My bassist's bass amp is completely fried and he is currently in the market looking for a new rig. He doesn't really know much about audio equipment, so I thought I would post on this forum to see if anyone has any good suggestions or reviews of bass rigs they have tried and liked or disliked!!
What are his power requirements? What kind of music does your band play? What kind of basses does he have? What is his budget?
Thank you for responding!! I don't think he has any specific power requirements... I believe the last amp he had (off the top of my head) was somewhere between 200-300W. We tend to delve into different genres of music, but we probably lean more towards funk, psychedelic rock, reggae, jazz fusion kind of stuff. He has an upright bass with a pickup not exactly sure who made it and also an Ibanez btb686sc with passive Bartolini pickups. The price is pretty flexible depending on the quality but the max is $1500.
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sreten: Thanks for responding!! I do believe he is trying to fix his amp but also wants a new, more professional amp for more large scale gigging. His previous amp was an older model Gallien-Krueger of some kind looks like one twelve inch sub and a 1 inch tweeter but I could be wrong.
I play guitar but from my bass players expertise he really likes his Ampeg Portaflex B-15 for tube amps. He has used this for practice and we just did a booze cruise gig and he used it there with great success. For larger venues where there is no PA to run into he has solid state Acoustic (not sure what model exactly but I think it's a B300 or B800). In the past I have seen him use an Ampeg SVT-4 Pro which is a Hybrid with good results. He mainly uses Fender Jazz and P basses and we also play lots of genres.......rock, jazz, funk, R&B etc..........
All of these amps are great sounding but I seem to prefer when he uses the Ampeg B-15.
All of these amps are great sounding but I seem to prefer when he uses the Ampeg B-15.
That suggests an MB150.
Nice amp, but a single 12" and available 100W RMS (to get the rated 150W you need to add an extension cab) is not much for Bass.
To improve , I'd suggest a 4 x 10"cab, with a tweeter if he likes wide range sound, and a 200/300 W head .
There's a lot good ones to choose and at a reasonable price: GK , Ampeg , Hartke , Peavey, even Fender.
although I've not auditioned, a Hartke 115C combo amp can be bought new for US$349 (about half original price) and features a hybrid aluminum inner cone/paper outer cone neodymium magnet 15" speaker, compression driver tweeter and plywood cabinet - its rated 250 watts, ~64lb -, graphic EQ, built in compressor - the manual shows a 1/4" extension speaker jack on the rear (4 ohm load minimum)
Hartke HyDrive 115C bass combo | Guitar reviews | MusicRadar
Hartke HyDrive 115C bass combo | Guitar reviews | MusicRadar
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Hi,
How long is a piece of string ? Good quality used stuff.
FWIW the best bass rig I've ever played through was
a Fender Bassman 130 and a Trace Elloit 4x12 bass cab.
More aggressive a Marshall 100W valve and 4x12 bass cab.
rgds, sreten.
I used my old (and great IMO) Peavey MkIII (tranny) with
a 1x15 cabinet and add a 4x10 cabinet when its needed.
How long is a piece of string ? Good quality used stuff.
FWIW the best bass rig I've ever played through was
a Fender Bassman 130 and a Trace Elloit 4x12 bass cab.
More aggressive a Marshall 100W valve and 4x12 bass cab.
rgds, sreten.
I used my old (and great IMO) Peavey MkIII (tranny) with
a 1x15 cabinet and add a 4x10 cabinet when its needed.
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$1500 is a great budget with many options. The US-made Gallien Kruegers are well-built, sound great and have excellent tonal flexibility. Also check out Markbass and Genz Benz. Really with a budget of $1.5k it's down to personal preference. Is there a big Musician's Friend or somewhere similar he could go to test drive some amps? Make it a road trip - always fun 🙂
Thank you all for the suggestions!!! I think he is making the journey out to guitar center to test some of these bad boys this weekend I'm hoping he goes with a nice Markbass or something along the same caliber!!!
Do they run his bass thru the PA? Here's some practical things to consider.
He should have a general idea whether he wants a tube amp or transistor. Everyone wants an Aguilar or SVT or V8 until they haul one themselves; I assume he's OK w/ transistor amps if he chose the GK in the first place. So I highly recommend he get a class D switching-mode amp, or maybe a tube preamp and a class-d switching-mode power amp, or a conventional amp with a switching-mode power supply, and speakers with Neodymium magnets. The class-d head can weigh half as much with 5 times the power, the bottom can weigh much less too with neodymium magnets. Some neodymium-magnet speakers are made to be light, others to be powerful without being excessively heavy. But if you get a switching-mode amp, get a much higher watt rating amp than you are used to with a conventional amp, and a built-in limiter. I personally like a conventional amp with a switching-mode regulated power supply. You can pick up a handful of Soundcraftsmen shoebox-size power amps, or a Crown MacroTech VZ5000 is a heavier favorite of mine. You could build a couple of 45-watt Marshall clones, or get a lighter more compact 900 watt switching amp with a less efficient speaker that's much more compact for less money and sound cleaner but not necessarily louder.
BTW that Hartke combo does look nice and compact, and it's so cheap you could build a second bottom with an identical woofer and add a class-d booster amp to push the slave.
For a bass player, being able to size a modular rig to the stage is wonderful, and starting with a light combo for practice or a small bar reduces the interconnection setup hassle when you add another speaker to the other side of the stage for everyone to hear each other or outdoors or if you mike only vocals. And it all fits in any sedan, and he can carry it all himself without injury. When you stack it they couple up and look impressive, but the option of spreading the speakers is sometimes even better.
Some modular 2X10's are replacing the standard 8X10. He needs to know whether he wants 12's to boom or 10's for funky popping. The upright acoustic needs both, and don't shortchange the low end or treble for any kind of fretless! If he likes the traditional JBL 15, consider the guitar 15 instead of the bass guitar one for today's music.
Audition Hartke bottoms and see whether he likes them; the aluminum sounds different and keeps the voice coil cooler too.
Audition the Eden switching-mode WTX500 at 4.3 pounds for 500 watts for $650 thru mail order discounters. Take two, they're small (as someone once said handing me some purple microdot). Really though, you would have stereo bass effects and full redundancy for reliability, but wuld blow your budget on just amps; maybe start with one. This thing is getting so popular there will be competition fast. Behringer has a cheap switcher. Euphonic Audio Micro and Markbass F1 compete in the same power price and size range.
The cheapest is to get something like the Eden WTDI preamp (and direct box) that sits at your feet or anywhere convenient, and then pick up any used switching-mode power amp. Or you can pick up a conventional amp with a switching-mode power supply like a Crown VZ, PowerBase, MicroTech, MacroTech, ComTech, DriveCor, XLS, CTs, or their all-switching CE4000. The Crowns are not 4.3 pounds like the Eden, but for instance the switching-mode CE4000 is a couple of kilowatts, and you can plug it into just about any outlet or generator worldwide without any switches or adjustment...runs really great off of 200v, and now that they're "obsolete" you can sometimes pick up rough-looking ones for $280 and they weigh so little you'll think it's empty. Some switching-mode amps behave strangely into weird loads, but that's 10 cents a watt! I've had good luck with the Peavey Deca 1200 and I picked up a rough pair for $500 for 2400 watts, or 20 cents a watt.
Sorry I can't reveal which unpopular undersized light cabinets I buy up used really cheap, then install neodymium drivers in...but I might want to corner that market. I end up with a compact light powerhouse. Find a friend with a PA company and ask whether he owns any franchises for drivers, they often do just to buy in bulk.
Genz-Benz Shuttle 9.0 is 4 pounds and 900 watts for $829. That's actually a better price per watt and what a lot of working musicians want now. There's lots more compact switchers with 200-400 watts but I would not bother with them; when I get a switching amp I oversize it because there is NO additional short-term dynamic headroom for transients, there is NO additional class-b overdrive of course...
He should have a general idea whether he wants a tube amp or transistor. Everyone wants an Aguilar or SVT or V8 until they haul one themselves; I assume he's OK w/ transistor amps if he chose the GK in the first place. So I highly recommend he get a class D switching-mode amp, or maybe a tube preamp and a class-d switching-mode power amp, or a conventional amp with a switching-mode power supply, and speakers with Neodymium magnets. The class-d head can weigh half as much with 5 times the power, the bottom can weigh much less too with neodymium magnets. Some neodymium-magnet speakers are made to be light, others to be powerful without being excessively heavy. But if you get a switching-mode amp, get a much higher watt rating amp than you are used to with a conventional amp, and a built-in limiter. I personally like a conventional amp with a switching-mode regulated power supply. You can pick up a handful of Soundcraftsmen shoebox-size power amps, or a Crown MacroTech VZ5000 is a heavier favorite of mine. You could build a couple of 45-watt Marshall clones, or get a lighter more compact 900 watt switching amp with a less efficient speaker that's much more compact for less money and sound cleaner but not necessarily louder.
BTW that Hartke combo does look nice and compact, and it's so cheap you could build a second bottom with an identical woofer and add a class-d booster amp to push the slave.
For a bass player, being able to size a modular rig to the stage is wonderful, and starting with a light combo for practice or a small bar reduces the interconnection setup hassle when you add another speaker to the other side of the stage for everyone to hear each other or outdoors or if you mike only vocals. And it all fits in any sedan, and he can carry it all himself without injury. When you stack it they couple up and look impressive, but the option of spreading the speakers is sometimes even better.
Some modular 2X10's are replacing the standard 8X10. He needs to know whether he wants 12's to boom or 10's for funky popping. The upright acoustic needs both, and don't shortchange the low end or treble for any kind of fretless! If he likes the traditional JBL 15, consider the guitar 15 instead of the bass guitar one for today's music.
Audition Hartke bottoms and see whether he likes them; the aluminum sounds different and keeps the voice coil cooler too.
Audition the Eden switching-mode WTX500 at 4.3 pounds for 500 watts for $650 thru mail order discounters. Take two, they're small (as someone once said handing me some purple microdot). Really though, you would have stereo bass effects and full redundancy for reliability, but wuld blow your budget on just amps; maybe start with one. This thing is getting so popular there will be competition fast. Behringer has a cheap switcher. Euphonic Audio Micro and Markbass F1 compete in the same power price and size range.
The cheapest is to get something like the Eden WTDI preamp (and direct box) that sits at your feet or anywhere convenient, and then pick up any used switching-mode power amp. Or you can pick up a conventional amp with a switching-mode power supply like a Crown VZ, PowerBase, MicroTech, MacroTech, ComTech, DriveCor, XLS, CTs, or their all-switching CE4000. The Crowns are not 4.3 pounds like the Eden, but for instance the switching-mode CE4000 is a couple of kilowatts, and you can plug it into just about any outlet or generator worldwide without any switches or adjustment...runs really great off of 200v, and now that they're "obsolete" you can sometimes pick up rough-looking ones for $280 and they weigh so little you'll think it's empty. Some switching-mode amps behave strangely into weird loads, but that's 10 cents a watt! I've had good luck with the Peavey Deca 1200 and I picked up a rough pair for $500 for 2400 watts, or 20 cents a watt.
Sorry I can't reveal which unpopular undersized light cabinets I buy up used really cheap, then install neodymium drivers in...but I might want to corner that market. I end up with a compact light powerhouse. Find a friend with a PA company and ask whether he owns any franchises for drivers, they often do just to buy in bulk.
Genz-Benz Shuttle 9.0 is 4 pounds and 900 watts for $829. That's actually a better price per watt and what a lot of working musicians want now. There's lots more compact switchers with 200-400 watts but I would not bother with them; when I get a switching amp I oversize it because there is NO additional short-term dynamic headroom for transients, there is NO additional class-b overdrive of course...
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Speaking of Gallien-Krueger, their compact switchers have little rack-like handles I really like, so if someone trips on a cord and pulls the lightweight amp off a bottom and it crashes to the floor, the knobs and jack are somewhat protected by the handles. The MB800 is 4.9 pounds or they also have a version with a tube preamp for an additional .6 pounds. But I don't know what they cost. I'm still into tubes LOL. I play bass thru a pair of Fender Super Twin chassis (6 6L6 each) I converted into heads, or a Peavey VB2. That's a cumbersome load to move. I used to buy up Peavey Classic 120 rack-mount power amps with 4 6L6s each, but 4 of those in a rack gets cumbersome too. The Mesa Bookie 400+ is impressive, but really heavy.
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I mentioned the limiter is important, especially if the power amp is not meant for guitar. A built-in compressor can be really nice with a switching-mode amp too. Another reason the little Eden sounds good, cuts thru the mix, and is so popular.
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