uk_lefty Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Does anyone remember these amps? I had a Bass State B150, absolute monster, blend valve and solid state circuits to get the desired tone... Except mine had an issue and was low on volume. I don't know if its nostalgia from the old catalogues from the late 90s and early 2000s or if these really were amazing amps. The DBS ranges, 200 watt combos and a 400w head I think seemed amazing, though I could never afford it and was too scared to fire up the one in the music shop. Anyone here have experience? Would you buy one now at the right price or does modern class D and the like blow them out the water? I remember my bass state amp was seriously heavy but in a moment of madness thought what about buying a cheap second hand one and just pulling out the head to use with my lightweight cabs.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 The DBS amps were great, I had the 400 watt head and it was excellent, very powerful/loud and had the H-Word in truckloads. Versatile too with plenty of eq shaping. Although a different inherent sound my Ashdown ABM600 is very similar in the depth of sound/power and flexibility. As such I wouldn’t buy one seeing as I have similar already but I’d recommend them, very good amps indeed and in answer to the Class D question, well its horses for courses, pub gigs and it’s not really a question but get into bigger venues/stages and that’s where the answer reveals itself. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted October 13, 2019 Author Share Posted October 13, 2019 Thanks Lozz. Off topic but do you use your ABM head with Root master cabs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 13, 2019 Share Posted October 13, 2019 Not yet but that is the plan since I got the RM cabs back, just not had a gig where I’ve needed the whole rig. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 My main gigging amp is a 7400 dbs. I also have a 7200 as backup. As lozz says - loads of welly and really great tone. However, it’s very heavy and when I travel abroad for shows and gigs with provided cabs, I take my tc mini head. I can get close enough to my recorded sound to keep me happy, and Johnny punter doesn’t really notice 😉 plus it takes minimal space to carry 👍 My first choice is always going to be my Marshall, and I do use it wherever possible. If I found another 7400 I would be all over it. Imo very few amps come close tone wise to it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted October 14, 2019 Share Posted October 14, 2019 I had a Marshall DBS combo think it was 115 and 400 watts. Bought new and never really understood how to get the best out of it (this was 30 odd years ago). I remember it was heavy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidens97 Posted October 19, 2019 Share Posted October 19, 2019 (edited) On 14/10/2019 at 10:45, dudewheresmybass said: My main gigging amp is a 7400 dbs. I also have a 7200 as backup. As lozz says - loads of welly and really great tone. However, it’s very heavy and when I travel abroad for shows and gigs with provided cabs, I take my tc mini head. I can get close enough to my recorded sound to keep me happy, and Johnny punter doesn’t really notice 😉 plus it takes minimal space to carry 👍 My first choice is always going to be my Marshall, and I do use it wherever possible. If I found another 7400 I would be all over it. Imo very few amps come close tone wise to it. I have a 7400 and a 7200 I may be willing to sell if you're interested Edited October 19, 2019 by maidens97 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 To be honest I might have spoken too soon lol. Repair bills always seem to jump on the unsuspecting 😉😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidens97 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 12 minutes ago, dudewheresmybass said: To be honest I might have spoken too soon lol. Repair bills always seem to jump on the unsuspecting 😉😂 I’ll probably have them for a while yet so message me if you ever want them 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanOwens Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 I started with a BassState B150 and I have fond memories of not only the excellent sound, but also the complacent attitude I took to gear. I owned one amp and it was heavy, but it was my amp so I had no choice but to grab it by the fingertips and climb those 3 flights of stairs!! Now, I'd need yet another amp set up, or maybe a suitable dolly, or maybe..... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 I have both a Bass State B150 and a DBS 7400. Both are excellent, and both very heavy, so don't get used so much these days (I'm hardly playing anyway). THe DB7400 really is a monster 400W RMS continuous, with a peak of 4000W (due to the Class H amplifier) (Class H = Heft ??) The great thing with both of these is that the valve/SS blend really makes a difference to the sound, unlike many of the more modern "Valve Preamp" amplifiers. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 A bit off topic I know, but my backup / home use head is an '80's Marshall Silver Jubliee 3530 head (300W SS) - a really transparent sweet sounding amp, despite the power rating being a tad optimistic IMO (more like a 200W), and still ultra-reliable after 30+ years. Looks cool with the chromed fascia too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 I had one years ago but my only memory is being disappointed with the volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted October 25, 2019 Share Posted October 25, 2019 The DBS amps were immense. You wouldn't want to move them without a handtruck and a van, but they were worth the weight. Probably the last good bass amp Marshall ever made. Given that Marshall don't make any Marshall-branded bass gear anymore (they have the Eden brand for that), if they put the DBS preamp into a big-power class D head and sold it as an Eden/Marshall DBS, with the proper black and gold livery, they'd clean up. The Bass-State, on the other hand, were cheap practice amps and almost entirely unremarkable. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted October 26, 2019 Author Share Posted October 26, 2019 9 hours ago, Russ said: The Bass-State, on the other hand, were cheap practice amps and almost entirely unremarkable. I agree on the 15, 30 and 60 watt versions they look very basic but the 150 was giggable and had potential to be really great. It weighed a stupid amount but it had complex tone shaping and should have had enough oomph. I used mine without PA support in a three piece with a top quality drummer playing through a custom made kit (can't remember the brand but they made Phil Collins drums) and a guitarist playing through a 200w Marshall head. And mine had suffered from previous owners abuse and didn't have the volume it should have. However, I don't know how much of my view is clouded by nostalgia, it was near 20 years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigGuyAtTheBack Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 I bought the DBS7400, 2x10 and 1x15 when they first came out. I remember being really excited when I got em home. Finally I would have an amp system to keep with 2 Marshall half stacks. How wrong I was! I didn't realise the 400w was delivered at 2ohms. The combo of the 2x10 and 1x15 meant 5.6ohms. Also there was very little bottom end which after a year of playing I finally opened up the the back of the 1x15 to find the speaker was wired out of phase ffs. Got bottom end end but still not enough volume. Gutted. I also managed to fry a PSU capacitor at gig, lots of smoke but it kept on working. Fixed by Marshall no charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted October 30, 2019 Share Posted October 30, 2019 which was the one in a cage, so you could see the valves lit up? It looked amazing.😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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