What Amps Do You Use

[jbybj]

I read this thread with great interest. There seems to be a pattern here, and it got me wondering. Are there others like me out there, old schoolers, who may feel intimidated by all the F1-X/QSC/and Eden gear? Am I an anomaly in the Alembic world, with my late 60's Traynor YBA-1A, spewing 90 watts of Canadian El34 bliss? My love of old Traynor's follows two paths, one is the value, they don't cost much, but I also have some sort of primordal connection with the tone. When I get her dialed in, the sound goes straight to my reptilian brain, my sternum quivers, and my lower gums itch. So, is there anybody else out there who runs a vintage tube rig as their primary setup?
 
Traynor Bassmaster Mark II YBA-1A/Ashdown Mag210T/EVM series II 15L in a custom cabinet.

(142.0 k)

[keurosix]

James,
If you haven't figured it out by now, it goes without saying: An Alembic bass makes ANY amp sound good! If you like a vintage amp great! If you want hi-tech cool! If you want a complete component system, that works too! Even that funny new Bose system I hear works well. It's such a personal taste / sound thing. We enjoy talking about the various combinations because someone can stumble across some very cool combinations, and just may have hit that sought after sound you're looking for. All in all, no matter what you play through, it's your ears that have the final say. For example, I started out with an Ampeg V-4B with a 1x18 cab. At 100 watts, it didn't have enough power, so I traded up to an SVT 8x10 vintage rig. It had the power alright, but got way too muddy for my taste when doing any 1/16 note speed runs. I sold it and got a pure component rig. Audioarts parametric EQ / Pre, Compressor, and crossover into BGW 750 and 250 amps. bi-amped into JBL 18's and 10's. I eventually went tri-amped, and added 5 tweeters. After years of punishment and a sore back, I sold all that and went to an SWR SM-400, 4x10 & 1x18 rig. This I can biamp or run full range. Sometimes I think this is TOO clean, and long for my old V4-B. That amp was hard to beat. Enjoy your Traynor.
Kris

[series_iii]

since i go stereo these days:
 
late 70's F2-B with mullard tubes.
Mesa stereo simul-class 2:90 tube power amp (new mesa tubes throughout).
peavey 2x10 for the bridge pickup channel
bag end 1x18 for the neck pickup channel
 
i set the speakers so that the bridge channel is stage right just like the bridge pickup is (most of the time).  it definitely sounds better this way rather than with the speakers stacked.
 
i originally built this rig for my living-room practice space when i lived in seattle.  i never imagined that i would be actually gigging with it.  it sounds great but it's about 200 lbs combined (the hand truck is not shown in this view).  if we have FOH, the sound guy uses a direct box out of the mono output.  seems to work pretty well.
 
a couple of notes about the components:
i bought the F2-B from a club member(can't remember who, now).  he negleted to tell me it was a total wreck - i wound up rebuilding the power supply (it had been hacked), replacing all of the knobs, replacing a couple of broken pots and redoing all of the solder on the PCB.  I finally got the rattle out of the B channel and it sounds great.
 
i bought the mesa from instrumnet echange.  in this case it was total disclosure on their part - the amp had been dropped (apparently from some height!) and so i not only had to rebuild the inside but i got to do some metal shop on the chassis as well.
 
for beater components, it sounds pretty good.  plus it's ungodly loud (ask my band-mates!). i always get compliments on my sound.
 

[fish]

I'm a big Ampeg fan myself.
 
I like to use 2 SVTHLF410 cabinets with a Pro3 head.
It keeps me up with the stage drum volume, (and then some).

[hb3]

Moog Taurus Pedals!....pant pant
 
Who'd you have to kill to get those?
 
(Message edited by hb3 on September 23, 2006)

[daveo]

Guitarist here:
 
Recently begun using 2 different Allesandro Working Dog amps.  My 1st is a 40 watt Rottweiler with 2x12 Jensen speakers.  The final output attenuates down 50% to make it as low as a 20 watt amp.  This is a 6L6 tube type amp and sounds like a vintage Fender Vibrolux amp.  
 
My new (and favorite Dog) is my 40 watt Dobberman which atteuates down 25% (or to 10 watts for breakup at lower volumes).  This combo has 1x12 Celestion Neodymium speaker for less weight and sounds great.  It has EL34 tubes for a more Marshall tone.  This is the ultimate gigging amp, it screams as necessary, but is small, easy to carry and unassuming.
 
All of the Working Dogs are hand-wired, point to point and built carefully and with love by George Allesandro.  While they lack some of the extras- no fx loop, no recording out, no boost switch, not even a channel switch, they sound so good it doesn't matter.  I put a Budda Phatman, and a Budda Wah in front and that's all I need.
 
Anyone else out there try the Working Dogs or Allesandro's high-end amps?

[FC Bass]

Hey Patrick, full name = Filippus Catharinus Landstra, the short version is Flip.
The Fender is signed by Jerry Only, Doyle, Michale Graves (Misfits) Joey Z., Alan Robert (Life of agony) and Marky Ramone (Ramones)
The shattered SG is a cheapo copy, I smashed it onstage P.T. style. Last song that was played on that guitar was a Sepultura song: Territory. At the end of the song I smashed the poor thing...
Your rig is awesome (like your basses btw) I bet if you turn it up to ludicrous volume, the tremors could be felt on this side of the huge swimming pool. Way to go, and thanks!
 
Cheers,
Flip

[blazer]

I guess i own the simplest rig here.
 
Just a H/H amp and I plug my basses straight in.
http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e22/guitarman91/My%20musical%20instruments/basses.jpg
 
As for my guitars, I used a little 40 watt Hiwatt combo (Just visible on top of my H/H amp) for small performances and home playing (that little sucker goes LOUD) and for the larger gigs I use a Peavey Classic combo with six boss pedal all ran straight in, not multi effects or looping bull&*%$ for me.

[FC Bass]

I sold my Ampeg SVT 3 Pro and bought a Mesa/Boogie Strategy 400 all tube 2 x 200 watt poweramp. I'm using the Markbass as preamp and for backup. The Strategy can handle 2 ohms on each channel, so I can hook up all my cabs (+more)
Tone is  amazing!
Pictures can be found on my site: WWW.FCBASS.TK.

[2400wattman]

oh yaaa!! get down!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[inthelows]

Nice pick up Flip.The house must be rockin'
NLP

[5stringho]

FC,
Cool lookin' rig. I'm also using a MarkBass. A Traveller 102 Combo, same internal head (Little Mark) as your's, 2-12' Neo speakers, along with a Traveller 115 cab. Sometimes I fire up a SansAmp RBI for a little different presence and dirt, but the MarkBass rocks! Bet it booms along  W/ the Boogie stuff. RAWK on, dude! (Cool Basses. too!)    
 
The 'Ho.....

[72rick]

Hey there,
 
I made a quick stop at the Serial Number Pedagree shop and got a fine welcome from southpaw.
 
I've been meaning to hit the Introduction spot for a formal hello but this Amp section got me.
 
This Ampeg B-15R Stack is my latest acquisition.
There's a great story behind it that I'll lay on you, but first here's a look!
 
Garret
 
And Here's the Amp Story!
 
The Ampeg is a B-15R (reissue) 2-15 stack.
 
I found and bought them separately this last summer.
I ran into the B-15E extension cab first, still new had never been sold.
(S/N KIDJ70001, first production model issued! Crazy!)
I never would have gone through the expense and effort otherwise.  The extension cab., completing the 2-15 Stack, really makes it. Before I found my B-15E Ampeg had already told me they had built a short run, 98 built for distribution!  The store I found it in had been using it as a rental.  I guess no-one had any regard for this Low-Power funky cab!  They sold it to me for $350.00 and I ran home screaming, so to speak!  I was a state away from home, celibrating my brother's 50th birthday.
The guy at the store didn't even know it was the first one issued, till he rang up the sale.
 
After that I set out to find a B-15R to set on top of it.  There had been used ones at both Bass NorthWest and Bass Central for $1300.00 before I went to Washinton for the weekend. When I checked back they had both sold the same day I bought my B-15E.  So I sent out emails expressing interest in another used one, both Bass NW and Bass Central offered me new ones for $1900.00 each.
 
In the meantime I put my '74 Rick up on ebay!
 
Then I got a phone call from a gal at Guitar Center in Eugene OR. (I'm in Corvallis OR.) saying she had two, still new, store floor models in her network (stores back east) with minor tolex damage that she sell me for $1349.99!
 
So, I told her I had my '74 Rick auction finishing up on eBay, I got $1045.00 for it.
 
They finished the deal by giving my $325.00 for the Max & 412-TFX and only charged me $9.00 shipping, it was an in-store transfer!
 
Now the punchline! They get it, I pick it up and bring it home.  (The damage was minor tolex damage to the corners of the Head Plate. A couple latches and corners were bunged up too but no harm to the cabinet, it's clean!)  
 
No-one bothers to look at the Serial Number.
It's S/N AJYDQ00001! The first production issue B-15R!  Crazy story, but it's true!
 
One odd thing is that my Cabinet is S/N AJYDQ00002!  No-one at Loud Tech. or Ampeg have been able to verify if it was released this way or if the Head/Cab was swapped with # 00002.
 
Now just one more funny thing.
I've been in corespondence with Jess Oliver the original designer of the Flip-Top Portaflex and was in on the Engineering of the Reissue B-15R and he was told that he would receive The First Production Model, which he has!  So he checked his S/N and it says S/N AJYDJ00001 (where mine is AJYDQ) and his Head and Cab. match!
 
It's all good!
 
I love it but it cost me my 1974 Walnut Rickenbacker 4001 and my Peavey 800w MAX & 412-TFX, which it had to be able to replace.  
 
It has been consoling me very well ever sence!
 

 
(Message edited by 72Rick on January 12, 2007)

[mele_aloha]

Here's my little set-up as of now except that I've also added a 18 subwoofer to the carvins and I now have the sweetest thing I've ever owned, Ampeg SVT-2pro with about 12 tubes in it. I now have a custom Series II on order.
Aloha, Paul

[worldfamousandy]

I like the fact that you've incorporated your 4X10 into your interior design scheme, adorning it with a tablecloth and a plant.  I'm not sure I could talk my girl into that...
 
Andy Calder
www.andycalderbass.com