Anyone built a bass amp?

[mlp-mx6]

Cliff - thanks. Let me clarify - would you recommend a different tube config? With 470V after rectification - is it too low for 6550/KT88s? Would 6-6L6s be the recommended config for that kind of power and voltage?

[Roe]

6L6GCs work fine at 470v, depending on the Z (about 1k4 should be fine for 6 tubes)

[mlp-mx6]

Right. I know that will work for 6L6s. I'm curious about other tube types and their (possibly superior) suitability for bass.

Heater current is a non-issue. This PT has a ridiculous amount of heater current.

[jaysg]

6L6GCs work fine at 470v, depending on the Z (about 1k4 should be fine for 6 tubes)

Fender SuperTwin.

[Cliff Schecht]

So we never got any real feedback on what you guys feel is appropriate wattage for various venues. I don't know how bass amp SS vs. tube watts compare in a performance setting and so I'm having a hard time judging what will be "too much" for our bass player. Is a quad of KT-88's too much?

[daydreamer]

Hey Cliff,
If your sound if geared towards that classic P bass sound, less watts is better.

If it's modern rock then more. I personally can't stand too much bass in any venue, I like to hear the drum kick and what notes the bass is actually playing, as apposed to being hit in the chest with a wall of sub bass.

i like it to be nice and textured which I find 100watt guitar amps do well for the bass.

Most sound guys shake there head in silent desperation when someone rocks up with a massive bass rig. It's a down hill battle to get anything approaching a 'mix' with all those 14 foot frequencies rolling off stage.

Sorta like the guys with full marshall stacks in 100 people venues, but that's another story; apparently it gets one laid...so ..yeah..

[M Fowler]

I like the bass amp to be no less then 100 watts.

Mark

[marcoloco961]

So we never got any real feedback on what you guys feel is appropriate wattage for various venues. I don't know how bass amp SS vs. tube watts compare in a performance setting and so I'm having a hard time judging what will be "too much" for our bass player. Is a quad of KT-88's too much?

A quad of KT-88 would make for a booming bass rig for sure.

For most of the clubs in the area I live in, I would guess a 50 Watt would be close to enough. A nice 100-120 Watt would probably cover 99% of the jobs you would face. The only need I can see for having a extremely loud bass amp (150 Watts +) is if you play a lot of outdoor jobs on very large stages where you need to project sound at a decent volume across the stage so your band-mates can hear you for timing reasons. In most indoor club situations too much Bass is annoying to the crowd and makes mixing sound a nightmare for your humble and patient sound-guy or gal.

I believe you can get over 100 Watts with 2 KT-88's. (Someone correct me if I am wrong.) The huge tranny's start adding weight quickly and make it in-convenient to haul around the huge bastard. LOL

I'm guessing 100-120 Watts would cut what 90% of us would need. It depends a lot on what kind of music you play, I would think a country bassist would not need as much volume as a funk bassist as his part is more in the background and subdued. A funk, Jazz or Heavy Metal player might disagree with me wholeheartedly on the 100 Watt theory.

[selloutrr]

if it's under 100w make it a preamp only so it can be used with a power amp that matches the speaker cabinet requirements.

Honestly a 100Watts of bass power is pretty quiet. it takes alot more energy to make solid clear low notes then highs. It would be hard to keep up with some rock drummers without additional PA reinforcement.

It would probably be fine for small mellow club bands, small jazz, and blues.

I'd personally like to see 200-300 watts
preamp out
Power amp in
FX loops with send and return controls ( series / parallel ) - foot switch controlled on/of
half power switch
2 channels (both the same) - finger/pick - foot controlled A/B
Active / passive inputs or swtichable via toggle
tuner out - foot controlled mute
both ch have independant EQs, bypass, pre/post fx loop (for inserting compression)
it's hard to beat the trace elliot 7/12 band eq ( i'd make do with a lo, lo-mid, mid, hi)
di out with independant volume
line out
2 4 8 16 ohm loads
curtisy power
europeon power legs 110 - 120 - 210 - 220 - etc
cooling - runs cool
small enough width to rack mount
Selectable/ blendable tube and solid state rectification
throw in top quality parts
NOS preamp tubes w/ covers
Current production Output tubes w/socket clamps
plenty of LED's telling me what's on or routed.
NO PCB unless they are Glass, laid out like a turret board, numbered, labeled, and the has a schematic attached to the lid.

I'd like it to be black, with gold pinstripping. A white face place made out of plexiglass. with silver letters outlined in black and silver with black rubber grip knobs with a gold cap and silver marker, and a gold vent so it matches my guiness draught can

Cheers

[Cliff Schecht]

I'm on it.

[RJ Guitars]

Not to start a war, but if you have the to mike the drums, everybody is too loud! I need to hear 2 & 4 on the snare and sorta hear the kick... I'm from the old school that thinks live music went junk with the onset of the sub woofer. I love to hear the bass lines more than feel the thunder. A pair of KT-88's is the plan for my amp. I want to get everything i can out of em and have them part of the mix but not dominate. Spose maybe I'm just sayin I'm old.

rj

[dynaman]

Hey Cliff,
If your sound if geared towards that classic P bass sound, less watts is better.

If it's modern rock then more. I personally can't stand too much bass in any venue, I like to hear the drum kick and what notes the bass is actually playing, as apposed to being hit in the chest with a wall of sub bass.

i like it to be nice and textured which I find 100watt guitar amps do well for the bass.

Most sound guys shake there head in silent desperation when someone rocks up with a massive bass rig. It's a down hill battle to get anything approaching a 'mix' with all those 14 foot frequencies rolling off stage.

Sorta like the guys with full marshall stacks in 100 people venues, but that's another story; apparently it gets one laid...so ..yeah..

Dude, you MUST be talking about my band. One of our guitar players has a nasty habit of stacking a pair of 4X12's and stacking two Marshall heads on top of another 4X12. Cool to look at, but ridiculous.

Bass player hauls an Ampeg 9X10 cab to nearly every show. He was using a 50W Traynor and that thing was MORE than plenty. He's now "upgraded" to an SVT.

But, I'm really a drummer and we're guilty of the same. Recently played a show at a small and trashy bar and the headlining act sucked up most of the stage area with a massive skull-encrusted double bass drumset. Even more bizarre, was their opening song that entailed the members climbing out of a limo (parked in front of the bar) while playing their instruments. Yep, they had full wireless setups and hairdos to match.

I'm all for technology, but homie don't wear headsets. At least not at the Token Lounge.

[M Fowler]

I wouldn't hear a thing if I didn't bring 100w guitar amp with 4x12 cab to the gigs.

The kick is miked and the bass is loud but I like it that way.


Mark

[selloutrr]

Not to start a war, but if you have the to mike the drums, everybody is too loud! I need to hear 2 & 4 on the snare and sorta hear the kick... I'm from the old school that thinks live music went junk with the onset of the sub woofer. I love to hear the bass lines more than feel the thunder. A pair of KT-88's is the plan for my amp. I want to get everything i can out of em and have them part of the mix but not dominate. Spose maybe I'm just sayin I'm old.

rj

I'm a lover not a fighter

Having the wattage / power doesn't mean you have to use all of it. It just helps ensure the speakers move to the best of thier ability. if you starve the speakers of power the Output Transformer and speakers have to work extra hard to create the low end and that can be as bad as to much power = blown speakers, OT's output tubes...

It would all come down to the speaker's efficiency and SPL at 1db as well as the cabinet design if a small wattage amp is really loud enough.
i.e. running two 12" 50w/65w speakers with a 100watt head would be fine as long as they had a high spl (over 100db) at 1db rating. the problem is most bass speaker are not as efficient as guitar speakers so they are often in the high 80's to mid 90's of SPL at 1db. that is a huge difference to your ear! putting a 100w guitar amp dimed at almost the same output volume as an SVT. Bass amps can be precieved louder because of the sub harmonics and the bodies ability to feel the lower notes.

I'm sure other bass players have had this happen where on the stage it sounds great but the crowd has to breath with the bass. the bass note of a low B opens up almost 30 feet in front of the speaker cabinet.

I ran a kick back speaker on the stage pointing at me so I could keep the feel and cut my volume by more then half to save the mix.

IMHO 100w (truly closer to 75/80watts) is not enough power for a 400W cabinet to function at it's full potential.
I've picked up over a dozen cabinets dirt cheap from people because they hated the way they sounded through under powered heads. After I hooked them up to an amplifier that gives them specified/higher power and they sounded wonderful.

[Reeltarded]

I don't like how they sound for bass, but I have a few Majors. Some with KT88s, and a couple with 6550s. 4 KT88s make that lil extra headroom.

(maniacle laughter)