way they sound and the quality is fantastic.  They never blow tweeters, handle low end like an 18" speaker, and are stable with any wattage you throw at them.  They are keepers for sure.  I just wish the GRBass combo which weighs so little and is really loud could take the stress, but until it is repaired, I won't be able to continue testing it.  I have started running into the P.A. to take some of the load off my little amps, but even at lower volume, those solos can be really harsh on the equipment. 
Just to be clear, not all of the modern amps I have tried fried on me. Just the Mark Bass heads and cabs, GRBass 12 combo, Epifani DIST 12 cabinet, Demeter 400 and maybe one or two more that I can't think of right now.  The rest I have tried, I just hated the tone. 
I also want to make it clear that even the older heavy amps had a lifespan.  I used SWR 800 slave amps for years with incredible success, but when they got older and had a lot of gigs through them, they became problematic with channels going in and out etc.  The same for the Trace Elliot 500 power amps I used to have.  They were great until they weren't.  Never catastrophic failure, but just drops in volume that would come and go etc. 
My hope is this Darkglass will hold up.  It is not perfect, but it will do what I need it to.  Now let's just see for how long.

[sonofa_lembic]

My $0.02. Wheels!  I can’t remember humping stuff around. I hard-mounted my rig to a hand truck. Got a portable boat winch mounted on a piece of plywood laying in the back of my pickup.  Band mates used to gather to watch me winch the whole rig into the bed. Bass in one hand…..pulling a hand truck in the other hand.

I had the same idea the other day.  Cherry picker mounted to the bed of my truck.  LOL.