Valve Amp - who’s still using them?

[Beedster]

6 hours ago, Kiwi said:

I don't gig with them but have a Trace Hexavalve and a couple of 130w Burman Pro4000HD heads.  I did a gig once with one of the Burmans and I didn't need to put the car heater on during the drive home.  That sucker was still glowing.  Haven't gigged with the hexavalve yet but it's probably going to replace my Shuttles once I get the last piece of the signal chain in place.

The comforting glow of power tubes. Our singer got a telling of a few years back for trying to take my Mesa 400+ out to the car park on a freezing night about 5 minutes after I'd turned it off. It would either have heated up the entire car park for all the punters, or cracked all the tubes, I wasn't going to risk the latter

[la bam]

This thread rekindled my valve love. I've just plugged my bass into the valve head and flippin eck .... there really is nothing like playing through valves. Instant Geezer Butler sound straight away. That clarity and grind at the same time.

PS does anyone find playing a valve amp after playing a solid state/class d head, that everything is so much faster. Almost to a point that you have to adjust your playing slightly. It feels as if the notes ring out before I've hit them.

[Beedster]

1 hour ago, la bam said:

This thread rekindled my valve love. I've just plugged my bass into the valve head and flippin eck .... there really is nothing like playing through valves. Instant Geezer Butler sound straight away. That clarity and grind at the same time.

PS does anyone find playing a valve amp after playing a solid state/class d head, that everything is so much faster. Almost to a point that you have to adjust your playing slightly. It feels as if the notes ring out before I've hit them.

Yes and yes. Like so many other things in life - social media, virtual reality, food flavourings - we're replacing the organic with the synthetic, and when we get the organic - real face to face contact, real skydiving/sex, real food - it just does something to our emotions that's a little more, well, emotional. Now, before all you Class-D'ers descend on me like a ton of whatever the hell it is they make Mesa Boogie transformers out of, what I mean by this isn't that tubes are somehow better in objective and technical terms that transistors etc, but that all too often we're sold the idea that whatever the non-tube technology is, it can do what tubes do. In sonic/waveform terms perhaps it can, but IME in emotional terms, it can't. There is something visceral about a bass played through a big tube amp; even my Mesa Boogie Titan V12, a great amp with shot loads of h**t, couldn't touch my SVT. 

[MartinB]

I'm too cloth-eared to hear any meaningful difference between solid-state, hybrid and valve amps that I've owned. But I like seeing that other people are getting such enjoyment out of valves!

[warwickhunt]

Use the search function to check out the Handbox thread on BC.  They have a valve amp in their range which is highly regarded... in fact I bought one in preference to a lot of high end solid state/hybrid amps.  Nowhere near as big and cumbersome as many all valve amps.  

 

[JapanAxe]

I was happily gigging a 50W valve head (Ampeg PF-50T) before lockdown, only replaced it because of GAS and my self-imposed 1-in-1-out rule.

[Bankai]

20 hours ago, SamPlaysBass said:

What mic set up do you use for PA/FOH purpose? I like that idea, give the sound guy a solution before it becomes a problem. A mic and a DI as suggested by @Bankai have will have everything covered. 

I’ve a few I use depending on the scenario but if it were for live and being combined with a DI from the amp, I’d be looking at something like a Sennheiser e609 or Audix i5. The photo I put up is an Audix i5 on-axis with an Audix D6 off-axis. If you want to splash a bit more cash, then the Sontronics Halo would give you probably the best result. Whichever one you go for, I’d have it centred on the edge of the dust cap. You’ll get a good punchy tone from that, to be combined with the full-range signal from the DI.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Bankai

[Bankai]

22 hours ago, Beedster said:

SVT-II is the king of Ampeg tube amps. Simples. Hard to say why in technical terms, but in acoustic terms it's just that little bit more visceral (IMO of course)

I’ve played through the Aguilar DB751, Orange AD200B, Ampeg SVT-CL, and Ampeg SVT-II Pro. All were sensational, truly brilliant amps. Once you get to that level I think it just comes down to subjectiveness as to what style of tone you’d like to hear as they’re all wonderful. For me however, the SVT-II Pro wins.

[SamPlaysBass]

6 hours ago, la bam said:

 

This thread rekindled my valve love. I've just plugged my bass into the valve head and flippin eck .... there really is nothing like playing through valves. Instant Geezer Butler sound straight away. That clarity and grind at the same time.

PS does anyone find playing a valve amp after playing a solid state/class d head, that everything is so much faster. Almost to a point that you have to adjust your playing slightly. It feels as if the notes ring out before I've hit them.

 

I’m glad it has! I love going to gigs where the bass player has very obviously put themselves (and their back) out for the pure simple bit of pleasure it gives them. The audience won’t notice, other band members may not notice, by you do. 
 

The immediacy is crazy. 

4 hours ago, Beedster said:

Yes and yes. Like so many other things in life - social media, virtual reality, food flavourings - we're replacing the organic with the synthetic, and when we get the organic - real face to face contact, real skydiving/sex, real food - it just does something to our emotions that's a little more, well, emotional. Now, before all you Class-D'ers descend on me like a ton of whatever the hell it is they make Mesa Boogie transformers out of, what I mean by this isn't that tubes are somehow better in objective and technical terms that transistors etc, but that all too often we're sold the idea that whatever the non-tube technology is, it can do what tubes do. In sonic/waveform terms perhaps it can, but IME in emotional terms, it can't. There is something visceral about a bass played through a big tube amp; even my Mesa Boogie Titan V12, a great amp with shot loads of h**t, couldn't touch my SVT. 

I love this. I used to come across people who’d say ‘My X and Y is just as loud as that and I can take it to the car in one trip! Sell that and get what I’ve got.’ Indeed it can, Geoff, but my back is still in one piece and it’s my choice if I want to break it for quality tones. No, I don’t care that it’s completely impractical and the ‘punters don’t care.’ But I do, Geoff. I care about h**t. 

[itsmedunc]

This thread has just reminded me that I've got a Selmer Treble n Bass 50! Must get it set up with the BF 110's and have a listen!

[wateroftyne]

I'm 'between' Handbox WB-100 valve heads at the moment. As soon as the gigs pick up again (pleeeeeeease) I'll be sticking my order in. Beautiful things.

[Beer of the Bass]

I'm surprised there aren't more small form-factor, less than 200 watt valve amps with modern appointments like DIs etc, rather than large wood-cased heads intended to sit on massive cabs. It seems like they'd fill a niche for a lot of bassists.

[wateroftyne]

4 minutes ago, Beer of the Bass said:

I'm surprised there aren't more small form-factor, less than 200 watt valve amps with modern appointments like DIs etc, rather than large wood-cased heads intended to sit on massive cabs. It seems like they'd fill a niche for a lot of bassists.

Maybe an even smaller footprint would cause a cooling headache..?*

*I have no expertise in this field. I'm just guessing.

Edited August 28, 2020 by wateroftyne

[maidens97]

Watching this thread as I'm getting more and more tempted into valve amps. Looking at the Ashdown CTM 300's in particular. Very briefly owned a super bassman before moving it on due to buying my first house, never even got to gig or use it with my band. 😭 Have used a SVT VR and an Orange AD200 at festivals and loved them but prefer the idea of Ashdown due to them being based in the UK and their customer service seeming so good. Someone convince me to pull the trigger

[la bam]

10 minutes ago, maidens97 said:

Watching this thread as I'm getting more and more tempted into valve amps. Looking at the Ashdown CTM 300's in particular. Very briefly owned a super bassman before moving it on due to buying my first house, never even got to gig or use it with my band. 😭 Have used a SVT VR and an Orange AD200 at festivals and loved them but prefer the idea of Ashdown due to them being based in the UK and their customer service seeming so good. Someone convince me to pull the trigger

Well, my ashdown ctm300 is up for sale at a bargain price. 

 

[maidens97]

3 minutes ago, la bam said:

Well, my ashdown ctm300 is up for sale at a bargain price. 

 

I've been watching it for a while! just never had the chance to try out the heads and no music stores seem to stock them, especially near me.

[franzbassist]

Giving this a run tonight.  It's not that powerful, at only 30 watts, but through the FMC cab it puts out plenty of volume and sounds lush 😍 

 

[la bam]

2 minutes ago, maidens97 said:

I've been watching it for a while! just never had the chance to try out the heads and no music stores seem to stock them, especially near me.

I know what you mean. I bought it blind so to speak, never having heard one, and its everything you think it would be. 

It isnt hard to move around as the handles are on the top, so it really isnt bad at all.

Sound wise, as it's the 300, it will stay clean as long as you want (gain low, volume high), or if you want it will add valve drive as it has the separate gain knob, as well as volume knob - so you just work them together for the ideal sound.

I bought it for the same reasons as yourself - any issues at all Ashdown will sort. My other 2 amps are ashdown too.

..... I'm talking myself into keeping it everytime I mention it! 

[baldwinbass]

I tend to use  my Eden VT300 in the cooler months, as it keeps the room nice and toasty! 

[maidens97]

7 minutes ago, la bam said:

I know what you mean. I bought it blind so to speak, never having heard one, and its everything you think it would be. 

It isnt hard to move around as the handles are on the top, so it really isnt bad at all.

Sound wise, as it's the 300, it will stay clean as long as you want (gain low, volume high), or if you want it will add valve drive as it has the separate gain knob, as well as volume knob - so you just work them together for the ideal sound.

I bought it for the same reasons as yourself - any issues at all Ashdown will sort. My other 2 amps are ashdown too.

..... I'm talking myself into keeping it everytime I mention it! 

What cab are you running it through because I feel like I'd end up wanting to go the whole way and get an Ashdown 810 with it. My band would hate me for it though.

[la bam]

2 minutes ago, maidens97 said:

What cab are you running it through because I feel like I'd end up wanting to go the whole way and get an Ashdown 810 with it. My band would hate me for it though.

The other reason I bought the ashdown is that it has 3 speakon ins. One for 8ohm, one for 4ohm and one for 2ohm. So your options for cabs are pretty limitless.

I have a laney n410 (8ohm) which is a brilliant lightweight cab, and now have x2 barefaced two 10s (4/12 ohm switchable), so I could use the laney at 8ohms, or if using the barefaced - one (at 4ohms) or 2 (at 2ohms) depending on the situation.

It's an incredibly loud, powerful amp. An 8x10 would be lovely, but a 4x10 more than enough! Even the 2x10 is monstrous.

[Bankai]

28 minutes ago, la bam said:

It's an incredibly loud, powerful amp. An 8x10 would be lovely, but a 4x10 more than enough! Even the 2x10 is monstrous.

I use mine (AD200B/SVT2PRO) with a Barefaced 210S. It’s enough. It’s more than enough. I don’t think there’d ever be a time when it wasn’t enough, and if that time came there’d almost certainly be a DI involved. But... I also have an SVT810E for good measure

 

But if you’re looking at getting a big ol’ valve head then I wholeheartedly believe that the BF210S is the perfect partner. Small enough you can have it in the corner of the living room for home playing if you’re careful with the volume controls. Loud enough for almost anything. Perfectly matched tonally.

Edited August 28, 2020 by Bankai

[wateroftyne]

I hope we're all remembering that Class D watts = Valve watts, and you need at least 550w to gig.

😉

[la bam]

24 minutes ago, Bankai said:

I use mine (AD200B/SVT2PRO) with a Barefaced 210S. It’s enough. It’s more than enough. I don’t think there’d ever be a time when it wasn’t enough, and if that time came there’d almost certainly be a DI involved. But... I also have an SVT810E for good measure

 

But if you’re looking at getting a big ol’ valve head then I wholeheartedly believe that the BF210S is the perfect partner. Small enough you can have it in the corner of the living room for home playing if you’re careful with the volume controls. Loud enough for almost anything. Perfectly matched tonally.

Great minds think alike. ....

[Woodinblack]

I have a CTM100 and I enjoy using it when I use it but tbh, it is one gig out of 10 at most and it is just taking up space. I like the sound,  but it takes more space than I have, and weighs more than I want to carry. I have a tc450 which does the 90% of the gigs and I would be happy to stay with just that.

glad I had it though