Behringer BXL 3000?

[littlebraith]

Right,
so I need to upgrade my weedy little Stagg 40watt bass amp so that I can actually be heard at practices. I've been recommended this amp by somebody, the Behringer BXL 3000, but I'm really uncertain about what to think.

The reviews for any Behringer are SO mixed that I'm not sure what to believe, some saying how horribly unreliable Behringer is, others saying it's a great quality bass and at an amazing price (Lowest I've found is £185)
My guitarist has a Behringer Amp and Cab setup and it really is amazing quality and he got that fairly cheap.

Anybody have any experience with this amp that could help me make up my mind?

Thanks for the help.

[thinman]

I think you'll be hard-pushed to get an objective view round here! I think like most manufacturers they have good products and not-so-good products. I've had a few bits of theirs but never a bass amp. Some of them have been very good, some not so.

I'd say go and try one and if you like it have it unless you can find a good secondhand deal somewhere on something previously pricier. Reliability is a concern for some but there seem to be as many people having trouble with boutique brands as budget ones - many here state that their Ashdown gear has been ultra reliable - mine went bang so there's always an exception!

[icastle]

[quote name='littlebraith' post='1030857' date='Nov 20 2010, 08:47 PM']Right,
so I need to upgrade my weedy little Stagg 40watt bass amp so that I can actually be heard at practices. I've been recommended this amp by somebody, the Behringer BXL 3000, but I'm really uncertain about what to think.

The reviews for any Behringer are SO mixed that I'm not sure what to believe, some saying how horribly unreliable Behringer is, others saying it's a great quality bass and at an amazing price (Lowest I've found is £185)
My guitarist has a Behringer Amp and Cab setup and it really is amazing quality and he got that fairly cheap.[/quote]

The Behringer amp will certainly give you more headroom than the little Stagg amp you are currently using.
But there are a few things to consider here.

1) The stated output of 300W may be technically correct, but misleading. The measurement is in RMS and there are a number of different ways that this figure can be measured to create a larger number (input frequency being one of them).
In the same way that a Vauxhall Corsa *could* do 180MPH (if you were to fire it out of a big enough cannon).

2) I have experience of Behringer amplifier products failing when driven too hard and certainly don't even consider Behringer when selecting power products.

3) I have never spoken with Behringer support, but they do seem to have a pretty poor reputation.

So, whilst I would happily say their outboard stuff apears to be reasonable, their power products aren't fantastic.

Looking at the overall spec of the BXL3000, and if budget is important - if it was me, I'd take a look at the 100W+ Hartke kit and pay a few quid more for a lot more peace of mind.