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opinions on valve heads


Greene-Mann
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Hey guys, just as most of us do at some point, i have caught the vintage bug, as much as i do love my ashdown (ABM Valve Pre thing) , i just dont think it sounds "vintage" enough (hate the expression but i think you'll know what i mean)....About a year or so ago i did play through a yonks old marshall super bass 100 oojemeflip, and thought it really sounded the dogs...

so what i'd like a bit of help with is; does the new marshall VBA400 compare to the super bass in sound? or does the Fender 300 watt all valver give the sound i'm after, or even the new but seeminly difficault to find Ashdown BTA400? or even an orange...

I have tried ampegs, but someone will want to kill me for this: i'm not too keen and i really don't know why...

I know theres a thread on the difference in sound from a SS and a Valvey, some of what people says hints at what i'm looking to find out, but any info would be awsome. (Also for future reference, if i find out what i need, i'll probably be shifting the Ashdown to make room for it)

Cheers.

Greene Mann

Edited by Greene-Mann
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Might be worth considering a Fender Bassman head, especially if you can pair it with a sensitive cab. They're quite smooth sounding. Alternatively you could go for an Ampeg B15R Portaflex fliptop reissue. Very different to SVT heads and Jamerson used to play through one.

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+1 on the bassman head. Silverface jobbies from the early-mid 70's are relatively easy to find, simple 'hand-wired' circuits that any competent tech can handle, sound nice and are both cheaper and louder than late 60's / blackfaces.

Not as loud as yer VBA's or the big modern Fender, but cheaper to buy, easier to service and cheaper to re-valve. Flip-tops are lovely too, but again, not as loud as yer VBA / Fender 300.

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IMO, i think all full valve bass amps sound like vintage things... it's when you get solid state out put power or pre amp they sound modern... though there are a few solid state things knockin' about that sound like they are full of tubes!

My Orange head sounds vintage, it's brand new!

Gotter get them valves workin hard!

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If you like one of the old Marshalls, pick one up on ebay. They work out cheaper than a new Orange. As they're only about 100 Watts or so, try putting them together with a pair of very sensitive 15s. I have a '70s Fender 400 PS which I sometimes use with a Barefaced Compact. A pair of those would do the job! Basschat's very own alexclaber makes them.

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-1992N-mark-2-super-base-100-watt-1969_W0QQitemZ370186037886QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL?hash=item370186037886&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1688|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-1992N-mark-...%3A1|240%3A1318[/url]
[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-Super-Bass-1977-100-Watt-Guitar-Bass-Head_W0QQitemZ130299554999QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL?hash=item130299554999&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1688|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-Super-Bass-...%3A1|240%3A1318[/url]

Edited by The Funk
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[quote name='skankdelvar' post='461732' date='Apr 14 2009, 12:11 AM']Not as loud as yer VBA's or the big modern Fender, but cheaper to buy, easier to service and cheaper to re-valve. Flip-tops are lovely too, but again, not as loud as yer VBA / Fender 300.[/quote]
Vintage gear tends to operate at vintage levels of power. 100w should be enough for a pub gig, and if more volume is needed then more speakers will help.

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Cheers for the help guys, greatly appreciated; the 100 watts isnt a problem, thats all i'll really need i thinks...in general are valve amp's louder than SS?...that being the case 100 is plenty...do the vintage Marshalls appear on ebay often?? or do i need to finance my liver and get one in quick? haha

Cheers

Greene Mann

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There are ALWAYS vintage Marshalls on ebay so you don't need to rush. Valve amps do sound a bit louder than SS amps generally but 100W is still quite low, unless coupled with sensitive speakers. Having said that, one of the guys called John on here (whose board name I can't remember) runs a 100W Marshall through a pair of Acme Low B2s (great cabs but very low sensitivity) - and he's very happy with that rig.

Edited by The Funk
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[quote name='Greene-Mann' post='461995' date='Apr 14 2009, 12:14 PM']Sounds good to me, will i be able to compete in volume to my mate's (Gu***rist) Marshall JCM 50watt thing....because that can be a bit of a monster[/quote]

You might [i]just[/i], if he rolls off a bit of his bass end, and gives you some space in which to operate...Give it a try.

Edited by skankdelvar
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The old Marshalls will sound different to the old Fenders, the Oranges, Hiwatts, Ampegs etc.

The good thing is that you can try out the Orange amps in shops to see if they give you the sound you're after. I don't think the Oranges go far above 200W anyway so the old Marshalls might still be a good option.

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I bass-gigged a Marshall 50w Mk2 JMP against a cranked AC30 for a year or so. Fine for rehearsals and small pubs. Any venue that requires 300-400w, you'd prob be using a DI into PA anyway .

The advantage of a bigger amp is that it gives you more clean headroom. OTOH, you may not want clean anyway, so cranking up 300w of valve through sensitive cabs in a rhsal room would probably kill everything there bar the cockroaches.

Trust me, a well-serviced 100w marshall is seriously loud.

Edited by skankdelvar
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Make you right...look at lemmy, hes using a 100watt 1992 re-issue...and motorhead aren't exactly quiet :-D......if i plug it up to some good speakers i don't think i'll really have a problem...Lem uses a 4x15 cab and 4x12 cabs, so if i try and go for say, a 2x15 and a 2x12 or 2x10, would that be sufficient?

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When you hear Lemmy live, you're hearing him through an N'000 watt PA rig. Volume from the PA, tone from the amp.

Why shag around with 2x10's - they'll only fart out quicker than the bigger cab. There's absolutely nothing to stop you sticking your amp through a coupla 4x12's - easier to shift than a 2x15 and there are plenty of bargain 4x12's at the moment, cos everyone's downsizing. Looks monster too.

The other option is the old Eddie Van Halen trick. Run a marshall into a dummy load, with a line-out to a couple of huge tranny power amps. Marshall tone at 1000+ watts. :)

Edited by skankdelvar
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[quote name='Greene-Mann' post='462186' date='Apr 14 2009, 03:04 PM']Make you right...look at lemmy, hes using a 100watt 1992 re-issue...and motorhead aren't exactly quiet :-D......if i plug it up to some good speakers i don't think i'll really have a problem...Lem uses a 4x15 cab and 4x12 cabs, so if i try and go for say, a 2x15 and a 2x12 or 2x10, would that be sufficient?[/quote]

I'd be tempted to get two good 1x15s.


[quote name='skankdelvar' post='462198' date='Apr 14 2009, 03:14 PM']The other option is the old Eddie Van Halen trick. Run a marshall into a dummy load, with a line-out to a couple of huge tranny power amps. Marshall tone at 1000+ watts. :)[/quote]

Not a bad idea, actually.

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Valve all the way!!

I own both Marshall Superbass and a Marshall VBA.
The VBA is HANDS DOWN the BEST amp I've ever had. SO POWERFUL!!!! Although I can understand why it wont be for everyone. It's suits me to a tee, as I play Ridicolousy loud and my tone is very Dirty so the VBA does it for me.

The Superbass.....mah. I dont think it's so good for bass, (awsome for guitar though!) I think there's better 100w valve heads for bass out there, if your not fussed about masses of power. Kudos on the Orange. Or even Matamp. Although Matamp can be pretty pricey the tone is incredible. I played a few dates on my last tour using The new Green 200w Bass head from matamp. Sounded amazing. Not quite the power I need for my band but the tone was rich...

Well thats my 5 cents in there.

Edited by man_at_arms84
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[quote name='dannybuoy' post='464936' date='Apr 17 2009, 12:58 PM']Anyone here tried the Peavey VB-2? Heard some good reports of them, but they barely get a mention in the whole 'which valve amp' discussions.[/quote]
heard that they all pretty much die after 2months

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