Solid State Amps

[subprime]

Peavey microbass. I've been playing through this while I wait for a replacement tube to come in the mail. Sounds surprisingly good with my godawful strat copy and a danelectro daddyo. I think I'm probably damaging it the way I max out the volume on it... After finally playing a guitar through a solid state amp that actually distorts I'm seeing where ben was coming from with saying the ivp wasn't particularly special. Time to get an amphead/ preamp sounds like this without being attached to a godawful 8" speaker. On fucking around more with the distoriton, this thing can get really loud in the treble range. would work well paired with a normal amp to work as a tweeter.

[chris jury]

We used an 80s micro bass for a while as a screw around amp-surprisingly good, surprisingly loud. even used it for a live film soundtrack performance when volume wasn't required. endorse in place of a champ or valve jr.

[subprime]

Id like to use this in tandem with a valve jr. Have all my highs going to this thing and all the lows going to a valve jr. Its rediculous how loud I can get the highs on this, the gain knob on the amp doesnt get near the max volume, with a distortion pedal I can get it well past ear rining levels. Just need a better distortion pedal for it.

[zom-zom]

I'm totally sold on SS amps for bass now. I've been using a 1972 Coliseum 880 and I'll take it over an SVT any day. Wonderful response and tone.
I started with a Concert bass head but needed more power, but both sound so nice.

[subprime]

http://stjohns.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell ... Z374765938

"realistic mpa 20" Think this is worth going after? 40$ is less of an issue than the drive into mt pearl (its a giant suburb basically). Takes like two hours to find anything there....

[howiemarx]

http://stjohns.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-amps-pedals-Vintage-Realistic-MPA-20-W0QQAdIdZ374765938

"realistic mpa 20" Think this is worth going after? 40$ is less of an issue than the drive into mt pearl (its a giant suburb basically). Takes like two hours to find anything there....

eh, don't think so.
Hold out for something better. Sunn, acoustic, kustom.

I know this doesn't help, Nashville's Craigslist is torture.
Early 70's Sunn PA or Guitar Head - $200 (Springfield)
http://nashville.craigslist.org/msg/2862125054.html

[Big John]

I'm totally sold on SS amps for bass now. I've been using a 1972 Coliseum 880 and I'll take it over an SVT any day. Wonderful response and tone.
I started with a Concert bass head but needed more power, but both sound so nice.

With Bass its always a issue of Watts and Weight. SS gives you more watts for a lot less weight than a SVT. Which I rember the head being great sounding but the thing wanted to crush or rip a limb off every time it was placed atop the fridge sized 8x10 bottom. Now if they could give you a cab that sounded as nice as a SVT that weighed 60lbs.

[FuzzBob]

Snagged a Fender Cyber Twin head off Craigslist 9-ish months ago for super cheap. Back a decade ago when these came out, there was no fucking way I was plunking down $1200 in 2002 dollars on a faux tube amp.

On the other hand, when I needed something well over 100 watts to push my baritone guitar through my Marshall cab, the Marshall Super Bass I really wanted was rare and expensive as fuck, and the very awesome Verellen Meat Smoke was way out of my budget, no amp could give me more for $400.

It's loud, it's deep, it's spongy, it can do a convincing Bandmaster or Super Reverb, but it can also do Greg Ginn- type solid state stuff, too. Putting my Strymon TimeLine through the effects loop and hearing those echoes come through loud and clear, now I'm thinking this SS power section thing is kinda nice.

[garthplinko]

Snagged a Fender Cyber Twin head off Craigslist 9-ish months ago for super cheap. Back a decade ago when these came out, there was no fucking way I was plunking down $1200 in 2002 dollars on a faux tube amp.

On the other hand, when I needed something well over 100 watts to push my baritone guitar through my Marshall cab, the Marshall Super Bass I really wanted was rare and expensive as fuck, and the very awesome Verellen Meat Smoke was way out of my budget, no amp could give me more for $400.

It's loud, it's deep, it's spongy, it can do a convincing Bandmaster or Super Reverb, but it can also do Greg Ginn- type solid state stuff, too. Putting my Strymon TimeLine through the effects loop and hearing those echoes come through loud and clear, now I'm thinking this SS power section thing is kinda nice.

If you're happy and getting all the sound you want (or an acceptable level for the price) out of it then that's all that matters.

I heard these demo'd at NAMM in 2001ish and thought they sounded like a shitty early 90's digitech, but that very well could just be the presets they were demoing.

[FuzzBob]

Snagged a Fender Cyber Twin head off Craigslist 9-ish months ago for super cheap. Back a decade ago when these came out, there was no fucking way I was plunking down $1200 in 2002 dollars on a faux tube amp.

On the other hand, when I needed something well over 100 watts to push my baritone guitar through my Marshall cab, the Marshall Super Bass I really wanted was rare and expensive as fuck, and the very awesome Verellen Meat Smoke was way out of my budget, no amp could give me more for $400.

It's loud, it's deep, it's spongy, it can do a convincing Bandmaster or Super Reverb, but it can also do Greg Ginn- type solid state stuff, too. Putting my Strymon TimeLine through the effects loop and hearing those echoes come through loud and clear, now I'm thinking this SS power section thing is kinda nice.

If you're happy and getting all the sound you want (or an acceptable level for the price) out of it then that's all that matters.

I heard these demo'd at NAMM in 2001ish and thought they sounded like a shitty early 90's digitech, but that very well could just be the presets they were demoing.

The DSP is absolutely fucking horrid, but you can bypass it. There are two factory preset banks: Custom Shop, which is the Cheeze Wiz factory, and Your Amp Collection which is straight-up amp sounds.

The actual preamp itself is analog with two 12ax7s, real caps, real resistors, etc. When you change a patch, you actually hear the servo switches reroute the signal. That includes the DSP module, which I only use for a pretty respectable spring reverb (sounds like an impulse response) although I usually just kick in the aforementioned TimeLine for ambience.

So, for my purposes, it's a good workhorse SS amp with a switchable tube pre. It has horrible features that make it sound horrible, but I leave those alone.

[subprime]

How is that strymon? The video/demo/ad they have for it doesn't really do it any favors. Is it worth the 200/250$ it costs above a DL4?

[howiemarx]

Snagged a Fender Cyber Twin head off Craigslist 9-ish months ago for super cheap. Back a decade ago when these came out, there was no fucking way I was plunking down $1200 in 2002 dollars on a faux tube amp. no amp could give me more for $400.

surprise there is one on the local c.list
http://nashville.craigslist.org/msg/2943616139.html

but there is also
Ampeg Portaflex 215 - $400
http://nashville.craigslist.org/msd/2979399488.html

Ampeg B1RE Bass Head - $150
http://nashville.craigslist.org/msg/2977250165.html

AMPEG svt 350 head $250
http://nashville.craigslist.org/msg/2980530556.html

[benadrian]

How is that strymon? The video/demo/ad they have for it doesn't really do it any favors. Is it worth the 200/250$ it costs above a DL4?

I've not really tried the timeline, but really, who CAN'T use a DL4. Everyone here should go out and buy two!

[howiemarx]

How is that strymon? The video/demo/ad they have for it doesn't really do it any favors. Is it worth the 200/250$ it costs above a DL4?

I've not really tried the timeline, but really, who CAN'T use a DL4. Everyone here should go out and buy two!

In anticipation of the 1st breaking?

[deadfate]

Arrived today the Yamaha G100. I've played it for 30 minuter or less but for now all i can say is this: the clean is really exciting, good for every playing style, it's dynamic and extremely articulated. Reverb works well, not for extreme sounds but you can find really balanced tones. I haven't had much time to try out the distortion, only few minutes but i've liked it, loud, and really aggressive. I think you could take off harsh, ripped and raped sounds from it. Maybe today i will post some comments. Conclusion: i'm HAPPY.

[FuzzBob]

How is that strymon? The video/demo/ad they have for it doesn't really do it any favors. Is it worth the 200/250$ it costs above a DL4?

Oh, sweet dusted Jesus that thing sounds fabulous. Apples to apples, it's more an Eventide Time Factor-type unit except richer, warmer and more organic-sounding.

It nails a Memory Man, Boss analog delay, and with some lateral thinking, an RE-501 and a Skreddy Echo. That's probably the worst approach to take, though. The digital modes are really where the action is, because the pedal is oriented toward new sounds. The dual, multi-tap, granular, bitcrush, etc. are capable of a ton of stuff, and like the Skreddy, you can patch in a stompbox into the delay loop-- POGs are popular for that. All the delays are true stereo, too.

I also own an M9, so I can tell you that the DL4 has that cool Binson EchoRec setting. It's also easier to dial in a nice Memory Man wash in a matter of seconds. Mainly, the TimeLine just has one solid-state tape echo sound while the DL4 also has easily overdriveable tube Echoplex and RE-201 sounds. There's plenty of self-oscillating dirt available in the TimeLine, just not classic emulations.

[subprime]

In the video they did mostly the blues lawyer way too subtle delays. I like really abrasive digital delays that keep all the highend at like 50 ms so it starts to sound especially fucked up.

[FuzzBob]

In the video they did mostly the blues lawyer way too subtle delays. I like really abrasive digital delays that keep all the highend at like 50 ms so it starts to sound especially fucked up.

Timeline would be a better fit, then.

Lo-fi set at 16/44 like an '80s delay, hi-passed into brittleness and pushed into self-oscillation can get you there. Lots of crap-tone settings too, like AM radios, Gorilla amps, apartment intercoms, phones, etc. Lo-fi is actually what sold me on it.

[subprime]

rustybox/better bass/guitar takes priority over delays cause i can just steal my guitarists.

[andyman]

I love my TS-50 (non-B), and my plan now is to run the line out into a Traynor 100W power amp (with clipping indicator, praise be) into a 2nd cab. It takes pedals well as long as you leave some headroom in the preamp. I love it, and I'm a big fan of pedals.

How'd this work out? I'm getting a TS-50 and need an amp solution, but separate PAs look expensive and those Traynors don't exist in Europe. Is my best bet to just find an Ampeg combo that has an ext. preamp in?