Author Topic: Need a Bass Amp (Read 4837 times)

markofled · « **on:** October 14, 2006, 03:32:52 PM »

i need a new bass amp thats loud enough to gig with at pubs and small halls. I ve been looking at Laney and Hartke. Also im on abit of a budget and would like to keep it under £500 What do u think of these? Anyone had any experience with these amps?

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/rb-7/69001

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/rb-9--replaces-r4-h/69088

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/ha3500/12440

Also Do you need a 1x15 cab and a 4x10 or can you get away with just one and if so which? Any better options? :D

Crazy_Joe · « **Reply #1 on:** October 14, 2006, 04:39:38 PM »

I hear Ashdown and Trace Elliot do great bass amps, though i am not a bass player so i don't know.

markofled · « **Reply #2 on:** October 14, 2006, 04:45:11 PM »

A little bit out of my budget tho :(

gingataff · « **Reply #3 on:** October 14, 2006, 04:47:11 PM »

Hartke are major leauge bass amps so I reckon they're a good choice, more so than Laney anyway.
A mate of mine has a 1x15 ampeg combo and it sounds huge, it has a piezo tweeter for added high end. A 1x15 by itself may be a little dark sounding depending on what you're playing. I'd say the 1x15 for rock and the 4x10 for funk/jazz, but you can always get one cab and then add another at a later date. Hartke aluminium cone speakers are supposed to awesome too, Stu Hamm used to use them, maybe he still does.

markofled · « **Reply #4 on:** October 15, 2006, 12:00:09 PM »

there are quite mixed reviews for hartke amps on harmony central. And no reviews for laney. i got a laney gh50l which is a quality guitar amp so im pretty confident laney are reliable.

hunter · « **Reply #5 on:** October 15, 2006, 12:14:19 PM »

not sure if it helps any as I am not a bassist, but I used to play in a band where the bass player had an ampeg 8x10 cab. This had the most awesome punch and tone, no matter which amp he played through it. Never lacked bottom end either. But a monster to transport ...

carlaz · « **Reply #6 on:** October 16, 2006, 12:32:30 PM »

I've tried Ashdown bass combos and heads, and I think they're very good for the money (though I never actually had even that quantity of money to buy one!). If I did have the money, though, I'd buy one and use it .

Dakine · « **Reply #7 on:** October 16, 2006, 01:14:12 PM »

way back when (when actively gigging as bassist) I had a Peavey combo with a Black Widow speaker once. The thing weighed a ton and you could hear an internal fan crank up as soon as plugged in :twisted:
Was a beast and well capable of pub/small gigs.
Not on par with the SWR I normally used but def. a good amp on lesser budget.

markofled · « **Reply #8 on:** October 16, 2006, 04:48:59 PM »

Anyobe had much experience with ashdown

http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=78

Do you think this would be powerful enough? They seem resonably priced

carlaz · « **Reply #9 on:** October 16, 2006, 05:08:56 PM »

n a pinch, I'd be inclined to go for the 1x15" combo rather than the 2x10".

indysmith · « **Reply #10 on:** October 16, 2006, 05:17:08 PM »

i have an ashdown bass amp - but it's only a tiny perfect ten solid state combo. I don't know anything about bass amps - but it sounds okay to me, and it's pretty well built

fatbob · « **Reply #11 on:** October 17, 2006, 12:44:15 PM »

I play bass probably more than guitar at the moment. I have an Ashdown electric blue 12" 180w combo, loud enough for rehersal/ pub gigs. Ashdown have had reliability issues in the past, esp EB/MAG lines (they are built overseas)
There is plenty to choose from for that price, Gallien-Krugger, Hartke, Ashdown, Peavey, SWR..... try a few out for taste. Look for around 180-300w power. If you need anymore, then your probably in a venue that needs pa support.
Tone wise, Ashdown/Ampeg sound vintage(ish), GK, Hartke & SWR, more modern.

carlaz · « **Reply #12 on:** October 17, 2006, 02:53:17 PM »

Yeah, the MAG series is built in China (I think), the ABM series in the UK. I've really only tried out the ABM combos, and though they're priced towards the higher end of combos, I think they deliver for what you pay. I was looking for something that would put out some fat overdriven bass, more vintage than modern, and the ABM combos do that. :twisted: They were still too pricey for me to actually buy, but they also made me decide not to buy anything cheaper in the meantime. If I had to buy a bass combo right now, without any further checks or tests, I'd get one of the Ashdown ABMs.

markofled · « **Reply #13 on:** October 17, 2006, 03:48:54 PM »

carlaz:

Quote

n a pinch, I'd be inclined to go for the 1x15" combo rather than the 2x10".

Why?

carlaz · « **Reply #14 on:** October 17, 2006, 04:07:22 PM »

Larger speakers can be better at handling low frequencies, though some people find them too "fat". A couple of smaller speakers may deliver tighter sounds. Of course, a lot will depend on the build of the cab/combo and the quality of the speakers, so it's best to check.

Still, as a rule of thumb, I like and fat, overdriven bass sound and tend to find 1 larger speaker works better for me than 2 smaller ones. But your mileage may vary!