New Valve Bass Amplifier and Two New Bass Speaker
Cabinets
January 28, 1999Marshall
amplification announces the launch of the VBA400 bass amplifier head. In addition
to the head, two speaker cabinets have been specially designed to complement
the VBA400 - the 8x10 VBC810 and the 4x12 VBC412.
The VBA400 boasts an all-tube circuit consisting of 3 x 12AX7s, 1 x 12AU7 and
no fewer than 8 x Svetlana 6550s in the power stage. The amp has separate inputs
for passive and active bass guitars and controls for Bass, Middle, Treble, Gain
and Master Volume. With 400 Watts of power at its disposal, the VBA has tremendous
headroom, which means it is capable of well-defined clean tones at even the
loudest of stage volumes. If the player wishes to have a thick musical overdrive
instead, this can be achieved by simply turning up the Gain control to produce
the desired amount of distortion.
A three position Contour switch adjusts the overall tone of the amp: Position
1 delivers the smooth lows, restrained lower mids, and a mild high end lift
typical of the classic, "naturally open" vintage bass tone. In position
2, the lower mids are made more prominent while the upper mids are subtly "scooped"
to produce a more aggressive, modern growl. Position 3 introduces a gentle,
overall mid boost for an immediate, cutting, "in your face" tone.
Deep and Bright switches round off the tone control section of the amp: the
Deep switch adds a well-focused, resonant bass boost which increases low end
"thud" without making the tone sound loose or wooly in the bottom
frequency range. The Bright switch adds high-end presence, which gives the sound
crispness and bite.
The VBA400 features a Tuner Out jack on its rear panel. When used in conjunction
with the Tune Mute switch on the front panel, it cuts off the sound to the speakers,
allowing for silent tuning on stage. A front panel LED indicator lets the player
know at a glance whether this feature is switched on or off. The rear panel
also features a low impedance, XLR D.I. output that is selectable to be pre
or post Gain and EQ via a front panel D.I. pre-post switch. The D.I. also boasts
a Normal/Earth Lift switch which allows the user to safely "lift"
the D.I. signal earth on the amp to help remove the "hum" problems
which frequently occur when linking to another piece of earthed equipment.
The VBA400 has a Series effects loop and a cooling fan with two operating speeds:
high and low. This fan ensures optimum cooling of the amp in all operating environments.
The VBA also features an "over temperature protection" circuit which
will automatically shut the unit down should the internal temperature become
excessive - a situation that could arise if the unit's front or rear vents were
accidentally obstructed in any way.
The two VBA cabinets, the 400W, 4 Ohm VBC412 (4x12) and the 640 Watt, 4 Ohm
VBC810 (8x10), are designed to be cosmetically compatible with traditional Marshall
cabinets, allowing for cohesive stage designs to be accomplished. Both feature
infinite baffle design with internal enclosures for bracing and air loading.
Heavy-duty air sealed fittings are also used where required. The cabinets are
constructed from OSB (Orientated Strand Board) - a highly durable new material
which has similar properties to plywood plus some unique properties of its own,
making it eminently suitable for MI use. Both cabinets feature Custom designed
and voiced Eminence speakers.
The VBA400 head has a suggested retail price of $2000.00 while the VBC412 is
$1000.00 and the VBC810 is $1399.00. All will be available in April/May 1999. For more information, visit Marshall at http://www.marshallamps.com/ | 
