are tube amps as important in bass?

[mark7171]

i can definity tell the diference between tube vs SS guitar amps. is this as important with a bass amp? would the hertz / tone be low enough to shadow the blockiness of the SS power amp. i use a GK MBE150 1x12 it is SS. sounds incredible compared to larger SS bass amps. large ones , when real loud , lacks the tube solidity.

 

what do you guys think? is it as important as with guitar?

[Thumper]

Yes, they are, if you like tube tone.

[collinwho]

Depends on if you want the tone of a tube amp.

[Jazz Ad]

Tube tone is dramatic when distortion is involved, not so much on clean tones we use most of the time with bass. On top of this, clean tube power is extremelly expensive.

So no, it's not even half as important as on guitar.

[Kindness]

Depends who you ask. I think it is identically important. Just as the Roland Jazz Chorus is a fantastic clean guitar amp, there are fantastic clean solid state bass amps. Similarly, if you are looking for tube amp breakup, your best bet is a tube amp. I use both and love both.

[jannda]

For Bass I use SS for guitar I wouldn't use anything but tube if given an option.

[Incubitabus]

For Bass I use SS for guitar I wouldn't use anything but tube if given an option.

 

I think it is more important with guitar, but then again, I use a bass amp that has both Tube and SS, and I almost always run them blended.

[NeonVomit]

Tube amps are vital for good distortion. SS distortion is downright nasty.

 

Many bassists like a bit of grit in their tone, but more emphasis is on clean power.

 

So SS amps are quite fine.

[Apendecto]

Can't hurt.

 

Yo.

[seraphim7s]

If you want a distorted, gritty tone, then yes, tubes are not only important, they're essential.

 

If, however, you want a more DI type 'modern' tone without breakup, then an SS amp can sound fantastic. Loads of rock bands have clean, punchy bass tones with little breakup, whereas there are very few rock bands where the guitarists have a clean tone. A good compromise is getting a decent SS amp with plenty of headroom, and then getting a good overdrive/distortion pedal.

 

Let me say, tho, that since power tubes don't affect tone too much, there are many hybrid amps out there that get the job done. My Ashdown is f'ing outrageous when pushed - very dirty. And the EQ is active, so tweaking the EQ massively affects the quality of the distortion, something you don't really get with the (usually limited) controls of a pedal, unless you stick a further (bass) EQ pedal before the overdrive pedal.

[fretless]

take SVT's and B-15's , tube pre's , Demeter , Manley , you name it off those classic recordings and I for one will care , but it may be just me .

[Super Bass]

For bass, I don't think that one type has a greater importance over the other. Each has their own merits.

 

I prefer hybrid amps for bass tbh.

[Craig Vecchione]

It matters to me. Therefore, it matters.

[burdizzos]

I'd like to set up a double blind test with some tube amps and modelers to see if people could actually hear the difference and find out which they actually prefer.

[bnyswonger]

A bass is a guitar tuned lower. It's just as important to me as far my tone preference to use a tube amp as it is to a guitarist.

[T. Alan Smith]

Is red more important than green?

 

Tube, SS, hybrid...they're all just different colors. I'm more interested in a better(re. quality) design than whether or not it has tubes.

[NeonVomit]

Ultimately, if it sounds good to your ears, that's what matters.

[dogman]

I think Kindness nailed it, it depends on the tone you are going for. I am using a multiamp setup, blending both a hybrid(rackmount Ampeg) doing the clean side, and an SVT head and Traynor tube amp for the girth and gritty side, works for me.For overdrive, I definitely prefer the tube amps,you just have to decide if you want to lug around the extra weight that those usually have.

[Bluescout]

I like my E string to give a good solid kick in the gut. It seems to me that tube amps have the very bottom end a little better. Or it could just be that my tube amp is a CL400...

[RSBro]

Since going all SS w/ my Aggy, even some hybrids seem a little "slow".

 

I like what I've got... for now.

[bassman1956]

I LIKE tubes!

 

But, they're not all or the only of what I like in amps.

 

As an artists (painter), I find I cannot limit myself to genre, mood, style, medium, or color. To limit myself to a bass-amp-style-genre setup is like saying "Okay, you can only paint clowns, using ultramarine blue, in oils on canvas, in a neomodern impressionists method." Foik you and your clowns, 'cuz that's too limiting for me.

[The Real MC]

Tubes are essential in my bass sound. When I crank the overdrive on my Ampeg SVP-Pro, it really makes the bass sit in the mix very well.

[Jugghaid]

 

Tube amps are vital for good distortion. SS distortion is downright nasty. Many bassists like a bit of grit in their tone, but more emphasis is on clean power. So SS amps are quite fine.

 

 

I beg to differ. I think this is a misconception. I have played and owned several SS guitar amps that I like much better than many tube guitar amps.

 

The ampeg VH-140C is a pefect example of this. So is the Randall RG-100-ES I have in my studio. Same amp Dimebag used on Cowboys from Hell.

 

There are plenty of great sounding SS amps out there.

 

Having said that there are more great sounding tube amps that specialize in heavy distortion than SS amps. But there are quite a few of both.

[pickinatit]

I have a hybrid that I play thru most of the time (Sunn 1200S). I have a tube amp (Sunn 2000S) and I have a S.S. amp (Sunn Concert Bass). There are things I like and don't like about each of them. The 1200S yields both tone and power cleanly at pretty loud volumes. I think if I was recording, so tone was king over volume, I would use the 2000S tube amp. The Concert Bass is sort of in between power wise and is a bit trebly/bright, but every time I use it I end up wondering why I don't play thru it more then I do.

 

In the end, I think a hybrid amp gives you more of "the best of both worlds".

But today's modern S.S. for bass is some pretty good stuff. I don't think this question is as important today as it used to be, and I don't think it is as important for bass as it is for guitar.

[BoundandBlocked]

Since going all SS w/ my Aggy, even some hybrids seem a little "slow". I like what I've got... for now.

 

Check your PM.