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Schlieren posted:If it turns out the speakers are old and need to be replaced in my amp, what should I get? Celestions are cheap as hell - you can get a pair for under $200 easy and they sound great when they have a good amp behind them.
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 04:17 |
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# ? May 13, 2024 08:29 |
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There are lots of kinds of Celestions and this amp pushes out a gigantic amount of power; what should I get? Do any of the Celestions available in the Avatar overstock link make sense?
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 04:29 |
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Schlieren posted:There are lots of kinds of Celestions and this amp pushes out a gigantic amount of power; what should I get? Do any of the Celestions available in the Avatar overstock link make sense? I don't have enough knowledge to tell which exact speakers would fit it best, I know the brand is good though. I'm sure if you called them they would know what would work.
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 04:32 |
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iostream.h posted:gently caress yes. I've been semi-tempted over one of those since getting my AD30 head, how heavy is it? Have you compared it's sound to a sealed cab? I just wonder about it being semi-open if that added any 'woof' at higher volume. When I was on my amp demo spree back in April, I found I hated Mesas (garish and shrill), thought Dr. Z's were a bit too bright, and would have considered the '65 London if I A. could have tried it (saw the Lil Elvis and the Tupelo, which were both not quite what I was looking for) and B. didn't see this Orange for $1000 less than what a London combo would have cost. I also tried a Rocker 30 and a Dual Terror, which were both very good. I probably would have bought the Rocker 30 out of everything I'd tried if I hadn't seen the AD30TC, which blew away everything else. If you want to sound like Boris, well uh yeah just go try one. Sadly, I still suck at guitar; I just bought this because I am going to be playing for a long time. Also, the HT5 is what I use as a practice amp--don't get me wrong, it's a great little practice amp and I'm not going to get rid of it anytime soon. (amusing coincidence: bought Amplifier Worship and Feedbacker yesterday, saw this thread today, and Boris concert next month )
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 04:46 |
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ruinedhero posted:
sweet looking forward to it. there there is pretty simple you can tackle that np.
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 06:09 |
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Schlieren posted:If it turns out the speakers are old and need to be replaced in my amp, what should I get? i have the original speakers for my music man 210 65 in a box in the garage... it killed them before i met it, and ive always had the comparable fender in there and theyve done a bangup job, so do look to fenders, i reckon
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 06:58 |
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Currently I have a Fender Silverface Champ, which is great for practicing at home. However, I need something loud enough (and with enough clean headroom) to play with a drummer or fill a small pub. I love the vintage fender clean sound (I play jazz) and prefer tube amps, but it seems that it's hard to find an amp that's the volume I want. I'm looking for a Charlie Christian, Joe Pass or Jim Hall kind of sound. If anyone as any suggestions that would be great, thanks! Also preferably not too far above $1000 used.
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 07:51 |
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ruinedhero posted:
I've been on the market for a stage rig for bass for a while ago, and I thought I'd share my experiences thus far... I just picked up a Warwick Profet 5.2 500W bass head for $700AUD. The preceding model (the 5.1) had a number of issues; the compressor was a little slow to kick in, and the volume pot they used was set up such that at 12 o clock it was feeding out 50% of the amp's power, rather than the way most amps work (where 12 o clock is usually more like 80% of the available wattage). As a result the 5.1 was somewhat of an underperformer, as you really needed to peg the volume to get much out of it and even then it was a lot quieter than the new model. The tone is great, especially for an amp with no preamp tube, and you will not find anything that can touch it in this price range, which basically includes lovely Bheringer, low-end Hartke and low wattage GK stuff. It's packed with all the features you'd expect in a mid-high end head, and honestly at the $500-900 price point it's untouchable. Make no mistake this thing is LOUD, even for a 500w, and even running through a single 410 cab. The other bass amp I've toyed with recently was the Hartke LH1000. This is unlike anything Hartke have done before. It's a very simple design, with a few quirks. First of all, it's actually two 500W solid state class D power amps, with a fader control and a Bassman style preamp, 12AX7 tube and all. It looks like a very simple and understated rackmount unit, but the sound is something else. It's warm, absolutely wrings every inch of tone out of your bass.. The guy who was demoing it for me at the store actually sold his big $$$ Aguilar head recently and replaced it with one of these, he liked it so much. With 1000W you will have more power than you would EVER need, with the capability to run four 8ohm 500W cabs. The price I was quoted? $1200 AUD which is about $700-900 in your strange green paper money (I'm factoring in the price bump we get on amps in Aus, although it's less evident for the smaller, lighter SS bass heads). I didn't get this because I really don't need 1000W at all, and the Warwick sounds great already. They make a 500W (single amp) version but it's lacking some features like a tuner out, and no speakon connector. I'd check out both of these heads if you're on the look out for a bass amp. Granted neither will give you that all tube Ampeg/Mesa sound (although pedals exist that can), but for the price of a mid range 115 combo you could realistically have one of these and a 410 cab to play with. gently caress, at that price it's almost worth it just to mess around on the lovely bargain bin SX P bass every guitarist seems to have :P
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 09:01 |
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Since I've probably already discredited myself but now might be the time to mention that I actually like the old Hartke 3500. It's a 350 watt head, all solid state with a preamp tube that can be blended to taste for subtle effect. Graphic EQ, usable on board compressor, nothing fancy. It's not the loudest thing ever but through a decent cab it can stand up to a drumset and it has an additional XLR out to run to a board if that's your thing. The 1000 watt version sounds awfully good though, I've been wanting something class D. As far as bass goes I'm thinking that modeling pedal/preamp->crazy powerful class D power amp->loud loving cab might just be the way of the future. I really want to build a Fearful cab but I'm not quite up to it yet.
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 09:26 |
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I'm building the exact same setup with the Warwick, man. It's going to go something like this (sorry for the derail) Guitar/Bass -> Zoom C5.1t+ Amplitube 3 -> Warwick amp) -> 4x10 Ashdown cab my friend's selling me for like $300. The Zoom will be plugged into the effects loop return on the Warwick, thus bypassing the preamp. Planning on running Amplitube 3 on either my laptop or a 2RU rack mount PC racked up with the amp in a road case. This should give me access to all the amp models available. I'm hoping the cab will have enough mid/high end. I also want to build one of the Fearful cabs, probably the 15-6. If it all works out well I might post a thread about it, I think it's the kind of thing guitargoons would be into.
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 13:03 |
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Schlieren posted:If it turns out the speakers are old and need to be replaced in my amp, what should I get? If your guitar speakers are shot maybe you should take that as a sign that you shouldn't play bass through them.
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# ? Jul 7, 2010 14:46 |
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I've got an early Ampeg VT-22 non-master volume with original giant-rear end gently caress-off magnet Altec's. Feel free to ask questions, but you'll have to speak up because I can't hear you.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 00:06 |
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Handen posted:I've got an early Ampeg VT-22 non-master volume with original giant-rear end gently caress-off magnet Altec's. Feel free to ask questions, but you'll have to speak up because I can't hear you. Hey Ampeg buddy. I have this one http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ampeg-R212R-Reverberocket-Amp?sku=481769 Perhaps not the best choice if you want light tube breakup but has gorgeous rich cleans and takes pedals wonderfully.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 01:21 |
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Nelsocracy posted:Currently I have a Fender Silverface Champ, which is great for practicing at home. However, I need something loud enough (and with enough clean headroom) to play with a drummer or fill a small pub. I love the vintage fender clean sound (I play jazz) and prefer tube amps, but it seems that it's hard to find an amp that's the volume I want. I'm looking for a Charlie Christian, Joe Pass or Jim Hall kind of sound. If anyone as any suggestions that would be great, thanks! Also preferably not too far above $1000 used. A used Fender tube 50 watt amp would be plenty loud and under $1000 - the best bet would be to sample a poo poo load of used and new amps at your local retailers because what you want is pretty broad, which is a good thing because you have a shitload of selection. I always liked Laney's clean tone, but again you have alot of options with what you are looking for.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 02:40 |
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Handen posted:I've got an early Ampeg VT-22 non-master volume with original giant-rear end gently caress-off magnet Altec's. Feel free to ask questions, but you'll have to speak up because I can't hear you. The V4/all the combo versions is my dream amplifier. I haven't bought one because I'll never ever have a place to play it. So god drat loud. I do love the poo poo out of my '66 Reverberocket II. Old Ampegs rule so loving hard.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 03:52 |
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Specific posted:The V4/all the combo versions is my dream amplifier. I haven't bought one because I'll never ever have a place to play it. So god drat loud. I play a '67 Gemini II. I do about 200 gigs a year and use it for guitar, lap steel, bass, mandolin, and banjo. I literally would not trade this amp for any other amp, outside of a 60s AC-30 or an original Vibrolux Reverb. And even then, it's a toss-up. The reverb on the Gemini is hands down the best I've heard. Before any of you buy an amp, I HIGHLY recommend at least playing through an old Ampeg. They are incredibly undervalued on the vintage market right now. I got mine for 450 shipped. Insane.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 04:14 |
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the wizards beard posted:If your guitar speakers are shot maybe you should take that as a sign that you shouldn't play bass through them. Sounds way too good out of this amp not to do it so I think instead I'll try to find something that can handle both reasonably well but thanks for this incredibly obvious suggestion!
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 04:35 |
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Schlieren posted:Sounds way too good out of this amp not to do it so I think instead I'll try to find something that can handle both reasonably well but thanks for this incredibly obvious suggestion! I really don't know of any amps that do both bass and regular. A bass amp would probably be better to use if you really need only one amp...
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 05:03 |
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I think I'll instead try to get something that works with the amp I've got but thanks anyway If I have a conversation with professionals who have lots of experience and know-how I'll definitely post something here so we could have the value of their wisdom.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 05:53 |
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Schlieren posted:I think I'll instead try to get something that works with the amp I've got but thanks anyway Speaking as an amp repair tech, guitar speakers just aren't made to reproduce the low end frequencies that basses produce unless run at very low volume. If you want, you can bypass the guitar speakers and run the amp into a bass cabinet, that would totally be fine.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 06:21 |
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ruinedhero posted:Also if any bass players want to talk about bass amps, baseheads (), or whatever - please contribute here. Ampeg is the poo poo, but price wise it goes well over $1000 so I would love to hear good budget setups for bass as well. It all depends on what you need, and what you're willing to haul. SVTs can sound amazing if they're working properly and paired with the correct cab (ideally an 8x10 or 2x15 or something else that's going to push a lot of air), but I find that even the vintage ones break up too early for my taste. If you're going for that full-on tube roar, and you're willing to schlep a fridge around, then an SVT could work wonderfully - but avoid the new "Classic" SVTs. I have played several, and they all have a nasty, buzzy distortion when the gain is turned up. This could be helped by a preamp tube swap, but I am not willing to invest more money in an amp just to get a usable sound out of it. As Ferrous Wheel mentioned, the latest craze in bass amps is lightweight, high power Class D amps coupled with 2- and 3- way speaker cabs with dedicated woofers, mid drivers and tweeters. I haven't had the chance to try out one of those types of cabs, but I did play a Mesa Walkabout Scout combo in a music store that absolutely blew me away. I couldn't believe the amount of low end that was coming out of that little box, and it had a nice tube warmth that is often missing from the little mini amps. I currently run a Gallien-Krueger 1001RB-II through an Avatar 2x12. The GK is okay for cleans, but I really don't enjoy the distortion that comes through on higher gain settings, and the EQ isn't centred the way I like it. I've been really impressed by bass amps from Mesa Boogie and Aguilar, so I'll be looking more into those companies when I eventually replace the GK. Side Effects posted:Speaking as an amp repair tech, guitar speakers just aren't made to reproduce the low end frequencies that basses produce unless run at very low volume. If you want, you can bypass the guitar speakers and run the amp into a bass cabinet, that would totally be fine. I wouldn't even try that. I fried a VT-22 that way.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 06:24 |
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Juaguocio posted:I wouldn't even try that. I fried a VT-22 that way. There is literally no reason this would happen just by playing bass through it. Playing bass through a regular guitar amp head is absolutely harmless but it will shred guitar amp speakers. Off the top of my head: Meshuggah used to use dual rectos to play bass; Jon Paul Jones used plexi heads early in his career; John Entwistle basically helped created the half-stack using a 100w Marshall guitar amp head; Robert Trujillo has a rectifier somewhere in his collection; and I know the Clash use Marshall guitar heads for their bass. Edit: spelling Chip McFuck fucked around with this message at 07:43 on Jul 8, 2010 |
# ? Jul 8, 2010 07:39 |
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Side Effects posted:There is literally no reason this would happen unless the amp and the cab didn't match up or the amp somehow overheated. Playing bass through a regular guitar amp head is absolutely harmless but it will shred guitar amp speakers. Bass through guitar head, yes, no problem, but I would be very cautious about disconnecting the speakers on a vintage combo. The amp in question did have some prior issues though, so it probably wasn't just the bass that killed it. Alas, it now sits in our jam space collecting dust.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 07:45 |
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ruinedhero posted:A used Fender tube 50 watt amp would be plenty loud and under $1000 - the best bet would be to sample a poo poo load of used and new amps at your local retailers because what you want is pretty broad, which is a good thing because you have a shitload of selection. I always liked Laney's clean tone, but again you have alot of options with what you are looking for. But are there even any 50 watt tube amps from Fender? That can provide the vintage sound I want? The only one I know of is the Hot Rod Deluxe which definitely isn't the sound or quality that I'm going for. I'm actually having a really hard time finding an amp with what I want (from Fender anyway, I don't know much about other brands at all to be honest). Fender Twin's are the sound I want and easy to find but way too loud. There was some kind of vintage tube amp I found before that was around 60W I think which seemed perfect for me, but it's incredibly rare and costs 2-3x the price of a Twin, which is already barely in my budget. I'll take a look at some Laney's though. edit: just did some research into the Fender Super Reverb, anyone have experience with those? Looks like a vintage one will run me almost 2grand though so that's still not really an option. Nelsocracy fucked around with this message at 17:31 on Jul 8, 2010 |
# ? Jul 8, 2010 17:18 |
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ruinedhero posted:I really don't know of any amps that do both bass and regular. A bass amp would probably be better to use if you really need only one amp... The Fender Bassman (as the name would suggest) was made for bass, but guitarists liked it so much that they're its predominant users now. So, give that a try!
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 18:08 |
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Schlieren posted:Sounds way too good out of this amp not to do it so I think instead I'll try to find something that can handle both reasonably well but thanks for this incredibly obvious suggestion! No need to get snarky, if it's so obvious you would be shopping for bass speakers or bass cabs already. For the record the Orange AD140 I posted earlier sounds nice with bass when run through an Ashdown bass cabinet. Lots of guitar amps with a clear and powerful low end will sound good with bass, the only real disadvantage is that bass cabinets and bass speakers are often designed for lower impedances - not many guitar amps have 4 ohm taps.
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# ? Jul 8, 2010 18:20 |
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ruinedhero posted:I really don't know of any amps that do both bass and regular. A bass amp would probably be better to use if you really need only one amp... Orange Thunderverbs are designed for both. edit: But the real issue is that the amps are fine, its speakers you have to worry about. Bass frequencies will drive guitar speakers into over-excursion and destroy them. plester1 fucked around with this message at 22:01 on Jul 8, 2010 |
# ? Jul 8, 2010 21:59 |
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Juaguocio posted:Bass through guitar head, yes, no problem, but I would be very cautious about disconnecting the speakers on a vintage combo. The amp in question did have some prior issues though, so it probably wasn't just the bass that killed it. Alas, it now sits in our jam space collecting dust. Maybe it was run with no load, if it's old it wouldn't have protection..? plester1 posted:Orange Thunderverbs are designed for both. mr_package fucked around with this message at 01:33 on Jul 9, 2010 |
# ? Jul 9, 2010 01:31 |
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plester1 posted:Orange Thunderverbs are designed for both. ...and speakers designed for bass may not have the range/colour you're looking for. I think you might find many bass caps have too "scooped" a sound - as most of them consist of 2-4 10", 2 12" Or 1 15" woofer(s) designed for low end reproduction and a horn tweeter, you might find having two cabs a necessity. Another thing to consider is that guitar amp buffs are quite picky about the woofers they use because of the "colour" they add - eg vintage 30s are often chosen because they have a particular tone to them, despite being very old hat tech compared to modern neodymium woofers. I am planning on trying a bass cab with a modeling setup but I am relying on Amplitube to add a certain amount of colour to the sound. We'll see.
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# ? Jul 9, 2010 01:39 |
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The above is why more and more modern bass cabs are distributing the frequency response across multiple drivers and tweeters. In light of how effective those systems are, I can't imagine a very convincing argument in favor of abusing guitar speakers. If anything guitarists could probably benefit from exploring setups closer to the new bass rigs. In particular, the fearful design incorporates high performance drivers for low and mids, with an optional tweeter. Obviously not everyone has the means to build one but I think it's a great approach. Edit: Apparently DR Bass are a not a good place to order from, I had no idea. Ferrous Wheel fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Jul 10, 2010 |
# ? Jul 9, 2010 02:36 |
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DaFuente posted:
This is the truth. I was playing through a Gemini IV for a while. The tremolo kills, and this is after I was living at a place with a working leslie amp. It was ~$400 with shipping. I had a v4 kinda poo poo the bed on me recently. I had gotten it partially retubed / caps replaced when I got it about a year and a half ago and havent taken the time money decision to get it fixed. Been playing through the first tube amp I bought, 69'(?) Fender Bassman Blackface -> Lopoline 4x12 with Jensens. Which I got all in all for about $800 bucks a few years ago. Totally different sound, definitely one that I've missed. Setup has been TC Electronics Dual Paramatric EQ -> Jacques Tube Screamer, sometimes a distortion in between the two but I haven't settled on what. I have a bunch of stuff (Big Muff Clone, Super Fuzz, Roland Bee Ba Clone, Fuzzrite) but everything seems to just disappear, though it might just be our new practice space, we haven't put up rugs yet. I have a really loud drummer with a big kit and a bass player going from an Acoustic 140 -> Acoustic 4x12 (which I got for a total of $150 in different deals), which is drat loud. I've been thinking about a modular setup like: bassman -> 2x12 (something peavey would be nice) with optional Acoustic 450 solid state head -> 1x15 with some sort of crossover or EQ to split up stuff. Anyone ever use this sort of set up? shame edit: I blew my dad's ReverbeRocket at a lovely gig a few years ago. It hasn't been fixed up yet. Years ago, the original speaker got stolen by some slimy tech, when he was just getting the caps replaced. Juaguocio posted:VT - 22 stuff glennnyc fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Jul 9, 2010 |
# ? Jul 9, 2010 02:47 |
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Between being a lifer in the guitar shop business and being a professional sound dude (as well as a total amp slut) I have played through and heard pretty much everything. I'll be happy to give my 2 cents wherever needed. Since this is an amp circlejerk, I must say- anyone here who hasn't played through a Dr Z, Hughes and Kettner, or a real Bogner owes it to themselves to seek one out and treat yourself to a nice little eargasm. Obviously there are more great amps out there, but those three brands seem to be off most players' radar and it's a shame.
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# ? Jul 9, 2010 18:21 |
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Have any of you guys played a Polytone? I really do tend to prefer tube amps but I heard these amps might give me the sound I'm looking for (see my post at the top of the page). They seem difficult to obtain, though.
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# ? Jul 9, 2010 19:54 |
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Polytone would be a great choice for a jazzy feller like yourself. Mini brutes are all over the place on ebay for around 500 bucks.
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# ? Jul 9, 2010 21:30 |
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If only I could try it out first. I'm reluctant to order an amp without hearing it - especially a solid state, as I find they can sound quite sterile sometimes. It is highly recommended though - I guess I'll catch CL and see if one pops up.
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# ? Jul 9, 2010 21:44 |
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I've got a Rivera R55 that I love, but I got a couple of quibbles maybe yall can help me with. First, where do I find a decent hard 1x12" combo case that's not sight-unseen on ebay or 3/4 the cost of the amp custom? Also, when I first got it it had these wonderful chimey fender cleans that I could get relatively loud. I gig with it very regularly and I'm starting to notice a breakup in the clean channel sooner than it used to. I don't know if this is due to it getting knocked around a fair bit (hence me looking for a case), or if it just needs to be retubed, or what. The (power, at least) tubes are as old as the amp, but I'm disinclined to figure that's the issue due to the symptoms being relatively mild. Thoughts?
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# ? Jul 9, 2010 23:19 |
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Ferrous Wheel posted:If you need prefab I think DR Bass builds the most affordable two and three-way designs and offer plenty of custom options. DO NOT under any circumstances order a cab from Dr. Bass. Every thread on Talkbass about that company is full of horror stories from people who have never received their cabs, and have been completely unable to get any answers via phone or email. I believe the owner of the company is currently in prison for fraud charges.
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# ? Jul 9, 2010 23:28 |
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kaptainkaffeine posted:I've got a Rivera R55 that I love, but I got a couple of quibbles maybe yall can help me with. First, where do I find a decent hard 1x12" combo case that's not sight-unseen on ebay or 3/4 the cost of the amp custom? Also, when I first got it it had these wonderful chimey fender cleans that I could get relatively loud. I gig with it very regularly and I'm starting to notice a breakup in the clean channel sooner than it used to. I don't know if this is due to it getting knocked around a fair bit (hence me looking for a case), or if it just needs to be retubed, or what. The (power, at least) tubes are as old as the amp, but I'm disinclined to figure that's the issue due to the symptoms being relatively mild. Thoughts? Retube it. Distortion when things should still be clean is one of the first symptoms of power tube wear. At least have a tech check it out as the bias could have drifted on you as well.
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# ? Jul 10, 2010 00:05 |
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The BlackStar Ht-60 just came in today, after spending an hour with it I must say I am extremely impressed with the quality of the amp and with the amazing quality of the clean channel. The Overdrive channels are good, a little to middy but a boss EQ through the effects loop allowed me to get a good rock/metal tone. You don't need an outside EQ to get a great overdriven tone and the options are plentiful as there is a USA/British knob that allows you to go from 1 to 11 (ok just 10) so you don't have to go all or nothing for the tone type. I'm going to spend much of this weekend getting into the inner workings of the amp. I am amazed at the clean channel on it so far - one of the best I've heard at any amp in this price range.
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# ? Jul 10, 2010 01:17 |
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# ? May 13, 2024 08:29 |
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I love it to death.
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# ? Jul 11, 2010 10:19 |