best Amp (not PA) for slim phatty

[Vitja]

In a week I will finally get my slim phatty.
I will use it mostly for bass sounds in a trio format where we decided not to use PA system. Instead we will use amps for rehearsals and also on stage. We want more like band sound, so we tried several setups and decided to go for amps.
So, I want to ask you guys if you have any experience using bass amp with slim phatty.
I'm looking for something like Bassman (for tube sound) or ACC Acoustic (for solid state).
Is there any considerations on Tube/Solid state sound?

I want to be able to play all kind of sounds on it but the main focus is on bass.
I can also use guitar amps in combination with bass amp especially for stereo image (two guitar amps in stereo and one bass in center).

I also want to play samples from live and play my circuit bendt Kawai R-100 and maybe another bendt synth for crazy stuff, maybe a DSI tetra also. But first I want to make sure that my slim phatty is happy!

Any suggestions?

Thanx!

[ricknboogie]

The Roland KC series keyboard amps will be one good choice. I own a KC-350, and use it for rehearsals and jams, but my gig rig is a Mesa M3 Carbine bass head, through an Aguilar DB 210 or Genz benz Uber 212 spkr cab, all bass gear. I really like synth through a bass rig. It will all come down to personal preference though, as to exactly which rig you'd like best, so go forth and play some amp/cab combo's for yourself.

[Voltor07]

If I were you, I'd look at Traynor keyboard amps. They add a bit of tube-like coloration to whatever you're playing.

[Vitja]

Traynor looks good. But somehow I feel I need something like bass head with 15'' speaker cabinet, or maybe in a combo format.
Than I want to have two active monitors for stereo.
That would be perfect.

I realized that running synths into tube guitar amp is not an option, it sounds like crap... too much of that mid range and high frequencies
are acting like you have really bright guitar strings oscilating. nothing good.

Thanx for your advise!

All best!

[Voltor07]

I have a 12" speaker in my Phonic MK 50. It puts out plenty of bass. 15" speakers are overrated, they have too much mass, and don't have fast response to subtle frequencies. A good 12" driver goes just as low, if not lower, than a 15" driver, and has a better response overall. But, it is your decision in the end.

[PHC]

Try Roland Cube 60 or 120XL Bass Amp.
You get a nice sound (it has a midrange speaker, You might be able to pull off duller leads with the phatty on it). Plus You get effects (dly, rvrb, chorus, comp and distr) and amp simulator + a looper! And everything can be controlled by footswitches for live use. The effects are nice, no connecting pedals for quick jamming, rehersals. And did I mention a Solo Channel for instant recall of all settings? You press a footswitch and You recall a verb/dly setting with less bass, more hi/midrange, different amp sim, play a solo on a lead patch and then once the next verse comes You turn it off and carry on playing bass on a regular setting. I have it, I love it

Boy, did I sound like a Roland sales rep...

[e3p0]

Roland KC550 could work for live even. (I'm not sure of the others unless you go direct into a PA too) They have enough inputs for what you are looking to do without bringing a mixer too, and if you ever get another you can link them. Rivera makes some really impressive amps too, might be cost prohibitive though. They make the only all tube acoustic amp I can think of.

If you want tube growl or grit go Ampeg bass amp. You could also use just about any guitar amp too.

Bring your Phatty to a GC or similar and try some stuff.

I just don't think a 50 or 60 watt solid state amp would do enough live without DI or mic into a PA also.
Good luck!
-e

[Box]

Peavey KB-300. 15" Scorpion woofer with two 1" drivers, built in spring reverb, and 3 channels. By far the best sounding amp I've ever used. It's not tube, but it is analogue solid state. Made in the U.S.A. to boot. Only downside is finding one since they're old, and that they weigh 85 pounds. Should be able to find one for under $250. If you want to buy new I'd look into something from Motion Sound or Traynor/Yorkville.

[Voltor07]

The Peavey KB-4 is the modern equivalent of the old KB/A 300.

[Box]

The Peavey KB-4 is the modern equivalent of the old KB/A 300.

Tried one of those too, the old Peavey blows it out of the water though. KB-4 was way better than Behringer though. Just better quality components with the KB-300. If you don't mind hauling an 85 pound amp I HIGHLY suggest one to anyone. The only thing I'd replace it with would be a small PA set up, like the Peavey TriFlex.

[Set]

Hey,

I'm exactly in the same situation. I use my synths in amps by choice. I could have go DI or use a PA but we choosed amps by sound aesthetic. My drummer which is sound engineer also choosed amps for some technical reason. I've tried lot of options, KB amps, bass amps, guitar amps. Sometimes with bi-amp or even tri-amp. My answer to your question is : it depends...Depends of what you are looking for and what you can afford.

Do you want tube or SSD ?
Do you want to use an amp to EQ and color your sound or do you prefer a linear amp ?
Do you want to be able to distord your amp pre-amp or power amp ?
How much volume would you need on stage (according to other band member) ?

The cabs matters a lot. Using a bass amps or kb amps are usually better option but be careful to the specifications. Not all sounds that good. I'll especially look at the Output transfos specs. Then you could mic the amp on stage PA or use a DI to mix both signal and have a melt of that PA hifi sound with your amp colored sound.

Asking there ppl will mainly give recommendations of US's amps, those can be overpriced or hard to find on EU markets.

Well the best is to try and listen

[Vitja]

I'm back from extensive mixing for our new album and it is time to think about live gigs…
Recently I bought Orange or120 head, for my guitar needs. It is a killer killer killer amp. I play guitar for 20 years and this is roar best amp I ever played! New it is time to try my Slim with it! It has massive bass and it is 120 watts of clean headroom. I heard they old oranges are very good for analog synths. I have to try it with bandmate's bass stack. Than I will report how it works.

And I have another one… It is Hohner Orgaphone 41mh. It is a old amp form 60's made for accordions, hehe… It is all tube and it has a very good sounding opto tremolo and tube based spring reverb. Its a combo amp, 60 watts and 2x10 speakers. It sounds absolutely beautiful with lead sounds. It was laying around in attic for 8 years. I thought that it is dead, but is seems to have just a cap problem.

If the or120 is good for slim, then I have a perfect tube amp duo for my live setup! Cant wait to test this out!

[ebowen4221]

I have a cheap rack, with a line mixer, a markbass or vivid amps head (I change them out), and a markbass traveller 112 or vivid cab 12 and a vivid cab 15. The important thing is that all of the above are billed as "bass amplifiers" but they are really just full range amplifiers and speakers. Something that a keyboard amp really isn't, as keyboard rigs don't go down to the 20hz range very well.

The only problem is bass amps only have 1 or 2 inputs, hence why I have a line mixer (technically I have 2, but I only use 1, but they weigh about 4lbs so I carry both). I can plug in 6 (or 12) mini inputs and have them going out of the speaker. I suppose it is like a PA, but it's only used for my keys, and not vocals, or guitar, or kazoo or whatever I don't want to hear.