Devin
Well-known member
Does he sell these at any local dealers? I'd love to check one out but idk if I wanna visit the dude at his house unless I was 100% buying one haha
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
As promised, my follow up post on the bass amp.
You can catch the detailed specs on the website it's the one labeled BA series. The basics are it's a 2 channel amp (clean & dirty), 100 watts, all tube bass amp. It can use 6L6, EL34 or 6550 power tubes. 3 band EQ and a couple of different switches to play with. It also has a presence knob which is something you don't see on a bass amp often.
I didn't know he had a bass amp, otherwise I would have brought one of my basses to play. I used one of Nick's J basses. Cab was an Ampeg 410 on top and a 115 (I think) on the bottom. I didn't spend a whole lot of time twisting knobs and such, but at least enough to get a full sense of it.
Clean Channel:
First note I played was Damn! this sounds good! It had what you'd think of a the core SVT tone, but there was something extra sprinkled on to that gave it more of a unique flavor. Nick said the bassist he was building one for described it as Ampeg with some Hiwatt seasoning. When he said that I was like that's the perfect description. That little extra to the tone had hints of like a DR201 or Reeves 225. The clean channel has a bright switch. I can see where this could be used for a slap bass tone. For me it wasn't necessary; I can't slap worth a damn. You can get some grit out of if you crank the gain, but for the most part it's what you'd expect from a clean channel.
Dirty Channel:
I like to play bass with at least a hint of grit so I lit up when clicking over to this channel. You can go from just a hint to full gritty overdrive. Even without having to crank it to power tube saturation it had a thick meaty overdrive sound. Nick mentioned that he had a Marshall Super Bass in mind for this side. To my ear it was there, but with more of a bass centric sound rather than the bass version of a guitar amp. Here's where things really get fun. The dirty channel has a hotrod & mid boost switch. Hotrod takes it from overdrive into full out distortion. Mid boost puts it more into that Marshall mid-forward sound. A perfect combo to crank out some Ace of Spades. Even with all that saturation, the low end didn't get all flubby with fart distortion.
One thing of note on the amp as a whole. This thing is loud. Nick pushed the master up to about 4/10 on the dial and the walls were shaking pretty good. I play pretty loud to begin with and wouldn't have wanted to push it much louder for the room we were in.
I'm thinking some of you may already be thinking it sounds like it would make for a great bass amp. But Nick did something to make it even better. There's a high pass filter on it that makes it guitar friendly. So not only is it a great sounding bass amp, but it can double as a guitar amp. I didn't play a guitar though it. We only clicked the HPF on while I was noodling on bass and still using the bass cabs. So this is an assumption based on that. I do think it would make for a fine sounding, working guitar amp playing through an actual guitar cab. I surmise it would probably sit somewhere between the tone of a Super Bass & Super Lead.
For me and my style, this is pretty much the perfect bass amp. I would have placed an order for one, but 2 things stopped me.
1. I hadn't budgeted for buying 2 amps at once.
2. When you thought it couldn't get better than what I already described, Nick said he'll be starting work on a full 300 Watt version..... HOLY SHIT!!!! I want to hold out for that one.
Right now he's working with a local shop to do a steel chassis instead of his normal aluminum ones. He said he wanted to make sure it would be more than sturdy enough to support heavy transformers on top. He's also working with Heyboer on the PT and OT. It will have the same channels and switches and such as the 100 watt one.
You can catch the detailed specs on the website it's the one labeled BA series. The basics are it's a 2 channel amp (clean & dirty), 100 watts, all tube bass amp. It can use 6L6, EL34 or 6550 power tubes. 3 band EQ and a couple of different switches to play with. It also has a presence knob which is something you don't see on a bass amp often.
I didn't know he had a bass amp, otherwise I would have brought one of my basses to play. I used one of Nick's J basses. Cab was an Ampeg 410 on top and a 115 (I think) on the bottom. I didn't spend a whole lot of time twisting knobs and such, but at least enough to get a full sense of it.
Clean Channel:
First note I played was Damn! this sounds good! It had what you'd think of a the core SVT tone, but there was something extra sprinkled on to that gave it more of a unique flavor. Nick said the bassist he was building one for described it as Ampeg with some Hiwatt seasoning. When he said that I was like that's the perfect description. That little extra to the tone had hints of like a DR201 or Reeves 225. The clean channel has a bright switch. I can see where this could be used for a slap bass tone. For me it wasn't necessary; I can't slap worth a damn. You can get some grit out of if you crank the gain, but for the most part it's what you'd expect from a clean channel.
Dirty Channel:
I like to play bass with at least a hint of grit so I lit up when clicking over to this channel. You can go from just a hint to full gritty overdrive. Even without having to crank it to power tube saturation it had a thick meaty overdrive sound. Nick mentioned that he had a Marshall Super Bass in mind for this side. To my ear it was there, but with more of a bass centric sound rather than the bass version of a guitar amp. Here's where things really get fun. The dirty channel has a hotrod & mid boost switch. Hotrod takes it from overdrive into full out distortion. Mid boost puts it more into that Marshall mid-forward sound. A perfect combo to crank out some Ace of Spades. Even with all that saturation, the low end didn't get all flubby with fart distortion.
One thing of note on the amp as a whole. This thing is loud. Nick pushed the master up to about 4/10 on the dial and the walls were shaking pretty good. I play pretty loud to begin with and wouldn't have wanted to push it much louder for the room we were in.
I'm thinking some of you may already be thinking it sounds like it would make for a great bass amp. But Nick did something to make it even better. There's a high pass filter on it that makes it guitar friendly. So not only is it a great sounding bass amp, but it can double as a guitar amp. I didn't play a guitar though it. We only clicked the HPF on while I was noodling on bass and still using the bass cabs. So this is an assumption based on that. I do think it would make for a fine sounding, working guitar amp playing through an actual guitar cab. I surmise it would probably sit somewhere between the tone of a Super Bass & Super Lead.
For me and my style, this is pretty much the perfect bass amp. I would have placed an order for one, but 2 things stopped me.
1. I hadn't budgeted for buying 2 amps at once.
2. When you thought it couldn't get better than what I already described, Nick said he'll be starting work on a full 300 Watt version..... HOLY SHIT!!!! I want to hold out for that one.
Right now he's working with a local shop to do a steel chassis instead of his normal aluminum ones. He said he wanted to make sure it would be more than sturdy enough to support heavy transformers on top. He's also working with Heyboer on the PT and OT. It will have the same channels and switches and such as the 100 watt one.
Hopefully I didn't do you dirty and make you wait too long.
BeZo
Well-known member
Yeah. You even answered my question. It has been my experience that higher wattage is always better for bass, since it takes more power to produce bass frequencies. My interest is piqued if he does a 300 watt version.As promised, my follow up post on the bass amp.
You can catch the detailed specs on the website it's the one labeled BA series. The basics are it's a 2 channel amp (clean & dirty), 100 watts, all tube bass amp. It can use 6L6, EL34 or 6550 power tubes. 3 band EQ and a couple of different switches to play with. It also has a presence knob which is something you don't see on a bass amp often.
I didn't know he had a bass amp, otherwise I would have brought one of my basses to play. I used one of Nick's J basses. Cab was an Ampeg 410 on top and a 115 (I think) on the bottom. I didn't spend a whole lot of time twisting knobs and such, but at least enough to get a full sense of it.
Clean Channel:
First note I played was Damn! this sounds good! It had what you'd think of a the core SVT tone, but there was something extra sprinkled on to that gave it more of a unique flavor. Nick said the bassist he was building one for described it as Ampeg with some Hiwatt seasoning. When he said that I was like that's the perfect description. That little extra to the tone had hints of like a DR201 or Reeves 225. The clean channel has a bright switch. I can see where this could be used for a slap bass tone. For me it wasn't necessary; I can't slap worth a damn. You can get some grit out of if you crank the gain, but for the most part it's what you'd expect from a clean channel.
Dirty Channel:
I like to play bass with at least a hint of grit so I lit up when clicking over to this channel. You can go from just a hint to full gritty overdrive. Even without having to crank it to power tube saturation it had a thick meaty overdrive sound. Nick mentioned that he had a Marshall Super Bass in mind for this side. To my ear it was there, but with more of a bass centric sound rather than the bass version of a guitar amp. Here's where things really get fun. The dirty channel has a hotrod & mid boost switch. Hotrod takes it from overdrive into full out distortion. Mid boost puts it more into that Marshall mid-forward sound. A perfect combo to crank out some Ace of Spades. Even with all that saturation, the low end didn't get all flubby with fart distortion.
One thing of note on the amp as a whole. This thing is loud. Nick pushed the master up to about 4/10 on the dial and the walls were shaking pretty good. I play pretty loud to begin with and wouldn't have wanted to push it much louder for the room we were in.
I'm thinking some of you may already be thinking it sounds like it would make for a great bass amp. But Nick did something to make it even better. There's a high pass filter on it that makes it guitar friendly. So not only is it a great sounding bass amp, but it can double as a guitar amp. I didn't play a guitar though it. We only clicked the HPF on while I was noodling on bass and still using the bass cabs. So this is an assumption based on that. I do think it would make for a fine sounding, working guitar amp playing through an actual guitar cab. I surmise it would probably sit somewhere between the tone of a Super Bass & Super Lead.
For me and my style, this is pretty much the perfect bass amp. I would have placed an order for one, but 2 things stopped me.
1. I hadn't budgeted for buying 2 amps at once.
2. When you thought it couldn't get better than what I already described, Nick said he'll be starting work on a full 300 Watt version..... HOLY SHIT!!!! I want to hold out for that one.
Right now he's working with a local shop to do a steel chassis instead of his normal aluminum ones. He said he wanted to make sure it would be more than sturdy enough to support heavy transformers on top. He's also working with Heyboer on the PT and OT. It will have the same channels and switches and such as the 100 watt one.
Hopefully I didn't do you dirty and make you wait too long.
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
As far as I'm aware he does not and everything is sold direct.
He's set up where his work area and studio are separate buildings from his house. So it's not like you're walking through the kitchen to the shop. If you're serious about checking one out I'm sure Nick wouldn't mind you stopping by. I emailed him about coming over and we set up a day and time that worked best for both of us.
He put zero pressure on me to commit to anything. All he asked was what I was thinking about doing. I told him what I liked about the Patriot and Loyalist, but was still stuck on deciding which one I'd go for. He didn't have any problems with me taking whatever time I needed to decide or if I ultimately chose not to get anything.
My indecisiveness between the 2 amps is what sparked me to ask about putting a Patriot hi gain channel into the Loyalist instead of having Ch 3 & 4 be duplicate channels. Once he understood what I was asking he was like "Yeah I can do that" and pulled the schematics to see what components he'd need to change.
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
Nick said once he works things out with vendors he would probably order enough to build 5 300 watt ones to start off.
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
Nick messaged me about a week ago that he was starting on the parts he could work on while he waited for chassis to be delivered. Over the weekend he emailed me that chassis arrived and my build was fully under way.
I took some time Saturday to move things around and make space for the Loyalist on my amp shelving. I'm looking forward to it being completed.
I took some time Saturday to move things around and make space for the Loyalist on my amp shelving. I'm looking forward to it being completed.
mooncobra
Well-known member
Uhhh….You mean the guy that single handedly claimed vacuum tubes all sound the same and it’s in our heads? I commend the guy for having such a following but you know as much as I do the dude really stretches it
I wish my hearing was bad enough to actually believe that. I’d save a ton on tubes buying low rate garbage glass
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
@BeZo
Nick just let me know he officially launched the 300 watt bass amp today. He said it sounds like the 100 watt but more full bodied and loud as hell. When testing he was in his sound proofed studio, didn't go past 4 on the MV and his wife told him in the house it sounded like someone was in the back yard playing.
Ill definitely be getting one, just have to save up some extra money.
I don't think I ever mentioned, I brought one of my basses when I went pick up my Loyalist to put the BA-100 through it's paces. Pretty much everything I said in the previous post still holds up. The one difference is my bass had higher output double J pickups so it pushed the front end a little harder. One thing to add, getting a better impression of the dirty channel made me think Super Bass combined with SVT. Assuming the BA-300 sounds like the 100 but more like Nick said, it should be a real beast.
2 channel (clean & dirty)
300 watts, 6 - 6550 or KT88 tubes
2, 4, & 8 Ohms
Impressively weight is just over 65 lbs. I'm really surprised at that. I figured it would have pushed past 70 lbs when he showed me the transformers the last time I was at his place.
Rest of the details are on his site.
https://www.sonictoneamps.com/amplifiers/ba-series/ba-300
It's not on his site, but Nick sent me this pic yesterday. Look at that beefy iron!
Nick just let me know he officially launched the 300 watt bass amp today. He said it sounds like the 100 watt but more full bodied and loud as hell. When testing he was in his sound proofed studio, didn't go past 4 on the MV and his wife told him in the house it sounded like someone was in the back yard playing.
Ill definitely be getting one, just have to save up some extra money.
I don't think I ever mentioned, I brought one of my basses when I went pick up my Loyalist to put the BA-100 through it's paces. Pretty much everything I said in the previous post still holds up. The one difference is my bass had higher output double J pickups so it pushed the front end a little harder. One thing to add, getting a better impression of the dirty channel made me think Super Bass combined with SVT. Assuming the BA-300 sounds like the 100 but more like Nick said, it should be a real beast.
2 channel (clean & dirty)
300 watts, 6 - 6550 or KT88 tubes
2, 4, & 8 Ohms
Impressively weight is just over 65 lbs. I'm really surprised at that. I figured it would have pushed past 70 lbs when he showed me the transformers the last time I was at his place.
Rest of the details are on his site.
https://www.sonictoneamps.com/amplifiers/ba-series/ba-300
It's not on his site, but Nick sent me this pic yesterday. Look at that beefy iron!
BeZo
Well-known member
Iiiiiiinteresting.
Floyd Eye
Well-known member
Dammit.
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
LOL
PDC
Well-known member
THIS is why I love this forum. I had never heard of SonicTone amps before stumbling across this thread. I then spent a good deal of time on their website. The demos are absolutely solid and every one of his amps sound great. And 'The Mad Hatter' really ought to be writing reviews for one of the Gear magazines / sites. Great in-depth description that's easy to read and practically puts you in the room with the amp. Great stuff here.
MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
Yeah, RT hasn't been overly friendly to my wallet LOL. I found out about Ground Zero, Monomyth, and Headfirst through here. Ended up with something from all three.
Thanks for the compliment about my descriptions. I don't have a good setup to record demos that would do justice and do my best with words to convey what I hear.