Mr. Foxen

[quote name='BB3000S' timestamp='1338241586' post='1671602'] Preamp - yes tubes are definitely a good thing. Power amp - not so much a necessity. IMO, YMMV and so on. [/quote] Power amp valves are where all the goodness is for bass. [quote name='cytania' timestamp='1338239760' post='1671528'] A full on bass valve amp has lots of fuzzy goodness but can't suddenly be set to modern clean. [/quote] Properly engineered to be so, a full valve amp can be very clean. When people could be bothered to engineer them to be so, cab's weren't so much though.

I look for ability to turn up, owning their own gear and knowing how to use it (before I let them borrow mine), and willing to drive me places since that is my major failing.

[quote name='Chris Horton' timestamp='1338228928' post='1671223'] Ohh, that sounds messy and I don't want to get blood on my club. It's a nightmare to get off [/quote] Could probably borrow this guy's sander: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/177541-hahaha/

Preamp valve do the grit thing. Power valves do the girth thing, which is in a certain sort of compression that retains dynamics, and some different sort of harmonic distortion, which sounds a bit like what you get from an Aphex Exciter with Big Bottom, and makes everything more massive sounding.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1338204935' post='1670708'] Last time I used a 100 watt (solid state) amp at a gig, it was inaudible on stage, on full volume. I`m not tallking difficult to hear, it could not be heard at all - no matter what eq settings I tried. Whereas I`ve never had any similar problems with amps of 300 watts or more. So the technology and theory is fine, but I let my ears make the decision, if they can hear an amp it`s loud enough, if they can`t, it`s not. [/quote] Ah, I see where you went wrong. You'll need to add a cab or two to that setup.

[quote name='bassickman' timestamp='1338196553' post='1670540'] Ok, my best friend is a guitar freak. He always talks about how tube amps are the only way to get a quality sounding electric guitar and how solid state amps are just useless for a guitarist! [/quote] Sounds like he doesn't like the sound of his guitar at all and wants distortion to cover it up. Which is standard, because electric guitars are basically horrible sounding, and the amp is a much bigger deal on the tone. But how do you feel about the sound of your bass? They do sound right without any additional colour. But the colour from valves is very good, even when 'clean', the compression an such is pretty pleasing. But I would say get a quality valve amp, rather than an overpriced Ampeg or Mesa, because the build quality is a bit more significant with valves than SS, can't get away with so much corner cutting unless you want to be getting it serviced really often. Think a bunch of the perceived unreliability thing with valve amps is down to many well known modern brands doing all the same corner cutting that has developed in modern SS equipment, which doesn't work for valves, and the amp predating that are really old to the point where they can go wrong.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1338200097' post='1670607'] Of course it isn't but as most of us don't live in the world of acoustic nerdyness, watts is a convenient descriptor for the average musician to gauge what is to be expected from their gear. [/quote] [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1338201375' post='1670635'] Watts have always been a good a way to work out whether or not a rig is going to be loud enough. Yes, there are much more technical things to look at, but I`ve always been confident that 300 watt amps and above will be loud enough, and likewise, that 100 watt amps and below will be pushed. [/quote] It would be convenient if it had any reflection on volume, or perceived volume, or tone, but it doesn't. Have you tried gigging a 100w amp, what problem did you encounter? I'm gigging a 140w amp with my ridiculous spl requirements. It is kind of like judging the speed of a vehicle from its fuel consumption and ignoring the difference between a motorbike and an oil tanker.

[quote name='andrewrx7' timestamp='1338060826' post='1669200'] but obviously something in the output stage had gone. To say he was displeased is an understatement! [/quote] More like the HT fuse had gone. Which would probably be down to the valves, an the valves are going to be the same as the valves in plenty of other cheap amps since very few places make valves.

Pointy sparkly Westone raider: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/bass-guitar-/190684116821?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c65a8b755

Once the power has fone through the power transformer, its all the same to the workings of the amp.

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1338055003' post='1669111'] a constant low-level 'disto' on whatever gain setting. [/quote] That sounds like a bias/phase inverter issue causing crossover distortion (basically the bit where the graph crosses the 0v line has a kink).

They cheap out on the transformers, which is bad for bass, unless you want the Lemmy thing. Reckon there are better heads to get, that aren't aimed at lots of gain. Come try some of my vintage heads for purpose, not far away.

I get light wavering on some amps for no noticeable reason sometimes, never figured why.

Someone on another forum posted some gutshots and analysis, well made and not cheaping out on components. I'd like get my hands on one, but they don't come up second hand.

I've got an 18 in a W horn, it is pretty reggae sounding. Don't use it, since I ahve modern stuff, but it has a matching head, so I keep it until it can be sold as a whole.

[quote name='green' timestamp='1337904057' post='1667384'] wow, that really turned out great. i guess, the hardest part was the routing and the pedulla logo, right ? [/quote] Go check for sale if you like it.

Nice implication that marketing man Cooper designed them, and not the pioneering amp inventor guy Matt Matthias. [IMG]http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b69/Incarante/ormatbadge020.jpg[/IMG]

Had a pretty old Electric Blue 150 come in for repair. Missing a output jack nut, which were slightly different to the ones I had, in stock, emailed Ashdown Tuesday, and the guy collected his fixed amp today. Seriously good service, and no charge for the part.

To get round bridge height issue, can use taperwound strings, since they need the bridge higher.

[quote][color=#000][font=arial, sans-serif][size=2]Hi there, I put this auction on my snip program but something didn't worked and my bid never arriver to your offer. I'd like to know if there is any chance of buying it now or if you think to put in ebay again, many thanks.[/size][/font][/color][/quote]

[quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1337687299' post='1663931'] Didn't sell. Quelle surprise [/quote] Funny, where did it go then, and where id all this money in my wallet come from?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/PEAVEY-TVX-115-BASS-CAB-/290716268341?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item43b00a3735 Seems very tidy, and very cheap, these were, I recall, very serviceable if big cabs.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1337632658' post='1663292'] The volume of the bass is balanced just right for the band (which is loud) so I don't want to turn down or blow my ears out with a cab behind my head. Sorry guys, but my rig is good as it is. [/quote] The distance change from ground to vertical stacked doesn't make an appreciable difference to overall spl (volume) because it doesn't change the distance from rig to your ears by very much. What it changes a lot is the frequency band by putting you closer to being on axis with the drivers, and thus receiving more midrange/highs. Edit: worth noting that obnoxious mids tend to do good things for bass in the mix.