FBS Solid-State Bass Instrument Amp

At Gollihur Music, when it comes to amplifying our upright basses, we've always preferred amps that have a transparent, hi-fi sound. We carry a lineup of amps in a few different price ranges, because our customer base varies in what they can (or want to) afford. Having lost a few of our "top dog" brands recently, we've been looking for a new manufacturer to fill the void left behind.

What perfect timing - Fuchs Audio decided that now was the time to break into the bass amplification game. Fuchs is VERY well known among tube guitar amp fanatics; their highly regarded tube guitar amps build upon the designs of famous, well-loved amps from history.

This solid-state amp is a similar venture - building on the design and legacy of a very popular amp that has been used by upright bassists for decades, this new, fully solid-state amp head provides clarity, transparency, and clean power. A highly useful 3-band EQ uses a semi-parametric midrange control to really tailor the midrange to your needs. An excellent amp for the "MBOL" (My Bass, Only Louder) crowd, this amp can very effectively take the place of the fantastic amps from Acoustic Image that we carried for decades (but are unfortunately no longer made.)

These amps are solid - with smooth, chassis-mounted pots, and very nice jacks and switches, the construction should hold up very well in a professional gigging situation. These amps are built in the USA with top-shelf components and careful design.

Here's what Fuchs themselves have to say about these amps:

Much like our original ODS amps were initially inspired by the legendary Dumble amps, the new Fuchs FBS-1 bass amps have found their inspiration from the iconic Walter Woods © bass amps, but with Andy’s own enhancements.

Andy tapped his years of experience as a working musician, as well as servicing and tweaking guitar and bass amps for many famous clients as diverse as Carlos Santana through jammers like Jimmy Herring, including jazz legends like Dave Stryker for over 40 years as inspiration for our new bass amps. Fuchs’ 20-year list of reviews and endorsers is truly impressive to say the least.

Not unlike the iconic Walter Woods © amps the FBS-300 and FBS-700 amps are designed for maximum power at minimal size and weight. For years, the rare and coveted Woods amps have built a following amongst industry professionals. They were literally the first switch mode class-D style lightweight bass amps ever. Due to Walter being reclusive and now retired, these amps found their way to Andy’s shop to be repaired. While servicing them Andy was able to reverse engineer the preamp and power supply. Mated to a modern lightweight ICE power digital power module we have produced an amp that Woods owners agree, is equal (if not better) than their predecessors.

The FBS-1 bass amps (and our FBT tube bass amps) share identical panels and chassis and are available in 300 and 700 watt models, they feature a solid state preamp inspired by the infamous Walter Woods © amps, but with improvements like a steep-slope subsonic filter and a DI output using high speed audiophile op amps and a regulated power supply. The DI output is electrically balanced pre/post switch, ground lift, DI Phase, and a global mute switch.

Small and light, (downright diminutive) at less than 5-lbs and 12 x 3 x 9, they are loud and clean. Want some dirt ? Raise the input gain and lower the master volume. Want total clean, lower the input gain and raise the master. They are super easy to operate, and the FBS-1 amps will easily fit in a gig bag, run ice-cold, and feature a well thought out, simple configuration for the working musician. A Fuchs gig bag designed for all models is coming soon.

These amps feature an input gain control allowing both passive and active bass use, Baxandall high and low controls, a parametric rotary midrange control with level and frequency control and an output master volume. With the midrange pot in the ‘0’ position the circuit is flat. In this mode the bass and treble pots emulate the classic Woods and B-15 style amps we know and love. Use the mid circuit for boost and cut of up to 20 db at a fully adjustable frequency.

All models use the industry-standard Ice power modules, which are known for their rock-solid reliability and excellent cool-running, audio performance. These amps feature a buffered patch loop between the preamp and power amp. All amps offer worldwide automatic line voltage selection. Wherever you are, they automatically set their own line voltage. All amps are CE and RoHs compliant.

Weight/Size: 6 lbs 12 x 3 x 9 chassis.

Input Impedance: 1 MegOhm (works well with piezo pickups)

FBS-300: 300W at 1% THD+N, 4Ohm • 260W at 0.1% THD+N, 4Ohm • 380W at 10% THD+N, 4Ohm • 450W at 1% THD+N, 2.7Ohm (Approximately ½ half this value at 8-ohms).

FBS-700: 720W at 4 ohms, 560W at 8 ohms

NOTE: speaker output jacks are on 1/4" phono plugs. We offer a 1/4" to Speakon speaker cable as an add-on item for your convenience.