Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

No, Bob, I'll go back to Russia for a visit after I get some environmental and job problems straightened out on my end here.

Yes, Ampeg set the standard in old conventional tube bass amp designs. Dirty tube amps will always be in demand for guitarists, but bassists will probably lean toward cleaner amps as bass strings are highly overwound and are the real producers of the character of a bass, along with construction materials and design of the instrument. Phil Jones Bass has went the high fidelity route, and if I ever get another bass amp it will probably be one of his smaller ones. My YCV40 is basically a smaller Fender Bassman the way I have it modded, so it is my "vintage" amp without the vintage hassles.

Funny you should mention toilets, as an upstairs toilet "flushed sideways" and I now have another mess to clean up. Yesterday is was the computer and a sprained back muscle. It's always something these days. Bass amp details become small in comparison. I hope the toilet problems get solved.

I agree with Bob, Ampeg set the standard and most of the others did't quite measure up. However, Traynor, Marshall, Fender and Sunn made some good sounding bass amps from the 60's and 70's. Also, I've heard HiWatts and Vox AC50/100's used for bass, and they sound good too. Nowadays, most people just get something solid state for bass. it works well and has a better damping factor, so the sound is tighter and cleaner. I prefer tube amps for bass because of the warmth however and currently have an MTI era Ampeg SVT (early 80's), a 1970 Sunn 200S that I recently rebuilt and modified, and a 1968 Sunn 2000S which is still completely stock. The Sunns sound much better through cabinets loaded with vintage JBL's than any other cabinet I've come across.

Philip you have an E-mail.