Would Van Halen I be as iconic if it didn’t kick off with Michael Anthony’s couldn’t-be-more-simple-or-more-cool intro to ‘Runnin’ With The Devil’? …Look, I’m gonna say no. Mike was a huge part of Van Halen’s classic sound, and it’s great to hear him loud and proud in Chickenfoot. Mike now has a signature Peavey bass amp, a nice match for his Yamaha BB3000MA bass, I might add, and it’s an all-tube, 300-watt beast that somehow still manages to weigh in at a manageable 38 pounds.
Here’s the press release.
January 24, 2013, Meridian, MS – Peavey Electronics, known for its commitment to tonal quality and innovation, today announces the new Michael Anthony VB-MA™ signature tube-powered bass amplifier. This 300-Watt all-tube head packs a low-end punch, while weighing in at an extremely portable 38 lbs.
As a member of legendary bands, Michael Anthony has toured the globe, performing before millions of people. Currently with the supergroup Chickenfoot, Anthony has relied on the Peavey VB-3 exclusively and is now proud to share a uniquely voiced model that suits his exacting demands perfectly.
Anthony comments, “Having road tested the Peavey VB-3™ around the world with Chickenfoot, I can honestly say that these amps rock … and rock HARD!! I am excited now to share my own amp and sound and it is awesome!”Similar to Peavey’s popular VB-3™ bass amplifier, the dual-channeled VB-MA is styled with a striking red backlit panel that features Michael Anthony’s chili pepper logo. The VB-MA combines four 12AX7 and two 12AT7 preamp tubes with a matched octet of EL34 tubes that give players tons of characteristic pentode tube tone with uncharacteristically tight response for an all-tube amplifier. An innovative, and tour necessary world-compatible switch-mode power supply and advanced design provide stadium levels of explosive tonality.
When it comes to live performance, Anthony insists on rock solid tonal control. That’s why the VB-MA is loaded with a true independent second overdrive channel with separate EQ and Master Volume controls. But Anthony and Peavey didn’t stop there. The addition of a unique Blend control enables players to blend between overdrive and clean channels for even more tonal flexibility.
Backing up the amplifier’s organic tube tone is a vintage three-band active/mid-cut EQ that combines traditional high and low tone controls with a mid control featuring a four-position midrange selector switch that allows players to set the mid-frequency at 200, 450, 600 or 800 Hz. Combined with the nine-band, constant-Q graphic equalizer—spaced at optimized frequencies, with each slider providing 15 dB of cut and boost—the VB-MA allows for virtually any EQ curve imaginable.
Peavey’s patented Resonance and Presence controls adjust the damping factor at the low and high ends, respectively. The VB-MA features a three-way speaker impedance selector, to enable players to match the VB-MA to virtually any bass speaker enclosure. Resonance and Presence are also useful in dialing in power and response for particular styles, including “tight” sounds that are not normally associated with tube amplifiers.
Voiced and styled to match the VB-MA tube bass amplifier, the new VM-810 bass enclosure features the exclusive Michael Anthony logo, and eight custom-designed 10” ceramic-magnet loudspeakers paired into four tone chambers. It can be operated in stereo or mono modes with 800 Watts power handling.
Michael Anthony VB-MA Signature Bass Amp Features:
- Eight EL-34, Four 12AX7 and two 12AT7 tubes
- Universal power supply for worldwide compatibility
- Overdrive with blend control for blending in the overdrive with the clean channel with EQ control
- Striking red backlit panel with Michael Anthony’s chili pepper logo
- Volume/Overdrive
- Low/Mid/Shift/High
- Bright switch
- Low cut switch
- Tube compressor with Level control
- Master 9-band graphic EQ with defeat switch and LED
- Master volume
- Master Resonance and Presence controls
- Single input
- 15 dB Pad switch
- Mute switch with flashing blue LED
- Power and Standby switches
- Back-lit faceplate for Pilot
- Buffered tuner send
- Master effects loop
- 300 Watts
About Peavey Electronics®
Founded in 1965, Peavey® is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of musical instruments and professional sound equipment. Peavey has earned more than 180 patents and distributes to more than 130 countries. Peavey and its MediaMatrix®, Architectural Acoustics®, Crest Audio®, Composite Acoustics® and Trace Elliot® brands and affiliates can be found on concert stages and in airports, stadiums, theme parks and other venues around the world. To find out more, visit www.peavey.com.