Amps

Tube Amps vs. Solid-State Amps

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Ever since solid-state amplifiers emerged in the 1960s, the debate has raged over which type of amplifier is better for bass. There has been what amounts to a “tube amps vs solid-state amps” war that has been waged in music stores, online, and between otherwise good musical friends.

For us bass players, the choice isn’t quite as volatile as it is for guitar players, many of whom would rather drink poison than play through a solid-state amp. Still, there are those bassists that swear by that natural, warm, fat tone that a tube amp delivers.

So the question is, what’s the difference between these amps, and what’s best for you? Oh yeah…and there’s also a third option.

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Fender Rumble Bass Amp Review

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After picking up a Fender Rumble Bass Amp, I thought it would be a good idea to write a review about it. To be totally honest, I had never been a big fan of the Rumble series amps in the past. I always thought they sounded kind of sterile. And, I wasn’t in love with the looks either. However, while browsing through the music store a while back, I noticed that Fender had a new series of Rumble amps, and it immediately caught my eye.

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Ampeg BA112 Bass Amp Review

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Good sounding practice amps are tough to find, especially one that still has enough power to play small gigs. I was recently searching for such an amp, with my main thoughts being something around 50 watts, not too heavy, with a decent speaker and a good tone.

Well, I’m pleased to say that I’ve found it in the Ampeg BA112 Bass Combo. This cool-looking, box-like amplifier has 50 watts powering a 12″ custom Ampeg speaker.

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Fender Bassman Amp

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After Leo Fender introduced his revolutionary new Precision electric bass in 1951 he had to come up with an amplifier that could handle the new instrument’s low end power.

The first Fender Bassman was released in 1952, it featured a 15″ speaker and 26 watts of all tube power. It basically was a guitar amp with a little more low end response, but it set the stage for all bass amps to come that would literally change music forever.

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Ampeg B-100R Combo Review: Vintage Sound of the 60s

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Vintage-style bass amps seem to be harder and harder to find these days, especially affordable ones. For every vintage reissue bass amp, there are probably ten or more vintage guitar model amps available on the market. About ten years ago (or more now), I saw an amazing looking bass amp in a music store. It appeared to be an Ampeg B-15 Portaflex, the legendary bass combo from the 1960s. On closer inspection, I realized it was a new, solid-state remake of that classic old tube amp. It was the Ampeg B-100R Combo.

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