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old loud tube bass head
| Message Board > Gear Buy & Sell > old loud tube bass head |
| jim User Info... | Im lookin to purchase a really powerfull old tube bass head. ive been looking for an affordable mesa boogie bass 400, but can seem to find one. anyone have anything interesting out there they wanna get rid of? - Wed, 19 Mar 2008 1:30pm | ||
| Tambo User Info... | Affordable and mesa boogie don't really go in the same sentence. Look for old Sunn stuff, I played through an old tube sunn head that was killer! - Wed, 19 Mar 2008 3:27pm | ||
| dopebilly User Info... | traynor custom special (YB3)... the best bang for your buck. traynor sold his schematics to ampeg in the sixties to make the SVT. I picked one up for 280$. one of the best bass amps you'll ever find. Amazing tone and fucking loud. - Wed, 19 Mar 2008 6:59pm | ||
| stew User Info... | I had a 400+ and I didnt find it loud enough for my liking. Plus the tubes will set you back an arm and a leg. - Wed, 19 Mar 2008 7:12pm | ||
| jim User Info... | hey thanx for the info i know where i can find a traynor custom special actually, i been lookin at it. but it didnt seem that great to me. Maybe ill see if i could take it home to try out they are asking $700 . but you say its incredably loud? - Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:26pm | ||
| stew User Info... | what cab are you runnning? tube amps wont go past 300 watts, the ampeg classic svt and mesa 400+ both run at 300 watts and they're the loudest of tube bass amps. If your looking for lots of power + tone, get a good solid state power amp that runs at 500 watts min and a nice tube pre amp. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:32am Edited: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:32am | ||
| mactac User Info... | The 400+ is plenty lound, I had one for quite a while. if you were using the one they had at L&M, there was something wrong with it I used it for a while & it seemed to be half the volume of mine. the tubes could have been shot in it. Also, the trick wuth the 400+ was to put a y cable into both inputs, it sounded great & really boosted the volume. gain staging is really important on the 400+, and the eq is passive, so the midrange has to be all the way up for it to be flat. if you don't have it up, then you'r eusing a scooped sound, and as we all know, scooped bass doesn't go very loud till it clips. I played at sugar with my 400+ and a 4x10 cab & the sound guy complained about how loud it was. Where are you playing that the 400+ wasn't loud enough? - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:57am | ||
| mactac User Info... | also, lot sof tube amps are over 300W. but more importantly, a 300W tube amp is way louder than a 300W solid state amp. you can't compare them. Myh 400+ was about the same volume than my 1100w ampeg svt 6 the other thing to keep in mind, is that a 500w amp is only around 2db louder than a 300w amp. hardly at all. double the wattage = only 3db. if you need loud, then add speaker cabs, it'll help way more than just a few more watts. use 2 410's or an 810. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 1:01am | ||
| Pierce User Info... | "Also, the trick wuth the 400+ was to put a y cable into both inputs, it sounded great & really boosted the volume" Really? Is this a standard trick of the trade for all amps with dual input? What if one is a passive input, and the other is active? When it comes to gear, i have not a clue. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 8:33am | ||
| jim User Info... | im playin through an ampeg 8x10 and a traynor 2x15 thanx a lot for all the help. any one have anything theyr sellin? - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:05am | ||
| stew User Info... | pretty sure watts are watts, makes no difference if its tube or solid state, maybe you just perceive tube amps as being louder. If your running two cabs, youll definitely need more power than 300 watts. I use a 1600 watt power amp and it runs my 8x10 and 2x15 no probs. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:14am | ||
| Aidan Logins User Info... | "pretty sure watts are watts, makes no difference if its tube or solid state" HUUUGE difference actually. Also has a lot to do with the way they're wired. You can have a 20w tube amp that's as loud as a 100w tube amp. So there's no strict rules about watts and volume- but tube amps are much louder per watt than solid state amps. Way much. My Traynor Custom Special on 30 watts is at least four times as loud as my 350 watt solid state amp. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:16am | ||
| mactac User Info... | "Also, the trick wuth the 400+ was to put a y cable into both inputs, it sounded great & really boosted the volume" Really? Is this a standard trick of the trade for all amps with dual input? What if one is a passive input, and the other is active? When it comes to gear, i have not a clue. no, you can't do it with many amps because it will damage them... it just so happens that you can do it on the 400+, and that's where th emagic happens... it really make the amp sound huge because the 2 inputs have such a different sound. it's pretty much the standard trick for the 400+ (and the 400 to a lesser extent) - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:53am | ||
| mactac User Info... | all things being equal (and I completely agree with the watss don't equal volume Aidan said), tube amps are quite a bit louder and go louder than solid state amps. this is due to 2 things: 1.tube amps are pretty compressed... therefore more perceived volume 2.when the map starts to max out, it doesn't clip like a solid state amp... you can keep diming it & it gets more saturated, fills out more harmonics & gets "louder" also, the way that tube amp transformers are wired makes itso they produce maximum volume no matter what the impedance of the speaker is. on a solid state amp, an 8ohm speaker will be driven with less power than a 4 ohm, whereas on the 400+, it'll drive every speaker like it was a 2 ohm (ya, that's right, it'll go down to 2 ohms). if you're using an 8x10 and a 2x15 at the same time, I can't imagine why you don't have enough volume.. I think a lot of people go a bout trying to get voluem the wrong way. so many people use an eq scoop & complain that they can't get loud enough or can't get heard - it's because there are no mids! you will cut through with your mids... it's the bass that sucks up all the power & you can't really hear the low bass all that much. besides, cranked bass sounds like absolute shit in the audience...it's pure mud If you want more volumne, the standard way is to cut some bass & turn up the mids. People play stadiums with your setup, you just need to use the tools correctly - bring up the mids, - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:00pm | ||
| laprider User Info... | Ah Mactac, voice of reason. when we gonna have a drink. 100% on the money Volume is a perceived thing. Sitting or fitting in the mix is the true key to volume. Case in point a PRS or les paul into a boogie rectoverb with all the mids scooped out. sounds great in the bedroom, mix that in with bass drums etc..and it all but "disappears" in the mix. a tele through a 40 watt fender will not be "Louder" but it will "cut through" the mix and you would probably hear it over the boogie. EQ and its use s always the best way to more volume...unless you are talking practice amps of course. Try messing around with those mid frequencies you would be suprised....why do you think most mixing boards have an expanded mid section. more watts doesn't always equal more volume. Yes tube watts produce more "perceived" volume then the same wattage solid state. Most bass players I know do use 10's just to cut through in some way - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:58pm | ||
| Crux User Info... | Bass 400+™Amplifier FEATURES Handbuilt in the USA 500 Watts @ 2Ohms, All Tube, Class A/B Power / 12x6L6, 4x12AX7 learn to internet pls. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 1:55pm | ||
| sumyungai User Info... | MacTac is right on the money. It's one thing to shake yer balls in the bedroom or practice room by cranking the bottom end, but once you get going with a band it's just gonna be miserable. If yer using a PA the situation is compounded. The last thing any competent FOH guy wants is a lot of extra bottom end floating around the stage. Always start with your EQ flat, and only start cutting if there's a problem. Personally, I find my tone with no more than 3db cut or boost at any frequency on most rigs in most rooms. If your having to crank 10+ db cut/boost at any band, I suggest you throw away your cabs. This goes for soundmen too. I've heard so many complain about this system or that system, but when I look at the graphic equalizer they've got that classic home stereo "smiley face" curve, and then wonder why they can't get any presence on the vocals. One other point I'd like to bring up that no one has yet mentioned, and that is wavelength. If you really want to hear low frequencies from your rig, try getting about twenty feet away from it. Oh yeah, check out the Traynor. It's a killer amp. I played the Commodore and the Town Pump back in the day with one running into two Traynor 8x10s and it slew. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 6:08pm Edited: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 6:11pm | ||
| Dopebilly User Info... | WATTS = POWER OUT NOT DECIBELS I'VE KILLED 1000W SOLID STATE AMPS AND 100W MARASHALLS(TUBE) WITH MY GARNET AND TRAYNOR 50 WATT TUBE HEADS. MY BASS PLAYER NEVER GETS OVER 2 1/2 WITH HIS TRAYNOR. AND KILLS THE REST OF THE BAND. IF YOU DON'T THINK IT'S LOUD ENOUGH REPLACE THE EL 'S WITH 6550'S CLEANER SOUND A LITTLE MORE STERILE (LESS TONE). I WOULDN'T PAY 700$ FOR A TRAYNOR BUT I'M CHEAP AND WOULD NEVER PAY FOR A MESA UNLESS IT WAS UNER 500$ CAUSE i COULD GET A TRAYNOR CHEAPER. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 7:22pm | ||
| jim User Info... | the head im playing through is pretty loud, i would just prefer to have the sound of tubes. so you guys with the bass 400 and the traynor custom special? which do you you like better out of those two? the custom special has a much lower watt rating but you said id louder then a 350 watt solid state? ive found a traynor custom but just not sure about it yet. its also $700 oh yeah and i do play with the mids pretty high as is - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 7:30pm | ||
| Dopebilly User Info... | I've been playing for 20+ years i think the custom special is the best amp around....for tone and it's pretty fucking loud too! I am a little bit jaded I hate the sound of solid state (tin). tell buddy you'll give 'm 450$/500$ for the traynor. - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 7:52pm | ||
| Drustanos User Info... |  http://www.uberreview.com/2007/11/an-amplifier-so-powerful-it-can-simulate-lightning-strikes.htm - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 7:57pm | ||
| sumyungai User Info... | For me it's a SVT or a Traynor. I've never been a fan of Mesa'a engineering philosophy, I prefer Traynor's 'Keep it simple stupid' approach. Less gak in the signal path = purer tone. Oh and Dopebilly, if it's the Traynor I think it is, it's down at Alloy music. Or they have one, anyway. I'm tempted meself... - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 9:28pm Edited: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 9:29pm | ||
| jim User Info... | you dont know if the one at alloy is a custom special or a super custom special do you? - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:03pm Edited: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:04pm | ||
| sumyungai User Info... | Damn good question. I'll have to call them... Actually on reflection I'm pretty sure it's a YBA3... - Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:17pm Edited: Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:51pm | ||
| sealion User Info... | uhm 1968 Garnet BTO 260 no speaker cab I'm thinking of selling. yes it hangs from the top and is square brass corners. - Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:11am | ||
| ak User Info... | just to put my peace on here; another thing to keep in consideration about perceived volume is how "pure and clean" you like your signal. i bought a V4 off of stew on here, and it's awesome for my rig because i drive it pretty hard and i'm into that tone.. but there's no way that you can't hear that amp on stage. i think tube guitar amps are the way to go, for me.. but if you need a lot of volume you have to get the cab's for it (which you have) and then get a powerful enough power amp to match those cabs. i agree about finding the right midrange. i personally leave it cutting about 3db in the low mid (300hz selector) frequency. anyways, do what makes you happy. too much bass can make other people unhappy though! - Fri, 21 Mar 2008 3:47am Edited: Fri, 21 Mar 2008 3:48am | ||
| Dopebilly User Info... | sealion how much for the GARNET? I love my garnets Jim go try the GARNET cause they rule * I thought the only difference between the yba3 custom and super custom was : custom - el34 better tone more crunch and super custom - 6550 louder cleaner more punch. - Fri, 21 Mar 2008 9:40am | ||
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