Which all valve amp to replace my...

[andydye]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1387403776' post='2311691']
Haha, go on then. Would you like to borrow my weights?
[/quote]

[Alfie]

I use a Fender Bassman 100T, it's a brilliant amp, really brilliant, but quite temperamental (I have just had mine replaced). You can select between 100W, 25W and silent output- so you can record using the driven power valve sound. The bias of the valves can be adjusted to subtly alter the tone. You also have the choice between passive and active tone controls, providing lots of variables.

However there seems to be a common problem with the auto-biasing unit, hopefully fixed now.

[Happy Jack]

Going way off piste for a second, an idea I toyed with before going the Matamp route was to take my 1971 WEM Dominator on stage and mic it up.

It's an all-valve 15W open-backed unit with a 15" Celestion, at low volumes (by modern standards, anyway) it sounds simply divine darling, and of course with just 15W to play with you can crank it up beautifully without having blood gushing from your ears.

OK, in the end I decided to go big heavy louder-than-I-need old-school, but the idea has legs.

[andydye]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1387448029' post='2311974']
Going way off piste for a second, an idea I toyed with before going the Matamp route was to take my 1971 WEM Dominator on stage and mic it up.

It's an all-valve 15W open-backed unit with a 15" Celestion, at low volumes (by modern standards, anyway) it sounds simply divine darling, and of course with just 15W to play with you can crank it up beautifully without having blood gushing from your ears.

OK, in the end I decided to go big heavy louder-than-I-need old-school, but the idea has legs.
[/quote]

I had thought of this approach too, I briefly owned a Selmer T&B a few years back but never had chance to try it as once I'd had a lot of work doing I had to sell it to pay a bill, I'd still like to try one at some point...

It all gets a bit 'more stuff to carry' once a decent mic & stand are factored in and I really like the idea of turning up with a bass, head and cab and that being it

[hamfist]

Martin (MJW) installed power-scaling on a JTM45 that he built me a fair while back. It worked superbly ! And I had tried and compared a number of power-soak type devices to compare to.
If budget was no object, I'd go with a 200W MJW with his power-scaling.

[andydye]

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1387529258' post='2312890']
Martin (MJW) installed power-scaling on a JTM45 that he built me a fair while back. It worked superbly ! And I had tried and compared a number of power-soak type devices to compare to.
If budget was no object, I'd go with a 200W MJW with his power-scaling.
[/quote]

Having checked with Martin about a 100w variant it's not that much cheaper so mebbe a 200w version with power scaling would be the nuts of the mutt...I'll try out a 200w orange over the weekend if I get chance just to see how frightening that much power really is, Martin's 200w would still be cheaper than the Orange too!

I really like this idea!! Buy British!!

[andydye]

Well, the cat is very much among the pigeons now that I've tried the orange...

AD200B through the OBC115, utterly jaw dropping tone with a usa p bass, mind numbingly terrifying amount of power!

I really really want this rig! Powerscaling is totally essential though!!

As a tiny test I turned the volume and gain up to 50% and lightly touched the strings, my chest felt like I'd been kicked, adrenaline rush from a bass rig!

I turned it down to 1 after that and it still sounded beautiful, every note had gravity, clarity and a sweet sweet valvey goodness!

Yes it might be as heavy as a small moon and the cab is only slightly lighter but... I'm in love with its sound and that has never happened to me with bass gear before!

Edited December 22, 2013 by andydye

[skychaserhigh]

Thats the sound and feel that lightweight heads don't produce isn't it ? There is something that valves and big power transformers do that cant be done by the class D stuff , very rich and musical. It might be heavy but It's worth it when you consider how long you will spend playing it compared to carrying it !

[LukeFRC]

Have you looked on the Matamp website? they had a pdf up of demo stuff in the sale not so long ago. and also they aren't far from you.
Also when you get it and realise you need a more vintage looking cab to match them, I'm sure I can help you out getting rid of those Ead cabs of yours

[0175westwood29]

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1387698339' post='2314560']
Well, the cat is very much among the pigeons now that I've tried the orange...

AD200B through the OBC115, utterly jaw dropping tone with a usa p bass, mind numbingly terrifying amount of power!

I really really want this rig! Powerscaling is totally essential though!!

As a tiny test I turned the volume and gain up to 50% and lightly touched the strings, my chest felt like I'd been kicked, adrenaline rush from a bass rig!

I turned it down to 1 after that and it still sounded beautiful, every note had gravity, clarity and a sweet sweet valvey goodness!

Yes it might be as heavy as a small moon and the cab is only slightly lighter but... I'm in love with its sound and that has never happened to me with bass gear before!
[/quote]

Orange amps are awesome, i love my terror i think the 1000 has a bit more thump than the 500 its not a ad200 tho, did used to have an ad140b.

Ill hopefully try and make the swtich in the newyear, no power scaling for me but i might go down the thunderverb 200 route rather than the ad

Andy

[ewengcameron]

You can definitely pick up a Marshall VBA400 for your budget. Louder than you'll ever need. Lovely heads, great valve tones. I just switched to one and got rid of most of my pedal board in the process. Would go for an Orange if I had the money though.

[0175westwood29]

[quote name='ewengcameron' timestamp='1387898643' post='2317035']
You can definitely pick up a Marshall VBA400 for your budget. Louder than you'll ever need. Lovely heads, great valve tones. I just switched to one and got rid of most of my pedal board in the process. Would go for an Orange if I had the money though.
[/quote]

i was so close to getting a vba! awesome amps couldnt believe how loud they are! but it was the weight that stopped me

andy

[andydye]

[quote name='ewengcameron' timestamp='1387898643' post='2317035']
You can definitely pick up a Marshall VBA400 for your budget. Louder than you'll ever need. Lovely heads, great valve tones. I just switched to one and got rid of most of my pedal board in the process. Would go for an Orange if I had the money though.
[/quote]

I've decided to sell a load of gear and raise the budget to allow me to buy the orange rig!

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1387913019' post='2317203']
I've decided to sell a load of gear and raise the budget to allow me to buy the orange rig!
[/quote] not tempted by garath's Trace V6?

[0175westwood29]

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1387913019' post='2317203']


I've decided to sell a load of gear and raise the budget to allow me to buy the orange rig!
[/quote]

You wnt regret getting the orange awesome amps

[krysh]

seriously, andy! if you really want to improve something, please take a decent teacher.
gear won't help your wishes, you already have some of the best gear you can get...

[andydye]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1388275034' post='2320422']
not tempted by garath's Trace V6?
[/quote]

no mate, I reckon it'd be even more 'too much'! I'd be having powerscaling fitted to the AD200b so I could render the volume knob useable!

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1388276066' post='2320432']
You wnt regret getting the orange awesome amps
[/quote]

That's what I'm hoping matey, cheers

[quote name='krysh' timestamp='1388276896' post='2320437']
seriously, andy! if you really want to improve something, please take a decent teacher. gear won't help your wishes, you already have some of the best gear you can get...
[/quote]

Thanks matey and I know what you're getting at, my approach to gear has always been 'horses for courses', I've had all manner of different setups (suited to whatever project I was working on at the time) over the years and for the last few years I've been tailoring my gear to the playing scenarios I've found myself in and that's been active 5 strings through full sounding but crystal clear amps & cabs (hence the ACG, LMIII and EAD cab) which is perfect for playing in the function band and can make most noises rather nicely.

I'm now embarking on a new originals project though and what best suits the sound needed now is a very simple setup of a p-bass through an all valve head, no bells or whistles required just fat and rich sounding fullness! I've also never had an all valve head so there's a double attraction there

It's not that my main rig is bad or inadequate (and I intend to keep it!) I can however shuffle my other gear around to enable me to have an all valve rig that will sound (and look) perfect for this new project.

[krysh]

ah, now I see. been through this too and I've arrived!

happy new [s]gear[/s] year!

[andydye]

[quote name='krysh' timestamp='1388495323' post='2322619']
ah, now I see. been through this too and I've arrived!
happy new [s]gear[/s] year!
[/quote]

Sonic nirvana comes in many shapes and sounds but usually with plenty of volume

Happy New Year to you too matey

[dannybuoy]

[quote name='andydye' timestamp='1388491806' post='2322542']
no mate, I reckon it'd be even more 'too much'! I'd be having powerscaling fitted to the AD200b so I could render the volume knob useable!
[/quote]
How easy is it to fit a power scaling switch to an AD200B? Is it just a simple switch to remove a couple of power tubes from the circuit?

Edited December 31, 2013 by dannybuoy

[andydye]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1388515687' post='2322999']

How easy is it to fit a power scaling switch to an AD200B? Is it just a simple switch to remove a couple of power tubes from the circuit?
[/quote]

I've no idea how it works matey, I'd be taking it to Martin at MJW and letting him sort it for me? There's a link to the powerscaling folks on the MJW amps website...

[spacey]

As long as you dont mind carrying a back up, I ran various valve amps from Ampeg to marshall and you have to remember you are carrying a 60k+ box of glass, for gigging, regular failures are the norm.
The marshall VBA 400 sounds great, but it eats transformers and once one goes they just follow on with one issue after another.
A back up amp are mandatory, in the days of scooped mid clean amps like trace elliot, they were the only way to get a warm driven sound, but emulation effects and better transitor pre-amp stages and you would have all on to tell the difference.

The main componant I found in the marshall set up was the 4x12 400w bass cab, now there is a bit of forgotton kit, punchy and stupid loud cab that hits the back of the room like no 4x10 ever will.
A very long forgotton bass cab gem, the 4x12.

[Bassman Steve]

[quote name='spacey' timestamp='1388516653' post='2323021']
As long as you dont mind carrying a back up, I ran various valve amps from Ampeg to marshall and you have to remember you are carrying a 60k+ box of glass, for gigging, regular failures are the norm.
[/quote]

I'm sorry but I have to say that I have gigged with nothing but valve amps for over 30 years (the current Bass 400 for 25 of those) and I've never, ever had anything fail on me. Maybe other folk are unlucky as I don't think I take any greater care of my gear than anyone else. I often see that statement about unreliability but I've just never experienced it. That includes a fair few years of constant touring.

[dannybuoy]

Yup, valve amps aren't necessarily less reliable than solid state - never had an issue with my AD200B, but my Orange Terror Bass recently died on me.

[discreet]

I had no issues or failures back in the day with an Ampeg SVT CL which was gigged extensively. It was brand new when I got it, however. It will be interesting to see how my recently-acquired 40-year-old valve amp holds up.

I'm taking it as a good sign that it actually still exists at all...