View Full Version : What was your first bass amp?
fyrwyr
06-08-2007, 09:32 PM
I think the first one I actually OWNED and not borrowed was an Eden Traveler
head with an Eden 4x12 XLT I believe. I worked at Motor City Guitar at the time so I got it at cost; nice little rig all in all. But my fav is my "new" old Pearce BC1 pre into my Symetrix CL-100 Compressor/Limiter into an SWR stereo 800 power amp. 2 channels of very usable tone for very cheap!
michael30
06-09-2007, 05:19 AM
Guild Thunderbass 60W tube amp.
John Phillips
06-09-2007, 06:34 AM
A 1968 Marshall Major.
:)
With two giant Custom Sound 2x15"s with high-efficiency Fane speakers... I've still never had another bass sound like it :(.
soldierscry
06-09-2007, 07:37 AM
mine was a late 60' Traynor bassmaster head with the traynor 2x15 cab. bought both for $200. I have kicked my self for selling it ever day since
Early 80's Roland Cube 60- yeah, pretty brutal. Youth and enthusiasm can make almost anything possible.
Cheers,
Edward
Gries Amps
06-09-2007, 01:00 PM
A 1969 Ampeg B-15. I bought it new after mowing lawns for a year.
Jim S
06-09-2007, 01:49 PM
Eden Metro
lexluther
06-15-2007, 12:28 PM
Silvertone 6 tens GREATTTTTTTTTTTT
glaswerks
06-15-2007, 12:32 PM
Peavey Combo 300....... yuck...............
mainsale
06-15-2007, 12:38 PM
I think it was called a Kingston. It was a combo made in Japan with a 15" speaker, all tubes and an open back. Now that I think about it, it was not a bad amp at all.
Glenn D.
06-15-2007, 12:57 PM
SWR Workingman 15.
Glenn D.
Chops
06-15-2007, 03:07 PM
A Guild Thunderbass head. I originally paired this with a homebrew speaker cabinet that really sucked, but later bought a brand new Ampeg 2x15 cab that was real nice. My Hagstrom bass through the Guild/Ampeg combo was a great sound. How many times I must have played Sunshine of Your Love, Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo, Whole Lotta Love, Crossroads and Smoke on the Water through that rig!
Denyle_Guitars
06-15-2007, 05:21 PM
A B-15S. I still have it.
mcknigs
06-16-2007, 08:24 PM
Univox UB-250 pictured in my post to the "what was your first bass?" thread in the bass guitars forum.
Second bass amp was a Fender Bassman 135 head with matching 4x12 clamshell cab.
-Scott
bigroy
06-17-2007, 04:04 PM
Brand new 1965 Bassman from D and R Music in Plainfield Indiana. My Mom drove me over. Earned the money by washing beer trucks.
alanbass1
06-18-2007, 10:23 AM
I picked up a Dan Armstrong tube amp in '77 which was real nice for bass.
http://www.danarmstrong.org/dan14.html
This fed an HH 2x15 cab. Not huge headroom, but kept up with my first band who had a fairly loud drummer.
westrock
06-25-2007, 08:03 AM
100 Watt Marshall bass amp in 1973 used, wish I still had that one.
The Golden Boy
06-25-2007, 01:17 PM
My first bass amp was a 100w SS Yamaha combo- with the colored knob parametric EQ...
The Golden Boy
06-25-2007, 01:41 PM
I think it was called a Kingston. It was a combo made in Japan with a 15" speaker, all tubes and an open back. Now that I think about it, it was not a bad amp at all.
I think my first real guitar amp was a Kingston. SS head with Tremolo into a 2x12 cab. It was a bad amp.
TedintheShed
06-25-2007, 03:00 PM
A Gorilla Bass Amp- little 8" speaker and I can't remember the model number.
My first "real" Peavey MK III Bass head with a home made 1x15" cabinet that had a Scorpion speaker.
teleclarkster
06-25-2007, 06:38 PM
My first very own amp was a Peavey Combo 300 bought new in 78-79? It did the job, sort of. A year later I got a 73 SVT and played that for several years. The SVT was a great amp. I was young then and didn't mind hauling that thing around.
AlanHendrick
06-28-2007, 06:46 AM
Peavey MarkIII with a scorpion 15...thought it was awesome when I was 16! I don't think I would even look twice at it now, but everyone has to start somewhere.
BarneyFife
06-28-2007, 07:55 AM
Kustom (forget the model) but you know it. It was the padded head and 2x15 padded cab in gold sparkle.
$300 from an ex club owner's garage.
Wish I still had it.
tedzepplin
06-28-2007, 09:49 PM
1982 Peavey Century 100 head and 1 x 15" peavey cab.
Witek
06-29-2007, 08:42 AM
Fender Bassman 200 combo (the new ones), man that thing was roaring with it's 15" speaker. I kinda miss it because it had a great tone, oh well.
Bryan T
06-29-2007, 09:50 AM
SWR Workingman's 12. I've had other larger amps over the years, but I've still got this one. I picked it up used for $125.
Bryan
John H
06-29-2007, 11:30 AM
A Yamaha 115-B. Great amp!
Lance
06-29-2007, 11:49 AM
A Fender BXR 100W 15" combo, that I got for a mere $75.00. Yeah, it's a bit beatup, but for that price, as long as it worked.
devinb
06-30-2007, 01:17 PM
My brother picked up an old Peavey for me from one of his friends that I started with, got a Peavey Basic 60 when I started playing in bands in high school.
The last bass amp I owned was a SVT Classic with matching cabs, but I ended up selling it after a couple years of pretty much only playing guitar, and making a move where space would be an issue. I hung on to it for a while for recording purposes.
Right now I have a Vox AC/30/6TB, but I'm working on a deal for it as I just bought a Carr Hammerhead.
Palmetto Kid
07-07-2007, 03:12 PM
A 69 Fender Bassman with the big 2x12 cab.
fyrwyr
07-07-2007, 04:31 PM
My first bass amp was a 100w SS Yamaha combo- with the colored knob parametric EQ...
LOL, I had the same one!!
Tim Michael
07-09-2007, 11:58 AM
Silvertone Solid State!Woooohooooooo!
savage
02-05-2011, 11:48 PM
Peavey Century 200H purchased in 84' with a Lab L11 Cabinet with 4x12. Used the amp for both guitar and bass.
touji
02-06-2011, 02:31 AM
Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0, got it last August! Have been playing without an amp for almost 5 years :bonk
The Golden Boy
02-06-2011, 06:45 AM
LOL, I had the same one!!
Ha!
As I recall, it wasn't a bad amp, but you don't see too many of them around these days.
http://www.ad-bazaar.com/uploads/amp/17/280155349152-1.jpg
http://www.ad-bazaar.com/uploads/amp/17/280155349152-2.jpg
husky123
02-06-2011, 06:48 AM
Mine was a Peavey TNT 150. Black Widow equipped!
mudster
02-06-2011, 08:13 AM
Kustom solid state head w/ Cab. Actually, I wish I still had it. It was a very reliable and versatile amp with a good tone. I can't recall what was in the cabinet in terms of speaker size.
claudel
02-06-2011, 10:51 AM
B-15.
Year was 1965. Amp was sitting in the store for awhile when I got it.
I sent in the little plexi plate and had my name engraved...
Chris Rice
02-06-2011, 12:01 PM
I started with some of my dad's amps:
'66 Ampeg B-15-N
Peavey MP-4 through a Bag End S15-B with an EVM-15L
The first amp I bought myself was a Peavey Classic 400,
played through my dad's Crate 2x15" folded horn cab.
The Ampeg is mine now, the other amps are long gone.
wolfmancharlie
02-07-2011, 06:16 PM
My fist real bass amp was a 400 watt Univox head with a 2-15 univox cabinet that for that time was an awsome amp. I wish I still had that speaker cabinet to this day. But I love my Ampeg cab with my Yorkville head now.
Spottsworth
02-07-2011, 06:24 PM
Peavey Basic 40 - Flippin' awful. Probably would have made a good anchor
TwoTubMan
02-07-2011, 06:28 PM
http://acoustic.homeunix.net/twiki/pub/Acoustic/WebHome/acoustic_360_361.jpg
Ricman
02-07-2011, 07:36 PM
A '68 Bassman 50 with a 2x15 cab.
RickC
02-07-2011, 10:48 PM
Technically speaking I guess it was a 70's Bassman head, but a couple of years later I bought a "real" bass amp - a Polytone 100w solid state 2x12 combo!
http://www.bazaar-world.com/uploads/amp/34/320134863919-2.jpg
LeftyBass
02-08-2011, 07:53 AM
Univox.
RustyAxe
02-08-2011, 08:10 AM
In the 60's ... a Guild Thunderbass. Separate head and cab, about 75watts if I remember, to two 15" speakers. A light tan color. The head attached to the top of the cab and stood on a pedestal.
Found a picture ... mine was in better shape ...
http://fourinthepocket.home.comcast.net/Pics/GuildThunderbassAmp.jpg
neil99
02-08-2011, 08:28 AM
Peavey Basic 40 - Flippin' awful. Probably would have made a good anchor
Same here, still kicking around 25 or so years later. Served us well at the time.
francric
02-10-2011, 08:17 AM
Gallien-Krueger MB210....................................
Jiffy_Jeff
02-10-2011, 09:47 PM
SWR Workingman 15.
Glenn D.
I bought one of the first ones when these came out. Excellent amp. Still have it today. All original. No blown components
Great amps. Built like a tank. And has endured years and years of abuse. And it still sounds awesome!
The newer ones don't compare in quality.
ModdedMarshall
02-21-2011, 10:42 PM
Here's the comic relief-PODxtLIVE bass pack- still have it.
chillytc
02-22-2011, 02:08 AM
Eden Metro
This.
ivansc
02-22-2011, 01:50 PM
In 1962 I bought a used Pye mono hifi amp - all valve/tube and supposedly 50 watts.
I plugged my 1961 Precision bass into one end and a 22" Jukebox speaker mounted in an open backed 1/2" ply "cabinet" at the other.
I managed to drop it down a flight of stone stairs and cracked the L/S chassis but it still worked - sorta - for another year or so.
Then I bought two 1x18" Goodmans Audiom 90 speakers, mounted in home made reflex cabs that were almost big enough to live in....
How times change.
vistacruiser
02-27-2011, 03:09 AM
I used a Heathkit 25 watt tube amp that was one-half of my dads old stereo set, had to be careful cause there was no chassis cover over the tubes. A simple Herald pre-amp, no tone or volume (cause ya know a bass has V & T knobs on it). An 18" of unknown make, but weighed 40 pounds bare, ho-made cab used a full sheet of particle board (+ 100 pounds) 4 feet tall and 140 lbs., with NO handles. Imagine three teens hauling this "coffin" up and down a circular stairway to jam, we never dropped it but I bet they wanted to kill me and throw me in it!
After about 6 months of that, my first REAL amp was "The definition of bass" ...a '69 Ampeg B-25b. 55 "tube-watts" and 2-15's, still use it.
jefesq
02-27-2011, 06:53 PM
kalamazoo bass 50 2 10s 66 or so
Vox Westminster,solid state junk but the speaker cab wasn't too bad.
Malinoski
03-02-2011, 09:03 PM
70's Sunn Studio,
I think it was about 60 watts, solid state, single 15".
Never enough power.
1979, it caught fire in the middle of a gig,
the grill was burning, flames licking out over the top.
Rushed it out the door and threw it into a snowbank.
I think the song was "Soul Man."
Absolute truth.
sixstringslut
03-02-2011, 11:50 PM
Univox piggyback- about 12.3 watts. Then to Fender Studio Bass combo- 123 lbs.
If I got called today it would be Sansamp.
Man, I loved that $20 Univox.
Earth Super Bass B2000 with a 2x15 Dual Showman Cab, used it with a Gibson Ripper back in the late 70s. Looks exactly like this:
http://earth.ampage.org/earthfiles/Amp%20001.jpg
Also used this as a guitar amp. Still have it and it works great as a back-up guitar amp. When I gig outdoors, I sometimes use it with a stereo splitter with a Fender DeVille 4x10. Compliments it well and gives great bottom end.
littlepope
03-09-2011, 12:18 PM
God you people might call me an "old head"!! A Kustom 250 with the tuck & roll in black. :bonk But it carried the sound.
blackba
03-14-2011, 11:45 AM
Fender BXR100, not a bad 100Watt SS 115 amp....
Endr_rpm
03-14-2011, 12:55 PM
Ampeg 3Pro and a 410 HLF. Sweet rig, but heavy as a mofo.
blackba
03-14-2011, 01:23 PM
Ampeg 3Pro and a 410 HLF. Sweet rig, but heavy as a mofo.
That is my current rig. That's a very nice starting rig. I agree its heavy, which is why I have an Ampeg BXT210M cab if I don't want to haul the 410...
A B-15S. I still have it.
Me too and I still have mine after 25 years!
Alvis
03-30-2011, 08:17 AM
1979-Peavey TKO 80
But I've since graduated to a 1981 SVT,although I actually like playing bass out of a Marshall stack
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v36/ayhcult/SvT.jpg
BigDoug1053
03-30-2011, 11:10 PM
An Ampeg SB-12 Portaflex - nice 50-watt tube amp. I used a home-made 15" bass reflex cabinet and it sounded good with a Fender style bass.
http://files.myopera.com/Maximus25/albums/305396/thumbs/AMPEG-PORTAFLEX-SB-12-1960S-10.jpg_thumb.jpg
soldierscry
03-30-2011, 11:24 PM
60's Traynor bassmate 1x15 combo (6v6) Still have it and love it.
Jeff Michael
03-31-2011, 12:04 AM
A guy my dad worked with was selling an Ampeg Olympian for $100. That was the solid-state fliptop on the 2X15" cab. Mom and Dad thought it was too big but I talked them into it anyway. Not an amp for the ages, but a perfect snag for the just-starting-out 16 year old!
JAM
p.s. I ought to mention that I'm pretty sure I saw one in the backline in Elvis: That's The Way It Is. And hey, if it's good enough for the one and only Jerry Scheff...
zekmoe
03-31-2011, 10:01 AM
Actuall bass amp was a Peavey TNT. I had some Monkey Wards thing that acted as an amp but really was just a low vol POS. This was in the late 70's.
Shane S
03-31-2011, 03:53 PM
Mesa Boogie 400 with a Mesa 2x12 bass cab.
RickC
03-31-2011, 03:56 PM
An Ampeg SB-12 Portaflex - nice 50-watt tube amp. I used a home-made 15" bass reflex cabinet and it sounded good with a Fender style bass.
http://files.myopera.com/Maximus25/albums/305396/thumbs/AMPEG-PORTAFLEX-SB-12-1960S-10.jpg_thumb.jpg
Nice! I've still got mine; owned it for almost 40 years now. Not my first, but one of my best.
/rick
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