Aussie bass dude Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Hi, new here, live in the land of Aus have a SWR Gollie III and SWR Sob 15, am currently using a Peavey Firebass 700 (which is struggling) I am looking at buying a Messa 400+ or a SWR 750x Has anyone used these amps, any thoughts no beer until July 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshappi Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Hello Aussie Bass Dude, Welcome to the Lowdown. Hang tight, I'm sure some folks will be along soon who can answer your questions. Til then try the "search" function in the upper right hand corner,SWR gear get s talked about alot on this board so you should be able to find a lot of info fast. Cheers! Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Never played a Messa, but I owned an SWR Bass 750. Great amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 30, 2003 Share Posted October 30, 2003 Originally posted by Aussie bass dude: I am looking at buying a Messa 400+ or a SWR 750xVery different sounding amps not to mention completely different designs and power outputs. Apart from the shortage of power from your Peavey, what do you want to change about it? Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie bass dude Posted October 31, 2003 Author Share Posted October 31, 2003 I really just want a nice big warm sound, and I can get SWR and Messa quite cheap no beer until July 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 A lot of warmth comes from string choice, HANDS, and learning to EQ for a particular cabinet and head combination. I'm guessing you can make your current rig do your bidding. I know I could make a Firebass work that way, though I prefer the option of a tube preamp or better tube emulator. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie bass dude Posted October 31, 2003 Author Share Posted October 31, 2003 Thanks mate, I guess I will go down the all tube road one day, I will keep trying to get the most of Peavey. Now for a stupid question, Will string types make a noticible difference to tone? I am currently using ernie ball no beer until July 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 A cheap fix is to place the very flexible Peavey Max rackmount preamp output into your Firebass's "power amp in" jack. This gives you arguably the best of all worlds for bass: tube and solid state inputs that can be used separately or blended to any combination, each with their own EQ, with the tighter faster-damped low-end that solid state affords. This is especially noticable with low B strings, but depending on preferences and styles, is noticable PERIOD. The Max makes good use of a single AX-7 and has great EQ (which is why I got rid of an Alembic FX-1 which sounded so close to the same, but was less flexible). I got my Max for so cheap on eBay I'd be embarrasing the seller by actually mentioning the figure ; } Strings? Want to go warmer? Go from stainless to nickel plated, then to nickel alloy (some manufatcures just say NICKEL without mentioning whether that is thin plating or a full alloy wrap). Still want warmer? - which is partically the same as saying you want less upper harmonic content. If so, go from roundwounds to some brands of (duller) compressed-wounds, then to ground-roundwounds, then to various flatwounds (some are a little duller than others), than finally to tapewounds which have that acoustic thump. Any of these will feel smoother than stainless roundwounds - which is nice too. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Originally posted by Aussie bass dude: Thanks mate, I guess I will go down the all tube road one day, I will keep trying to get the most of Peavey. Now for a stupid question, Will string types make a noticible difference to tone? I am currently using ernie ballYes, You will notice different tones from different brands, the different materials that they are made from, and the different styles such as round wound, ground wound, flat wound, and the other styles. Opinions on which strings are best and give the best sound will vary greatly. I am sure that you will get some really good feedback from the guys and gals on this forum on what type is best for what style of music you will be playing. A quick search on this forum may help also. http://www.musicplayer.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=5;t=005343#000003 Welcome to the lowdown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikestr Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Hey Aussie, Welcome to the Lowdown. I think that your problem may lie in the impedence of your SWR cabs. If Im not mistaken, both the Golliath and SOB are rated at 8 ohms apiece. If you are connecting each of the cabs into each of outs on the Firebass you will only be getting 475 watts. This is because the Firebass is rated at 700 watts @ 4 ohms per side, your cabs are 8 ohms. I would suggest plugging in 2 4ohm cabs, one on each out of the Firebass outs and check it out - you might just reconsider not getting a whole new rig. I have a Firebass (whiteface) and run it through a 4x10tvx 4ohm and I will tell you that it is very loud and I have never had a problem with headroom or available power. As far as warmth of tone goes, there have been some great suggestions posted above. Another thing you might want to look at is the tone of your bass. Each of my basses sounds quite different through the Firebass. You might want to play with the tone controls on your bass and the Firebass and try to dial in a 'warmer' tone. ikestr ...hertz down low.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Uh, ikestr, If I recall correctly the Firebass I jammed through, the mono amp section made 700 watts into 2 ohms (two 4-ohm cabs, or four eight ohm cabs), and 475 watts into 4 ohms (two eight ohm cabs, or one 4-ohm cab). I think that's what you meant. One thing I liked about it was the contour design, which allowed one to shape the signal more to Fletcher-Munson sensitivity curves for playing at various lower volumes, or adding the smiley face in varying amounts to voice it (somewhat like SWR's "enhance" control) before even touching the EQ dials. I was happy to see a crossover but had wished the internal power amp was actually divided into two channels. And at the upper position they once occupied in Peavey's line-up, it would have been nice to include a tube or emulated tube overdrive-capable pregain. But hey, for the sound quality, bulletproof design, flexibility, and good s/n, these are incredibly cheap heads. Like many Peaveys they are better than they are generally acknowledged to be. Maybe if Peavey would have jacked the prices and packaged them like boutique pieces they would have gotten more 'spect ; } . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie bass dude Posted October 31, 2003 Author Share Posted October 31, 2003 Thanks for all info guys and the warm welcomes, Its good to see a forum that actually has decent posts no beer until July 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikestr Posted October 31, 2003 Share Posted October 31, 2003 Greenboy, Yes, that is what I meant - I dont always convey my thoughts well when typing. ikestr ...hertz down low.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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