NEW AMP TIME! Opinions wanted

[Ben B]

Time to buy a new amp (and cab) I know this will be a very broad and subjective question, but here goes anyway. Part of me asking is Im pretty limited to what I can actually play and hear, here in SA.


Current rig just isn't doing it for me, and kinda over setting stuff up and not being happy and changing it in 6 months. This is the last time Im doing it (for a while anyway )


this is the type of tone I'm chasing, and both times its been made with Ampeg SVT-CL,/ampeg 810 and a Sansamp BDDI.

Careful - they're both loud.


Comeback kid - talk is cheap - starts at 0:07.



Machine Head - Struck a nerve - starts at 0:10.





This is what Im looking at....

Peavey VB-3 head from the US, to match the Peavey VB810 cabinet i already own.
Orange AD200B and OC810 cab
Ampeg SVT-CL, and ampeg 810
Fender Bassman 800/super bassman 300 and Neo 810 Cab.
Laney Nexus 400w(!) tube and 2 x laney nexus 410's

other honourable mentions are the ampeg SVT7 rack head, and the two hartke heads, the LH1000 and the Kilo, and Ill go back to a rack setup.



The peavey is the cheapest option, and I can get one here for around $2200 aud delivered, but Ive never played one, and theres minimal info and sound clips on the net. Also the lightest option by far as well.


The orange i can play and buy here in SA, and will run me around $5000 for the pair. Anyone ever used one? Ive been told they're VERY heavy. Comparable to ampeg at all? similar type of tone palette? or a more vintage type deal? Im going to go play one tomorrow if i can find the time, but interested in other peoples thoughts.


Ampeg SVT-CL. I owned a US model and matching cab 10 years ago, but sold it on for whatever reason. I know this is the answer, one of these with a BDDI and I'm done. Issue is now they're not US made, and I've heard some horror stories about the MIC ones. But, they may all be wives tales. And they're frighteningly expensive now. The heads run over $4500. cabs are $2500.


Fender Bassman 800 and 810 - Hybrid head, very light (7.7kg!) cab is also really light, visually not my style, very vintage-y sounding, but has a nice ingrained dirt etc. Can buy locally, plenty of sounds online etc. Reasonably priced too. Super batsman is 300w all tube, but to me still has the very ingrained fender tone.

Id be very interested on hearing peoples thoughts on one of these heads.


Laney Nexus Tube - Never head one in the flesh, some decent clips on youtube, but mostly slapping and finger style, so not much used to me. A few people seem to think a typical english amp like a marshall tone. But dunno> Would love to know if anyone has one of these, as the distributors for laney have said to the guys at the store i go to they'll do a really good deal one one of these as they done have any in the aus market at the moment. but the heads are $3800, and the cabs are $1500 a piece, so sort of ampeg territory again.

'
Or am I looking into this a bit too much, and it all comes from the BDDI anyway?


So fire away, opinions, thoughts, other options.

Cheers Lads.

[Petebass]

I think you've answered your own question

I've used that Ampeg combo many times when I've done this where backline is supplied. The only other thing I've used that had the same vibe and was even better was .... Wait for it ..... Aguilar DB750 through DB810 cab.

[Ben B]

Haha, mate who works at the store i susally go to said the same thing, and to borrow his Aggie 750 and see what I thought.

Im worried about the ampeg quality though, I was playing a Fan fret ibanez at another store using a MIC SVT, and it literally shut off after 5 minutes. low gain etc, i was in a store FFS, so wasn't pushing it hard. So kinda put a sour taste in my mouth. The weight is kind of a turn off as well.

Im kinda keen on the peavey, but that might just be my wallet talking, and the orange has me interested> Im hoping i can take it for a spin tomorrow.

[benhill1982]

You wouldn't buy the Ampeg gear second hand, and look for older US made?

[benhill1982]

A B7K through an amp with sufficient low end will get that sound pretty easy.

[Ben B]

You wouldn't buy the Ampeg gear second hand, and look for older US made?

Yeah, Id buy second hand. Just hard to find anything up for sale here in SA, and shipping would be a killer. I even spoke to a few companies here that supply backline, and there's nothing for sale.

A B7K through an amp with sufficient low end will get that sound pretty easy.

I played a DG B7k for a bit and went back to my BDDI. It wasn't a bad pedal, but the BDDI what what i was chasing. Maybe a bit too " modern" and "clean" for me. At the time i was feeling Nolly's tone, but then got over it and went back.

I've used a B7K, M80, Sansamp RBI, and the BDDI, all through my Peavey Tour 700 S/S head, with he EQ bypassed so simply a power amp.

[benhill1982]

You wouldn't buy the Ampeg gear second hand, and look for older US made?

Yeah, Id buy second hand. Just hard to find anything up for sale here in SA, and shipping would be a killer. I even spoke to a few companies here that supply backline, and there's nothing for sale.

A B7K through an amp with sufficient low end will get that sound pretty easy.

I played a DG B7k for a bit and went back to my BDDI. It wasn't a bad pedal, but the BDDI what what i was chasing. Maybe a bit too " modern" and "clean" for me. At the time i was feeling Nolly's tone, but then got over it and went back.

I've used a B7K, M80, Sansamp RBI, and the BDDI, all through my Peavey Tour 700 S/S head, with he EQ bypassed so simply a power amp.

I'd recommend also trying the Pike Ampification Vulcan XL. I prefer that to both the B7K and Vintage Microtubes for overdriven tones like the ones you're aiming for.

[aphekgreg]

It certainly sounds like you want the Ampeg and if you want to stop buying and selling, it might be the way to go.

I've never owned one, so this is all information from others, but I've often heard complaints about reliability - going right back to the originals. I have the book on Ampeg and it has a story about the first time anybody used them, which was on a Rolling Stones tour. Ampeg sent a tech along with the tour to keep them running.

I have a mate who's been a guitar tech/stage manager on a lot of big tours and he hates them. Reckons you always need two of them, as one will not be working.

[Petebass]

Ahhh so it's one of those things Americans hushed up about while they were being made in America, but cried like babies once the manufacturing went elsewhere. Typical!

Reminds me a bit of all the whinging when Hartke moved production to Asia. The noise from complaints about quality drop was deafening .... Until Larry Hartke produced evidence his returns and warranty claims were actually much reduced

[Ben B]

It certainly sounds like you want the Ampeg and if you want to stop buying and selling, it might be the way to go.

I've never owned one, so this is all information from others, but I've often heard complaints about reliability - going right back to the originals. I have the book on Ampeg and it has a story about the first time anybody used them, which was on a Rolling Stones tour. Ampeg sent a tech along with the tour to keep them running.

I have a mate who's been a guitar tech/stage manager on a lot of big tours and he hates them. Reckons you always need two of them, as one will not be working.

Yeah, and you're not the only one thats told me stuff like that. Mate of mine is also a tech, and when Don Henley toured here, they hired 2 SVT heads, and sure enough, one went down.

There's a lot of things turning me off about the ampeg though, weight, price, and reliability.

Hence asking about the others. Im pretty keen on the peavey, but Im swaying towards the orange rig ATM, as I can go play it, and its all here in SA. Peavey is a completely unknown quantity, although I love my 810 cab. Its the Best one Ive owned. And Ive owned a couple.

The hardest thing is that a lot of this stuff is interstate and order in, probably end up cheaper flying to melbourne or sydney and going to some shops there to run some through their paces.

[Petebass]

Fwiw, it's been a long time since i used Peavey, but I've used plenty of it in my younger days, both for bass and for PA. I've never, ever had a fault of any kind with any piece of Peavey gear.....

Hey you obviously understand the importance of actually trying the great before buying it. And they did offer. So why don't you take the Aggie DB750 through it's paces? All the benefits of tube without the hassles.

[kat888]

If you are using a BDDI in front of the amp, why not go class D?

I have a VT Bass DI but it's only for backup or fifo. IME it sounds pretty ordinary in front of my YBA200. Obviously ymmv.

[NotTheFish]

I could be wrong but I hear bi-amping with this kind of sound. That is how you get the distorted crunchy top end and the deep powerful lows at the same time. I don't really follow your style of music but have liked Kings X for many years and remembered Dug Pinnick having a Sansamp Signature amp that might do what you want. Check it out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMIZ05g1Ko

[Ben B]

If you are using a BDDI in front of the amp, why not go class D?

I have a VT Bass DI but it's only for backup or fifo. IME it sounds pretty ordinary in front of my YBA200. Obviously ymmv.

Because i did that for a number of years. Well, it was class a/b, but same principle.

Im not a fan of the VT Bass either, more vintage-y than the BDDI. I even tried the VT Bass head, which is a VT Bass preamp, with a 500w power amp, but wasn't a huge fan.

I could be wrong but I hear bi-amping with this kind of sound. That is how you get the distorted crunchy top end and the deep powerful lows at the same time. I don't really follow your style of music but have liked Kings X for many years and remembered Dug Pinnick having a Sansamp Signature amp that might do what you want. Check it out - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLMIZ05g1Ko

Not Bi-amped. May have taken a DI signal from the head and one from the sansamp however.

Fwiw, it's been a long time since i used Peavey, but I've used plenty of it in my younger days, both for bass and for PA. I've never, ever had a fault of any kind with any piece of Peavey gear.....

Hey you obviously understand the importance of actually trying the great before buying it. And they did offer. So why don't you take the Aggie DB750 through it's paces? All the benefits of tube without the hassles.

My Peavey Tour 700 was faultless for 4-5 years, I only sold it as I went to my current hybrid head.

The DB750 belongs to my Mate, he offered to bring it in for me.

I dunno why i didn't think about it, I guess aguilar has never been on my radar, and i alway s just always associated it with other genre's of music etc as well.

I never really bothered looking at stuff like Eden, Aguilar, Mark bass, GK etc, because to me they're all kinda "clean" amps with nice eq's etc that, and I was just going to stick a heap of drive through hem and play a heap of metal. And it seemed like a bit of a waste of $$$ Buying something like that and I wouldn't use it to its full potential.

And the DB750 is still pretty weighty, it weights the same as the Woogie 1000w Hybrid head I currently use. Its also pretty expensive, and dunno if aguilar make a 810 cab to go with it?

[david1234]

I'm not convinced that there's any advantage having the cabinet brand-matched to the head. I'd keep the cab you have while you change other things out.

As I read this thread I thought of this:
https://www.themusiczoo.com/blogs/news/ ... ass-preamp