Recommendations for all tube bass amp; not SVT

[Floyd Eye]

I hear ya on the SVT. I don't consider my current setup as an actual SVT, just a makeshift one that's somewhere in the ballpark. I do want an actual SVT. Just said no to one in this thread because it's already on my list and didn't want a bunch of "get an SVT" suggestions.

If you do don't dick around and end up with a Vietnamese modern CL. If you can't get your hands on a nice old Blue Line or something ( and my guess is you can't and wouldn't want to drop that kind of cash anyway) take your time, look around and find an SVT II non pro. It's as close as a modern-ish SVT gets to the old stuff. I think they were only made from '89-'91. They are very dynamic and get nice and gritty all on their own. Pluck harder and it get nastier. Best fucking bass amp on the planet as far as I'm concerned. Also somewhat hard to find. I had Justin Meldal Johnson buy one out from under me. It took me another year to find another one. Took it straight to Carlos Bedoya for the reliability mods, put some Winged Cs in it and have been thrashing the shit out of it for about 10 years now with nothing but love bro.

 

[Jack Luminous]

I'd have a Bass 400/400+ on the list, but I can't find an accurate source on the actual wattage. Some say it's 200 watts RMS, but Mesa's legacy amp page says it puts out 500 watts. I just don't know which it is.

The Bass 400+ has 12 6L6 so it can only put out 12x25W=300W RMS. Maybe it can put out 500W peak on a good day for 1ms but that's not relevant. It sounds awesome in any case !

 

[Soundstorm]

Okay, I'm just rounding out my wish list, but I do think I need to have at least one true all tube bass amp in the mix. And when I say all tube I mean all tube, not this hybrid bullcrap. I want tube pre and power amp.

I'm not thinking of anything in particular as far as tone goes. Mainly just something more unique sounding. I will say that I'm not one for super clean bass tones. Getting at least a little bit of grit is always good. I say no to SVT's because it's already on my list and I sort of have that tone covered. I run my SVP-CL and SVP-Pro preamps through my BV300 power amp. That's pretty much the SVT tone without having an actual SVT.

I already have some vintage "all purpose" amps; like Sunn Model T, Fender Bassman, Marshall Super Bass, etc., on my wishlist. As my newest hobby I'll end up building clones from kits or premade PCB's myself. Feel free to throw things like that out there, but it may already be on my wishlist and I'm looking more for a dedicated bass amp than an all purpose one.

I do have some functional limitations. As I said all tube. It needs to have a 4 ohm tap because of my bass cabs. 300 watt is the max I can go because of the amp switcher I'd be using. (I'm going to have Delisle build me a custom switcher that can handle up to 300 watts at 4 ohms. I've talked to him already and he said he can do it.) Last thing is I'm not really into anything low watt. Unless it's something super special in tone I'd prefer at least 100 watts.

Another thing to note is I'm open to building a kit amp or something that has good schematics, layouts and BoM readily available. If possible that'd be my first choice, but I've looked and there's not a lot of DIY bass amps out there.

Last thing to put out there is what I already have and a couple amps that are in contention to make my list.

What I have:

• Mesa Titan V12
• BV300 (used as a SVT power amp) with the following preamps: SVP-CL, SVP-Pro, GK 2001RBP, & Eden Navigator.
• Ashen Miley
• Randall RM100 with bass specific modules: Orange AD200B, Sunn 2000S. (3rd slot still open)
• Cabs: GK Neo 412 & Ashdown Rootmaster RM610T EVO II

In Contention:

• Steamboat Steamroller (either 200 or 300 watt version)
• Trace Elliot V4 MK2 (if I ever find one)
• Morris Bass 150 (Can this one do some grit?)
• Fender Bassman 300 Pro
• Traynor YBA 300
• Ashdown CTM 300
• Peavey VB2 or VB3
• Mesa Buster Bass

Last, Last thing. It's Mardi Gras day her in Louisiana. I'm not out at any parades, but have been drinking for a chunk of the day to celebrate. So please forgive any misspellings or crappy grammar.

You say you have a couple of SVT flavored preamps, but have you experienced the raw visceral power of an early 70s 300 watt SVT head? Because if you haven’t, you should scratch everything off your list and try that first. *Nothing* compares. It’s still the gold standard for a reason.

 

[BeZo]

I had the Mesa 400+ and it ripped. I just prefer the Ampeg preamp, so I now have an SVT 2 Pro and a Classic. My old bassist had a Green GT150 and a Orange AD200, and the AD200 wins for bass. The GT150 just didn't have the oomph. I would go with a GT200 if you go Matamp.

The two I always look out for are the Science Mother and the Verellen Meatsmoke. I'm really upset Ben Verellen stopped making amps, because I was saving up for a Meatsmoke. Those things rip. No experience with the Mother, but I've heard good things.

 

[MadAsAHatter]

You say you have a couple of SVT flavored preamps, but have you experienced the raw visceral power of an early 70s 300 watt SVT head? Because if you haven’t, you should scratch everything off your list and try that first. *Nothing* compares. It’s still the gold standard for a reason.

The SVT flavored preamps get me by for that tone, but I do have a vintage SVT on my list. I may or may not get one depending on the going price at the time I'm ready to buy one. Like @Floyd Eye mentioned, a SVT non-pro is right under that if I don't go 70's vintage. They don't come up overly often but the ones I have seen sold for a more affordable price.

The two I always look out for are the Science Mother and the Verellen Meatsmoke. I'm really upset Ben Verellen stopped making amps, because I was saving up for a Meatsmoke. Those things rip. No experience with the Mother, but I've heard good things.

I have a Science Mother on my list, but it's under the "all purpose" category for me since it can do both bass and guitar equally well. On Science's website they show a new model; Totality, as coming soon. From the fuzzy picture it looks to be 2 channels each with it's own set of tone controls. I'm interested to see what that one will be like.

A Verellen Meatsmoke would be awesome to get. They hardly show up for sale and have really shot up in price since Ben stopped making amps.

 

[VonBonfire]

 

[Soundstorm]

The SVT flavored preamps get me by for that tone, but I do have a vintage SVT on my list. I may or may not get one depending on the going price at the time I'm ready to buy one. Like @Floyd Eye mentioned, a SVT non-pro is right under that if I don't go 70's vintage. They don't come up overly often but the ones I have seen sold for a more affordable price.


I have a Science Mother on my list, but it's under the "all purpose" category for me since it can do both bass and guitar equally well. On Science's website they show a new model; Totality, as coming soon. From the fuzzy picture it looks to be 2 channels each with it's own set of tone controls. I'm interested to see what that one will be like.

A Verellen Meatsmoke would be awesome to get. They hardly show up for sale and have really shot up in price since Ben stopped making amps.

I have a '74 black line SVT in Shreveport if you want to test drive it. I'll be back in town in a couple weeks if you're still looking around, lmk.