Giving Up Valves

[henry norton]

I've just put my vintage Marshall 4x10 valve combo on Fleabay with the view to getting something light, compact and flat (as in the sound!). It wasn't impossibly heavy like an SVT and the sound was pretty good - a bit light on bass. I just realised I was keeping it because it's got gold knobs, a wicker grille, brown tolex and 4 EL34s. What I really need is something I can chuck in the back of my car with one hand

Has anyone else done this sort of thing or is this really just because I've turned 40 and I'm getting too bloody sensible???

[Chris Horton]

I have very recently done exactly the same thing.

I have recently sold my Orange AD200b valve head with the OBC 410 & 115 speaker cabs.

Great sound but became toooooooo heavy for me to move about , it was really a two man lift as I had flight cases etc.

sad to see it gone but i have picked up an Epifani UL 502 amp and Epifanu UL 410 speaker cab. They are both really light , easy to move by myself and AWESOME sounding . I play a 1978 & 1979 precision and a 2002 5 string stingray with piezo pickup they all sound fantastic and I would recomend looking at the Epifani gear , it is very clear/punchy/natural sounding and can handle anything from the high c from a 6 string bass to the low B string on my stingray with ease.

I am supper pleased with my rig , highly recomended

[umph]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-Bass-Amp-/200478324818?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item2ead707852"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-...=item2ead707852[/url]

is the the combo your shifting? ;o

ever thought about going for something like a orange bass terror jobbie and one of the barefaced cabs?

[Cat Burrito]

I have an Ampeg SVT solid state head that I use more than my 1978 Fender Bassman head. Firstly it's lighter and secondly there is less to go wrong. I think I am acknowledging I'm getting a bit older

[henry norton]

[quote name='Chris Horton' post='854171' date='Jun 1 2010, 10:34 PM']I have very recently done exactly the same thing.

I have recently sold my Orange AD200b valve head with the OBC 410 & 115 speaker cabs.

Great sound but became toooooooo heavy for me to move about , it was really a two man lift as I had flight cases etc.

sad to see it gone but i have picked up an Epifani UL 502 amp and Epifanu UL 410 speaker cab. They are both really light , easy to move by myself and AWESOME sounding . I play a 1978 & 1979 precision and a 2002 5 string stingray with piezo pickup they all sound fantastic and I would recomend looking at the Epifani gear , it is very clear/punchy/natural sounding and can handle anything from the high c from a 6 string bass to the low B string on my stingray with ease.

I am supper pleased with my rig , highly recomended [/quote]


[quote name='umph' post='854212' date='Jun 1 2010, 10:54 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-Bass-Amp-/200478324818?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item2ead707852"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-...=item2ead707852[/url]

is the the combo your shifting? ;o

ever thought about going for something like a orange bass terror jobbie and one of the barefaced cabs?[/quote]

Thanks for the pointers - I was originally looking at something like a MarkBass combo but I'm starting to discover some of these more exotic modern delicacies. Yes that is my amp by the way - it's a bit like a Bassman you can actually play the bass through

[umph]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='854229' date='Jun 1 2010, 10:02 PM']I have an Ampeg SVT solid state head that I use more than my 1978 Fender Bassman head. Firstly it's lighter and secondly there is less to go wrong. I think I am acknowledging I'm getting a bit older[/quote]
less to go wrong than a bassman? Theres barely anything in a bassman!

@henry - Thats a beautiful amp i'd be gutted getting rid of it, can see why you'd want something lighter and more modern though!

[Chris Horton]

Hi ,

The mark bass gear is great as it is very light but in my opion I find that the mark bass anps do "colour" the natural tone of any bass guitar.

They don't seam to be very clear sounding or "tight" when it comes to reproducing each note you play. Very walm sounding like a big cuddley teddy bear a bit toooooo save sounding for me.

Could be why there is alway's lots of mark bass gear up for sale on bass chat.

Just my opion though

[lemmywinks]

I've always found my LMII to be the exact opposite of that funnily enough, they're known for their clear reproduction of bass tone! I guess it depends heavily on the cab used with them

I think the reason there's quite a bit for sale is that they sell so well, there's tons of MB gear in circulation! They also don't seem to hang around the FS forum for very long either. I've been looking for a LMII for a mate and they all sell pretty quick

A neighbour of mine recently bought a 2x10 Markbas combo (the wedge one, can't remember the name) and he's well chuffed with it. Sold all his old Musicman and SWR gear and just uses the combo now, one hand carry and more volume than he needs. He plays in a covers band mainly playing funk and disco and it suits his needs

[gillento]

+1 on Markbass!!!!

[51m0n]

Another +1 on Markbass

It is great gear, each bass I play through mine sounds like that bass, IME & IMO the amp does not particularly colour the tone at all, its just a great amp. Masses has been said about the quality of the MB amps here and on Talkbass, nothing more to add....

[henry norton]

[quote name='umph' post='854310' date='Jun 2 2010, 12:21 AM']less to go wrong than a bassman? Theres barely anything in a bassman!

@henry - Thats a beautiful amp i'd be gutted getting rid of it, can see why you'd want something lighter and more modern though![/quote]

Yes I am a bit sad to let it go and if it doesn't reach reserve I'll quite happily hang onto it. I can't really justify having two amps kicking around at the moment but if it does go I am quite excited at the prospect of finding something completely different. (I've been following the purple chilli thread). You're right about the Bassman though - problem is the few things that [i]are[/i] in them are mostly made of iron! If only aluminium was magnetic.......

Thanks for all the suggestions by the way - I still like MarkBass but haven't tried a Genz, Little Giant, Eden yet so there's still some testing to do, and that's [i]if[/i] my old amp sells.

Edited June 2, 2010 by henry norton

[dan670844]

[quote name='henry norton' post='854948' date='Jun 2 2010, 02:54 PM']Yes I am a bit sad to let it go and if it doesn't reach reserve I'll quite happily hang onto it. I can't really justify having two amps kicking around at the moment but if it does go I am quite excited at the prospect of finding something completely different. (I've been following the purple chilli thread). You're right about the Bassman though - problem is the few things that [i]are[/i] in them are mostly made of iron! If only aluminium was magnetic.......

Thanks for all the suggestions by the way - I still like MarkBass but haven't tried a Genz, Little Giant, Eden yet so there's still some testing to do, and that's [i]if[/i] my old amp sells.[/quote]

Little Giant is a good amp if you use the superfly cabs if you can find a superfly 48 cab and pair it with a LG1000 they sound nice and warm and are really light and loud or a LG350 and the 15 cab. DON'T buy one if you can't find any superfly cabs you will be disappointed with it, i.e. it won't be loud enough, sound to toppy. The superfly cabs are very good, but the combination is a little expensive! cheap amp expensive cab.

For my money I would be looking towards a Genz shuttle 600 with a valve pre and the Neo 212 you will love it

[Prime_BASS]

[quote name='umph' post='854212' date='Jun 1 2010, 09:54 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-Bass-Amp-/200478324818?cmd=ViewItem&pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item2ead707852"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Marshall-4150-Valve-...=item2ead707852[/url]

is the the combo your shifting? ;o

ever thought about going for something like a orange bass terror jobbie and one of the barefaced cabs?[/quote]


I did exactly this.
My full guitar rig, a SState 150w head into a 4x12 and the Orange rig in my sig was just too heavy for an amateur like me, and even when I cut down to just the Orange it was still a pain.

When I made the move to bass I was in the Market for at least the AD200b and the 1x15.

I think Ive got compromise for tone/volume/wiegh. IMO of course. The only thing the OTB lacks is a more natural less muddy dirty sound.

This would be the way to go IMO if you want to go lighter and louder.

[lojo]

Have you tried the TC electronics rebel head?

It has a really good tube tone and neatly packs into a shoulder bag

There cabs also are fairly easy to move, without that lacking punch ive found in so much of the lightweight modern cabs i've tried

Plenty of people raving about them,

Musicman20 on here seems to know everything about them and also owns the orange rig, so can offer a good view on TC vs the real deal

[henry norton]

[quote name='lojo' post='859938' date='Jun 7 2010, 03:50 PM']Have you tried the TC electronics rebel head?

It has a really good tube tone and neatly packs into a shoulder bag

There cabs also are fairly easy to move, without that lacking punch ive found in so much of the lightweight modern cabs i've tried

Plenty of people raving about them,

Musicman20 on here seems to know everything about them and also owns the orange rig, so can offer a good view on TC vs the real deal[/quote]
Those are the ones that look like 90s high end Hi-Fi components! I'll have to check them out too - it looks like they use some kind of digital modelling to get a valve sound. I wonder whether a serious piece of digital hardware like this will outperform one or two preamp valves. Hmmm

Edited June 7, 2010 by henry norton

[henry norton]

As it happens the amp didn't reach reserve so I'm sticking with it for now. I can't say I'm too sad but I had to give it a try

[bigjohn]

[quote name='henry norton' post='860346' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:04 PM']As it happens the amp didn't reach reserve so I'm sticking with it for now. I can't say I'm too sad but I had to give it a try [/quote]

Fair dos.

I sold my marshall jcm800 last year cos it was a bit too heavy - I replaced it with a an ampeg SVT-IIP preamp and a digital power amp - I've then replaced the digital power amp with a lovely 18kg 1kw solid state power amp. (that 5kg makes all the difference!)

I can't say I've missed lugging the Marshall but if somebody else would have carried the b*stard I wouldn't have let it go.

That said, I prefer my tone now, it's easier to move, it's louder and quieter. But, there's something about the beautiful simplicity of a good all valve bass amp that I miss.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='bigjohn' post='860408' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:51 PM']Fair dos.

I sold my marshall jcm800 last year cos it was a bit too heavy - I replaced it with a an ampeg SVT-IIP preamp and a digital power amp - I've then replaced the digital power amp with a lovely 18kg 1kw solid state power amp. (that 5kg makes all the difference!)

I can't say I've missed lugging the Marshall but if somebody else would have carried the b*stard I wouldn't have let it go.

That said, I prefer my tone now, it's easier to move, it's louder and quieter. But, there's something about the beautiful simplicity of a good all valve bass amp that I miss.[/quote]

I reckon my Mesa Strategy 400 is just the ting you need instead of that cold solid state power. Considering selling it.

[bigjohn]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='860417' date='Jun 7 2010, 09:57 PM']I reckon my Mesa Strategy 400 is just the ting you need instead of that cold solid state power. Considering selling it.[/quote]


I reckon a strategy 400 and an SVT IIP would be my perfect sounding rig. Aren't they heavy though?

Actually, an SVT IIP and an RPM for the front - but that's just greedy.

Edited June 7, 2010 by bigjohn

[wateroftyne]

The TC RH450 has changed the way I feel about modelling heads. It's absolutely unbelievable.

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='bigjohn' post='860526' date='Jun 7 2010, 11:23 PM']I reckon a strategy 400 and an SVT IIP would be my perfect sounding rig. Aren't they heavy though?

Actually, an SVT IIP and an RPM for the front - but that's just greedy.[/quote]

How about a PSA for the front? Could do ya a deal. Heavy is a fair description.