If you are looking for a bass tube amp, you probably already know the differences between them and solid-state bass amps. However, if you do not, I am going to give you a quick rundown as well as tell you about the now common hybrid of the two types. Then I am going to tell you about my experience with tube bass amps, solid state, and hybrids.
Tube amplifiers cost more, weigh more, and tend to be more fragile. They need more maintenance in the way of tube replacement and bias setting, and put out less rated power on paper. Tube amps produce a sonic tone that is warmer, thicker, and I describe as juicy. When they are overdriven or pushed to their power limits, they sound good to the human ear. Electricity in a tube amp is put through vacuum tubes. This means the electricity travels through a vacuum to become amplified.
Solid state bass amps by contrast cost much less, are lighter weight, are often indestructible. They need no maintenance and put out a ton of power. When a solid state amp distorts, it may not sound as pleasing to the ear even though these amps can copy tube amps well. The electricity flowing through a solid state amp is traveling through solid electrical components called resistors rather than vacuum tubes.
The differences in tone between the two types are created by the influence the tubes or resistors have on the signal. Tubes tend react more slowly and smoothly as they are pushed to the point of clipping or distorting because the amp cannot handle any more. This behavior is typical of analog devices. Tubes create a distinct sonic signature, which influences the bass tone. Solid-state amps are more modern and digital in design. When their signal breaks up, it does it abruptly. They influence the sonic signature of bass tone as well but it is different sounding.
In the end, it just depends on what you like to hear. I have played both for years as you will see below and I like both. I prefer tubes but often cannot afford them nor am I willing to lift them.
The two distinct amp types have led to what nowadays is a cross between the two. In this amp, a tube or several are put into the bass preamp section of the amplifier. The tubes warm up the tone but the power comes from a solid state source. The power amp can be built into the amp box like the Ashdown ABM EVO 500 bass amps or like the new Markbass Little Mark 3s with tube preamp. Alternatively, you can use a separate bass preamp like a Demeter or Alembic and separate power amp. Separated components are usually more expensive but they might sound better to you too. It is good to know what is what before you buy a new bass amp.
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My first experience with a bass tube amp was in 1977. I had just begun learning to play the electric bass guitar the previous year and I knew nothing about amps. For me it was just something I needed to plug into to hear my bass. I had been using a little Peavey TNT combo bass amp that was solid state but needed to move to bigger amp because I was being drowned out by the rest of the band. An acquaintance of mine had a Classic ’70s Ampeg SVT and he said it was the only bass amplifier out there besides the Acoustic 370 that was worth looking at. He always sounded amazing and was a much more experienced player than I was. However, I ended not getting an SVT because I was concerned over their reliability and weight. Another bass player friend of mine said he had to have two SVTs in case one broke down. His bass rig sounded incredible too. However, I went with the Acoustic 370 solid state amp which was much lighter and more reliable. However, I still did not have the warm thick fuzzy sound I wanted.
For many years, I continued to stay with solid state amps but then started to buy bass preamps with tube sections in them. These were light and sounded good and warm. I had a Demeter VTBP-201S bass preamplifier that I used for five years that I powered with a Peavey DPC 1000 power amp and later a QSC PLX. I used this with a 1988 SWR Goliath 410 bass cabinet that Eden made before he started his own company. This was an unbelievably good sounding bass rig. It sounded warm and thick. Anytime I tried something else, they would pale in comparison. I am convinced the tubes in that preamp made all the difference even though tone-wise this was the cleanest amp I think I have ever played.
In 2002, I bought an Ampeg SVT Classic and could not believe I never bought one before. The tone was to die for. I felt like kicking myself for not buying one sooner. Every note was full and gritty sounding when I wanted it to be that way. The power was rated at 300 watts at 4 ohms, which did not seem like much. However, tube power is more than solid state. At least it sounds like it is. That 300-watt tube amp was as loud as 500 watts of solid state. Reliability issues had been ironed out by Ampeg over the years because I never had any problems.
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After two years, I started getting fatigued on carrying it through the kitchen door at the back of my house at 3:00 a.m. I almost died a couple times lifting its 80 lbs through a tight kitchen counter to door ratio. In addition, I did not want to deal with replacing the tubes. It can be expensive at roughly $120 to retube once a year, which is how much I was going to have to do it because of how much I gigged. Therefore, I sold the amp and essentially traded the luscious tone for portability.
While now I mainly use a Markbass Little Mark 2 solid state bass amp which is around 7 lbs and I carry in a laptop case. I am still trying to find a hybrid amp that weighs less than 10 lbs. I think the Genz Henz shuttle series is worth looking at with their tube preamp sections. Or I will try another Markbass with a tube since I like them quite a bit.
If I were still in my 20s and playing many places, I would definitely get another bass tube amp. I think, the tone is just too good to pass on. If I had, $2000 I would probably buy an Aguilar DB751. These are catching many bass player’s ears. I just played a gig with 2 bass players and the other guy had an Aguilar DB-750. I will be doing a review of it shortly. It was very fat and juicy sounding.
I learned more detail about vaccum tubes and how they work at Vacuum Tubes – The Basics. Read through their description if you would like to learn more.
(I always check here too. I bought an Ampeg SVT-3PRO bass amp here a while back for under $700. That’s $300 under what they normally go for. I just made an offer and they went for it.)