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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:02 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
CPL wrote:
... Another one that had a lot of reports of problems, which seems to no longer be made, was the Line 6 amps. I remember reading their forum and seeing a lot of complaints.


I bought the first Line 6 Studio 110 sold at Guitar Center Charlotte years ago. I still use it frequently. I'll let you know when it dies. I've had it now for about 5 or 6 years. It has one of the best XLR direct outs I ever heard.

Line 6 discontinued their entire line of bass products. Variax electric basses, Bass amps and the BassPod preamps/floorboards etc. Everything bass related was discontinued at Line 6 a year ago this past May. It is a volume thing. Not a reliability issue. They were selling 50 times more guitar gear than bass gear. It is sort of like Fender discontinuing the MIM Left Handed P-Bass, it was simply because they weren't selling many.

I have beat the snot out of my Line 6 Studio 110. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking and when this thing smokes I'd buy another one just like it, but now I can't. If my Line 6 amp smoked out tonight I've gotten way more than my money's worth.

Let's face it, there's problems in every amp line. And as previously mentioned it comes down to "who has the best warranty" when buying an amp these days.

I plan to stay far away from any tube gear from here on out, other than a tube preamp or tube pedal. In a hybrid amp with a tube preamp I want the preamp to be switchable between tube and solid state in case the tube fails. 12AX7's can fail without warning these days. They used to become microphonic and make whistling noises for a while, but now they just go dead with no warning. That is the most common bass preamp tube and has also been the number 1 microphone tube preamp since I started using tube microphone preamps in 1968. The vintage RCA ones lasted longest but you can't get them anymore around here. Even the late RCA ones were buggy. The offshore 12AX7's seem to last an average of about 12 months and then fail with no warning whatsoever. If you have one in a hybrid bass amp you are playing gigs with, you need to have a backup plan and a spare tube.


Huh?


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 8:17 pm
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I've recently bought a couple Peavey Combos, a turquoise TNT, and turquoise TKO. It's a meaty rig for the three fifty I spent. After a few tear repairs and a scrub down..they look and sound brand new.

I've re-learned, you have to keep Vaseline in the Preamp pot of the big one, or the compression will shut the volume off. A couple surge protectors seem to also help for that. I'm remembering all this as if I had amnesia.

I think I've already said all this in another thread. I just wanted to type.


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:04 am
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Benny Hill wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
CPL wrote:
... Another one that had a lot of reports of problems, which seems to no longer be made, was the Line 6 amps. I remember reading their forum and seeing a lot of complaints.


I bought the first Line 6 Studio 110 sold at Guitar Center Charlotte years ago. I still use it frequently. I'll let you know when it dies. I've had it now for about 5 or 6 years. It has one of the best XLR direct outs I ever heard.

Line 6 discontinued their entire line of bass products. Variax electric basses, Bass amps and the BassPod preamps/floorboards etc. Everything bass related was discontinued at Line 6 a year ago this past May. It is a volume thing. Not a reliability issue. They were selling 50 times more guitar gear than bass gear. It is sort of like Fender discontinuing the MIM Left Handed P-Bass, it was simply because they weren't selling many.

I have beat the snot out of my Line 6 Studio 110. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking and when this thing smokes I'd buy another one just like it, but now I can't. If my Line 6 amp smoked out tonight I've gotten way more than my money's worth.

Let's face it, there's problems in every amp line. And as previously mentioned it comes down to "who has the best warranty" when buying an amp these days.

I plan to stay far away from any tube gear from here on out, other than a tube preamp or tube pedal. In a hybrid amp with a tube preamp I want the preamp to be switchable between tube and solid state in case the tube fails. 12AX7's can fail without warning these days. They used to become microphonic and make whistling noises for a while, but now they just go dead with no warning. That is the most common bass preamp tube and has also been the number 1 microphone tube preamp since I started using tube microphone preamps in 1968. The vintage RCA ones lasted longest but you can't get them anymore around here. Even the late RCA ones were buggy. The offshore 12AX7's seem to last an average of about 12 months and then fail with no warning whatsoever. If you have one in a hybrid bass amp you are playing gigs with, you need to have a backup plan and a spare tube.


Huh?


Benny, HUH? back. What part did you not get?


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 8:25 am
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The Trace Elliot 12 series bass amps and some other high end Trace amps are being made in Meridian, MS by Peavey now. Peavey is also the USA distributor for all Trace Elliot products now and would use their service network which is fairly extensive. I tried the 1215 and it is good. Heavy though. 15 incher, 600 watts and 75 lbs and $1400. One of the best EQ setups out there on that series. The 1210 has a 2x10 setup with the same head for a little more. So that should have been on my list.


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 1:33 pm
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I'm still leaning towards Carvin, I really want to try one.


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:24 pm
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You just don't seem like the Line 6 type. It's all good though.


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:43 pm
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Benny Hill wrote:
You just don't seem like the Line 6 type. It's all good though.


I'm not actually. I don't like their other combos and I never tried their heads. The Studio 110 for it's size and weight. It was a lot of amp for the money in a very compact package. I actually was going to pickup a MarkBass combo when I saw it and tried it. Needed something small and loud enough for rehearsals. Came home with it instead of the MarkBass with jingle left in the pocket. Unless you tried this amp you probably wouldn't like it either. I dang near didn't try it. It isn't the best amp, and not as loud as the MarkBass but it was more versatile while also being smaller. It got me by and still is getting me by. Naturally more power would be nice, but essentially for what it is, it was a good little combo. Better than the Peavey combo it replaced and lighter.


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 4:49 pm
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Benny Hill wrote:
I've recently bought a couple Peavey Combos, a turquoise TNT, and turquoise TKO. It's a meaty rig for the three fifty I spent. After a few tear repairs and a scrub down..they look and sound brand new.


That is a good point, the old USA Peaveys are pretty much indestructible except for the speakers which are more susceptible to aging and exposure to the elements than the amplifier section. Have a really old 1975/76 Peavey Century 200 head that still sounds good as new. It has never had a screwdriver on it and is backup for my Ampeg head. I bought it new for $176 or something ridiculously cheap like that. Never a moment's problem so far. in 3 more years it is 40 yrs old! Amazing. While not the best bass head ever built, it so far has been amazingly durable.


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 6:55 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
The Trace Elliot 12 series bass amps and some other high end Trace amps are being made in Meridian, MS by Peavey now. Peavey is also the USA distributor for all Trace Elliot products now and would use their service network which is fairly extensive. I tried the 1215 and it is good. Heavy though. 15 incher, 600 watts and 75 lbs and $1400. One of the best EQ setups out there on that series. The 1210 has a 2x10 setup with the same head for a little more. So that should have been on my list.


I was just looking there yesterday. I noticed the made in the USA and designed in the UK thing. I figured Peavey had something to do with this, since I recalled them being the distributor as well. I remember when they came out originally. I always like them and wanted one, but they were out of my price reach. I still would like one. Maybe someday.

Speaking of Peavey, I looked up the Data Bass (my old amp) online and somebody was selling one on eBay. It was nice to see pictures of it again and remember putting it through it's paces during my formative years. If I had the money, I'd buy one. It was a good amp and I've always regretted selling it. Loud bastard, it was. I love my Fender, but I wouldn't mine one as a back up, or for old time's sake, or even a main amp.

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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 7:11 pm
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brotherdave wrote:
Benny Hill wrote:
I've recently bought a couple Peavey Combos, a turquoise TNT, and turquoise TKO. It's a meaty rig for the three fifty I spent. After a few tear repairs and a scrub down..they look and sound brand new.


That is a good point, the old USA Peaveys are pretty much indestructible except for the speakers which are more susceptible to aging and exposure to the elements than the amplifier section. Have a really old 1975/76 Peavey Century 200 head that still sounds good as new. It has never had a screwdriver on it and is backup for my Ampeg head. I bought it new for $176 or something ridiculously cheap like that. Never a moment's problem so far. in 3 more years it is 40 yrs old! Amazing. While not the best bass head ever built, it so far has been amazingly durable.


Dave, do you remember or know the story about this one? Image

I picked one up back in the mid-90's for $100 and used it for a bass amp when my Ampeg crapped out and later as a make shift PA for rehearsals when I was able to get the Ampeg running again. I got it because I was broke and it was the only thing available at the time that I could afford. This one isn't mine, I got the picture from the web, by the way. I don't have it anymore.

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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 4:55 pm
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CPL wrote:
brotherdave wrote:
Benny Hill wrote:
I've recently bought a couple Peavey Combos, a turquoise TNT, and turquoise TKO. It's a meaty rig for the three fifty I spent. After a few tear repairs and a scrub down..they look and sound brand new.


That is a good point, the old USA Peaveys are pretty much indestructible except for the speakers which are more susceptible to aging and exposure to the elements than the amplifier section. Have a really old 1975/76 Peavey Century 200 head that still sounds good as new. It has never had a screwdriver on it and is backup for my Ampeg head. I bought it new for $176 or something ridiculously cheap like that. Never a moment's problem so far. in 3 more years it is 40 yrs old! Amazing. While not the best bass head ever built, it so far has been amazingly durable.


Dave, do you remember or know the story about this one? Image

I picked one up back in the mid-90's for $100 and used it for a bass amp when my Ampeg crapped out and later as a make shift PA for rehearsals when I was able to get the Ampeg running again. I got it because I was broke and it was the only thing available at the time that I could afford. This one isn't mine, I got the picture from the web, by the way. I don't have it anymore.


I don't know what story is coming with that, but it looks like a cosmetic sister to my Century 200. This isn't mine either but it looks just like this one:

Image

I loaned my Peavey rehearsal rig to a kid for a gig about 15 years ago. His mom drove the pickup and she drove off from the "gig" which was a park freebie with the tailgate down and the upright wheeled cab rolled out at like 40 to 50 mph and the baffle collapsed. Kindling. The head thankfully wasn't wheeled. Some other stuff fell out but it wasn't mine. LOL


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2013 10:02 pm
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Ouch! I've been lucky I've never experience anything like that, but the Ampeg I had fried it's transformer. Nothing like the stink of an amp burning out. That was an expensive fix.

I'm wondering if that Standard was just the guitar variant of that Century bass amp, or they probably just came out at the same time period?

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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Wed Sep 04, 2013 5:33 pm
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I ended up selling my TKO yesterday. I bought it to run with the TNT160 I have...but it doesn't increase the volume at all. I also bought it as a just in case backup to the TNT...but I've since fixed the TNT's voltage problem(3 surge protectors and some Vaseline 'cause the compressor is a little too sensitive, plus the house has a over-current/fuse problem)...so I didn't have any use for the TKO80. Still learning after all these years.


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Fri Sep 27, 2013 9:08 pm
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oxfan wrote:
I'm still leaning towards Carvin, I really want to try one.






I played thru an 8-10 Carvin cab and a 4 or 500 watt (maybe more) Carvin head once at a benefit gig. It was very loud and had lots of tonal adjustment available. It was nice. I'd still just go buy an Ampeg though. I've had Ampegs so long it's like a habit. Same thing with Fender guitars and basses. 8)


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Post subject: Re: American made bass amps.....
Posted: Sat Sep 28, 2013 3:21 pm
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I almost forgot to mention this. I found this the other day when I was looking at Peavey stuff (yes, I know, it was bass amp indiscretions-sorry Fender! :P ) and discovered this blog: http://www.preservationsound.com/?p=3084 There is a link to a 1973 Peavey catalog there, as well. At least I found out about that old Standard I had in it.

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