My gear... who needs GAS?

throw_this_away · Post by **throw_this_away** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:49 pm

Just got in my fulltone bassdrive today. I am looking forward to using it for our gig this friday (I am very impressed by my bedroom tests). The fulltone gives me true bypass for a clean tone, mild overdrive with one click, and then dirtier overdrive with another click. My boss gives me a full out wall of sound fuzz.

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 4:51 pm

Ah, the Fulltone . . . best thing I ever did . . . other than buy a Rickenbacker!

loendmaestro · Post by **loendmaestro** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:03 pm

Love my Fulltone too.

So, no help with the YBA200 from you boys?

squirefan01 · Post by **squirefan01** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:46 pm

What do you guys think about the Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver vs. the Fulltone? I am looking at getting a bass driver for the first time.

Thanks

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 7:00 pm

Never tried a YBA200, but I've read some good stuff. I need 300 watts though (or 900, if you count all three):

bobcat · Post by **bobcat** » Tue Mar 21, 2006 9:13 pm

People keep telling me that the SansAmp BassDriver pedal ends up cutting mids or not emphasizing mids or whatever because it has no mid control . . . just treble, bass, drive and presence, I believe. The FullTone, on the other hand, is not meant to replace an amp, and has no EQ . . . it's got volume, drive, tone and boost, and a toggle-switch. If anything, it makes your mids (and bottom end) more thick and prominent, and the highs get more grind-y. I don't know what the rackmount SansAmp is like (it has a Mid control), but I think that, if you already have an amp, the FullTone might be a better idea, unless you can foresee going completely direct being a necessary option.

You should probably just try them both out. But I will definitely vote for the FullTone.

throw_this_away · Post by **throw_this_away** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 4:12 am

Never tried a sansamp... but I have heard of people using fulltones as DI boxes. They are both around the same price.

Cris, check harmony central, aside from a few bad eggs people like them. For an all tube amp, 41 lbs is light, the price is a bargain, the tone is smoking (comparable to ampeg but a little cleaner), and the "even if you break it" warranty is amazing. The only downside is that it is not a great amp for home use as you have to get it pretty loud for optimal sound (like most tube amps). My neighbours are trying to get me kicked out of my apt...

oh, but if you can afford 3 vintage SVT's... get that instead. ;P

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 5:28 am

John, I've been accumulating them over the last eight years or so, and got most of them when the prices weren't so insane. I think the most I paid for a head was $750 and $250 a cab.

throw_this_away · Post by **throw_this_away** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 5:35 am

Well they are all very nice. I will own one someday ... they are the standard. Settign my eyes on a beat to hell 70's V4B first though... more managable for my current volume needs.

icabod · Post by **icabod** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 7:40 am

John; If you get a 70's v4b brain, there is an output tube mod to replace the 7027's with 6550's and works real well, mine puts out 128 watts at 40 cycles.

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:14 am

What do watts have to do with frequency?

throw_this_away · Post by **throw_this_away** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:18 am

I will have to look into that richard... the local V4b I played and loved so much had the same mod

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:15 pm

Charly - you need an input signal for the amp to put out any wattage. Richard is saying that his V4B puts out 128 watts with a 40Hz input sinewave. Typically, tube amps will make less power at lower frequencies, and 40Hz is (roughly) the fundamental of the E string, so that's pretty low.

Both of my working SVTs (the middle head in the picture I posted is still in project-phase) put out 285 watts with a 40Hz input sinewave. Both of them have ancient GE6550A power tubes. I just bought a set of NOS GE's that I'm going to put into one of them to see if it puts out more power or not.

charlyg · Post by **charlyg** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:35 pm

Ahh! Now I understand. I was thinking of 60 Hertz line input and wondered how or why someone would have 40. D'oh!

rhampshire · Post by **rhampshire** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:46 pm

And I should mention that, with tube amps, clean watts are lower than dirty watts. For example, my SVT's do 285 clean watts, just before clipping of the output sinewave, with a 40Hz input signal into a 4-ohm load. Dirty, nasty, square wave cranked up all the way output is about 400watts RMS.