ikay

I already have a DHA VT1 valve preamp and run that into my LM. Great pedal and adds some nice harmonic richness and valve character to the sound. I've also toyed with the idea of a hybrid head. But both of these (valve pedal or hybrid head) still seem to lack the full-fat 'valviness' delivered by the output stage of a full-valve amp. I'm thinking that taking a DI from the output stage of a small full-valve amp like the Stubby into a Class-D power amp might do the trick. I'd cut to the chase and buy a proper 100W-200W valve head if it wasn't for them being so stupidly heavy! Or, in the case of boutique lightweight all-valve heads like the Pure Tone Offset (which I love), so expensive!

Hmm, sounds like it could work. How about the TRS jack out on the LS DI into the TS of the effects return - the TS would short the RS connections on the TRS ...?

14 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

Depends on where the 'feedback' phenomenon is generated relative to the DI.

Here's what it says in the LS user manual. The DI out uses a TRS jack though and the effects return of the LM3 uses a TS jack which might be a problem.

A DI is provided on the rear panel , connection is made via a TRS type jack socket .This is transformer derived from the output and as such will have all the adjustments made with the tone controls , all effects in use and some influence from the speaker in use. The level obtained is dependent on playing volume. But as a general rule is suitable for line level (0,775V).

The DI is totally isolated and as such may be used as a line out (note a TRS jack MUST be used and you can obtain an in phase or out of phase signal) Note That the amplifier must always have a Load connected. This can be a speaker or a load box for silent recording.

I've also just discovered the Ashdown CTM30 Little Stubby. I love the 'feedback' control which lets you dial in a gorgeously thick vintage tube tone. That's the sort of sound I have in my head. I wonder if I could run the DI out of this into the effects return of my LM3 to get more power (when needed) while still retaining the full tube tone? Probably a stupid thought. It surely can't be that easy!

47cm just fits my Berg cab. No distributor in the UK as far as I can see. I'll email them and enquire.

I've just stumbled across the Traynor YBA100 all valve 100W head. Quite compact and weighs in at just 10kg. Price is around $1,000. Anyone have one of these or know anything about them? 

Traynor YBA100 Tube Bass Head

5 hours ago, Old Horse Murphy said:

I've got one of the Markbass thingys. You'd be more than welcome to try it out for a few days if you want to Ian

Thanks for the very kind offer Mike. It was really the ampwedge thingy that caught my eye but I can improvise something along similar lines. Cheers

Ah, didn't realise there was a supply issue, thanks for that.

I emailed Handbox for prices of the WB-100 and got the following reply from Leszek. Price seems very reasonable to me. I've contacted Sims re UK distribution and waiting to hear back.

Hello Ian,

The price of the WB-100 is £ 800.

Transport to the UK is around £ 25-30.

Tubes prices have risen by 50-80% since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Most of the famous brands are produced in Russia, unfortunately.

Theoretically, I work with Sims Guitar, but the cooperation is not going well.

They have had the equipment from me for over two years and have not sold anything during that time.

All the Best

Leszek

Thanks for the ideas jakester. IKEA laptop support is an interesting one. The Mark Stand looks rather cheap and nasty but I guess it does the job!

Anyone know of something similar to this, which is no longer available? I believe it's made of acoustic material so a bit like a tilt-back Gramma platform. I know I could just use a couple of books or something but this looked like a bit neater. Although, if they went out of business maybe it wasn't such a great idea!

Lord of the Strings - https://lordofthestrings.com/en/bass/electric?types=4&categories=6&brands=37

There are some threads on TB suggesting nylon strings don't always work that well with a Fishman piezo bridge (example below). Old thread alert (2016)! I have black nylons on a bass with Graphtec piezo saddles and that works fine. I did try white nylons once (on a non-piezo bass) and noticed that they were super light tension which certainly wouldn't help. There's not much that can go wrong with a piezo saddle - it either works or it doesn't. The contact pressure from the string is critical to how much of a signal it generates though. 

Thanks!

3 hours ago, Merton said:

Ah nice. Will do exactly that

A 100W that comes in at around half the weight of the YI200 would do nicely! Most new breed 'lightweight' valve amps still seem to weigh in at close to 20kg. I wonder how Pure Tone managed to get it down to 7kg?

Ah, I didn't see the Rheingold B100 which is very much in the ballpark. Unfortunately not the price. Looks like I may need to reset my expectations..

Hmm, at 1.6k for 15W I expect the 80W will be heading towards Pure Tone territory...

Yes, I just emailed Michalis and got the news about the Euro3.5k price tag! He replied in a matter of minutes with quite a lot of info. Build time is 6 weeks and current wait time is about 6 months. I looked at Rheingold and Handbox but they're quite a bit bigger and heavier. Very little info on the Hot Amp website or FB page. The Basstard 1082 80W looks looks interesting, I'll email for more details.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=280303903892855&set=pcb.280305070559405

Does anyone have one of these amazing little amps? Seemingly only available direct from the maker in Crete (https://blog.drooble.com/pure-tone-amps-a-talk-with-michalis-serpetsidakis/). Fabulous sounding amp and weighs only 7kg! Are there any other small/lightweight all valve bass amps out there? I've scoured the internet but can't find anything that comes close to this.

1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

I've taken the scratchplate off my Ibanez and the screws and replaced the knobs and just those small changes have knocked off 127g. If I make it passive and lose the battery, clip, preamp, and 2 pots and 2 knobs I reckong losing another 99g would be quite simple. That would be half a pound off for very minor changes.

I'm surprised how much you can save by taking a scratchplate off, never really thought much about that!

👍 that would be great, thanks

Thanks for those details. I was rather hoping it would help put the idea to bed, unfortunately it's just tickled my interest more. Bugger.

I can't find out much about these online. Can you provide some spec for the head - is it all valve or a hybrid valve pre+class-D, what's the power rating, dimensions and weight etc. Similarly for the cabs - power rating, dimensions and weights. Thanks

I have a similar interest in component weights. Here are some weights that I've collected over the years including a few pickups.

1 hour ago, Andyjr1515 said:

Oh - that's a b****r.  I wonder what those are designed for then?  Great link - didn't realise they did non-standard diameter ones.  Thanks

Gibraltar make hardware for drums - these ones are tension washers for drum heads.