Ampeg VB4H

[matb]

I was looking into one these. You bass dudes have any suggestions?

[camerashake]

Never heard of the VB4H - do you mean a V4b head?

I am considering trading/selling my V4... Just to much power for what i'm doing now... If I can move it, I think I'll get a V2 in its place...

[matb]

Yeah, the vb4 is the same thing as the vb4h (the site has it listed as vb4h).

[Crash]

I owned a V4BH for all of about a week. Absolutely amazing tone as long as you didn't over do it on the input gain, worked just as well for guitar as it did for bass too. Unfortuneatly it's also really quiet. I had my active bass into the high gain input with the input gain and the settings on my bass maxed, had the volume dimed as well as the eq and I still couldn't keep up with the rest of the band.

That's going to depend on your situation though, I play in a fairly loud band where the bass is pretty up front. If you play quieter music blues, jazz, acoustic, etc. or if you don't really need to be heard too much, just need to fill out the back end then it's a great amp. It all depends on what you need.

I ended up taking mine back to the shop I bought it from and exchanging it for a SVT-AV, doesn't sound quite as good if I plug my guitar in as it tends to get a little on the punchy side but sounds even better for bass, and being a bass amp that's what really matters.

[matb]

Hm, you think chaning the tubes could get it a bit louder?

[Crash]

It's possible that the tubes in it were a little worn down, but really it's not that loud an amp. Sounds great but it truly is the "little" brother to the SVT. If you can mic it or what not then it's not a big deal but that wasn't an option for me, I need to be able to hold my own at full volume un-miced.

[matb]

So if I crank the VB4, will it get too much overdrive?

Maybe I can just run a couple boost pedals in my chain :D

[Crash]

Originally posted by matb
So if I crank the VB4, will it get too much overdrive?

Maybe I can just run a couple boost pedals in my chain :D

I had the volume on it completely cranked and it wasn't loud enough. The only time I managed to get the amp loud enough was to crank both the input gain (not distortion) and the volume, but doing that the tone was so ridiculously buzzy and distorted that it sounded awful, think about 3 metal zones in a row. Really I'd suggest just going and trying one if you can, maybe it's enough volume for you. I will also suggest though that an old 70's SVT goes for around the same price on ebay as a V4B does new from a guitar shop and it sounds absolutely amazing. Only thing there is that the old SVT's (new ones too) are over 80 lbs which makes for a ridiculously expensive shipping bill especially if you're outside the States as that's where most of them are being sold from.

But yeah, basically I'd say try it out if it works for you great, it's an awesome sounding amp, if not try looking for a 70's SVT it'll have plenty of power for you and sound even better.

[matb]

Hey Crash, you seem to know bass amps pretty well, what are some other moderately priced Tube Heads that run for a similar price as a used VB4?

[Crash]

Originally posted by matb
Hey Crash, you seem to know bass amps pretty well, what are some other moderately priced Tube Heads that run for a similar price as a used VB4?

How much are you able to get a used V-4B for? Buying a used amp just wasn't feasible for me as shipping was going to double whatever I paid. If the V-4B isn't going to be enough power for you though you'll probably end up spending some more money if you want to stay all tube, your best bet is probably a used 70's SVT but that's closer to the price of a V-4B new. There are plenty of great SS and hybrid bass amps out there, don't just ignore them because of experience with guitar amps. The difference that tubes make is far less noticeable when it comes to bass amp something like a Bassman 400 is a good sounding head that won't run you too much money. There's always the Bassman 300 which is all tube you might want to check that out but I think if you want all tube with plenty of power and headroom your best bet at the best price will be picking up an old SVT.

[matb]

Well, I mean I would prefer all tube, but Hybrids and solid state are good I guess (as long as they don't suck). I don't know, tubes just seem "cooler".

Anyway, I would try some stuff out but all the places by me carry very little in the bass amp catagory.

[Crash]

Originally posted by matb
Well, I mean I would prefer all tube, but Hybrids and solid state are good I guess (as long as they don't suck). I don't know, tubes just seem "cooler".

Anyway, I would try some stuff out but all the places by me carry very little in the bass amp catagory.

I won't deny that tubes are nice, but I'll also admit that they have some downsides and when it comes to bass their upsides aren't as pronounced as with guitar.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind, first off is that tubes have to be replaced and when you have 2-3 pairs of 6550's or something like that it starts to get a little pricey. Tube amps are heavy all told my rig weighs 200+ lbs, that gets a little hard on the back after a while, they're more fragile too.

Now I'm not saying don't get a tube bass amp, I bought one and defineatly think it was worth it but it's just some stuff to keep in mind. Your best bet for the tone/cost benefit is a 70's SVT, not only are they one of the best sounding bass amps ever made but they go for cheaper than the modern all tube ones do.

Solid state the Bassman 400 sounds good as do the old Sunn bass amps, in fact if I was going to get a solid state head I can almost guarantee it would be a Sunn.

Then there's the new Ampeg's SVT-Pro's most of them are hybrid amps, as are the mesa M-Pulse's although some of that might be getting a little more pricey I'm not sure.

I can keep going with suggestions but it would really help to know exactly what price range you're looking in. I'm not sure exactly what a used V-4B goes for and I might be making suggestions closer to the price of a new one.

[matb]

Thanks man, you are truly helping me out.

How are Sunn amps?

I remember looking into them a while back, but can't remember what conclusion I came to.

[Crash]

Originally posted by matb
Thanks man, you are truly helping me out.

How are Sunn amps?

I remember looking into them a while back, but can't remember what conclusion I came to.

Sunn amps are great, as I said if I had bought a solid state rig I can almost guarantee it would have been a Sunn. They sound good, and they're nice and loud. Defineatly worth taking a look into.

Of course don't take my word too literally, just because I like or dislike something doesn't mean it won't work for you. I've heard amazing sounds coming out of gear I wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole.

[matb]

Yeah, I know not to go totally off of what you say, but I plan on hitting a whole bunch of stores and want as many suggestions as possible with as much input as I can get.

[mayonaise]

well, if it says ampeg... that says it all :D

[Crash]

This is just a list of things to check out but here it goes, this is on the assumption that the V-4B isn't going to be enough power for you.

Solid State:
-Sunn
-Fender (Bassman 400)
-SWR (I didn't like the ones I tried much but I've heard good reviews of the larger heads)

Hybrid:
-Mesa
-Ampeg Pro Series

Tube:
-Ampeg (SVT-2, SVT-CL/AV, 70's SVT)
-Fender (Bassman 300)
-Mesa (Bass 400+)

That's just off the top of my head, I'm sure there's plenty of other great gear out there that I've left off.

[matb]

Thanks for the suggestions Crash.

For Solid State, how's the SVT-350H Classic?

[Crash]

Originally posted by matb
Thanks for the suggestions Crash.

For Solid State, how's the SVT-350H Classic?

I'm not particularily fond of it, and found it to be surprisingly quiet. For the most part I don't like the pure solid state ampegs though. The hybrids are decent although I'd likely take a Mesa over the Ampeg. Where ampeg really shines is in the all tube amps.

My top pick for a solid state amp would be an old Sunn amp, but they can be a bit of a pain to find.

[matb]

Found a Collesium 300 (bad spelling, I know) for $200 US plus shipping. I really want to try it out though. Not that I have the cash right now anyway.

[memadesoky]

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[Talent?!]

You're welcome.

[teleman]

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[memadesoky]

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[teleman]

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[memadesoky]

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[teleman]

Originally posted by memadesoky
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[memadesoky]

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Hionat

[memadesoky]

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[teleman]

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