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Description
Unleash your bass potential with the Sound City B120, a robust bass amplifier head that combines classic design with modern engineering. This powerhouse is crafted to deliver clean, articulate tones that capture the essence of every note you play. Its 120-watt output ensures that your sound is heard loud and clear, whether you're jamming in a practice room or performing on stage. The B120's all-tube construction provides a warm, natural sound that many bassists crave, while its intuitive control layout makes it easy to dial in the perfect tone.
The Sound City B120 is built for versatility, featuring a comprehensive EQ section that allows you to shape your sound with precision. The three-band EQ offers both depth and flexibility, letting you adjust the bass, mid, and treble frequencies to suit any musical style or venue acoustics. Additionally, the presence control adds an extra layer of tonal refinement, enhancing the clarity and punch of your performance.
Designed with both the touring musician and studio artist in mind, the B120 is ruggedly constructed to withstand the rigors of the road, yet refined enough for high-quality studio recordings.
Key Features:
- 120 watts of all-tube power
- Three-band EQ for precise tone shaping
- Presence control for enhanced clarity
- Durable construction ideal for live and studio use
- Easy-to-use interface for quick adjustments
Videos
TKaimapoika
Bass amp comparison.
Bass amp comparison.
TKaimapoika
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Sound City B120.
Features and functionality
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The Sound City B120 Mark IV features a fully tube-driven active EQ where each control functions in its own gain stage, leading to a unique tonal adjustment capability.
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The amp is known for producing classic British tones similar to Hiwatt, with a wide dynamic range, making it suitable for intense sonic environments.
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The EQ is described as tricky, effectively acting as four volume knobs for different EQ bands, with a suggestion to start with settings at noon.
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Mods and upgrades
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An owner performed a master volume mod to manage the amp's immense sound pressure, allowing for better control over tube overdrive without excessive volume.
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User experience
Comparisons
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The active EQ design is compared to Ampeg's tube active mid-range and Fender's late 70s active EQ, but all three controls on the Sound City are active, unlike others.
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The Sound City 120L's low-end power and volume make it comparable to higher-wattage solid-state amps, but with a distinct tonal quality preferred by some players in heavy genres.
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Build quality
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Some users report questionable circuit design choices and less-than-stellar wiring, but say reliability improves with proper maintenance and servicing.
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Use cases and applications
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The Sound City 120L is favored for stoner and heavy rock genres, particularly when used with a fuzzed-out bass setup.
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Value and pricing
4.0 out of 5
Based on 2 Reviews and 5 Ratings
633
finally working
i originally bought this without any valves in it and being told it had "some sortof electrical niggle" and after 2 different amp techs got it working. its a great loud old valve amp, the active eq is definetely a little odd i generally leave the bass on full roll back the treble a little and the mids changes depending on the room. its got alot of clean headroom with it having 6 el34s that make it great for bass or using fuzzes. definetely my favourite amp!
120
Beast of the underworld!
This amp is a black sheep in the world of British amplifiers. They are descendants of those legendary 70's Hiwatts, but they are different in ways that have earned them a reputation for being noisy and hard to control.
These amps can definitely be noisy. But why? Several reasons. First, they have an "active" equalizer. It uses four 12AX7s to amplify each frequency band, and that introduces some hum. Second, it has this "sensitivity" switch that boosts the voltage on one of the preamp tubes, and that makes everything run way hotter (and way noisier). Third, people mod the crap out of these amps and do a terrible job. Finally, this amp has huge Partridge transformers that pick up radio stations like no one's business. You can overcome all of these problems. Use good tubes, don't use the sensitivity switch, get it serviced by a good tech (which you should've done anyway), and be careful where you put the amp in a room. Good? Good!
I love this amp. Those huge transformers make for a really tight, hard-hitting sound… even in the low bass frequencies. The output stage stays pretty clean at high volumes, so it's a great canvas for pedals. The preamp also overdrives well: if you drive it hard with a boost pedal, you get a touch-sensitive distortion. The active EQ is warm and versatile, and so you can get so many sounds from it. I was able to dial in my favorite sparkly Fender-style tones from it pretty easily. All in all, it's a great (but under-appreciated) amp.
41010
its a shame people mod them, because the stock preamp is interesting and versatile in an Ampeg V series sense. My experience with these guys is like yours, you need to avoid the high sensitivity because of the way they chose to implement it. Just a bad design when coupled with all that active EQ circuitry. Dave Reeves never would have let that fly. Heck, his original sound city design only had passive bass and treble controls. The Sound City L120 and 50+ are one of those almost ran amps because oh how carried away arbiter got trying to win the 'useful features arms race' of the 60s and 70s. As you say, if you get preamp tubes that are well tested for noise and maybe have a tech go over the lead dress in the amp it should cut the noise issues substantially.
As far as radio stations, I've never owned a superlead from any era that wasn't prone to acting as a radio receiver. Its just the name of the game with higher gain big amps of the era. As long as its not so pronounced that a properly built recording studio won't block out the radio when you're tracking, who cares?
120
I'm with you, Jim. I hadn't realized how noisy all of those amps are until very recently—I guess it's just the name of the game. Some people say this amp is really noisy, but the same people will play an unshielded strat through a Superbass under florescent lights and go nuts over the "creamy tone." Some people. ;)
About that sensitivity setting… the switch is connected to a trimpot inside, and I was able to dial that down enough to make a lot of the hiss/hum go away. I know lots of people just remove that whole circuit entirely (along with the presence control). What do you end up doing?
41010
I've only used other people's 120 and 50+ amps, so I just go with low sensitivity... I also tend to roll a lot of the highs back and boost mids on this active EQ circuit.... I also like to put on a pair of shooting headphones because even by my standards the 120 is loud as hell
41010
I have this thing about gear being low noise, unless reducing the noise changes the sound, then I get upset and would rather have a little noise....
120
Definitely! Some amps are just noisy, and that's part of why they sound so good. :) There are always tradeoffs.
Artist usage
Add artist
I remember buying a Sound City 120 amp from the most famous music shop in Manchester, which was called A1 Music on Oxford Road
Original article here
Ha usato la Sound City B120 durante le registrazione nel 2007
“My primary head is a Sound City 120, modded to the specs of a Hiwatt DR103. Anyone who’s heard that amp knows it’s got classic British crunch and wicked clean sounds, the problem with Sound City amps is that they don’t have a master volume and, well, don’t sound that good. I picked this head up from a friend who modded it and I knew instantly I wanted it. It’s not as clean as a Hiwatt, it’s got some strange static-y noises, and always seems to pick up the local pop radio station, but I love it—even with all its eccentricities."
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In an Instagram post by xoxowar, Warren Defever features the Sound City B120 bass amplifier head, tagged with "Saturday Sound #whiteleslie."
Album Usage
The Sound City B120 has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Sound City B120, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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