Tried my bass player's amp yesterday

Terje Larson · From: Rinkeby, Spånga, Sweden

He has this compact little Gallien-Krueger amp, one of those small 1x12 thingies. After fooling aorudn with the settings I must say I was impressed. Almost as impressed as I've been with some Polytone amps. A very honest tone. No reverb on the thing though, you'd have to get something to use in the loop. That does take up the price of the whole package quite a bit actually, a thing that also needs to be taken into consideration when choosing what to buy.

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If you can't hear the others you're too loud, if you can't hear yourself you've gone deaf

Dave Grafe · From: Hudson River Valley NY

Like dedicated steel amps, bass amps in general are designed for headroom, not distortion. That's why they work so well for steel, what your guitar is putting out is actually what you hear.

David Doggett · Posted 12 Jun 2005 1:24 pm

I don't know about that particular amp, but many bass amps have a cross-over network and a tweeter, or thay have several small speakers (10") designed to have good top end. It may seem counter intuitive at first, but bass players like to have that strong high end to capture pick noise, slapping, etc. Also, the high end edge gives definition and keeps the bass from sounding muddy and boomy. Steel guitar already has excessive high end, so these kinds of bass amps can sound too harsh for steel. Bass amps often have weak mids and somehow manage to sound both too shrill for the highs and too muddy for the lows with steel. You could disconnect the crossover network and the tweeter, but it would be simpler to just use an amp designed for guitar or steel. If you play a bass head through a speaker that works good for steel (for example a 15" instrument speaker), it might sound okay, but some sound muddy and lacking in mids and highs. Believe it or not, guitar amps are designed for guitars, bass amps for bass, and steel amps for steel. They sound different.

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 12 June 2005 at 02:26 PM.]

Terje Larson · From: Rinkeby, Spånga, Sweden

Sorry, I didn't say it... I don't playu steel guitar. I play slide on an electric balalajka. I often try to emulate the sound of a steel guitar, I use a volume pedal a lot and I need good headroom and a clean tone. This G-K amp has no tweeter or 10" spekaer in it, only a 12".

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If you can't hear the others you're too loud, if you can't hear yourself you've gone deaf

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I presume you're discussing the GK MB150 amp. It's a good little amp, I sold a bunch of 'em when I was running my store, and I've played with 3 bass players that used them, including my current bass player. I tried one for steel with my Pod, it sounded fine. 1x12" speaker, no tweeter, as Terje says. The onboard speaker is fine for small rooms, but an extension cab extends usability to a larger room. One of these bass players used to play with the internal speaker + Carvin 1x18" cab, it sounded incredible for upright bass. The point is, the amp has enough power to drive an extension cabinet well.

I also like the 50-watt solid state Ampeg BA-112. It has a somewhat larger cabinet, and sounds very natural and quite clean unless you really push it. I think it sounds, in some ways, similar to an old Ampeg flip-top tube amp, but a little cleaner. This is what I use with the Pod for small rooms. It also sounds fine to plug guitar or steel straight in, but no effects whatsoever. Again, 1x12" speaker, no tweeter. The next size up moves to the 1x15" + tweeter, which I did not like. I have two of these, found a used one for $225. Pick up a used Pod (can get a used Pod 2 on ebay for $100 or less, I believe), this makes a pretty good moderate-volume rig for guitar, steel and electric banjo, and cheap. YMMV, this ain't no Twin Reverb or Session 400/500, but I think it's worth a look.

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MSA Classic D-10 8+4, Sierra U-14 8+5, Sierra S-10 3+4, BMI S-10 3+4 plus assorted six-stringers;
Peavey LTD 400, Line6 Pod 2.0 + Ampeg BA 112, '64 Fender Deluxe Reverb, '69 Dual Showman Reverb + EVM Cabinet

Terje Larson · From: Rinkeby, Spånga, Sweden

Yeah, G-K MB150 is the one I mean.

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If you can't hear the others you're too loud, if you can't hear yourself you've gone deaf

Jack Stoner · From: Kansas City, MO

My wife used to have a Peavey TNT 115S bass amp and I've tried it with Steel and it did well. This amp has a lot of EQ options including a graphic equalizer.'

She now has a smaller (lighter) Carvin "Pro Bass 200" amp and it too does good for steel.

John Poston · From: Albuquerque, NM, USA

That G/K is a nice amp for fiddle, too.

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