Hello -
Just wondering if anyone has any experience with these RedBear Amps. Either version...i know that there is a 60 watter and i believe the other is a 100 watter. I'm a huge Sovtek guy and have been for many years, one of my biggest regrets was selling my Sovtek 100b even though i ended up with a Sunn Coliseum PA head in the long run i still prefered the Sovtek. Some say that's weird and stupid but it's my ears man, i enjoyed the Sovtek much more. I've owned the 100U, 100B, 100H, and the Mig60...loved them all, 100B definitely my favorite though. But........I been reading more and more about these RedBear Amps and from what i read they seem to be exactly what the Sovtek is mocking but with a bit more gain and low end so it's beginning to raise my brows a bit. Anyone out there ever owned one?? Ever played one?? Hell...ever heard any one else play on one?? I know, I know...they are ugly as fuck...that grey carpet enclosure is absolutely fucking hideous but that can always be changed and totally not important when it comes to how the amp sounds. So hit this post up please with any information you night have for me. Hell...even if you think that RedBear sucks, let me know and tell me why. I don't wanna dive into another amp world and be shot down with bull, especially if it sounds exactly like what i play (supposedly, but with more gain and low end????)
Thanks All...
Guitarist in my 2008 Doom Metal band had a Red Bear MK-120 into a Sunn 412 and it was like, the doom rig. Only coulda been better if there'd been a second cab. Only fucked around with the Sovtek MIG 50 but they were similar enough sounds to my ear. I don't know the price these days, but it was a good amp for the money it cost 8 years ago. Might be less of a deal now.
Somebody else here has probably used one more recently, might also be worth asking the doom room?
D.o.S. wrote:Hello, this is your captain speaking, our altitude has set to bleep so lets sit back and get ready to bloop. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are floating in space.
If you like the Sovtek you will like the RedBear. Both are probably overpriced now but they were the go-to heads for loud heavy music before it became trendy to own a Sunn cab.
They've apparently tripled in price from 8 years ago? Wee-ow.
D.o.S. wrote:Hello, this is your captain speaking, our altitude has set to bleep so lets sit back and get ready to bloop. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are floating in space.
Cool - thanks for the input! Seems like the Sovteks and RedBear amps are pretty much the same. Maybe i'll just sticks with the Sovteks then? Anyways...thanks again!
At the prices they go for now, Sovteks and Redbears are pretty overpriced. The build quality was fine when these were readily available for $200 but when people are spending $600 to $800 on them they really aren't worth it. Super cheap parts and construction just dont hold up and often repairs will damage the boards unless they are done extremely carefully.
Sovteks sound cool and the output specs are accurate to the model names because the voltages are high. IIRC the voltages in Redbear amps are pretty low. And they waste a lot of output power on those super bass heavy preamp designs. Those were basically intended to be halfstacks that sounded good at bedroom volume. At high volumes they are all flubby bass. If you are in a doom band and want flubby bass then that's great. But otherwise they're one trick ponies that aren't nearly as loud as an equivalent Sovtek. A cheap JCM800 or 900 would be a better buy overall unless you're getting a Sovtek or Red Bear significantly cheaper than forums have bumped them up to.
I loved my 120 watt Redbear that I paid around $400 for but I would not buy one at their current prices (I sold mine around the same price I bought it for when it was either that or not pay rent). The bass flub is real, it took me a year to figure out how to get a good sound out of that amp (ride that presence knob) The other guitarist an old Carvin that was obscenely bright and loud so something that had an unnecessary amount of bass was swallowed instantly in a live setting. I will say that once I figure out how to take the carpet off that amp, using settings that would be horrible on any other amp I've owned, it was great sounding and my supachan dimed into it is one of the best chunky tones I'll ever have. Also, a very good recording bass amp for grindy tones.
TLDR: needlessly quirky and bassy amp that has the potential to sound great. Buy if cheap.
whoismarykelly wrote:At the prices they go for now, Sovteks and Redbears are pretty overpriced. The build quality was fine when these were readily available for $200 but when people are spending $600 to $800 on them they really aren't worth it. Super cheap parts and construction just dont hold up and often repairs will damage the boards unless they are done extremely carefully.
I had the 120 and wasn't that impressed. I preferred my NMV V4. They have gone up in price, as all the better kept secrets have. I think I paid $330 shipped for mine of Harmony Central back when that place was fun.
I've heard a lot of negative things about these RedBears the more i do my research on them...i definitely don't want a shitty sounding amp, especially when it comes to the bass side of things. Luckily i scored my Sovteks before they became the cool thing to have and always enjoyed them. They sound great to me and take pedals like a champion, which i thoroughly enjoy! But yeah, the price on these RedBears are insane, that's why i posted this to get some input from anyone with experience. Shit...you can buy an old Ampeg V4 or V4B way cheaper than these RedBears, and i'm sure without a doubt that an old V4 would blow a RedBear out of the water with no questions asked!! As for what whoismarykelly stated, i definitely do not want to buy an amp that's not even pushing out the amount of watts that it says it should be so thanks for that tip. I believe the last time i took my 100B to get a check up the tech said she was pushing out around 130 watts so that pleased me in the fact that it actually was pushing out wattage it should be. I also agree that they are made with some cheap ass parts, that's always pissed me off when it comes to these Sovteks. I've actually had most of the plastic bullshit replaced with metal parts and that's helped alot and has also helped me worry much less about that thing dropping a mondo duke on me when i really need it to perform well. Thanks again for all the input from everyone...sounds like these RedBears are all hype so there's no need for me to take that step. I'll just stay where i am for right now...maybe just save up for that "holy grail" amp instead of wasting time with these turd burglars that are supposed to be "the one" when they are in fact nothing but trash. Thanks Again Everyone...I Appreciate It!!!
FWIW output ratings in model numbers of amps are very rarely accurate and depend on what you're really measuring. Clean output? Full clip? Most "100 watt" amps are more around 80-90 watts. Lots of 50-watters are more like 35. The numbers are generally boosted to look prettier.
but that can always be changed and totally not important when it comes to how the amp sounds. So hit this post up please with any information you night have for me. Hell...even if you think that RedBear sucks, let me know and tell me why. I don't wanna dive into another amp world and be shot down with bull, especially if it sounds exactly like what i play (supposedly, but with more gain and low end????) 
