Sound City X188

Dallas Music era Bass amp. Marketed as such, but not labelled as such. Learn more here:

http://home.earthlink.net/~soundcity_contact/photo_page_15.htm#x188_1.1

Not terribly versatile. But one great tone beats a dozen lame models! High + low inputs, "boost" switch, volume, "harmonic volume," 3 band EQ at 30, 300 and 3K Herz. 4,8,16 ohms. 4 KT88 power tubes, three preamp tubes. Mine had the stock tubes still in it and working fine - including a Mullard and the GEC KT88s! Tone becomes overdriven as you turn up, starting clean and ending up with a somewhat overdriven sound, not quite as much as old Who but there's a similar flavor to it. Lovely!

Tried it with all my basses - fretted and fretless 4, 5, 8, and 12. Sounds great with all of them, though the distortion at max volume isn't pretty with a low "A." Noisy, it is an old tube amp in need of service - leaky cap, as I found out after I had played it a bit. At quiet volumes it takes the sound of any bass and makes it more musical. Great for recording. Turned up to band levels, it is plenty loud, but not at all civil. Ripping, roaring, old fashioned brutality. Great to pretend you're "Live at Leeds." For what it does, it is perfect. Don't try to make something it's not.

Well, it's older than most people who visit this site. Stock tubes are still good. It needs a cap job, which isn't too shabby for something so old. Looked like it had been in somebody's dustbin for 30 years when I got it. Never seen an amp so filthy. SO considering it's had 30 years of abuse and neglect, it's very reliable.

Well, I tried to, but my time machine isn't quite working out as I'd hoped.

It's great. Loud, sounds great. All hand wired in there, so it will be a snap to have serviced. Sound City stuff can be had for cheap compared to other vintage amps. If you like tube amps, and see one, buy it.

I have no clue when the thing was made. It's does have a bit of a hybrid thing going as they executed their BOOST circuit with transistors. It was a single channel bass rig with odd but functional controls. Then, there wasn't a whole lot of features other than is the basic tone cool and is it LOUD.

Okay, I played anything from a 60 vintage Precision to a 89 PRS five string through it. It works great for retro and R&B. It is very English in its vibe. It distorted and sounded Marshall with Groove Tube Chinese 6550s. It morphed into an Ampeg vibe with Svetlana 6550s. It was originally designed for KT-88s from what I could gather. Sort of a one or two trick pony, largely influenced by output tubes, but did the things it did very nicely. Nice touch and response. It distorted and sustained nicely.

Once I got the biasing and the proper rated fuses in the thing, it was remarkably reliable. I did put a fan in it to cool the tubes. Very surprising for what was viewed as a second tier Marshall clone, but more properly ought to be considered as Hiwatt's Bohemian uncle.

Company long gone, but schematics can be found and the way it is built practically screams out to be tweaked and hot rodded. Pretty good transformers were used, Partridge I believe.

I have seen a lot of bass gear in the 35 years I have been playing. I am now playing out of an SWR Redhead or a Mesa 400 Plus running two Dr Bass Rx-112d's. I got it in a trade and it fit in well for the retro gig I was doing at the time. I guess I would have liked a bit more modern tone, tighter, and more headroom but the two things I now have fit that bill. It's long gone now, but the guy I sold it to still uses it in a blues band where it has the perfect tone for the gig. These days I would run to get one of the new Traynor YBA-200's as it could do the sloppy this thing did so well AND get tight and modern.