Dan Dare

Apologies. I thought you were asking about heads. For power amps, I would look at those places that sell PA. For class D, the industry standard makes include Lab Gruppen (they also make for other brands, including Martin Audio and L-Acoustic), Camco, Fohhn, QSC and others. Prices are often quite a lot over your budget, however (hence the suggestion to look at Class D heads and use as a power amp). The suggestion above to use a Quilter Bass Block is a good one (Quilter is the 'Q' in QSC). It's simple (so you won't be spending a lot on a pre-amp that duplicates what you have) and plenty powerful. Be a bit wary of bargain priced Lab Gruppens and others. Because prices of good class D power amps are so high, there are Chinese fakes about, so it can be risky buying from other than an authorised dealer or from eBay. If looking at used, ask to see some kind of documentation - original receipt, etc.

A lot of late 70s Fenders - guitars and basses - seemed to weigh a ton. I think they went through a phase of using heavy ash bodies. A pal has an ash-bodied Strat' from the time that could give you a hernia. My'72 Jazz is like your '76 - light, big sound and generally wunnerful.

I know I'm being predictable, but if you're wanting to look at new bass heads, Bass Direct has pretty wide stock and carries virtually all of the better brands.

The bass...

I'd have only got 5. Never heard of the Breeders. So I'm even more out of touch, thank Gawd.

I agree with PJ Bassist. Seems a 1x12 combo will largely duplicate what you have already. Your head is larger than the amp in most combos, but that's about it. I'd look for a smaller head to use with the existing cab. In addition to the Elf, the baby GK 200 watter is very compact and nice.

I've just dribbled down my shirt. Lovely instrument.

G&L L2000. Fabulous pickups, very versatile, well made. I didn't hate it by any means, but just couldn't get on with the neck (I've spent too long playing J basses). I persevered, but eventually sold it. Was sad to see it go, because it made lovely noises.

I lusted after a Ric for years when I were a lad (based on the look and the fact that nothing else would do that Chris Squire sound). Never got one. String spacing is pretty tight - they tend to be preferred by pick players. Pricing is OTT, but if you like/want what they do, nothing comes close.

Agree with Chiliwailer that D'Addario Chromes are worth trying. They work very well on a J bass and can do bright/crisp if needed. Relatively cheap, too.

You won't necessarily need class D. Unless weight is important, a regular (class A/B) PA power amp will do the job and be neutral/uncoloured. They can be had for much less than you are looking to spend (used, they can be bought for surprisingly little, even premium brands). You'll need one you can bridge if you don't wish to run stereo, but many will do that. It might also be worth looking at getting a class D bass head and using it as a power amp. Many have a switchable input that will accept line level signals, so you can set the eq flat and run your existing pre into it. Alternatively, if it has an effects loop or a power amp in, you can drive it via that or the effects return. Definitely try before you buy.

I didn't know that, Bill. I assumed, as you are warned on pain of destroying valve amps not to use them with no load connected, that very low impedance would be bad for them. Thanks for the heads up.

The only way to be sure is to head for BD and try one for yourself.

I wouldn't buy sight unseen. It can be a short cut to dissatisfaction and spending more in the long run (have a look in the market place at the amount of good quality kit people are trying to move on. Nothing wrong with any of it, but I'd bet many bought it on recommendation and found it didn't suit them). I know. I've been there. I finally saw the light and spent half a day in a well stocked shop trying things and bought something I liked (and which I feel no desire to change). You really need to try things out. What anyone else likes won't necessarily work for you. This is especially true of the price bracket you're looking in (which dictates buying used).

Good quality closed-back phones (such as you have) will usually give much clearer insight into bass lines than the majority of monitors that are available at affordable prices. Definitely try/compare before buying. You may find it better to stick with what you've got (and you'll save some money).

It looks to me as if the valve amp the OP is considering needs to see a minimum of 4 ohms (many do). If that is the case, you can safely use it with a cab of higher impedance, but should go cautiously with lower (2.66 might be pushing things a bit, unless the output transformer is up to the job or tapped to deliver into 2 ohms). So your 6 ohm cab will be fine. You may get slightly less output, but it will be hardly noticeable and we all know that valve watts are much louder, don't we 😀?

I have a Carvin B1000. They turn up occasionally and not for too much money (Carvin are out of business, so no new ones to be had). I like it a lot - for some things, I prefer it to the AG700.

This illustrates another very good reason to use a P bass (see other extensive thread on the topic). They're simple, weighty, solidly made/hard to break and ideal for self-defence purposes 😉

I'll try. I'm ancient, so will have to work out how to upload one.

I used a Squier body, no name neck (but decent - nice flamed maple with a good rosewood board. Had to file/smooth the fret ends and level a couple, but simple enough to do. Plenty on eBay), Grover tuners, Gotoh bridge (not high mass), Seymour Duncan regular P p/u (not the high output version and don't bother with the Antiquity, because the spec's are identical to the cheaper regular one), CTS pots, orange drop cap, Switchcraft socket, that 'vintage' cloth wound cable and silver solder (tried to make everything absolutely bog-standard P bass). It worked a treat and cost me les than £250. Oh, and I put a 'Dinky Toys' decal on the headstock (you can get them off eBay). None of that using a Fender one 😊

My sentiments exactly. My main instrument is an old Jazz and I bought a PJ to have the best of both worlds. Versatile, but it doesn't quite do the full-fat P bass sound, so I built a bitsa P (simple enough, with only around 35 bolts/screws to do up and some very basic soldering), put La Bella flats on it and bingo. When you need 'that' sound, nothing else will quite do it.

No. Horses for courses. Use the tool for the job. Plenty of things a P doesn't do, but it makes sense to use one for the things it does do.

How much is it "worth"? Nothing. How much might someone pay for it? depends on how desperate/daft they are. I'll go with £65 because it has a case and strap and a Schaller bridge..

This thread highlights some interesting (not to say depressing) differences in attitude. At the extreme, attitude 1 is "I have MY sound and that's what I'm going to use. So there". Attitude 2 is "What suits this piece/song? How can I achieve that?" A number of previous posts betray some pretty sad snobbery (jibes about "playing on Nana Mouskouri records", "hired hacks", etc, etc). I'd bet that most in the attitude 1 camp are weekend warriors. It isn't just the sound of your instrument or what you play that's important. It's how it fits/blends with what else is happening and with the overall feel that the writer/arranger/producer of a piece wishes to achieve. There is an enormous difference between doing your own thing and playing for someone else. Part of being an adult is to appreciate that you and what you do are often not the centre of the universe. The sound we like when we're playing at home/with ourselves (oooer) isn't necessarily the one that works best in a given context. I love my old J bass, for example, but I'd be the first to admit that it doesn't always suit. That's OK. If someone is paying me, I try to give them what they want. It helps me make a living and lessens the likelihood that I'll have to clean toilets in order to put food on the table. I can always indulge myself/be "creative" at another time. If someone handed me a '62 L series P bass and asked me to use it, I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at it. For certain things, they're pretty hard to beat. I guess I shouldn't say all this. After all, the more people there are with attitude 1, the greater the chance "hired hacks" like me will continue to be offered work.