simonroberts788 Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 (edited) Marshall VBA400 valve head - 400 watts 8x6550. This is the daddy of all the tube heads out there. Smooth thick tone and all the clean headroom you could wish for. Crank the gain for sweet preamp overdrive - the nicest and warmest of any amp i've tried or crank the master and control the amp with the gain to get some power tube involvement in the overdrive. Single channel with deep and bright switch on the output, simple preamp with Fender style passive tone stack and switchable mid shape for scoop, flat and pushed mid range voice. The high headroom of the amp means that your fundamental tone doesn't fall apart when you add crunch. And the simple EQ means you can easily dial in a variety of vintage and modern sounds. I've had it about six months but have only used it a handful of times as I don't get the opportunity to use it much. The previous owner replaced all 8 power tubes with Marshall branded Svetlana 6550s 18 months prior to me buying it so it should give you years of trouble-free enjoyment. Another advantage of the big wattage is the amp can run a bit cooler than say an SVT which notoriously hammers power tubes. The previous owner had a Speakon output professionally fitted to the back panel which is a welcome addition. Have a read of the manual and reviews online - this amp has gained a great reputation as a sleeper on the market and a true SVT killer with better tube life and reliability. Pair this beast with an 8x10 for the ultimate planet destroyer rig (not included in the sale). This amp is heavy but not stupid heavy at 36 kg - but it's a 400 watt tube head, it needs to be heavy. Look at the size of the transformers in there. I can lift it up on to the 8x10 without a problem. Moving it is a two man job in the flight case though! No expense spared at any point of the amp's construction. Comes with fitted flightcase. Located in St Agnes, Cornwall but can get the amp to Bath with a bit of notice if that's more convenient. You can try it cranked up through my 8x10 at my rehearsal space in Redruth if you like. Shipping not an option at the moment as i don't have a box and it's super heavy in the flight case. Hit me with questions. Marshall VBA400 manual.pdf Marshall-VBA400-Bass-400W-Schematic.pdf Edited March 14, 2019 by simonroberts788 price drop 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonroberts788 Posted January 13, 2019 Author Share Posted January 13, 2019 open to offers on this king of amps... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonroberts788 Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 No love for this stupidly powerful, gorgeous sounding head @ £500? Best tube tone ever... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norbass Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 Oh if you could ship to Norway 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
binky_bass Posted February 18, 2019 Share Posted February 18, 2019 If you were closer then I'd be sorely tempted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frantic Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 One of the best bass amps ever made. Had a few opportunities to play it. Always amazing. Someone get me a rock'n roll world tour and I'll buy it - alongside two 4x12" original Marshall bass cabs from the same series, which are also brilliant. Really hard to understand why this amp has never made it into the ranks of SVT's or Hiwatt 200s popularity, it's a killer. Good luck with the sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonroberts788 Posted March 6, 2019 Author Share Posted March 6, 2019 Cheers Frantic - totally agree with you. Absolute killer of an amp. Wish I could keep it but upcoming home improvements and too many bass amps are forcing sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norm Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 thats bargainous for any touring rock bass players out there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts