Smaller replacement for my 1970s SVT stack

[tonewheels]

I've been gigging with a mid 70s SVT and slightly later 8x10 for the last 30 odd years. The time has come to stop. Too knackered to move on my own, wife fed up with the room they take, band leaders insisting that, although I use them for the tone not the volume, their sheer presence just makes neanderthal guitarists and drummers turn the volume up instinctively. Also I don't want to drive a car fitted around my rig. I want a rig that fits in my car. So I've swapped the Volvo Estate for a BMW 5 saloon.

I'm playing in blues, funk, country and kind of psych bands. Tone heroes are e.g. Bernard and Norman. So punchy, warm and well defined. Don't need stupid lows or stupid highs.

The obvious port of call for a cab is Barefaced, since Alex seems to be an SVT nut. The Super Twin seems to fit the bill. Then there's the head. All kinds of Class D possibilities. Any recommendations? Candidates seem to be a used GB Streamliner, a GK MB fusion 800 or an Ampeg PF800. I've also inherited an Ashdown ABM 500 Evo iii which I've yet to try with the 8x10.

And I want a minimum of controls. Still perplexed as to why, all of a sudden, someone decreed that bass players needed a gain AND a master volume control. FFS! I obviously wasn't at that meeting. Just need a good sound and a volume control. It's not bloody hard!

Questions are:

Barefaced a good choice?

Alternative cabs?

Which Class D?

Should I be bothering with Class D when the Ashdown weighs sod all anyway?

And the next question, how best to dispose of the Ampeg gear?

Basses: '89 Stingray, '64 Ricky, '61 Hofner Artist, '99 Jazz, Custom Jazz fretless

Edited March 29, 2015 by tonewheels

[JapanAxe]

Barefaced a good choice?[b] - Yes, in fact several good choices. Other makes are available...[/b]

Alternative cabs? [b]- e.g. TKS, Schroeder, Bergantino[/b]

Which Class D? [b]- Mainly down to personal taste, but Ampeg PF500 has a poor rep for reliability.[/b]

Should I be bothering with Class D when the Ashdown weighs sod all anyway? [b]- No, if you like the sound of the Ashdown. Many swear by the 'heft' of conventional solid state amps.[/b]

And the next question, how best to dispose of the Ampeg gear? [b]- [url="http://basschat.co.uk/forum/20-amps-and-cabs-for-sale/"]Basschat Marketplace[/url] - 12 months of selling for only £20, no other fees.[/b]

[skychaserhigh]

Forget about class D and keep the Ashdown.

[Lozz196]

Well I use an Aguilar Tonehammer500 with a Barefaced Super 12T and have had an SVT stack as the provided rig at a couple of gigs, and found it easy to get my sound from that. Aguilar are very Ampeg-like, and the TH500 is an amazingly powerful little amp. But if you want to keep really close to the SVT sound the PF800 (500s have a bit of a poor reputation) and the Tech21 VT DI pedal would do it very well. The PFs don`t get grindy like the SVTs, though they do have a very nice core tone - just use the pedal for the SVT-ness.

Cab-wise, well my S12T handles it all for the gigs I do (even though I have two, for bigger gigs) so I reckon the Super Twin would be good, or even the Big Twin (Alex is probably the best person to ask re this - he recommends based on customer need very well indeed).

[JTUK]

For Ampeg tone, I'd put a PF500 on top of 2 TKS s112's if you can drive
the input stage of the PF hard...as in with a pick..??
and engage the bass boost. This will induce a nice 12" break-up at
gig volumes.
Not a fan of pedals myself for simulating grind, but it's there as an option.
This will be a quality lightweight cab rig capable of loud gigs and very
lightweight..and the bonus, for me, is that the chassis are still ceramic.

Edited March 29, 2015 by JTUK

[Bigwan]

When I wanted small, light and valvey recently I went with a barefaced retro Two10 and Mesa Walkabout...

[zacclowes]

I'd try one other new orange that just came out the ob1 300/500
they seem like theyre meant to have a nice tube tone and dont have many knobs.
not tiny or light compared to class D stuff but they are compared to an svt

[Conan]

[quote name='tonewheels' timestamp='1427590489' post='2732165']...punchy, warm and well defined. Don't need stupid lows or stupid highs.
And I want a minimum of controls. Just need a good sound and a volume control. It's not bloody hard!

[/quote]

Hartke LH500? Very simple, very loud, very clean and clear. Hard to get a bad sound out of IMO...

[bassmachine2112]

Orange terror bass heads going for £350 quid brand new at one of the online music chains,forgot which one and was on a thread called orange heads up

[tonewheels]

Thanks for all the replies chaps. Made me realise that I'm probably best sticking with a light weight Class A/B head like the Ashdown. Played with a few mate's rigs over the past few weeks and it's made me realise that a lot of the on-stage punch of the SVT stack is because of the height of the cab so I'll probably go for a light 6x10 like the Retro Six10. Should be good for 130dBA with the Ashdown. Plenty for pub gigs.

Edited April 2, 2015 by tonewheels

[Thunderpaws]

Buy any head and stick a Catlinbread SFT pedal in front of it.

[tonewheels]

After much helpful discussion with Alex I've pulled the trigger on a Barefaced Super Twin (cloth of course). Going to run that with the SVT at first then see if a head change is feasible. From discussions with Alex and around the web, the weediness problem in miniature heads isn't down to Class D in itself rather than the pathetic PSUs they try to squeeze into those boxes. This is particularly true of the reservoir caps. Mind you the Ashdown is pretty skimpy on Farads itself - only 4700 uF. Won't need a compressor then.