four/five

Thanks for the reply. It would seem by the lack of replies this mix and match build it yourself , these days is not an option for many. In the 60’s when I started we were always doing this out of necessity . A Vox AC 15/30 or nothing. After playing support to bands like Johnny Kid and the Pirates,Sounds Incorporate etc. I always pounced on the bass players and quizzed them re their gear. They were usually using American speakers by Altec Lansing or Gause. Their amps came from suppliers of Cinema sound equipment. Rows of KT88 valves which by the end of the night you could fry your breakfast on from the heat they gave off. So my first serious bass setup used a Leak Slope Hifi preamp into a 100watt leak mono amp with KT88’s,weighing a ton. Two Goodmans 15” speakers,again weighing a ton. The Sumo amp certainly looks like a serious option. I’ve not heard of the Hypex modules and they seem an option. Pity there’s not a British firm doing these units. It would appear reading between the lines, amp manufactures seem to be outsourcing their output section and only designing the pre amp sections. Peter Thanks again for the Sumo info

Having reached a “certain” age all of my amps are also from an era of weight. Trace Elliot 250 SMX combo with 15”, still sounds good, but not light. Hartke 5000 BiAmp head, a lot lighter than above but ! Mark King Ashdown 500 head as above ! And last maybe the saviour. Trace Elliot GP12 SMX pre amp. Has anyone put together a pre amp with any of the Class D modules now available? One module keeps cropping up is the Ice power 700ASC/X. It would seem this module is appearing beneath the “hood” in quite a few of the top Bass Amp manufactures. Unfortunately it would also appear that this module is not easy to get ones hands on. Other Icepower modules especially a 1000 watt unit seems available for DIY. I could go down the “power amp” route but most would have to be bridged for single cab use and they can be restricted to their ohm output restrictions. Anyone tried DIY ?

Thank you for the reply. I thought you could do this but always a bit wary of leaving an output “open” with no load. Did toy with putting a wire wound resistor 8ohms across the connection in a separate box. Perhaps the “unused” part of the amp shuts down if a speaker is not in circuit. For a 250w amp in single channel mode it can certainly get loud.

The GB is Flame Maple Sunbust with a reddish tinge, Spitfire model. When I bought the Bass from Bernie he had the EBS UK distribution at the time. He lent me a EBS Neo 2*10 and a Neo 2*12 with the EBS TD 660. Foolishly I let him have it all back as funds were a bit tight. Big mistake,along with the GB and the EBS, this setup would do anything asked of it and more. Oh the foolish things we let slip through our fingers.

Those that may not be familiar with this amp, here’s a rough guide. It consists of two 250w amps which drive two separate cabs. The amp can also be put in a biamp mode,with one amp driving lower frequencies into a cab and the other amp driving higher frequencies into separate cab. Does anyone know if just one channel amp can be used to drive one cab only. The other channel not being connected to any cab. Thus saving having to lug two cabs about? The amps can’t be “bridged” or you get “magic smoke” . Hartke don’t seem as contactable as they were years ago.

I was on here years ago but having left the music scene for a while tried to log on only to find my original “I’d” been nicked. Much to the wife’s annoyance I kept all the gear “just in case,you never know”. And one phone call and I’m depping for a mates band who’s bass player seems to be in more bands than I’ve had hot dinners. A bit of blues and soul etc. The gear consists of 70’s Jazz Bass, a GB 5string and a very old and battered Burns Artiste. Trace 250 SMX combo, which I can’t lift anymore. Trace 12 SMX preamp driving the power section of Mark King Ashdown, which I can just about lift and Hartke 5000 amp. Cabs are Hartke 4*10 Transporter and Mark Bass 2*10. What I have noticed in trying to catch-up is the amps and cabs getting lighter and able to push out more power. Perhaps the wife’s right for once, time to get rid of all this. And sneak in some lighter stuff.