Beedster Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 (edited) Right, I used to have something of a reputation for getting through basses. Recently I've been doing the same with rigs. I've had the pleasure of, in chronological order, Marshall, Peavey, Trace, Warwick, Markbass (and lots of it), Phil Jones, and Mesa Boogie, and none have really done it. Some, especially the Mesa and the Phil Jones, have provided awesome tone, but tone that still didn't quite work for me. So tonight I walked into rehearsal with the following: '80 Precision 2 x Bag End S15Ds and, well, an Ampeg Micro VR....... OK, I found myself without a head for a few days, needed a cheap practice/backup head anyway, so jumped at this for a little over £250, and bloody hell, does the above combination deliver or what? I have no idea how efficient the cabs are, or how powerful the head is, but together they were perfect. OK, the head definitely doesn't deliver the valvey warmth of its big brothers, but for the price the volume and tone is incredible. Running it flat, gain at 75%, volume at about 40%, tone on my Precision rolled nicely back, the tone was pure Motown, fat and full. OK, that's relatively easy to do for sure, but scooped the tone was real in your face, punchy lows and, well if not exactly glistening, then pretty crisp highs (I'm playing an old Precision here folks). OK, don't get me wrong, the Micro VR is NOT one of the great amps, but for the price, the size, the weight, and the looks (girls actually like the way it looks, I guess it's the Labrador puppy of bass heads), it's worth every penny of what I paid, and is way better value than a whole lot of other stuff I've played (read between the lines there). No doubt the Bag Ends play a big part, they're clearly extremely efficient, and they have an old school low-mid bias that just works for me (and perhaps just works for the Ampeg also). I've a Mesa Walkabout head incoming for this rig, if it sounds that good with £200 worth of solid state, I can't wait to plug in those west coast valves! Flanker, the cabs are every bit as good as you said they'd be mate, many thanks. No doubt the Mesa will blow the Ampeg out of the water through the same cabs, but I have to say that, irrespective of how good the cabs are, the Ampeg delivers. If you're looking for a cheap back-up head and have efficient cabs, well worth the punt. Keep y'all posted on how they work out with the Mesa C Edited March 27, 2010 by Beedster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Sounds great! Sometimes we have to throw out the rulebooks and just try something out of the blue...ive heard good things about those amp heads! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flanker Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 Hey Chris Really chuffed that you like the tone of the cabs. I'd like to have tried them with a big amp like a Aggie DB750 or maybe an Orange AD200 - think they'd be great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted February 2, 2010 Author Share Posted February 2, 2010 [quote name='Flanker' post='733070' date='Feb 2 2010, 03:52 PM']Hey Chris Really chuffed that you like the tone of the cabs. I'd like to have tried them with a big amp like a Aggie DB750 or maybe an Orange AD200 - think they'd be great.[/quote] Cheers Steve, they are lovely, really lovely, exactly what you said they'd be and exactly what I'd hoped for. Me and the drummer got into Express Yourself at rehearsal last night, and I was able to get the lovely fat and full tone you'd expect from a 2x15 set up but with so much more clarity than I've had from 15s before. Lovely. We're doing a 'small' gig tonight and I'm going to be using the cabs with the Mesa Walkabout head, which arrived this morning. Just played around with the combination for a few minutes and, well let's say they're gonna be treated to some lovely, old school, valvey bass tones tonight. Hope your new rig's working out 'cos you ain't having these back for a while! Chris PS would they take an Aggie DB750? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flanker Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 [quote]PS would they take an Aggie DB750?[/quote] Found this in Talkbass - nice !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 I played through one & was really impressed. I have the SVT 150h which was what they did in the 90s. A great back up head for sets where I don't want to cart around a great big valve head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 [quote name='Musicman20' post='732438' date='Feb 2 2010, 12:30 AM']Sometimes we have to throw out the rulebooks and just try something out of the blue...[/quote] +1 Nice one Chris; good to hear a happy outcome after that PJ fiasco! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
basshead56 Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 [quote name='Beedster' post='732426' date='Feb 2 2010, 12:11 AM'](girls actually like the way it looks, I guess it's the Labrador puppy of bass heads),[/quote] Genius!!! Cute but has the potential to be a huge slobbering monster of a thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted February 25, 2010 Author Share Posted February 25, 2010 Well, having read some good reviews, I decided to buy the matching SVT 210AV cab to go with the Micro VR, and I'm as impressed with that as I was with the head. OK, it's far from hi-fi, but it's loud, punchy, and produces just the tone I'm looking for. Rehearsed it this week and it more than kept up with the drummer and didn't lose any tone doing so. I love the fact that it's small and light but looks big and heavy (from a distance anyway). I'm seriously tempted to get another 210AV and stack them end to end for small gigs, it'll give me ear heigh monitoring and decent tone/volume from a rig I can carry in one go (cab in each hand and head in gigbag on my back). My only slight concern is that it'll be quite unstable (i.e., tall and thin), so I might need to look into that before I go ahead. All things considered, for a tad under £500 I've a great sounding, relatively powerful (dbs per watt), aesthetically pleasing, and easy to transport rehearsal/small gig rig. Hats off to Ampeg. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted February 25, 2010 Share Posted February 25, 2010 I'm gonna have to take a closer look at these... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythSte Posted February 28, 2010 Share Posted February 28, 2010 The ampeg review at NAMM shows that these can be overdriven, Is this the case? Is it just a matter of the gain running into a distortion circuit or something? (P.S, massive thanks to Chris, This could well be my uni rig and i'd have looked straight past it if it wasnt for him!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted February 28, 2010 Author Share Posted February 28, 2010 [quote name='MythSte' post='759961' date='Feb 28 2010, 06:02 PM']The ampeg review at NAMM shows that these can be overdriven, Is this the case? Is it just a matter of the gain running into a distortion circuit or something? (P.S, massive thanks to Chris, This could well be my uni rig and i'd have looked straight past it if it wasnt for him!)[/quote] Hiya Steve Haven't read the review in question. Yes, they can be overdriven, but there is a very fine line between usuable and unusable gain, and it's easily crossed. Having said this, a little bit of T&E goes a long way. Don't get me wrong, this is not a 'great' rig by any means (compared to my Mesa head and 2x15 Bag Ends, it's tame), but for its combination of power, tone, portability, versitilty and looks, I think it has the edge over all the compact gear I've tried recently (namely several combinations of Markbass and PJB). It stays with a drummer way better than the PJB gear (even though the PJB's power was rated higher), and is far more classic sounding than the Markbass. In fact, I'm so impressed I've just ordered a second 210AV to make the whole even more of all of the above. It's coming tomorrow and I'm rehearsing it tomorrow evening and gigging it Friday. I'll keep you posted C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 (edited) Did two loud rehearsals and one gig this week with the Micro head and two SVT210AVs. All things considered the rig held up well. It's certainly got no problems volume-wise, esily keeping up with the drums and a very loud guitarist with headroom to spare. At the gig I stacked the cabs end to end which made hearing myslf a whole lot easier than normal, but this arrangement really pushed the mids compared to running them side by side on the floor. Given that the rig seems to be quite mid-heavy anyway, I'll be looking to run it with a little bit of mid scoop next gig (it was flat all the way on Friday). Have to say that stacked end to end the rig looked great, a rather Stonehenge-esque presence in the back line, and despite my concerns, I didn't pull it over! For what I paid for the rig, close to £800, I could have better tone I'm sure. However, I wouldn't have it in such a portable, loud, stylish and versatile unit, and on that basis it's staying (and staying whilst similarly lightweight gear from the likes of Markbass and PJB didn't make the grade on the same criteria and went). The EQ shaping is pretty weak, and when playing through this rig I really miss being able to drive the sweet low mids in the way my Mesa allows me to. However, the Ampeg and the Mesa are completely different beasts, the Ampeg has a retro, no-frills tone which really complements an old Precision with flats. I doubt it would satisfy anyone needing hi-fi tone from an active bass. Overall the rig (head plus 2 x 210s) looks and sounds a whole lot bigger than it actually is. It does what it says on the tin, no more than that for sure, but I don't need more than that of this rig. I know I go on about portability way too much, but on Friday night I was able to carry two basses, two cabs, the head, and all leads, stands etc in one trip (the venue is actually closer to my house than where my car is parked). Given that I like to gig early, get my gear home, then go back and have a few beers, this is a huge bonus for me. C Edited March 27, 2010 by Beedster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 Thanks for coming back to us on that. I'm sort of considering one of these, or a Fender TV Bassman 12", as a nice home/possibly recording/possibly light weight small gig rig. I get the feeling the Fender might have a more pleasing tone, but there's something about the micro VR - i love the look of it, plus you can add an extra cab. I'll be recording with its big daddy this weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted March 7, 2010 Author Share Posted March 7, 2010 [quote name='Tee' post='767283' date='Mar 7 2010, 08:41 PM']Thanks for coming back to us on that. I'm sort of considering one of these, or a Fender TV Bassman 12", as a nice home/possibly recording/possibly light weight small gig rig. I get the feeling the Fender might have a more pleasing tone, but there's something about the micro VR - i love the look of it, plus you can add an extra cab. I'll be recording with its big daddy this weekend.[/quote] I think the Fender's quite weighty also? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Posted March 7, 2010 Share Posted March 7, 2010 [quote name='Beedster' post='767290' date='Mar 7 2010, 08:49 PM']I think the Fender's quite weighty also?[/quote] Roughly 20kg the TV 12, which is about 4kg lighter than my Orange AD200 alone. The 210AV cabs seem to be about 12kg. How light is the head, about 5kg? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted March 8, 2010 Author Share Posted March 8, 2010 [quote name='Tee' post='767349' date='Mar 7 2010, 09:34 PM']Roughly 20kg the TV 12, which is about 4kg lighter than my Orange AD200 alone. The 210AV cabs seem to be about 12kg. How light is the head, about 5kg?[/quote] Less than that I'd imagine, it's very light! I looked at the Fender and imagine the tone is sweet, but prefer the flexibility of seperate head & cabs C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 [quote name='Beedster' post='767628' date='Mar 8 2010, 09:36 AM']I looked at the Fender and imagine the tone is sweet, but prefer the flexibility of seperate head & cabs C[/quote] Me too, i wish they did a head version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted March 8, 2010 Share Posted March 8, 2010 You know what they say... without pics it doesn't exist! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MythSte Posted March 9, 2010 Share Posted March 9, 2010 [quote name='Bigwan' post='767714' date='Mar 8 2010, 11:02 AM']You know what they say... without pics it doesn't exist![/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=80196&st=0&#entry769090"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry769090[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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