bass amplification ~ an art form in itself... this area of bassdom is very subjective regarding what sounds best. tube, solid state or a hybrid are the primary choices. these days most good quality amps sound excellent and it's really a matter of preferred tonal coloration that determines which amp will do the deal.

tube amps typically have a very warm tone, but can be a little more noisy. they do require some routine maintenance, like new tubes, bias adjustment, capacitors replaced, all part of the fun of having a tube amp. tube amps can also be over driven, and the tone gets a little more raw and edgy, which is often a desirable quality for certain music styles.

solid state amps have improved considerably in the last 20 years or so. when they they first came on the scene they tended to sound very sterile. however today, most of the quality made solid state amps sound very warm and require very little maintenance.

hybrid amps combine the best of both. a typical hybrid consist of a tube preamp and a solid state power amp. however, some newer designs offer a tube pre amp and a solid state pre amp combination with the choice of blending both pre amps together, driven by a solid state power amp.

ultimately, your ears should be the guiding light in choosing the best amp...

Bob, thanks for the info on the amplifiers. Normally all you hear was you original statement as only the tube amps have some good value. It is good to see that there is some evolution.

I am curious about the effect or distortion pedals. I do not recall seing anybody using any (maybe I was not looking for this). Are they used by bass players?

Marc

Lavallee wrote:
I am curious about the effect or distortion pedals. I do not recall seing anybody using any (maybe I was not looking for this). Are they used by bass players?

Marc
Yes they are, but not as ubiquitously as by guitar players. And often you don't see them as the bass player is standing at the back.
I even own a bass effect pedal myself (a rarely used Zoom B2).

David

i would agree with david, they're used but not nearly to the same degree as guitar players do.
typical pedals bass players might use would be effects such as compression, chorus, octaver, amp emulators etc.

bob