Valve Amp - who’s still using them?

[Sean]

On 11/07/2025 at 13:05, aniki said:

I don't have a thread for the board I'm afraid. It's evolved a bit since that photo:

It probably looks way more complicated than it is; considering most of the time I'm just playing clean bass!

Basically all the pedals at the back stay on. Everything is controlled via the six switches at the front.

-

The clean signal enters via a patch bay into the tuner and then compressor (always on).

The clean signal then goes through a looper with which I can add 'phaser / reverb' and / or delay.

This signal then goes to the ABYbaby which splits the signal into two. The switches select either output or both.

Output B goes straight to another patchbay through to my clean amp.

Output A goes to another looper. This has distortion / noise gate on the first loop and flanger on the second. Again, I can combine dirty with clean, dirty and flanger with clean etc.

The output from the looper then goes to another patchbay output to my dirty amp.

-

A lot of the time I'm playing guitar type parts with the clean channel and the phaser.

When things get heavy, I use unaffected clean channel combined with distorted dirty channel for ultimate planetary destruction...

I've delayed a bit in responding to this but there's been a lot going in in my head with how I can learn from it.  

I've already been in touch with Wub (if you know, you know) and I'm about 2 weeks away from a new fuzz.

Thank you very much for sharing that post. i loves a posh pedal board. 

Edited July 17 by Sean

[BassAdder60]

In my time I’ve owned and gigged an Ampeg SVT-CL ( very nice ) Ampeg V4 ( very nice ) Ashdown CTM 100 ( nice but odd EQ ) 

My last gigging amp ( same rock kind of bands ) were Eich T900 and it was as good sounding and a lot more practical of course. In the band mix I didn’t really hear enough difference to warrant a valve amp but they feel different to play for sure especially when cranked a bit.

Other issue is selling them later as it’s a limited market and heavy as hell for shipping ! 

[Bagman]

Ashdown CTM-300 is the best amplifier I have owned 

 

Thinking about the 400 BTA as well 

[W1_Pro]

I use an Ashdown Little Bastard with the 2x12" Ashdown cab they make for it. It works great for me, a particularly nice feature is not needing a crane to move it...😆

The band I use it with has an acoustic drumkit and two guitarists who insist on not using any backline (hip, I know but I just can't warm to it, probably my age), plus a singer who uses ears. Onstage volume is never too brutal.  Everything is put into the PA and both guitarists and I use wedges. The drumer also has an IEM setup. I get a nice breakup off the amp with plenty of bottom end. All in all, I'm a fan.😃

[BassmanPaul]

My speaker cabinets of choice are Acme B2 three way 2x10. They are a bit inefficient so require a lot of power for them to sing at their best. I use a 2KW capable Class D power amp but, loving tubes, I designed and built a two channel full tube pre-amp to drive it. Together they sound wonderful!

 

If I could procure a stereo tube power amp with 400W per channel I'd use it in a heartbeat - IF I could lift it! LOL

 

 

Edited July 22 by BassmanPaul

[Downunderwonder]

6 hours ago, BassmanPaul said:

stereo tube power amp with 400W

By my maths that is two 200w tube amos. Divide and conquer. 

[Woodinblack]

6 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

By my maths that is two 200w tube amos. Divide and conquer. 

that was 400W per channel. But what rating is this for the 2kw class D?

[BassmanPaul]

My power amp gives me 500W per channel driving a pair of 4Ω Acme B2 speaker cabinets. That's more than enough to push them to their best.

 

If I need to go full out I can add a second pair of B2 cabinets and run the amp at 2Ω which it is quite capable of doing. 

 

 

 

Edited July 20 by BassmanPaul

[Pow_22]

I'm really toying with the idea of getting another valve amp.  Stage volume wise we are quite a sensible band and rely a lot on the PA to give the FOH volume.  I genuinely think i could probably get away with an Ashdown CTM30/Little Bastard but recently I've looked into an old Bassman 135 as I see you can run 1 x 8ohm cab off the extension output and they also have a line out for FOH.  In an ideal world id love to get my hand on one of those EBS T90's but can never find one

[police squad]

I have an ampeg V4B incoming which I will use on gigs when I don't have to supply PA

I's beena long time since I gigged on bass, with valves (Marshall superbass 50, many many moons ago)

[andy67]

On 21/07/2025 at 08:23, Pow_22 said:

I'm really toying with the idea of getting another valve amp.  Stage volume wise we are quite a sensible band and rely a lot on the PA to give the FOH volume.  I genuinely think i could probably get away with an Ashdown CTM30/Little Bastard but recently I've looked into an old Bassman 135 as I see you can run 1 x 8ohm cab off the extension output and they also have a line out for FOH.  In an ideal world id love to get my hand on one of those EBS T90's but can never find one

The Ampeg PF50T is worthy of consideration. I have one they are fantastic and a real bargain at the moment on the used market 😎🤘

[Reggaebass]

3 hours ago, andy67 said:

The Ampeg PF50T is worthy of consideration. I have one they are fantastic 

Yeah definitely, they are great, the only time I’d get rid of mine is if a B15 heritage came along 

[Beer of the Bass]

Yep, I'm still quite content with my PF50T. We have a guitarist using a Fender Blues Junior and also two vocal mics, trombone and flute onstage, so we're never pushing stage volume that much that it's a limitation. It's even done a couple of small halls without PA reinforcement, through my two 1x12 cabs. 

It did take me a little while getting my approach to the EQ figured out again when I changed from flats to rounds a while back, but that's a me problem. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

I do own a Laney 15W Ironheart IRT-Studio Aniversery Edition, with a poweramp/transformator DI output, and build in load, so no conection os speakers is necessary for it to operate.

 

This is how it looks (random Google photo):

 

 

And an old 50W Dynacord Bass-King produced in Germany in the early 60's (my actual unit), which sound non less than astonishing, but is in need of new power tubes, and a bit of work, like cleaning pots:

 

Currently though I use the poweramp section of an old 120W solid state Peavey guitar amp, to power my "amp-less" setup, 2 always on tube preamps, one as the very beginning of the chain and one at the very end, is part of this setup though.

 

Edited July 23 by Baloney Balderdash

[BassmanPaul]

I do have a full tube amplifier. It sits at the bottom of the stairs to my basement 'studio.' The amp is an Ampsg B15NF from the sixties. Playing through it is a delight. No matter the mood I'm in plugging into this amplifier brings a smile to my face and a rise in my mood! I love that thing..

 

When it first arrived I had a JBL 2225 doing nothing so I installed it in the combo. It sounded great BUT there was 'something' missing. After a time I reinstalled  the original driver with its square magnet and the 'something' was back. The JBL went back into it's box and back into storage.

Edited Tuesday at 15:43 by BassmanPaul

[VTypeV4]

On 21/07/2025 at 08:23, Pow_22 said:

 but recently I've looked into an old Bassman 135 as I see you can run 1 x 8ohm cab off the extension output and they also have a line out for FOH. 

 

They're a lovely amp - not big power but usually enough through the right cab(s).. Mine seems to have no problem working at 8 ohms on the 'extension' output although it usually works at 4 ohms on the 'main' output with it's matching 2x15". The line out is after everything so it's level is proportional to the output level but it really sounds great - I have a cheap passive DI box attached with some velcro in the back so I can use it as a balnced line. Not recently but I've done quite a bit of recording using it. 

[jensenmann]

7 hours ago, VTypeV4 said:

 

They're a lovely amp - not big power but usually enough through the right cab(s).. Mine seems to have no problem working at 8 ohms on the 'extension' output although it usually works at 4 ohms on the 'main' output with it's matching 2x15". The line out is after everything so it's level is proportional to the output level but it really sounds great - I have a cheap passive DI box attached with some velcro in the back so I can use it as a balnced line. Not recently but I've done quite a bit of recording using it. 

They sound beautiful when pushed with a P Bass. 

[jensenmann]

My rig tonight:

[PaulThePlug]

...is that the Quick Start Guide Instruction Sheet for the Boss TU-2?.. 🤣

[dagrev]

Still use my all tube 100w Ampeg head, which sounds like a big, but smooth SVT. And the ABM. Can't live without tubes. The ABM is the best implementation of a one valve head I have ever used. Love it for some of my basses, but the Ampeg just has something special I can't get the ABM to achieve. If I ever do, I'm fine with using the ABM. But for now, the Ampeg gets 60 or so percent of the work depending on the bass and my mood at the time.  

 

Edited 19 hours ago by dagrev

[Bagman]

agree re: Ashdown

I still flog my 98 Klystrom head but the CTM-300 truly is the business 

[police squad]

10 hours ago, dagrev said:

Still use my all tube 100w Ampeg head, which sounds like a big, but smooth SVT. And the ABM. Can't live without tubes. The ABM is the best implementation of a one valve head I have ever used. Love it for some of my basses, but the Ampeg just has something special I can't get the ABM to achieve. If I ever do, I'm fine with using the ABM. But for now, the Ampeg gets 60 or so percent of the work depending on the bass and my mood at the time.  

 

what cab are you running there

[police squad]

I now have my ampeg V4B and it sounds immense

first gig on saturday with my Police tribute, looking forward to it

[BassAdder60]

Just out of interest are you mostly a pick or fingers player ?? 
 

I found the V4B to be the best sounding amp with both techniques especially adding Ultra Low when pick playing 

 

Couldn’t fault the sound and the feel you get playing an all tube amp.

 

I always felt mine really sounded it’s very best second set onwards ( IE been played loud for around an hour ) 

Power tubes well warmed up and it just sounded better. 

[MrDinsdale]

I’m using pick 90% of the time but the Handbox WB-100 sounds great for both.