Bass Amps: TUBE vs SOLID STATE

In this video, my friend ‪@RhettShull‬ and I talk all about amplifiers. We discuss the history and technology of tube and solid state bass amps, and compare them while talking about their pros and cons and how they are different from guitar amps. By the end of this video, a bass player should have a thorough understanding of these types of amps and be able to make an informed decision. The bass amps in this video are the Ampeg V4B and the Thunderfunk 750A with Aguilar Cabinets.
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[@francoisdallaire5424]

Great video 👍🏼but It would be nice to hear both head in the same cab instead of different cabs.

[@SanNjig]

Correct, you have to use the same cab or the comparison is not valid

[@firemarshal2629]

There is always one lol. Make your own fkn video.

[@socallars3748]

It also would have been nice if he'd tuned the bass before shooting the video...

[@philipconradmusic]

Hi! Thanks for watching! I agree, same cab would have been ideal. However, the ohms were not compatible to make it possible. All cabs used were 12”. This is the best I could do ⚡️

[@ryank5115]

Not all amps work with the same cabs.

[@black-xg3gz]

The points 19:06 made on both sides are absolutely spot on. My sediments exactly. I prefer tubes for guitar but there are some solid state contenders. Bass I could go either way. I use both with a collection of direct boxes. venue plus the style of music depends on which one. Great info as usual. It’s refreshing to hear ppl that actually know what their talking about. Thanks

[@bolillo5013]

I love that you show the EQ analysis, it’s a great visualization of the amp’s sound

[@philipconradmusic]

Thank you!

[@watchitnow765]

I play an Ampeg SVT 6Pro, because it has all the roundness and tubey sweetness that I cannot find with anything else--after 50 years of trying. It is just as powerful as many solid state bass amps, so yeah, its loud--if I want it to be! It is not made any more, so you have to hope to find one in excellent condition, like I did. I'm so glad I didn't give up searching for my Best amp!

[@Funkybassuk]

I have a few bass amps / preamps, the same way I have a few different types of bass guitar. I was very happy to get an Ampeg V4-B myself last year. I don’t use it for everything but it sounds wonderful for that sound it gives. I have the Eden WTX-264 for that modern, hi-fi clean and crisp sound. For some gigs, this would be my preferred choice - it’s over 250W and fits in my gig bag. If backline is provided, these days I don’t mind using whatever is there. A few years ago, I used to gig with a valve preamp, Aguilar DB680, running into a solid state power amp, Eden WT1000, running into a pair of 2x10 Acme Low B cabs. I loved that sound. One thing I found about older style bass guitars, like Precision basses, Jazz basses and Stingrays, was that they’re not too fussy about what they’re plugged into - even straight into a board.

[@DonJohnson-TheBassPlayer]

Excellent video with opinions and explanations behind the opinions. Very well done. I used to have the amazing Trace Elliot V8 all tube 400 watt monster. Stupidly sold it, but realized I probably would have never gigged it. So many places running direct anyway. I'm with the hybrid category. Mesa Boogie Carbine M6. Again, very well explained. Cheers!

[@fishbert17]

I love valve amps. I have a fender hot run deluxe, and my hi-fi amp is also valve. But when it came to my bass amp I just wanted light weight, features and simplicity. TC Electronic RH450. Sounds great, nice compressor, built in tuner, very flexible EQ, and light!

[@robertotakahashi9950]

Great video! I’ve played with several SS amps including Class D amps: Peavey, Genz Benz, Aguilar TH500 paired with 2 Aguilar GS112, Hartke stacks and some others. All good stuff. Loved the Aguilar stack. Tube wise, I had a Bassman 100T with a Fender 15 cab (neodymium drive) and for me was the best bass sound I ever had. Not had the chance to play alive with this stack, but dudes: what a tone!!! Amazing. Paired with my Stingray 5 was a killer setup. Totally agree that the application will determine which one to use or have and O think for day by day use, a good class D with Neo cabs would be the choice: 2 cabs, a bass and a head on the bass bag is priceless. I intent get another 100T or other tube amp in the near future.

[@shaunoleary8740]

This is the video I needed today....literally thinking of going tubes in a new band I'm jamming with!

[@karlvanbeckum9029]

I've been doing what Rhett said earlier in the vid: I play my bass through a Sansamp Programmable DI pedal to a GK Legacy 800 in to a 2x10 cab.. It works well for me, and it's a very light amp

[@jebomey]

Love the video! Great analogy - SS being the DI sound of amps. Very true. I have a number of different kinds of amps but they all lean into tube territory except for an old GK MB150 combo. Hearing this makes me want to get a great clean, immediate, high headroom SS head for when that sound is appropriate. It would be great to hear this conversation being continued in future videos. Tube - SS are the two opposite sides of the available options but there are more. Different hybrid amps… tube pre/SS power, SS pre/class-D power, tube pre/class-D power, and amps that are not tube but do a great job of sounding like it. There’s a lot more opportunity for comparison & conversation here. An amp like the DB750/751 also has its own thing going on which would be an interesting comparison in the mix btwn the Ampeg & thunder funk.

[@philipconradmusic]

Well said! Thanks so much for watching ⚡️

[@BubbleWrapPerson]

I have an old pre-Fender SWR sm400 my dad bought around when I was born. It’s a hybrid. Tube preamp and solid state power section. Best of both worlds.

[@charliewesley94]

I have an Ampeg V4B reissue. At one point I bought an Aguilar 500 head because of all the advantages of solid state highlighted here. But when I shot them out I couldn't help but to feel that the Ampeg (tube) head tone sounded much fuller and richer. I'm sure some of the nuances don't carry as much weight in a live situation, but for me, the Aguilar head was sold and I still use the V4B. It's not always practical, but I absolutely love how it sounds.

[@philipconradmusic]

Respect that! ⚡️

[@pdcreative]

I've always been a fan of the "TUBE SOUND" I have a couple of solid state amps I love and a B-15 that I love. Mostly using a pedalboard based rig with in-ears. Very high fi sounding so I end up adding some drive in pedal form to get some of those harmonics. I've ordered a Noble DI that will live on the pedalboard. To my ears the tube amps can achieve a clean sound easier than solid state amps do a tube sound. But they are both tools and sometimes you need a hammer, sometimes you need a saw. Great Video!

[@bflo1000]

SS amps ARE much cheaper, but...When you add a $$ preamp like a Nobel, then you're giving back some of the money saved.

[@bassnsax]

I play solid state amps exclusively, because I love the immediacy of the sound, and also for the compactness/lighter weight. That said, I’ve come around to the idea of a tube amp (had a bad experience with a tube-pre preamp in my younger years), and I would consider it for recording. To get a tube-adjacent sound, I’ve had some pretty good luck placing a TC Electronic Zeus (Klon Centaur clone) at the end of my pedalboard signal chain - with the Fat switch engaged and a lower gain setting!

[@orion9437]

I used to use a SVT CL and a 4x10 cab. Loved the warm creamy tone. As I got older and pa s got larger. I switched to solid state. I don’t miss carrying the SVT! I currently use the Fender Rumble 800 with a couple of pedals. Small gigs, I use a Tech 21 VT pedal & a compression pedal through the pa & in ears.

[@frank68x]

I've always loved how the GK RB amps (and legacy amps) gave that transparent solid state sound, but with the boost engaged, a bit of character by way of that GIVE technology. That "soft clipping" they got out of the interaction between the pre and power amps was always a cool hybrid. I have an 800RB which has it's own feeling. That soft clipping type thing when pushed on top of the immediacy of the solid state tech which can be toned down to realize that surgical precision is a beautiful thing. It won't replace a tube amp though, as that "GK Growl" is it's own thing. Love it.

[@DEADMOOSE23]

I want your set up. I currently do something similar with a LWA 500 but the 800rb is the idea choice. but if you want something on a budget the lwa will get you through and is plenty loud. I love throwing a behringer sans amp copy in my chain to get really nice gain sound ontop of that solid state response. I love it in my hardcore band. hard to be tight and have gain.

[@jdjk7]

I've recently become a bit of a convert to GK after getting a 700RB-II. I went to the store looking for a Trace Elliot amp, and this one was in rough shape sitting on some ratty old Peavey cab, so I decided it could come home too along with the TE. I honestly wasn't expecting a whole lot from it, but I was not strong enough to resist the guttural urges that GK's tone was inspiring within me. FWIW I run it into a Barefaced Super Compact.

[@sandbiker]

Great video. I have both an all tube (Ampeg SVT) and a solid state (Orange OB1) amp. I love both and would have a really hard time picking a favorite. If I had to really choose, I may pick the OB1. It's a VERY versatile amp. But dang, I love the airy full sound of those SVT tubes.

[@liamolowend]

Thanks for posting this, really interesting. Nice to hear these. I miss having a vintage amp (SVT) and even my old Trace Elliot 1980s solid state stuff (EQ and amp compressor rocks on these). I'm a Matkbass Class D Combo man these days. They are fine, but no more than that, but I miss the Oldschool stuff. Though my back doesn't miss carrying them, and that's what it's about now. If I had a road crew, SVT + 8x10 all the way, but I'll stick with my 1x12 lightweight combo and 12inch extension cab while I'm doing the heavy lifting 😎

[@bflo1000]

HUGE advantage to SS as far as ruggedness and weight to go along w the cost.

[@jkiser77]

1978 SVT and 8x10 cab to shake the house on bass, Carvin V3 with 4x12 cab for electric guitar. For few bass gigs I have played over the years at small venues used various solid state smaller amps(Carvin & Yamaha), but to me there is nothing like the gut punch you feel when opening up that SVT!!! 😁

[@SteveBlancoMusicianWarrior]

I play and love both and they are different. I don't think of solid state as imitation of tubes. Thanks for the video. Cheers from NYC.

[@NateTheMeh]

Great stuff!!

[@KitBasher1]

I bought the Trace Elliot GP12SMX setup in the early-mid 90s. I haven’t used anything else since! It has one single 12ax7 tube preamp, but can be blended with a solid state preamp (I am full tilt into the tube side, but used to mix it 50/50). This model has a couple pre-shape options: pre shape 1 is the classic TE shape with a 50hz boost in the lows, shape 2 moves the bottom up to 100hz. I find that 100 Hz Cutthrough better and doesn’t get buried by the kick drum. Behind that preamp is a 12 band EQ for fine-tuning plus a dual band compressor - it delivers a studio quality signal, but the warmer the tube gets the grittier it starts to sound. It’s got that bipolar Bear solid state power amp circuit, that’s something that there’s a love-hate relationship with because they do fail occasionally... but these GP 12 amps have always kicked ass and I have several of them now ; )

[@adamalexanderray]

Great stuff. For bass I really like a clean platform that I can shape with pedals. Interestingly with guitar I don’t really like using a clean amp platform and like using the amp’s drive and then shaping that with pedals. For bass solid state absolutely isn’t a lesser option, it’s actually preferable. I use a hybrid amp (Ashdown ABM) with switchable valve preamp so can get some grit and colour if I need it. The vast majority of the time I don’t even engage it. Where guitar players are chasing valve breakup due to the compression it provides bassists tend to use compression pedals to give the feel of a pushed amp while still staying clean. It’s all just a preference and genre specific so there’s no right or wrong. Hell, I’ve used a Orange OR100 guitar head as a bass head and it sounded great when I wanted a really different bass sound to layer in the mix.

[@samboliah3691]

I play solid state, Ampeg B-2 rackmount, I like it clean. I primarily play metal. Every bass has a unique voice, which really comes out through solid state.

[@Robert_Charles]

I use a 200 watt solid state bass amp and a small 10 watt tube guitar amp. I agree with Rhett. Some form of clipping and warmth helps the bass stay in the mix.

[@WannaBeatle-Paul_McMichael]

Solid state bass amps were definitely heard on the biggest records in the 60s. McCartney's Vox T-60 and T-100 were solid-state. His Fender bassman was obvious tube. But, my personal favorite tone is that early 60s B-15. I tried the uber expensive hand-wired version at NAMM a decade or so ago and immediately fell in love!

[@jeffburnham4582]

Your videos are super practical and helpful. Thank you! I definitely agree with Rhett and go for the tube amp sound. Unfortunately I don’t have a B15 to record and a VST to gig. The best economical solution for me has been using a Darkglass Vintage Deluxe Preamp to get close to that tube saturation and feel along with a 500 watt Fender solid state amp. To record I use a UA B15 plugin. I’m definitely going to try the DI/B15 dual source for recording. Someday I want to upgrade my amp, but this rig is honestly does a good for a working musician.

[@philipconradmusic]

Sounds like you have made some great decisions! Thanks for sharing ⚡️

[@johnny.musician]

Cool vid, thanks. Fwiw I use a Quilter Tone Block for both guitar and bass. Being chronologically gifted (old) I recall the days of a cranked 100 watt Sovtek valve head with an 8x10 fridge for bass AND guitar and loved it. These days, the Tone Block and a 1x15 gets me where I want to go…guitar AND bass. So for me now, it’s a no-brainer, solid state all the way. Thanks, man.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for sharing John!

[@WhiteArcaneBM]

I am currently using solid state preamp (Haftkę Bass Attack) on my pedalboard with DI out for clean parts, and tube ish overdrive (Ampeg Scrambler) in front of the preamp for that saturated, more punchy sound. It's reliable, light and compact. Everything what I need to play a gig in one bag

[@Theweeze100]

Ok, been playing bass since 1975, started out like many with a 50 W Fender Bassman, that I loved to lug around with not one but two 2-15 cabinets. Although I have always loved breaking my back as a young man, carrying SVTs, and other refrigerator size amps, I have to concede that they are finicky. Honestly I think I’ve blown up as many tube amps as I I have solid-state amps. Since I no longer have the desire to visit the chiropractor once a week, I have happily settled for a SWR burgundy face with, with a 12ax7 in the preamp section. Not my old SVT, but it sounds great, and I can lift it. By the way, I thought your running on asphalt in tennis shoes was a great analogy!

[@kevmac1230]

I love the sound and feel of an SVT .That said because I need reliability and would rather not have to shell out hundreds to periodically retube it my main gigging amp is a mid 90s SWR sm400s with 2 Goliath Jr cabs.It sounds great has a fantastic d.i. , has all the volume I've ever needed and has been relatable as hell( knock on wood) over decades of gigs.It has never even needed replacement of the preamp tube.A real war horse.

[@jcproductions7585]

I’ve been playing a GK 800RB through a 15” EV cab or Acoustic 2x15 for most of my 80s n 90s gigs on Sunset Blvd. when I ‘had to’ use an SVT, it felt awkward to me… muddy and slow. We were a fiery punk/roots rock original band. The GK through 15s sounds full and cut through the mix controllably in that context.

[@JamesHartBassist]

I started in the 80s on a fliptop... ended up gigging in the late 80s early 90s on an AMP BH-250 (the Thunderfunk was born out of the AMP BH-420. Dave bought the design from Gibson who bought it from AMP). These days I'm playing a 200 watt full tube Ashdown (CTM-200r) and since the early 90s I've used stained plywood cabs (mine are Bagend), a 1x12 + a 1x15 back in the day... and a pair of 2x12 now.

[@brianbamonti1067]

I had an AMP BH420 myself. Outstanding amp

[@compucorder64]

As a guitarist first, whose learning bass, one of the things I like about the Ampeg V4B, is that it also doubles as a mean and loud AF guitar amp, into the right cabinet. That said, my solid state Ampeg Micro-VR actually sounds pretty damn good on guitar too, in a Roland JC-120 sort of way (especially with a Boss Blues Driver BD-2W or EHX Hot Tubes and CE chorus in front). All bar one of my guitar amps are tube (Vox AC15 and AC30), apart from a Vox Pathfinder 15R, which does still sound good. Since I'm a beginner on bass, I'm solidstate, Ampeg Micro VR into SVT210AV. But, like Rhett said, I do feel the need to dirty it up a bit, Darkglass Microtubes Vintage and Alpha Omicron on low gain, and Hyperluminal Compressor on that fat Sym setting to get and get some of that saturation / non-linearity / thickening going. Then I get a sound I like - ultra clean is not so nice - though the Ampeg Micro VR / SVT210 does actually have a good tone. Will probably look at getting an Ampeg V4B later, I don't need crazy crazy loud; more want just very nice tone.

[@Sean_Plays_Guitar]

Great conversation. I am personally all solid state which is a bit of a taboo thing for guitar players. Nice to hear the perspective from the rhythm section. Also, not for nuthin, the most enviable skill of a good bassist is their ability to play in almost perfect repetition. It's not a skill I have and one that I am a bit jealous of.

[@lucapasotti7554]

I have an Ampeg SVT 2 PRO and it sounds amazing but, due to weight issues and I practicality almost always travelling with my class D amp and I put an Origin Effects Cali76 Bass Compressor and a Tech 21 Sansamp Bass Driver V2 through it to achive the compression and soft clipping of a tube amp. Obviously it's not the same thing, (once you try an all tube amp I think everyone understands) but it works in a decent and more lightweight way, and it's more reliable. That said, if I have to play in a larger venue in my hometown or near it I like to brink my Ampeg with a 4x10” and a 1x15" and mic it with an AKG D112 (and obviously I also feed a DI signal to the FOH, to cover the frequencies the mic cannot pick up). For me you have to be practical but also, as Rhett said, for certain or maybe almost every genre the tube amp is the best sound you can have to not only sound better but play better Thanks for all your vids Philip, I've never commented under one of your videos but since I'm here I'd like to say that I love your youtube channel and I love your humble attitude. Sorry if there are some grammatical mistakes but I'm italian and we are renowned for being bad english speakers and writers LOL. Thanks a lot from a 26 yo office worker, wannabe full time bass player Cheers buddy!!

[@YannickROGER]

I always play class D stuff with some kind of tube simulation either digital (from the amp TC RH450 or BH250, an hxstomp, even my old zoomB3) or analog (tech 21 vt bass DI) and it always sounds great.

[@parangea]

I play on a Peavey Mk iv solid state amp from the early eighties, with for my bass a markbass compressore tube compressor which I overdrive a bit for that tube sound. Main reason for this amp in particular is the dual channels. One set to clean, one set to overdrive. Great for my psychedelic/stoner band. Also it has multiple inputs, which is useful for my bass synth. Also a separate pedal loop per channel and a line out which goes to a separate DI. It's the amp that has it all, for me at least!

[@natehaiden]

I changed the output transformer on my v4B reissue to a fender 160 ps clone wound by Mercury magnetics in Chatsworth CA and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.

[@MrBasso69]

I like both. I have a V4b tube amp and a trickfish transistor amp. It all depends on the kind of music and sometimes even the mood I am in. Most of the time I choose the convenient transistor amp. But for blues/soul/roots-music I prefer the warm tube sound.

[@robinv.3632]

I play a solid state amp. I got it because it was affordable and had an overdrive channel but I ended up playing it clean most of the time. Over the years I rediscovered overdrive for me and stuck with an edge of breakup sound. I got to play through an ampeg tube amp at a gig last year and to be honest, I like my solid state better. Recently I bought a pedal to replace the build in overdrive and I´m still trying to figure out what sound I want from it. The solid state still makes up a good pedal platform.

[@konkonidaris8469]

Solid state all the way. In part for the clean headroom and versatility. My gigging rig used to be a Labsystems 210 (250w combo with 2x10 inch speakers) with a 15 inch extension cab. A fantastic locally made Class D amp with onboard compression, that many compare to a GK style tone. I have owned a 50W silverface Bassman 10 (4 x 10 inch speaker combo), but it really struggled to keep up with the rock band I was gigging with at the time, so practicality won out.

[@billhd]

I play electric upright through a solid state amp to get more resolution and clarity on the treble end. Agree with Phil's comment about it sounding more like going direct in a live setting.

[@DustinDollinsShinBone]

I really enjoy your videos, it was a real treat getting a nice close up of that Ampeg. I found your channel through Rhett's stuff, but I think you are way cooler and more enjoyable to tune into lol. Sorry, Rhett.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for watching! Glad to have you here.

[@MrAndrewClaycomb]

I’ve owned a lot of different tube and solid state bass amps, and for right now I’ve settled into a 30 watt all tube Ashdown CTM-30. I love the tone, it has plenty of stage volume if you throw enough speaker cab at it, and it has an excellent DI built in. With all of that said, I don’t know if I’d take it on a tour because of reliability concerns. Gear gets thrown around, but more importantly, a low power bass tube amp is going to be driven pretty hard all of the time on stages. Dinosaur Jr. used to tour with the same Ashdown amp through an 8x10, and I read that a second CTM-30 and 8x10 had to be onstage and powered up, just in case the first one started having issues. That’s a lot of heavy gear to haul around just for the sake of reliability.

[@loopydemos]

I think guitarists need to open up for this idea as well. Jazz Choruses are cool clean solid state amps and are not trying to be a tube amp. We need more solid state amps that do their own thing. Cool video!

[@joshuaallgood7030]

The thing about solid state amps is that the best ones for guitar almost always are made of discrete transistors (Sunn, Peavey, late 60's Vox amps, etc.). A lot of the solid state amps that guitarists hate come from amps using Integrated Circuits (ICs), which generally have low slew rates so it makes them distort in a much more unpleasant way than with discrete components, which when overdriven to me, almost sound like a fuzz pedal (not to mention many of those discrete component solid state amps have built-in fuzz/distortion circuits using transistors that sound pretty great). I cranked a Roland Jazz Chorus with a strat clone and it actually sounded pretty good.

[@loopydemos]

@@joshuaallgood7030 that makes sense! There is probably a bias because most guitarists started playing electric on a cheap solid state amps (with ICs) and only associate solid state with that. I always thought, there are so many excellent overdrive/preamp pedals based on JFET transistors out there. Why hasn't anyone done a modern solid state based on those circuits?

[@joshuaallgood7030]

@@loopydemos Because ICs are cheaper. It’s more expensive to build solid state amps with discrete JFETs because of all of the individual components required. The reason why Neve preamps/consoles/EQs are so expensive is because they use discrete components to replicate integrated circuits. I think the Orange Crush series uses discrete components, which is why I think they’re some of the better sounding solid state amps on the market.

[@poltergeist3194]

I run my live rig with solid state (Ampeg RB500 w/1x15 ext cab). My pedalboard I run a Two Notes Le Bass tube preamp. Helps warm up the tone and I don’t have to worry about lugging around a heavy tube head or combo.

[@nathanminert3119]

I use solid state amps for the reasons you said- they're way more practical in live situations, they're usually a bit cheaper ect. I do use an analog preamp to saturate the tone. I like the flexibility in certain situations to go from super clean to saturated to dirty overdriven tone from one amp with the use of pedals.

[@michaelhardie9193]

I use solid state for the reliability and cost. I find with certain preamp pedals I can get that Tube like tone. Also your technique and strings matter. I love how you said it depends on the application. I look at all my gear as tools for the sound that I am looking to create. Keep up the great work

[@DaylonWynn]

I love them both. I have a V4B from the late 70s, and when it’s firing on all cylinders it sounds amazing. I also have a hybrid SVT 7-pro, and with a good gain or fuzz pedal it’ll get me that sound I have in my head that I want to hear from it. The weight factor is honestly such a big factor for me. 65lbs vs 15lbs is night and day 😅

[@richardmillette4206]

Solid state. No contest.

[@darrylmoore127]

My V4B is little over 40lbs Cab is HLF 6X10 Also have Ashdown Mag 300 Ashdown goes thru Ampeg micro aniv. 2X10 But where the dials are set makes a difference as well and the rocker switches. For example I have the mid at 10 o clock and same with tremble And I have M.S. and can still move cab and head

[@bflo1000]

@@richardmillette4206 No, Tubes. Compare the FT to an SVT, Super-B, or even the 100T (which has a wicked OD channel built in and it's night & day. Both feel & sound.

[@1thess523]

What's funny is back in the 90's when I started playing bass in a pop-punk / skate punk band everything was direct and I always remember dreaming about getting an Ampeg or a GK RB amp. Well I've had 3 GK amps and I've only played them directly plugged in a hand full of times because year's ago a guy at Sam Ash showed me a Sansamp which I had never heard of. After that point I stopped plugging direct into the amp to get the sound I like.

[@mikewrightify]

LOL ​@@richardmillette4206

[@t-bonedoelman455]

Thank you. This vid was very helpful and informative.

[@kevinnorris207]

Cool reflection of the ceiling fan on the close up of the tube

[@velocitystudiomix]

Great Vid! I learned some things!

[@alexanderhemming9148]

Easy solution, I have an Orange OB-1. It's a bi amp, use some of the distortion on it but most importantly use the blend as much as you need. Then have an Edicson preamp. Having played a tube amp many times before it sounds about the same just more accurate and consistent

[@kodybjork8135]

I've all but ditched tube amps, at least when performing, just based on practicality. I love the sound of an Ampeg, but moving around a solid-state combo (or even an HX Stomp for an amp sim) has just been more reliable. Especially as PA systems have become more reliable, a huge amp isn't as much of a requirement. As you alluded to early on, I have some DIs and pedals to help get that "charm". Love the videos, sir!

[@BROOKS39]

I run a Ampeg V4B through the Ampeg 6 x 10 speaker with a Darkglass harmonic booster pedal. Best sound I’ve ever gotten out of a tube amp.

[@abouc]

I'd definitely play through a pair of SVTs if the budget allowed. Current rig is an Ampeg PF500 with 2x10 and 1x15 cabs plus a Fender Rumble 200 combo. All effects run through the Ampeg, and the Rumble rounds out the low end. They are entirely different sounding amps but complement each other well.

[@christophercheney1006]

I played a Trace Eliot solid state amp for years.. For the last 10, I've been playing through a Peavey VK-100. It's essentially their take on a JCM800. The clean channel is great for bass...especially if you are a pedal nerd.

[@timeonwood]

He there, I have 2 bass amps. 1 is an old Dynacord tube amp from 1963 that used to a small PA amp with 4 channels. So it has 4 preamp tubes and 4 inputs. The power amp has 2 EL34's so it doesn't have alot of power, its 45 watts. I had it modded into a 2 channel bass amp where 1 channel with 1 preamp tube is clean and the 2nd has 3 preamp tube and has drive. Both have there own inputs and also there own gain/preamp volume. Just a great amp. My 2nd one is a Randall RB500. It has a tube preamp and a Mosfet power amp. Mosfet's are transistors but where normal transistors amplify the uneven harmonics, a Mosfet amplifys the even harmonics. Just like a tube, that also amplifys the even harmonics. Even sounds to the human ear more round, nice, warm and plasant. Where uneven sound more harsh and cold. So you could say that its a bit of best of both worlds with a Mosfet poweramp.

[@lucyfuir6386]

I have a hybrid. Its an SWR sm400 with tube pre & ss power sections. I love it. I use the matcing stack. Son if Bertha 15" goliath 3 4x10". Or just the 4x10 depending on the gig

[@svbarr]

Best Bass amps I have heard. Fender PS 400 going through 2 cabs - one was a 2x15 cab with JBL D140's and the second cab was an 18" folded horn. Need a Roadie to move it but something like 275 watts RMS tubes with zero distortion until nosebleed volumes. Second an old Ampeg SVT with 2 8x10 cabs. Finally Gallien Kruger huge 200 watt SS head through boutique cab with 15' speaker and 2 10's, Finally in small club an Blackface Bassman with the big cab with the 2 JBL's. In a club with less than 75 people those ultra efficient JBL's really sound great.

[@caseyholford]

I love the sound of the B15. Ampeg’s newer tube heads sound great too. That said, I had an ashdown solid state bass amp for many years that was my gigging amp. That thing had lots of power and plenty of character. Always loved playing through it. The Aguilar tone hammer heads are amazing. Who cares how it’s built if it sounds good!

[@MrSkyfish7]

I've had a Thunderfunk 550B gold dot for about 20 years now, played through 2 Epifani UL112's. Before that I had Trace Elliots. Solid State was the way to go for me, even being able to choose tube, it just felt like slow dinosaur tech. About 10 years ago I primarily switched to guitar, and thought a good, super clean solid state head with some high quality "amp-in-a-box" pedals would be fine. Sure, I'd try a few friend's guitar combos, but these were 50 watt, 100 watt monsters, I wasn't pushing them. Two years in, and the "lunch box" amp craze was starting. Amps designed to break up and be like a dimed amp at small gig levels. I tried one of these and instantly died. I put my pedals in front of one of these at the edge of break up, and it was like night and day. Tubes on guitar seem "alive", organic. Push a barely clipping guitar amp with a pedal and you get the tube breathing life into that pedal as well. I thought my Sweet Honey Overdrive was amazing on solid state, its like a whole new thing running through tubes. I de-volved that day, my knuckles began dragging the ground, my back arched, and I ended up buying a tube amp. I live in a bi-polar world now. The bass player in me is 100% progressive, cutting edge. Direct box with plugins, cab sims, the works. The guitar player in me lives in the late 60's.

[@jasonzoellers164]

Would love to see you throw the Noble in with the Thunderfunk & see how it compares to the Ampeg. I run a Genzler Magellan 350 combo (Class D) & while I love the clarity & fidelity I get, having some tube warmth to bring in via a nice pre would give me the best of both worlds tonally & I wouldn’t have to give up portability to get it!

[@kevmac1230]

I have more than a few good preamp pedals (Shift line,Origin FX, Sansamp to name a few)and if I use it to bypass the preamp in a S.S. amp it improves the sound with a tube like goodness.Or just run one through the input,still sounds great.

[@northernbrother1258]

I play tube amps on guitar and solid state on bass for the convenience and affordability, but have a Blues Driver on all the time to give the bass some mid range bite and that's my clean sound into an overdrive pedal.

[@mattrudybass]

I use an Aguilar TH500 but also have. Sushi Box Underground Accelerator pedal which adds Tube warmth when needed. If I could afford it, i'd snag a Noble DI.

[@HouseLightProduction]

I play a Fender Rumble 100 which is a solid state amp. I love the sound of tube bass amp but it just isn't practical for me to carry a big unit like that. The Rumble gave me a decent tone and is super light weight for its size and was easy on the budget.

[@are-bass59]

Great video! I’m using ampeg v4bh, its smaller version of the svt cl. Using it with gk 410t cab. Im not currently playing at gigs but in the future I am, so im gonna buy di for that and play with ampeg on bigger gigs

[@gcvrsa]

As someone who has gigged extensively with tube, solid-state, and hybrid rigs for bass, I would suggest that a 100 W Ampeg V4B is not really the best comparison for a Thunderfunk 750 W solid-state amp. A 300 W Ampeg SVT would be a much better comparison. Power matters for live performance, when you are talking about tube bass amps. I consider the 220 W rating of my old Trace Elliot V-Type to really be the minimum for gigging. Also, it's my opinion that tube amps sound best with sealed enclosures, because of the generally low damping factor of tube amps, which is a consequence of the output transformer. Solid-state amps generally have a much higher damping factor and can control ported cabinets better.

[@philipconradmusic]

Send me a 300 watt SVT and I will be happy to review 😂. Well said though! Thanks for watching ⚡️

[@MikeS82082]

My mesa tt-800 does both of these amp typologies pretty dang good!

[@user-wq7fg7ic1p]

awesome video... I play whatever fits the bill! The SS always does the job, tubes miss the mark sometimes... But they do have extra mojo.

[@lewisyouknow]

I was an svt guy, for good 10 years...... then I realised the technology for solid states has well and truly caught up, and now I play an aguilar ag700. A well built 500w to 700w class D is just so good these days, just can't warrant the price and weight of tube amp anymore for bass

[@pirhala]

99% of the time, I’ve played my Hiwatt rig which consists of a 400 watt head, 4-10 & 1-15 cabs. That was for live shows. At home, I use the ‘65 B-15 and and orange ob1-300C combo amp. I had the new ampeg V4-B rig with two cabs but I didn’t really like the way that amp broke up…. Same as the B-15, it sounds better clean. My point is, the Hiwatt sounds great for a really clean, loud and rich platform and I can use pedals to add some of whatever adjective you want to use for breakup. Speaking of which, I thought you were going to mention a little something about which pedals YOU use with solid state bass amps. The cool thing about the orange amp is it’s ability to bi-amp and have the gain side of the amp, which I like. Very tube sounding amp.

[@Scoots1994]

I play both. My main amp is an SVT hybrid so the tube pre for color but solid state for the power amp (the SVT + the cab weigh around 150 pounds together). I also use an orange all solid state combo for smaller needs.

[@philipconradmusic]

Nice! ⚡️

[@hansdewit3114]

I have and love an Aguilar AG700, paired with a Barefaced One10: An extremely portable setup: very light weight but heavy sounding (it really does!). I rely heavily on compression though: I use the Origin Effects Cali76 Stacked, a great compressor that lets me finetune things like sustain...

[@philipconradmusic]

Love that compressor!

[@basscoup]

class D here, though with some amp emulation to pull in some of the characteristics of tube amps when needed. Solid state is so portable, versatile, lower cost, and powerful, it's hard to justify a tube amp and related cab.

[@1thess523]

Hartke LH model and I think some old ones use a 12ax7 preamp to give it a tube warmth feel. I bought and old LH500 for cheap nut it started to feel lifeless then I remembered it had a tube so I put a brand new JJ and man oh man did it come to life. The Hartke LH model is a really good pedal platform because it's a very simple 3 band eq flat sounding amp but they have 500w & 100w behind them. A tech 21 VT pedal makes it sound like an Ampeg SVT

[@francoispayen]

Cool video. I think preference can have a lot to do with what you "grew up on". I haven't used tube amps until I was in my late 30s. Being used to solid state amps, I feel I have much less control over my sound when using a tube amp - it compresses and distorts whether I like it or not. I'd much, much rather have clean headroom for days and use an external compressor and/or overdrive pedal when I want to dirty things up. I'm actually bummed out when I walk in a studio and the bass amp is tubes.

[@RealEstateChris56]

My observations from owning, gigging and recording with the following amps, using passive Fender Precision and Jazz basses. Ampeg SVT Classic: Big, Smooth, with a touch of hair bass tone. Glorious! Orange AD200: Round and Fury bass tone. Aggressive! Aguilar DB750: Clear, Mid Heavy Bass tone. Punchy! Thunderfunk 700: Thick and Quick bass tone. Clarity! Markbass Little Mark II: Raw, Transparent bass tone. Focused! Ampeg SVT-3 Pro: Smooth, Soft bass tone. Tube-like! My personal favorite gigging amp is the Ampeg SVT-3 Pro. It has a tube pre and with the "Tube Gain" knob set to 8 o'clock, you get a very warm tube-like tone. Great for any small to medium sized venue. If I had roadies then the SVT Classic would be a no brainer...it's simply amazing and it has no equal. *I've never played an Ampeg V-4B but I hear they're decent. I hope this helps!

[@zhegwood]

I have a '76 SVT and a 2010s Peavey VB-2. I've also had a early 80s Bassman 135 and a late-model Bassman 300. I love tube amps, but I don't like preamp gain for bass... It's just to "fizzy" for my tastes and is evidenced in this video when the V4B gain is cranked. Power gain on bass is heaven though. That said, it's hard to get that power break without being incredibly loud. The SVT is like 10:00-12:00 before it breaks, the VB-2 is ~10:00 to get there, and the Bassman 135 it was super easy because it would go from great to fart in like 1/8" of the dial. That said, my main amp right now is a PF-350, because I don't play super loud anymore. I can approximate an SVT tone with it, but it's just not the same.

[@oldasrocks9121]

Put a compressor in the effects loop of your solid state amp, a liquidy one that glues everything together like the Diamond or the Orange Kongpressor, something optical, not a fet based one. If you have other effects in your loop put it after modulation but before reverb or delay. It'll give you a good bit of what sounds like tube sag. See what you think. Single tube boost drive pedals that run the tube at full plate voltage can go in all sorts of spots on your pedal board, before or after or in the loop of every sort of effect, all sorts of unexpected delight can result. Seymour Duncan has a series of 3 tube based drive pedals called Twin Tube that run submini tubes equivalent to 12AU7 and 12AT7s at full plate voltage. Two have conventional switchable clean and dirty drive channels, there's also a hescher one that runs submini pentodes, dialed back it'll give you gobs of tubey headroom gain. A smart tech can revoice the bass/treble tone stack for bass, increase the value of the input and coupling caps to pass more LF, then they're real keepers. If they're first in your pedal chain (after the always-first fuzz of course) they'll respond to touch and attack just like the preamp in a tube amp. They'll push drive, overdrive and distortion pedals in lovely ways and can be a raucous delight following a 2 transistor fuzz like the Mastotron or s revoiced Fuzz Face. Or in front of a Sovtek Big Muff Deluxe. Try that, lol! There's not much that can mimick driven power tubes though, or a saturated fat output transformer, that's the crux. That's where all the glass, gloss and gooey thick headroom comes from. Studio it's easy, tubes, yours or theirs. Live it's a harder call. You can reamp a mic'd B15N either through front of house or a clean pocket sized big watt SS Class D, Darkglass or whatever, into house cabinets. Super tight hypercardioid close, if you can get far away enough from the drummer. Sam from Greta Van Fleet uses 2 Acoustic 360s live, it's kind of the worst of both worlds, ha! He's definitely not loading them into the trucks, not his B3 or his Leslie, speaking of unwieldily tube technologies. Let's say, tubes when you can.

[@WeaponsRemorse]

i found a SVT-350 solid state head for $100 and its a great starter amp that is gigable too picking it up tomorrow

[@brightpiranah2120]

As a gigging bassist I prefer solid state for bass for its reliability, versatility, transportability, and accurate sound reproduction. I prefer the clean, repeatable tone that the solid state's have and when, as an opener, I played through a SVT I disliked the tubby sounding bass it produced (heresy I know!). Starting out, I was in northern MN, and my Peavy Standard could easily go from below-0 temps to playing at room temp without missing a beat and no matter how hot it was outside never shut down. Also, my PV amps were totally bulletproof and for all the abuse never let me down. I now have a couple of Eden class-D amps that I use, which have been just as reliable and can go from hi-fi to blues nicely. I now have a Helix LT which the Eden handles well. I do have a couple of tube amps, a Bassman 10 and Traynor YBA-1, for some variety and nostalgia; I couldn't afford a bassman 10 when I started out, hence PV. If I was a guitarist, I think my answer would be tube. Having heard the "chimeyness" and "sparkle" that tube amps have I would be totally sold. But, YMMV on what you like and dislike and I'm simply voicing my opinion, not advocating for one technology over another.

[@gcvrsa]

I think what Rhett is missing is that the role of bass in a band is a completely different role to the role that guitar serves in a band. Distortion on bass usually sounds bad, terrible, awful, and steps all over the distortion that sounds so great on guitar. Distortion on bass makes the bass sound *weak*, not "heavy", because it emphasizes the upper partials rather than the fundamental. A little saturation of bass does have that "vintage" sound, but that sound resulted from the failings of vintage technologies. There's a very good reason Acoustic made big inroads into bass guitar amplification in the 1970s.

[@blib3786]

That's complete nonsense, plenty of bass players have used heavy distortion to great effect. It's all about the style of music you're playing.

[@tylerwmbass]

Atlanta bass homies represent, greetings from Brookhaven. I’ve been going back and forth between tube and solid state myself and the middle ground I’m rolling with at the moment is the Mesa TT800/WD800.

[@barondavis5692]

GK fusion ever join in your thought process?

[@tylerwmbass]

@@barondavis5692 Not a fan of the GK contour, spend most of my time on fretless and have found the Mesa's to be the most pleasant sounding with the fretless. Running tube preamps into tweeterless cabs where you're on the edge of saturating the tubes is the sweet spot, and keeping the mids dialed in perfectly brings out that bloom in the fretless.

[@barondavis5692]

@@tylerwmbass interesting. Thanks for your input. I’ve been back and forth between the mesa and gk.

[@gamjammallota78]

After 50+ yrs playing bass through an Ampeg B15n, V4b, and SVT's plus various other bass tube amps, I now play solid-state for the clarity as well as the power/size/weight savings. I play the Markbass and GK legacy amps now. I prefer tube amps fpr guitar still, although I have much love for my Katana Mk ll. The Fender Mustang GTX is just as good. The new GR bass amps/cabs as well as Darkglass bass amps /cabs take it to the next level of featherweight new designs that kick-@zz. Check them out.

[@billsmith2212]

I would like to hear the GR Aerotech cabinets live . I can't believe how light these are . If they produce a variety of tones with the feather weight , I am sold . The only players using tubes are in rock . I can't remember seeing anyone else using tubes , except for guitar . Way back I had a Fender 400 head . Try lugging 90 lbs. upstairs after a gig .

[@YTPartyTonight]

I have two very nice bass amp heads. I've got a sub-8-pound hybrid Mesa Boogie Subway WD-800 and I have an Ampeg SVT II non-pro in the Tolex box in very condition with a healthy sextet GE 6550A power tubes. In that configuration, that must be the heaviest version of the SVT head ever made; I estimate at least 95 pounds with the wood and Tolex case. Both are great. Which one I prefer to move and which one I prefer to play through is without any doubt; it's obvious.

[@philipconradmusic]

I can only imagine. Thanks for watching!

[@merfishsandwich691]

This is purely philosophical, but an interesting thought exercise to consider. Those bass players back in the 60s and 70s (by the way there were many solid state bass amps available in the 70s, Sunn and Acoustic Research both had popular solid state amps) sounded that way because they had no choice. Those were the amps they had available to them. We look back and go "dude, what a rich punchy bass sound" they may have been saying "man I wish this sound was cleaner and more accurate!" Those tube amps weren't created to make that sound, that is just what they sound like. As they say hindsight is 20/20 and now we have the luxury of choice. More than that the whole reason solid state even became a thing was weight, reliability, and cost. Only after these factors were considered did anyone really consider the tone. Only after we started using solid state did we start romanticizing about the old tube sound. I'm personally of the mind that an amp is part of a guitar or bass players instrument. I try not to make decisions on my instrument based on practical reasons like weight, but that's not totally realistic. The bottom line, however, is without an amp an electric instrument is useless and I also prefer not to have to use a bunch of pedals to achieve the tone I'm looking for. All this said, I've never owned a tube bass amp even though I've always wanted that sound, and this is mainly for practical reasons and mostly based around cost. I'm hoping to change this situation very soon. I need tubes in my life.

[@ITigerbaum]

My 1st bass amp was a new '71 Bassman 50 2x15 fart box. Acoustic 370 was killer. Today I have a DB 750, Terror Bass 500 og, SVT 450 ss, Eden WTB1000. they sound better to me in that order. Hybrid amps are good too. Great show! Always good to see Rhett! ❤

[@SorenJohnsonGuitar]

great video

[@emilornkloo349]

Hi! I would like to know your opinion on this: Wouldn’t be best to use a solid state amp for it’s reliability, and then use a tube preamp like the Edison preamp by nightowl to get the tube sound. You would get the best from both worlds, right?

[@JeffsBassment]

Love the tube sound, but prefer lighter more reliable equipment for gigging. My current rig is Ampeg PF-500 into 1 or 2 2x10s. I use the Origin Effects BassRig Super Vintage preamp on my board as an always on SVT emulator to get the "tube" sound. As long as the PA has a sub, I often leave my amp and cabs at home and just go direct from my pedal board. I can get close enough to the SVT refrigerator sound without lugging hundreds of pounds of gear. One of these days, I would like to get an Ampeg flip top just to have in my studio.

[@icorn25]

I appreciate this so much! I play a lot wide range of different gigs and the best possible solution I have found is the Kemper. I can’t believe that more bassists aren’t using the Kemper. Amazing flexibility and I was SUPER reluctant at first. I was the type of guy that said “original, or nothing”. Then I tried out the Kemper’s B15 profile and was floored. Keep up the channel, you have great content.

[@philipconradmusic]

Thanks for sharing! ⚡️

[@Mastenbro]

I think there’s a specific sound in solidstate amps which I like, mainly stuff like old Peaveys, Trace’s or the “never” Ashdowns ABM range. Although clean I think they impart a sound. Although I like those, I can’t get enough from my V4B through the 8x10 or my 70’s Bassman Ten. There’s just something addicting about them. Loved the video, Philip!

[@Paul_Lenard_Ewing]

I prefer solid state for all the usual arguments but I have a tube OD pedal that I run the gain about a third up. I get tight transistor sound with good attack but that warm warm vibe with all those rich dancing harmonics. I see transistors as a still pond and the tubes are like that same pond with a constant breeze moving over it creating small waves which are slightly random though very even and consistent.

[@jquill6]

I have an Ashdown “little bastard” 30w amp full of EL84 power valves and it sounds Devine . I’ve had a good few valve heads but I generally gig with a hybrid or solid state amp. Just easier to cart around. I think valves are more important for guitar amps where you need that saturation , that being said there are some great solid state guitar amps out there as well.

[@nephilymbass1]

I used to be all about tube amps. It changed. It wasn’t me that changed or the amp that changed. The problem is stage volume changed over the years. Back in the early 2000s bands were very loud onstage and an SVT with a fridge was the ultimate bass rig. Now so many bands guitar players have gone ampless or use smaller modern 50w tube amps instead of the 100+w amps they used to use. The problem is the SVT and the ampeg classic 810 don’t sound good turned down. So eventually I started looking at different options. 50w tube bass amps are great for recording but can’t get loud enough without farting out in a lot of situations. So many pedal companies make pedals to emulate some of that SVT character. With the combination of my mesa subway rig and the origin effects vintage bass rig pedal, I can get a lively pushed SVT sounds at lower volume. And it’s the best of both worlds because I can turn the pedal off and have a cleaner more high fi sound than an SVT can produce.

[@philipconradmusic]

Well said! ⚡️

[@treed873]

I used to play a 500 watt Carvin full stack, which was solid state. At the time, I was playing hair metal, and my bass sound was super clean. Now, I play in church and don't even use an amp. I have a Sansamp bass driver di that is slightly dirty. And on bigger parts I kick on a Darkglass Alpha Omicron for even more dirt! It's weird to think how my sound evolved, from bars to church, it got dirtier! Lol

[@cameronlesley2428]

As semi pro player for the last 30 years the solid state is the winner for me , reliability above all else. maybe cab / speaker choice is probably more relevant instead of valve vs solid state . I run a solid state amp and a 1x12 and a 2x10 cab and it’s been amazing and consistent