redbeard wrote:I've been on the same quest as yourself for the past couple months, after deciding to stop messing around and finally move toward buying the gear I really want and will own forever. Coming from the low end financially, I am revamping the rig in a process, right now I'm in what I consider the middle phase. I liquidated all of my amps but the bass amp, sold all effects without true bypass, and anything I could get rid of that is less than the best. Any moment now I'm finally getting to order my SMS Tube Pre with Jerry Mod, and I'm going to build (or acquire, if I get impatient) a cabinet with final speaker choice to be determined at a later date. Of course the dream is the JBL 120s, but in approaching it in steps I picked up a Tubeworks Combo amp with an Effects loop to patch the SMS into, which will hold me over until the time is right, and then get the right Power Amp, then the speakers. Essentially I've laid the groundwork for being able to utilize the SMS through my existing setup and then can build up from there as finance or the right ebay situation dictates. In an effort to preserve my ears as best I can anymore I kinda put the JBL as the last step if for no other reason than to keep myself from losing more of the top end out of my ears, at least for a while. The temptation of the sweetness of that rig at high volume with JBLs is too much for me at this point. I have a bad habit of liking it loud, and it's been an interesting recovery process to turn it down. Fortunately theres loads of fine speakers available which can do the job, and I really dont imagine I need to push 300w+ through anything ever. But it would be nice to be able to......someday...Way to go! I can't be happier with mine.
I also had the same realization about the bass amp with a PWR IN. Going to give that a try with the SMS as well, and will be curious to see how my Peavey TNT 150 stacks up against the Tubeworks. Kind of a sad way to initiate the SMS, but all good things in all good time, it's still sound killer, it will just get more killerer down the line
I've asked a lot of different questions on this board about different aspects of making the SMS work with different things throughout the last six months or so, a lot of good information in the replies I got, good stuff to check out if you haven't, started most of the threads with SMS, happy trails,
aa