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Marshall DBS and Bass State


uk_lefty

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Does anyone remember these amps? I had a Bass State B150, absolute monster, blend valve and solid state circuits to get the desired tone... Except mine had an issue and was low on volume. I don't know if its nostalgia from the old catalogues from the late 90s and early 2000s or if these really were amazing amps. The DBS ranges, 200 watt combos and a 400w head I think seemed amazing, though I could never afford it and was too scared to fire up the one in the music shop. Anyone here have experience? Would you buy one now at the right price or does modern class D and the like blow them out the water? I remember my bass state amp was seriously heavy but in a moment of madness thought what about buying a cheap second hand one and just pulling out the head to use with my lightweight cabs.... 

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The DBS amps were great, I had the 400 watt head and it was excellent, very powerful/loud and had the H-Word in truckloads. Versatile too with plenty of eq shaping. Although a different inherent sound my Ashdown ABM600 is very similar in the depth of sound/power and flexibility. As such I wouldn’t buy one seeing as I have similar already but I’d recommend them, very good amps indeed and in answer to the Class D question, well    its horses for courses, pub gigs and it’s not really a question but get into bigger venues/stages and that’s where the answer reveals itself.

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My main gigging amp is a 7400 dbs. I also have a 7200 as backup. 

As lozz says - loads of welly and really great tone. 

However, it’s very heavy and when I travel abroad for shows and gigs with provided cabs, I take my tc mini head. I can get close enough to my recorded sound to keep me happy, and Johnny punter doesn’t really notice 😉 plus it takes minimal space to carry 👍

My first choice is always going to be my Marshall, and I do use it wherever possible. 

If I found another 7400 I would be all over it. 

Imo very few amps come close tone wise to it. 

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On ‎14‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 10:45, dudewheresmybass said:

My main gigging amp is a 7400 dbs. I also have a 7200 as backup. 

As lozz says - loads of welly and really great tone. 

However, it’s very heavy and when I travel abroad for shows and gigs with provided cabs, I take my tc mini head. I can get close enough to my recorded sound to keep me happy, and Johnny punter doesn’t really notice 😉 plus it takes minimal space to carry 👍

My first choice is always going to be my Marshall, and I do use it wherever possible. 

If I found another 7400 I would be all over it. 

Imo very few amps come close tone wise to it. 

I have a 7400 and a 7200 I may be willing to sell if you're interested

Edited by maidens97
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I started with a BassState B150 and I have fond memories of not only the excellent sound, but also the complacent attitude I took to gear. I owned one amp and it was heavy, but it was my amp so I had no choice but to grab it by the fingertips and climb those 3 flights of stairs!! Now, I'd need yet another amp set up, or maybe a suitable dolly, or maybe.....

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I have both a Bass State B150 and a DBS 7400. Both are excellent, and both very heavy, so don't get used so much these days (I'm hardly playing anyway). THe DB7400 really is a monster 400W RMS continuous, with a peak of 4000W (due to the Class H amplifier) (Class H = Heft ??)

The great thing with both of these is that the valve/SS blend really makes a difference to the sound, unlike many of the more modern "Valve Preamp" amplifiers.

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A bit off topic I know, but my backup / home use head is an '80's Marshall Silver Jubliee 3530 head (300W SS) - a really transparent sweet sounding amp, despite the power rating being a tad optimistic IMO (more like a 200W), and still ultra-reliable after 30+ years.   Looks cool with the chromed fascia too B|

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The DBS amps were immense. You wouldn't want to move them without a handtruck and a van, but they were worth the weight. Probably the last good bass amp Marshall ever made. 

Given that Marshall don't make any Marshall-branded bass gear anymore (they have the Eden brand for that), if they put the DBS preamp into a big-power class D head and sold it as an Eden/Marshall DBS, with the proper black and gold livery, they'd clean up.

The Bass-State, on the other hand, were cheap practice amps and almost entirely unremarkable. 

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9 hours ago, Russ said:

The Bass-State, on the other hand, were cheap practice amps and almost entirely unremarkable. 

I agree on the 15, 30 and 60 watt versions they look very basic but the 150 was giggable and had potential to be really great. It weighed a stupid amount but it had complex tone shaping and should have had enough oomph. I used mine without PA support in a three piece with a top quality drummer playing through a custom made kit (can't remember the brand but they made Phil Collins drums) and a guitarist playing through a 200w Marshall head. And mine had suffered from previous owners abuse and didn't have the volume it should have. However, I don't know how much of my view is clouded by nostalgia, it was near 20 years ago! 

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I bought the DBS7400, 2x10 and 1x15 when they first came out. I remember being really excited when I got em home. Finally I would have an amp system to keep with 2 Marshall half stacks. How wrong I was! I didn't realise the 400w was delivered at 2ohms. The combo of the 2x10 and 1x15 meant 5.6ohms. Also there was very little bottom end which after a year of playing I finally opened up the the back of the 1x15 to find the speaker was wired out of phase ffs. Got bottom end end but still not enough volume. Gutted. I also managed to fry a PSU capacitor at gig, lots of smoke but it kept on working. Fixed by Marshall no charge. 

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