Marshall Amplification JCM800 Series VBA Bass Amplifiers, Mani, Stan, Amplifier Specification

VBA Bass Amplifiers

VBA400 Head • VBC412 Cab • VBC810 Cab

Mani

(Primal Scream)

“Real trouser flapping power with great tonal quality to boot!”

From left to right:

VBA400 Head

VBC412 Cab

VBA400 Head

VBC810 Cab

Stan

(Faithless)

“We are talking SEISMIC bass!”

When it comes to designing and producing valve amplification, nobody does it better than Marshall. Hence the logical extension to the Marshall range of valve products to include a high-powered, professional valve rig for the bass player. Valves bring with them a unique tone, feel and response and these attributes are just as attractive to bassists as they are to guitarists. The warm, deep tone of our VBA bass rig, not only expands and enhances the sound of your bass in the live situation, it also adds a unique, 3-D quality to recordings. This stunning bass set-up has won many converts since its introduction – here’s an insight into what has made it so popular.

400 Watt Valve Bass Amp

The Marshall name, together with our famous scripted logo, has always been synonymous with world-class, valve-driven tone. In keeping with this tradition, our 400 Watt, all-valve VBA400 bass head is being hailed by players and press alike as another true classic.

Designed with the serious bass player in mind and drawing from our many years of valve ‘tone crafting’ experience, the VBA400 boasts a staggering 8x6550 power valves, plus 3xECC83 and 1xECC82 pre-amp valves.

One of the main things that makes this amp special is the sheer vastness of pure valve power on tap from the twelve valves it houses. Consequently, we didn’t want to dilute any of this natural purity by incorporating unnecessary features and controls. For this very reason, only the essential front panel controls have been included.

This said, the VBA400’s 3-band passive EQ network for Bass, Middle and Treble has been designed so that it offers you all the tonal adjustment you’ll need. Furthermore, this tone network can be totally changed by means of the 3-position Contour switch which reconfigures the mid range as follows:

Contour Position 1 – drops the low mids and creates a rounder, fuller, fat bottom end.

Contour Position 2 – boosts the mid range, giving greater edge and aggression to your sound.

Contour Position 3 – moves the mid range higher than you would normally expect on a bass amplifier. This adds an aggressive twang while leaving the essential body of your tone intact, making it ideal for percussive styles such as slap bass.

Further tone control is provided by Deep and Bright switches. Engaging the Deep switch increases low-end thud without losing definition while the Bright option adds extra high-end brilliance and bite to your sound.

Other essential features include Active and Passive inputs, an XLR DI Output, complete with switches for Earth (ground) Lift and pre/post EQ selection, a Series FX Loop and a High/Low Fan Speed switch to ensure the valves are kept at a safe operating temperature.

Another very practical ‘bassist friendly’ addition is a Tuner Mute facility which, when activated, mutes the signal to both the loudspeakers and the DI Output, enabling the user to tune ‘silently’ in the live situation – providing a tuner is hooked up of course!

VBC412 & VBC810 Cabinets

Specially designed, heavy duty, matching cabinets for the VBA400 head are available in 4x12" and 8x10" formats. Built as only Marshall knows how, both feature separate sealed chambers (four in the VBC810 and two in the VBC412) which help to prevent unwanted cabinet resonance while adding to the structural integrity of the units. They are also lined with sound absorbent wadding to further help dampen internal resonance.

Both cabs are loaded with custom designed loudspeakers which have been specially voiced to handle the power of the VBA400’s output while giving you superb, professional performance. Both cabinets operate at

4 Ohms impedance and have been designed to perfectly complement the VBA400. As the amplifier will accept a load of 2 Ohms, combinations of the two cabinets can be used to create an awesome bass rig.

Clad in Marshall’s trademark, heavy duty black vinyl, the 400 Watt VBC412 and 640 Watt VBC810 each boast roadworthy, high grade fittings. The VBC810 also features a recessed handle on the bottom for easy lifting, castors and an aluminium kick plate for easy tilt and roll capability plus aluminium edge protectors.

AMPLIFIER SPECIFICATION

FEATURES	VBA400
Active/Passive Inputs	✓
Gain Control	✓
3 Band Rotary EQ	✓
3 Position Mid Contour	✓
Deep Switch	✓
Bright Switch	✓
Master Volume	✓
Tuner Output	✓
Tuner Mute Switch	✓
DI Pre/Post Switch	✓
DI XLR with Earth Lift Switch	✓
FX Send & Return	✓
Fan Speed Selector	✓
Impedance Select Switch	✓
Output Valves	8 x 6550
Pre-Amp Valves	3 x ECC83 & 1 x ECC82
Dimensions (mm)	685 x 275 x 330
Weight (kg)	36

CABINET SPECIFICATION

FEATURES	VBC412	VBC810
Speaker Configuration	4 x 12”	8 x 10”
Power Handling (RMS)	400 Watt	640 Watt
Impedence	4 Ohm	4 Ohm
Dimensions (mm)	775 x 760 x 395	675 x 1260 x 425
Weight (kg)	49	72

50 Marshall Amplification Product Catalogue

Marshall Amplification Product Catalogue 51