Another amp help thread.

[zesn]

Well.. as per thread title.
I own the Crate VC508 amp.
It's a 5W Tube amp

And I like the sound that comes from it, except that the driver is small and i'm not going to get a good enough bass response I want. The tube also needs a change. But the amp manual mentions that it's a tube amp and the tube is like hidden... So I'm gonna find some way to dig into that.

Problem:
I want to get a better bass response from it.
Should i buy a new, bigger amp, or are there other methods eg. changing the drivers, buying a cabinet?
The amp only has Input and Line out though.

 

[skipper53]

If your not liking your bass response, u can try to color the amp with a pedal, to push it into a darker bassier territory. Could be a case of everything else your running to the amp thats coloring it bright, ur other pedals? ur guitar?

Unless it is a bright voiced amp in which case u simply bought the wrong amp against ur own taste.

I think u just need to spend a bit of time playing ard bro.

 

[zesn]

Haha it was given to me so I lived with it and liked it.
The eq control is set to brightest because the rest sounded very very very dull.
I'm driving the bass with my ht-dist now.

 

[skipper53]

woah and the dist is still not enough? This is probably counter productive lol but how about stacking ur DS with an OD? I suppose u need a dirt box that can still remain defined when pushing and saturated. good reviews in that aspect for the local pride seventheaven!

hah sorry man.. just sharing ideas.. not a very high gain dark tone person myself.

 

[zesn]

My OD ah... Boss MIJ SD-1. Doesn't help the bass range at all. Only use it for gain boost.
Haha. Ya I really like the tone combination i'm getting.
I can't just eq the amp to get my low end up, it does help a litte, but it seems like my frequency range is really limited when recorded with a sm57

I can post eq my recording though, but it's like trying to make a lower quality file sounds like it's of higher quality, which won't work very well with my initial recording.

Or mod the vc508 with an ext speaker jack, and buy a cab. Hehe

 

[lazy3yed]

If you're adventurous enough : GuitarNuts - VC508

 

[skipper53]

Then again bro, this could possibly solved with an eq pedal to balance out the over all tone to ur liking.

 

[wck]

I don't know about what the amp does but if possible, use a 4x12. That will get you much better bass response which is totally different from cranking the bass on the eq or using a bassy dirt pedal. However, if the problems lies with the head/ tone stack having a "lousy" bass response then just change the amp.

 

[Dongara]

Power = Bass Response
low power amp = lower power bass response, whatever the make.

Look out for something bigger, at least in the 15 watt territory if you want to hear and feel some bass.

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

i'm getting pretty good bass response with my ht-5 into blackheart closed back eminence 112 cab. i tend to dial the bass lower than 12 o'clock most of the time as it can get quite overwhelming.

 

[AaronSoFat]

gotta be careful about the excessive bass though. some people get all excited and keep pumping their bass up which actually makes their tone super muddy sounding. I deviated away from that tone... Used to like george lynch's tone a lot. now i prefer petrucci kinda tone. I would just get a bigger amp. yours sounds a bit too small. haha

 

[zesn]

Thanks for the input guys!
I'll calculate the cost and see if buying a bigger amp is better =D.

So the 5W isn't enough to get a better bass response from driving bigger speakers?
Hmm..

Just found some new stuff about my amp,
'It uses a single EL84 and a single 12AX7. It is not an "all-tube" amplifier, there is a TL072 op amp up front to provide the initial gain stages. '

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

So the 5W isn't enough to get a better bass response from driving bigger speakers?

read my post bro

 

[lazy3yed]

Not too sure about the power = bass thing.

I remember getting pretty decent, natural sounding bass from my Ibby Valbee (5W) driving a Greenback (installed a speaker out jack, if you're wondering). The stock 6.5 inch speaker sounded, surprisingly, very bassy (open or closed back), but it doesn't sound natural, sort of boomy kind of bass. Very little detail (reminds me of cheap Sony earphones).

Speakers make huge differences in the tone, IMO. The V30 has less bass and a high mids spike, which can make your amp sound (overly) bright, But can also make it sound tight. the Greenback is more balanced but has pretty flabby, loose bass, which can easily turn muddy. The G12T75 is more scooped and can help tame a middy amp. I believe it's not just power that defines the bass response, it's also got to do with the circuit design, the eq of the amp, the speaker cab material and construction, impedance, speaker design and construction, etc. So many factors. Different amps sound best with their own matching speakers (subjective, of cos).