Recommend a replacement

[lee4]

Ok,my Markbass LMII has developed a fault in the input stage(distortion and crackling)and whilst it is being(hopefully)repaired,I wondered if any of you had any suggestions for a possible replacement.
I require an amp no costlier than £300,about 300 watt(into a 4 ohm cab),I do not need a fussy EQ section,or gadgets such as built in sub-bass or FX,and it must be reliable.
I play rock covers,some ska,and pop/rock originals.

Over to you now....

[Lozz196]

Marshall MB450H - some people have mentioned reliabilty issues, but I`ve had 3 different models in the range, no probs with any of them.

Modern & Classic channels, to be honest only ever used the Classic, which has boostable gain as well (very Lemmy when used). Lovely warm valvey sound. Used it at many a gig with one 4 ohm cab, never needed it on more than 5, plenty of headroom.

[chris_b]

Another LM2?

[JTUK]

SWR SM400..if you can find one. Not sure about the price though.

[thisnameistaken]

Hartke LH500. 500W into 4 ohms, very simple EQ (but decent), mine has been reliable - not a single hiccup in 18 months of gigs and rehearsals, they are £300 new.

[lee4]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='954258' date='Sep 13 2010, 01:12 AM']Hartke LH500. 500W into 4 ohms, very simple EQ (but decent), mine has been reliable - not a single hiccup in 18 months of gigs and rehearsals, they are £300 new.[/quote]
I've only heard good things about this amp.Seems like the current favourite.

[lee4]

[quote name='chris_b' post='954037' date='Sep 12 2010, 09:02 PM']Another LM2?[/quote]
Whilst the sound is great,I really don't trust MB gear now.Starting to hear bad things reliability-wise.

[chris_b]

[quote name='lee4' post='954707' date='Sep 13 2010, 01:27 PM']....Whilst the sound is great,I really don't trust MB gear now.Starting to hear bad things reliability-wise....[/quote]
I know that some of the early ones had power supply problems but that was a few years ago. I thought they were pretty good these days. What problems are you hearing about?

[mcnach]

[quote name='lee4' post='954005' date='Sep 12 2010, 08:45 PM']Ok,my Markbass LMII has developed a fault in the input stage(distortion and crackling)and whilst it is being(hopefully)repaired,I wondered if any of you had any suggestions for a possible replacement.
I require an amp no costlier than £300,about 300 watt(into a 4 ohm cab),I do not need a fussy EQ section,or gadgets such as built in sub-bass or FX,and it must be reliable.
I play rock covers,some ska,and pop/rock originals.

Over to you now....[/quote]

My backup amp is an Ashdown MAG250. It sounds pretty good to me (that's why I have it!) and you should be able to get a MAG300 head (300W into 4ohm) for about £150 or maybe a little more. It has a kind of built-in octaver and deep/bright switches which I rarely use, but the basic amp is good. I especially like the EQ section: besides the bass/mid/treble you get two extra knobs at 220Hz and 1.6KHz, which I find very useful.
I just checked, it seems Dolphin Music have the MAG300 EvoII model at £230 new.

Edited September 13, 2010 by mcnach

[lee4]

[quote name='chris_b' post='954774' date='Sep 13 2010, 02:11 PM']I know that some of the early ones had power supply problems but that was a few years ago. I thought they were pretty good these days. What problems are you hearing about?[/quote]
Nothing specific,just general "me MB amp is on the fritz"kind of stuff.

[lee4]

[quote name='mcnach' post='954803' date='Sep 13 2010, 02:27 PM']My backup amp is an Ashdown MAG250. It sounds pretty good to me (that's why I have it!) and you should be able to get a MAG300 head (300W into 4ohm) for about £150 or maybe a little more. It has a kind of built-in octaver and deep/bright switches which I rarely use, but the basic amp is good. I especially like the EQ section: besides the bass/mid/treble you get two extra knobs at 220Hz and 1.6KHz, which I find very useful.
I just checked, it seems Dolphin Music have the MAG300 EvoII model at £230 new.[/quote]
Ah,Ashdown is another make that I have been told to avoid due to reliability.That said,I was told by a drummer .But he is a drummer who builds loudspeakers for a living so he knows a thing or two!I have also been advised to avoid Eden Nemesis amps for the same reasons as the Ashdown gear.

Edited September 13, 2010 by lee4

[lee4]

I've just seen that Carlbro are still in buisness.I have fond memories of my first head/cab rig which was all Carlbro.An e-mail has been sent to them to get prices and stockists.

[lee4]

OK,lastest news is that the amp has been stripped,all conections checked,ribbon leads cleaned and re-seated,amp assembled,and after 3 hours of testing by the repair guy,no crackles.
I am going to get some acoustic foam,glue it to a board,and stand the amp on it as it looks like it could be vibration loosening the leads.
Watch this space.....

[lee4]

A quick update;After a 15min test,all seems good.The amp is now sitting on a chair to isolate it,and I am looking for some acoustic foam to build an insulating board.