Anyone using a bass head amp as a DI box?  I have had the the pleasure of using an AMPEG SVT 3 pro and a Roland CM 30 monitor with my Larrivee L07 and couldn't believe how true the sound was. I switched back in forth between a Baggs Para DI and the clarity was so much better with the SVT.  

I'm curious if anyone is using a bass head in their set up because I'd like a less expensive alternative to the SVT.  Any suggestions?

I don't use a bass head but I do run my acoustic with an active Ibeam thru my Princeton Reverb.This the same amp that I run my electric thru.I have and A/B box so switching is easy.It has a much warmer sound as the tube's take the harshness away.The Princetone is mic'ed from behind into a Mackie mixer then to a powered PA cab.

 Thanks Unclerob. I see the princeton's aren't cheap either.   It does have tubes so that must be the difference that I'm hearing and enjoying so much.
I wonder if I would get the same results with a SWR PD200 or SM400?

Simply stated no.To get the warmth of a tube amp you must have tube's in the power section.Pre-amp tube's like 12AX7's and such do nothing to warm up a signal.Though there was that great marketing fraud that a pre-amp tube warmed the signal but itsjust not true,the warmth come's from the power tube's.I a;ways thought it was funny when they started putting pre-amp tube's in everything and stated how warm the signal was.Even funnier was when Takemine started putting tube's in the electronics og there guitars.All those plastic electronic casings melting.So look for amps that have tube's in the power section.I have seen the 65 reissue Princeton reverbs showing up for around $400,my Princeton is from 72 I think I paid $400 new for it.

Unclrob,

I actually wasn't using the SVT properly.  I didn't have a speaker hooked up to the poweramp section.  I was just going out the xlr to a powered monitor.  The tube gain or master volume control did nothing.  I was of the understanding that I was bypassing the poweramp (not recommended because it needs a load) and just using the preamp.  If I understand your comment above,  I won't achieve the same tube warmth from an Ampeg SVP  (preamp only). 

Thanks

You need the power tube's to create that warm signal your looking for.You might want to see how it sounds use as an amp to a speaker.What you'll get by using the preamp stage is the wider tonal responce from the controls.

Quote from: unclrob on February 26, 2011, 10:13:03 AM
I don't use a bass head but I do run my acoustic with an active Ibeam thru my Princeton Reverb.This the same amp that I run my electric thru.I have and A/B box so switching is easy.It has a much warmer sound as the tube's take the harshness away.The Princetone is mic'ed from behind into a Mackie mixer then to a powered PA cab.

Yap, I also run an acoustic with the I-beam thru.

@unclrob

Perhaps our definitions of 'warm' are different.  My definition would be the start of distortion.  This can happen in the pre-amp stage of most amplifiers whether tube or not.  Here's a good explanation of tube distortion in both pre-amp and power amp sections in Guitar Player magazine.  http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/five-things-about/February-2011/127193

There's www.talkbass.com for any questions you have about bass preamplification (or anything about bass).
I think what you're enjoying is the bass preamp voicing - it may not be flat and may be optimized for lower frequencies.
Whatever the voicing, if it works for you then go for it.

I do think that a tube in the preamp results in a 'warmer' sound - I've had / have several bass preamps and amps and the ones with tubes in the preamp are less 'sterile'.

Many of the acoustic upright bass players that don't have, or don't want to put up the money for a Walter Woods, Glockenlang, or even the B-15 Flip use the Galien-Krueger stuff.

Their spec's on freq. response are as flat as the higher end stuff, and the price is a 1/4 of the others.