| Author | Message | ||
| funkyjazzjunky
Senior Member Username: funkyjazzjunky Post Number: 912 Registered: 5-2007 |
From Bass Player http://www.bassplayer.com/gear/1164/a-brief-history-of-bass-amplification/47868 VMG | ||
| bigredbass
Senior Member Username: bigredbass Post Number: 2234 Registered: 9-2002 |
There was not a lot going on in the late 70's / early 80's. Ampeg was not in business, Acoustic was gone, big Fender rigs didn't exist. I saw a lot of Sunn, and lots of Peavey Bass/ 215 setups were the first club rigs for more than a few guys. Peaveys never had much tone, but gosh, you could throw them out a third floor window and they'd fire right up later. . . . a lesson lost on David Nordschow, believe me. And big rigs had hit a brick wall of sorts. No one made anything bigger than SVT's or 360's for a long time. So a lot of guys went component. You'd see the occasional F2B, the IVP's, the PB-1 Yamahas driving Crowns or Yamahas or CS800's, surely the Ford pickup of power amps. We sold a lot of those black JBL combo cabinets ( I can't remember the name . . . .) with rigs like that. Guys were shocked that these rigs were at least as loud as big bass rigs, but they were so much cleaner. In those days, you spent a lot of time fighting a 50w guitar amp to hear yourself: Those old folded horn 18's would blow right past you, roast the rest of the band, and knock half-empty bottles off the back of the bar. Front loaded is better . . . .somewhere in me, I still want an SVT with BOTH 810 cabinets, just like God and Dan Armstrong intended. G/K and SWR were revelations, but for me what really blew it open was Trace-Eliott. Yet so many of them are gone, re-branded, or a shadow of their former selves as once-happening companies. As Hartley Peavey points out, the owners change, but these brand names just keep going on and on. And times and tastes change: When the Mesa 400's first came out, I remember more than a few guys saying, 'why would I want something with all those tubes?' And you have to remember: There was a certain train of thought that synths would replace bass in bands. I've read interviews with Doug Wimbish and Nathan East where they felt really had to step up to compete with keyboard players' left hands: This also drove 5- and 6-string bass development. Guys starting out today are so very fortunate alongside of what we had to pick from back in the day. I'd have killed for a Squier and a cigar-box-sized 600w amp that weights 5 pounds ! J o e y | ||
| murray
Intermediate Member Username: murray Post Number: 166 Registered: 7-2007 |
Great article - well spotted. Glynn | ||
| funkyjazzjunky
Senior Member Username: funkyjazzjunky Post Number: 913 Registered: 5-2007 |
My back still hurts from 18" folded horn enclosures and 8x10 cabinets VMG | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 2245 Registered: 11-2004 |
Ahh Trace Elliot.. a product of 80's Thatcher's Britain, alongside Escort XR3i's, shell suits, shoulder pads, big hair and consumerism. I remember TE well, proper bass gear to which Mark King of Level 42 along with JD basses helped to sell shedloads of these amps. Input & output gain, good ranged EQ system with pre shapes as well and put the UV tube on them and the front panel glows in the dark..how cool! The founders started Ashdown Engineering which are not too bad at all, they have gone back to the retro look with large control knobs, VU meter and logos | ||
| murray
Intermediate Member Username: murray Post Number: 167 Registered: 7-2007 |
Indeed - the heady and heavy days of Trace Elliot. I had loads of them over many years and never sorted out the graphic EQ system - too many knobs for me (a bit like Margaret Thatcher's government). Yes- the UV was quality. I wouldn't go back to the weighty rigs - see my two attachments....then and now (2 x Bergantinos and a Genz). | ||
| murray
Intermediate Member Username: murray Post Number: 168 Registered: 7-2007 |
See I can't even manage attachments let alone a 12 band graphic. | ||
| adriaan
Moderator Username: adriaan Post Number: 3134 Registered: 6-2002 |
First time I ever played an Alembic was through a TE stack. It was an SC with iirc Spoiler guts, and the signature inlay on the peghead. The short scale was breeze to play - but as always with TE I couldn't get a sound I really liked. But boy did that SC play nice ... | ||
| 811952
Senior Member Username: 811952 Post Number: 2362 Registered: 10-2003 |
Alembic F2B into an Ashley crossover, a pair of DC300's and a pair of Bag End 15's and 12's was THE hot setup for a long time around these parts. Now for the first time ever I'm looking at getting a regular old CAR because I don't need to haul all that gear to sound good. My, how times have changed.  John | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 2246 Registered: 11-2004 |
murray--yeah the GP12 band was a bit of a nightmare to sort out, I preferred the GP6 which was much easier to shape the tone. I still have a BXL80 TE combo, it is the one with the felt covering and slot on the front with the speaker set at the back. Weird design but works well | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 3596 Registered: 5-2009 |
Over the years I have picked up 2 Trace Elliot preamps . Although I prefer my Alembic and GK preamps for my sounds I keep my Trace Elliot GP 7SM and a nice GP12XV as nice adjustable DI units for recording other folks and the such looking for a different sound then my personal preferences. I find that these pre- Gibson era" made in the UK "units have excellent build quality and versatile connect- ability . I think they sound OK . http://www.ozbassforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=8170 (Message edited by sonicus on August 28, 2014) | ||
| terryc
Senior Member Username: terryc Post Number: 2247 Registered: 11-2004 |
Yeah they were all hand built in Essex, for the first time bass players were actually been heard in to 80's..Heady days to which I miss! | ||
| tncaveman
Advanced Member Username: tncaveman Post Number: 237 Registered: 2-2011 |
wow - he really skimmed over GK I have a 1973 GK GMT 300B amp that was a perfect match for a SVT cabinet that I briefly owned. Best tone ever. My son still uses the amp, and it is killer through a GK 4-10 and 1-15 cab combo. Only thing, it needs some new caps. He regularly rotates it - else it gets "hissy". It on the left side right now. Stephen | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 3598 Registered: 5-2009 |
I have a few GK pieces . I have both the early 800RB &400RB . I have the 200MB & MB150E combo amps and also two MB15OS micro bass heads. I also have a 2001RBP rackmmount preamp .I like GK. Next to my Alembic rack gear I also like my GK gear for my sounds . | ||
| pauldo
Senior Member Username: pauldo Post Number: 1251 Registered: 6-2006 |
A few Wolf? That sounds like a plenty! :-D I have the 800RB also, solid and reliable - although it is part of my 'big rig' (bi-amped into Hartke 2x10 and a Mesa 1 x 15) and doesn't get used much these days. These days the Carvin MB15 covers the venues I play at . . . :-\ | ||
| jcdlc72
Advanced Member Username: jcdlc72 Post Number: 376 Registered: 11-2009 |
Me, still loving to death my MB200, for some couch playing and the smallest gigs, eventually pairing it with a custom 1x10ĻEden loaded cab for extra punch. A friend of mine has offered me the original GK extension 12" cab (which looks pretty much the same as the MB200īs enclosure, and has some sort of slot to put the MB -or any other GK amp of the line, such as the ML250 for guitar, which I also own and am pretty much fond of too- above and "make" it a bigger amp. Canīt wait to pick it up and give it a try at some gig | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 3599 Registered: 5-2009 |
I agree , the amount of sound from those MB200/ MB150E combo's is impressive. The icing on the cake with those is the versatility with interconnect ability . The DI and all the other "hook ups" are all first class . I recently replaced the speakers in both the MB200 and the newer MB150E. The speaker replacement procedure in the newer MB150E was a simple front loaded procedure ,___HOWEVER the required procedure for the older MB200 was far more involved and required partial dismantling of the metal enclosure and if you do that you have to reseal it with silicon caulk for reassembly or it will rattle and vibrate to much . The reason for speaker replacement was because over time the foam surounds had deteriorated. It is important with these combos to use GK's proprietary parts , just any 12" speaker in this application might sound unfavorable. |
