Sparky Mark

Not wishing to derail this thread but why are the Barefaced Two10s available as either 4 or 12 ohms? [url="http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/retro-two10.htm"]http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/retro-two10.htm[/url]

I recently made the mistake(?) of dragging my (relatively) heavy weight ceramic magnet speaker loaded Bergantino HT112ER and EX112ER cabs out of storage and trying them with my Bugera SVT copy and was amazed how great it all sounded. Tubes plus ceramic wins hands down in my recent experience but my back says MB LM3 plus my Bergs is my gigging rig.

When I was swapping the output valves to test them I got to really dislike the sprung retainers. I did a bit of research and learnt that these can scratch the valve glass sometimes leading to premature failure. Ampeg has now reintroduced Birtcher style tube clamps to its Heritage SVT CL head and they are available as a retro-fit kit part number 2040884 which fit the BVV3000 perfectly too. So I bought them and fitted them without a problem. I have also provided dimensions to Phil at Hotcovers who has made a lovely padded vinyl cover for £39.50 delivered. Total cost so far = £369.53 for amp, plus £105.95 for spare set of six 6550 valves, plus £64 for valve clamps, plus £39.50 for cover = £578.98.

[quote name='Billy Apple' timestamp='1443182984' post='2872889'] Is that the budget SVT clone? [/quote] And there she blows!

Would anyone like to see a Bugera BVV3000 Infinium head in the metal? It's a major military manoeuvre shifting it so if it's just going to upset the purists I will save my poor old back

Have a (serious ) look at the Bugera BVV3000 Infinium. All valve 300 watts and auto bias of output valves.

[quote name='brensabre79' timestamp='1442851009' post='2869997'] I have two heads, an all-valve one which sounds great, and a Class D one which also sounds great. To me they're just different. But... I went through a number of Class D heads before settling on this one, and they all had that 'something missing' quality to them. I was about ready to give up on Class D altogether, but Mykesbass on here brought his head to a gig and I was sold after 8 bars. I ordered mine the next day. [/quote] What class d head did you get?

Shonks bought a combo cover from me recently. No messing about, paid ASAP with good comms. Cheers mate.

To support future use I purchased some new 6550B valves. In order to test the new valves I swapped them into the head and came across a minor problem. One of the original valves had a broken central key post on the base which was left in the valve socket when the valve was removed. I had some fun and games getting the broken off key post out of the socket and although the valve was working I was reluctant to use it in the future. I know I should probably let Woodbrass.com deal with obtaining a replacement valve but I contacted Uli Behringer (via Talkbass) and asked if he could suggest a more direct route? Uli replied almost immediately suggesting I contact the Music-Group care centre in Kidderminster who should be able to help. Once I had provided them with Uli's communication and my Woodbrass invoice they kindly registered my BVV3000i for the 3 year warranty and sent me a replacement 6550B within a couple of days. I consider that excellent customer support from the top down from an organisation that seems to get a fair amount of stick on here and TB and infinitely better than some of the 'premium' brands I have dealt with over the years. Oh, and the BVV3000i is still working fine and sounds fantastic!

For £370 I couldn't resist either. Mine was the last one WB had in stock it turns out. I can't imagine that behringer are making much of a profit on these. Time will tell whether this deal was too good to be true.

This thing weighs in at 75lbs! Same as an SVT CL and on the limit of what I can safely schlep. Attempted to look inside last night but bottled it after removing all of the externally accessible chassis mounting screws and the front panel assembly remained firmly in place. I didn't want to risk not being able to reassemble it or electrocuting myself reaching around inside trying to release sub assemblies. I don't want to go too far overboard yet as this amp will only really prove itself by being reliable but my Bergantino cabs sound the best that I can ever remember with a depth and fullness to the sound that is a revelation. Passive fender jazz and bartolini equipped Tom clement bass seemed to suit the flat EQ setting better than my active MM sterling. I have only been able to try this at home so far so no where near gigging levels but it has an authority to its sound even at low volume. For the princely sum of 498€ I think I have convinced myself that valve power amps are where it's at. Now I just need to employ a roadie!

The cosmetic finish and positive action of the controls is excellent at this or any price. I haven't looked at the guts to gauge the internal build quality.

Besides the weight I have previously steered away from all tube heads due to the cost and inconvenience of replacing the power tubes, i.e, matched pairs and possible involvement of an amp tech. The infinium system employed by bugera should reduce the frequency and cost of replacing tubes as long as it is reliable (which I think is the biggest unknown here). One thing I have noticed from the bvv specs is that it is rated as 240w which leads me to believe that the bias is set cooler than in the 'real deal', which may also help increase tube longevity.

498€. Woodbrass.com

Mine arrived yesterday. Build quality and finish is amazing at this price. Perched it on top of my Bergantino HT112ER and EX cabs, connected and nervously switched on. Waited a couple of minutes and flicked the standby off. All I can say at this point is that this is a fantastic sounding amp with incredible depth which may be down to the valve power amp? I was concerned that it might be DOA but it is built like a tank and the valves are all okay at the moment. It's interesting to watch the infinium circuit LEDs flash intermittently as they continually monitor and adjust the valve bias. My normal gigging rig is markbass LM3 and neo cabs but this heavy weight head plus ceramic speakered combination is making me fear for my back as it really is something else.

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1439371008' post='2842163'] The LM2 was analogue but the LM3 and LM800 are both digital. [/quote] +1 to all the EQ advice above. Too much low EQ will sap your ability to cut through in the mix. It's true that all LM2 have analogue power amplifiers but the lm3 power amp was changed to class d around 2012. I have an earlier lm3 which has the analogue power section.

Hey Greg . Doh, I missed the 4 ohm reference! I wouldn't worry too much about going past 12 o'clock on the gain and master as long as speakers aren't complaining. Unless you are hitting the strings really hard the gain control limit led should remain off at 12 o'clock with a typical output passive bass. Although the cab is rated as 800w this is a thermal rating only and the LM800 extra power may just end up being dissipated as heat rather than generating more volume. The 500 watts from the lm3 may already be as much as the cab can convert to sound energy. If you are maxed out on the amp and the cab isn't loud enough the only solution is probably more speakers ie use two 8 ohm std104hf.

I know that other BCers were recommending that you get the 8 ohm version of the std104hf so you could add another 8 ohm cab if you wanted more volume, but as you only want to use one cab you may have been better served by the 4 ohm version which allows the LM3 to output its 500 watts not the approx 300 you are currently getting. The difference may be marginal but when I run my LM3 into the 4 ohm std104hf with both gain and master at 12 o'clock the volume is staggering. Both lm3 and LM800 have digital power amps these days. Maybe the previous analogue power amp LM3 was more powerful?