What kind of amp do you guys play out of?

[Steve_M]

I'm heartened to see so many players using solid state kit. I have a DVD compilation of soul bands on the Later With Jools Holland show screened here in the UK and all the Smith players are using SWR or Aguilar.

I've had issues with SWR and Eden heads (apart from the WT400) because they both have moderate scoops in the upper mids to my ears which means I can't hear the pitch very well. I also went through a crazy phase which resulted in me putting together this:



It weighed about 45kg and I thought it was the b*ll*x until I actually had to lift it upstairs to the first gig I had with my current band. Suffice to say it left me a broken man! So I sold the Trace Elliot MP-11 and the Strategy now powers my hifi .

Later I also sold the Eden WT800...



and bought...



...a pair of Gallien Krueger RB700 1x15 combos.

I know this isn't the first choice of soul/RnB bass players but I played an RB400 combo at a venue once and it was a complete revelation. I could hear the thup of my fingers leaving the strings and the fretless just filled the room with mwah. Can I say 'love at first sight?'

The one thing that made the GK amps shine was taht they didn't exhibit an upper mid dip or any kind of extreme colouring. I've found there are so many amps out there that are coloured to make jazz basses sound better (Mark bass and SWR heads for example) and I'm happy that GK aren't like that. If anything, their colouring is upper mid focussed which helps with pitching on the Smith fretless tremendously. I can also use my other basses through the amps without feeling like I've sacrificed anything in getting an amp that works well with the Smiths. I can't say the same for those amps that are coloured for jazz basses.

I also have a pair of old valve Burman Pro4000 70's heads which I love playing the Smiths through and the Boogie Bass400+ was also superb. I also got good results from an Ampeg SVT and 8x10 once. Valves seem to compliment the fatness of Smith basses nicely - almost in the same way as with my old Musicman basses.

But because I play mostly small-medium gigs in the city and parking/unloading can be a total nightmare. There are occasions I can't face carrying a 25kg head all the way from the car up/down a flight of narrow stairs to a venue. At least the RB700 combos I use have wheels and a load of handles even if they weigh the same.