Bass Forum

[44caliberKid]

My band is a real grungey 3 piece, for our bass tone we use a sansamp bass DI with the drive cranked all the way up into a Swr working man 400 head(solid state)into a 1x15 cab. It's an acquired taste. Balls to wall bass overdrive- the sansamp seems to be the only pedal I've used that will preserve the low end even extremely driven. In the event we came across the money, is there a tube amp for bass that will give me this tone or something close? Or do u just have to use a pedal when it comes to dirty bass?

[Mr.Grumpy]

Well this is an ironic question...usually people are looking for a pedal that sounds like a tube amp. 

The SansAmp bass DI is supposedly based on/voiced like an Ampeg SVT. It is supposed to simulate the tone of the SVT amp, cab, and mic. Having said that, a fully-cranked SVT would be punishingly loud, and would shorten the life of the expensive power tubes too. If you're happy with the distortion tone of the SansAmp, just use that. Why a tube amp? 

Tech21, the company that makes the SansAmp, also makes the RPI, basically a rackmount version of the sansamp, that could easily be paired with PA-type power amplifier to make a bass rig, or Tech21 also sells a powered, 2-channel head version that's based on the SansAmp preamp. 

http://tech21nyc.com/products/amps/bass/vt1969.html 

Another alternative to look into is buying a 70's vintage Silverface Fender Bassman head, there are 50 and 100 watt versions, and they are not too hard to find nor too expensive for a vintage amp, maybe about $600 or so, but I don't know how the distorted sound is on those. 

[RoadRanger]

The Bugera 1960 Infinium I sometimes play bass through can get pretty dammed fuzzy if you play through the series connected input channels (AKA Randy Rhodes mod) which is a feature of this amp. At only 100w or so and because it's designed to run distorted there's no concern with running it that way. It also has a master on the back but like all master equipped amps output tube distortion sounds different than preamp distortion. I paid only $340 shipped for mine as "open box"  .

[ThudMaker]

Using a tube amp in a high volume setting and having a consistent distorted tone like a sansamp will be difficult. It's called headroom. This is why most bassist prefer solid-state or hybrid amps. Stick with what you have, if you like the tone.

[lz4005]

Another good thing about using the Sansamp is that you can blend direct signal with the distortion to preserve low end.

[bassandgolf]

Mesa Bass 400 +

[oldivor]

Thrustin?

[44caliberKid]

Thanks everyone for your insight. Yeah, the more research I've done into it, it seems you just gotta use solid state to get that kinda tone or at least an OD pedal. Nate newton of converge actually uses two oranges the bass amp for his low end and the thunderverb-which is actually a guitar amp- for his crazy buzz saw driven part of his tone. My band isn't anything like converge but I love his tone. I guess as a guitarist I just know that solid state doesn't hold a candle to anything tube so I figured it must be the same for bass but,it seems to be kinda that way but kinda not. So I guess we'll stick to what we got. If it ain't broke don't fix it, right?

[isaac42]

I think you're missing the point. To get that kind of sound, whether on guitar, bass, organ, whatever, you need to really crank up the gain. Do that with a regular amp, and the result is a really high volume. You also lose any of the nuance you might have been getting from the tubes. Square waves are square waves. Doesn't matter much how they're generated. So, if you want that kind of sound and have to have some control over the level coming out of the speakers, you're going to have to do it with a pedal or some other sort of device ahead of the amp's preamp.

I also don't understand what you're hoping for. What I'm getting is, "I really love this particular sound. How can I get the same thing with a much more expensive piece of gear?"

[chunky-b]

But do you play a 4 string or 5 string?  For outlaw overdrive it has to be a 5 string... 

[Lee Knight]

Try to find an old Kustom 200 and matching 2-15 cab. Yes, it's solid state, but the tone you're talking about can be had with one of these. It's a GREAT vintage ballsy tone. The original speakers, I think CTS, are the perfect match for the cool breakup that amp brings.

Of course the issue, as alluded to above, is that that breakup is dependent on your volume. And every gig requires different volume. Still... I love using a pedal to push it at lower volumes, and cranked? Well, it's awesome. It's fat, in your face, and makes a statement!

The old Ampeg 100 watt head is also a contender. There's something about having a lower watt rig that can really bring the vibe, girth and mojo. I get it though that it's not for every one.

[Lee Knight]

BTW, a Fulltone OCD can be an awesome grit and girth pedal for bass.

[44caliberKid]

Lol! Your right, that precisely what I'm asking. It's like this....first off I asked this out of pure curiosity, it seems to me as a guitar player, most amps tube or SS, you get a clean channel and a dirty channel but I rarely see that in bass amps, and I was just curious if there are, what kind. Funny the OCD was mentioned, its my overdrive pedal into a peavey valve king 1 x12 that I put a Celestion v30 in and I've actually read that Nick thieneman of Young Widows uses a modified OCD for his bass tone, or maybe it was a modded rat, in any case he's using a pedal for his crazy buzz saw bass drive.

[lz4005]

There are a few two channel bass heads, but it is pretty uncommon. A buddy of mine has an 800W Aguilar head with a drive channel, but it doesn't get super distorted.