Tuomas Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 im playing now with ampeg b2r, 350w, solid-state head and i like it but i would still want litlle more tubeish (?) sound. i was surfing the ampeg site and noticed (and remembered) ampeg V4B head. and it hit me. so im thinking maybe getting one but im just wondering will the V4B (100w) have enough power compared to my b2r (350w)? I believe so because its all-tube and b2r is all-solid-state. im playing through ampeg BSE410HLF 400w cab. the other thing is that this would be my first tube amp and i dont know should i change my b2r to tube V4B... with all that tube changing etc. well thats my problem. Don't eat yellow snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Tube amps are not louder than solid-state amps. They might SOUND louder (which counts), but not so much in the context of bass reproduction. If you want full-blown tube goodness, get the SVT. 100-watts will cut it with a VERY efficient cabinet (mid-voiced). Think old-school folded-horn enclosure. SVT heads sound best with the classic SVT810 cabinet, in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raven Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 You're pushing a 4x10 rated at 400 watts with a 350 watt head and the V4B has less than 1/3 the power of the B2R. You're going backwards. This has been discussed recently here : Also, the notion that tube heads are more powerful than the same wattage solid state heads is a myth.... watts are watts... If you really want the "tube " sound, and like Ampeg, get an SVT head... or an "amp modeling" box.... BCR's homepage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Originally posted by getz76: SVT heads sound best with the classic SVT810 cabinet, in my opinion.I'm also a fan of the SVT215 cab with the Classic all-tube head. Either way, they sound great. Either way, they are both heavy as A Really Heavy Thing from Extra Heavy Stuff Land. Those stupid things should come with a roadie. In an ideal world, where I had unlimited monetary resources, I'd still own that SVT Classic and use it on outdoor gigs. That thing was ridiculously loud. Just stupid ridiculously loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 I liked my SVT head as well. Never had maintanence issues and was obscenely loud. A bit of a one trick pony, but it was a good trick. Got sick of the weight and I think my current rig sounds better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuomas Posted July 15, 2004 Author Share Posted July 15, 2004 ok. i have to think about it.. its just that so many people say that tube amps are louder or you dont have to have so many watts in your amp if it is a tube amp. i dont know about tube amps, so good thing that there is this LowDown.. Don't eat yellow snow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 Originally posted by Tuomas: ok. i have to think about it.. its just that so many people say that tube amps are louder or you dont have to have so many watts in your amp if it is a tube amp. i dont know about tube amps, so good thing that there is this LowDown.. Be careful of taking what you hear thrown around as "technical fact" as gospel (including what you hear here). The vast majority of players have no idea how their equipment operates; luckily, being an engineer is not a requirement for being a good player. However, when some of these folks start talking as if they know what they're talking about, watch out. As Robb recently posted, even some magazines publish rather misleading information. Anything you hear, try to validate. Beware of some of the sales personnel in music stores as well; for as many well read and studied professionals, there are equally as many hacks that just want a sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc taz Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 I've played a B2R through a 4x10 HLF cab with a 5 string. That can get plenty loud. The 350w rating is conservative; at full volume, it tops out at around 400w or so. So yes, you can blow out your eardrums with this thing. For what it is, it has plenty of headroom, in my experience. The optocoupler limiters do a good job in keeping the amp sound clean at high volumes, though. No wonder I want one. Might use a different 4x10 cab if I had it. Don't forget the casters! Your back will thank you for it. sevenstring.org profile my flickr page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xvincex Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 getz; your band is good man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rumpelstiltskin. Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 i actually am an engineer, so according to maury, you can trust me. i've got tech chops. the thing about tubes is that they're a lot easier to overdrive. the short story there is that when you push them into overdrive, they don't sound nearly as ragged as transistors in overdrive, so you can push them further into overdrive before it sounds like bad things. what difference does that make? an rated for 100W of clean power can actually make quite a bit more when it's overdriven. another word for that state of affairs is clipping. tubes don't clip as dramatically as transistors. in fact, they begin to distort a little before they clip. and when they clip, they sound a lot more "creamy" instead of "fuzzy" and "nasty". so since they distort a little more musically, you can distort them more and get more power out of your tube amp. "a watt is a watt" is an oft-parroted truism. however, power ratings aren't often power reality, and that is where people get confused about "tube watts" versus "solid state watts". the bottom line, though, is that you should try the V4B head through your cabinet to see if it is as loud as your B2R and if you prefer the tone. that will tell you what's "tubey" about the B2R and whether you'd be happier with an SVT. you might be surpised, but then again, you might not. robb. because i like people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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