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I am wanting another bass amp so I can get some cleaner tones when I want a slightly more mellow tone than the HD130 I mainly use for bass to rock out. I find the HD130 to sound awesome but it definitely has some grit to it. I am wanting to try out some sounds that are simple and clean. I have a Rusty Box I can use as a preamp.

Where should I start? have any suggestions for my goals? should I just get a solid state amp instead of a poweramp?
thanks guys

Old crown amps are the shit! THE SHIT! so is crest.
What you want for tonez is a amp with a big transformer vs the new lighter ones, the newer ones don't sound bad, but, if you are use to the tube amp fist in the chest punch then you would most likely like a SS amp with a more traditional design.

I definitely want something with some nuts you know? I get that from the HD130 but the nuts have a lot of hair. I don't always want hairy nuts!! I want the big nuts without the hair. I guess power amps are one way to get there? I dunno really.

ChetMagongalo wrote:I definitely want something with some nuts you know? I get that from the HD130 but the nuts have a lot of hair. I don't always want hairy nuts!! I want the big nuts without the hair. I guess power amps are one way to get there? I dunno really.

Sure, if you have a pre you like then they are cool.AND if you want more and more power you can just keep getting power amps and cabs to the point of silly My first amp was a HD130 and I went to a Alembic pre into a few different power amps because I play a 5 and the HD never did well on the low B, it would always fart out, I got a good a nice modern sound.. which wasn't me so I got a SVTCL but I still ended up using the Alembic>crown whenever the ampeg would break down… I've traded all of that in though and have two mesas which I'm beyond happy with, they do old school and super clean so I don't have any amp gas at all.

Which Mesa? the 400+?

ChetMagongalo wrote:Which Mesa? the 400+?

Yes and a 400. I have both models

NICE!!!

I came here to say Peavey... My Mark IV from '82 will do clean forever if I want and it'll kick you in the nuts with ooommmmpppphhh... SS from the 70's and early 80's rulezzz...

How are you not getting straight clean out of the HD130? I use an HD150 and I have no problem staying absolutely clean until obscene levels.

beats me! maybe it's cause i'm in a smaller room or something? maybe your acoustic environment is different than mine? Maybe my bass is hotter?

but mostly likely I just have no idea what i'm talking about
maybe I forgot what other amps sound like too

or you need tubes, of different ones or the amp biased or all of the above or you are playing with it louder then it wants to to be clean.

What cab are you playing it out of? The speakers could just be terribly inefficient. Are you using the bass boost?

I've found that as long as I keep the preamp volume below 7 and the master dimed I will get no grit at all. Push it beyond that is where it gets dirty.

Hmmm, I wonder if my HD150 needs some work done because mine is not that loud... Also doesn't help that I'm using a shit cabinet...

I have two HD150's, and they are both pretty damn loud, but I run them through through two pretty efficient cabs (custom 2x15 and a 70's Acoustic 4x12).
Maybe a recap and a retube is all you guys really need?

ShaunNecro wrote:I have two HD150's, and they are both pretty damn loud, but I run them through through two pretty efficient cabs (custom 2x15 and a 70's Acoustic 4x12).
Maybe a recap and a retube is all you guys really need?

My amp is recently serviced with new tubes and a recap and a cleaning, so I doubt that's it?
I am running mine off one 8ohm avatar 2x12.

If you have the cab that I was looking at, then those speakers are relatively inefficient. Are you running the preamp and master volume really high?

Edit: What kind of power tubes are in there? A lot of techs put in EL34s, but the HD130 needs 6CA7s.