heavyrockerbass Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 I'm looking to upgrade my bass amp, as I currently have the Marshall MB30, and while this is a decent little practice amp and it has faired me well! I would like to upgrade it to something with a little more power and versatility. I'm on a fairly tight budget being a student! One amp which caught my eye was the Behringer Ultrabass BXL1800A, does anybody know if this is a good investment? I would preferably like to buy new, but if you know any good places to look for 2nd hand except the obvious eBay! and any amp with similar stats to the behringer; 100W-200W, (preferably with some sort of distortion effect but that isn't a must have as I can get a pedal!) would be perfect. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heavyrockerbass Posted December 25, 2010 Author Share Posted December 25, 2010 Oh and don't judge me for thinking behringer! I know a lot of people seem to dislike them! But I'm on a budget and they seem good value for money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrenleepoole Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Behringer are good value for money certainly, but you do get what you pay for, and Behringers aren't very reliable to be honest. That's not to say they aren't a good make. Some of their gear is okay, but if you're investing in a new amp, you'd want piece of mind that what you're purchasing is going to be reliable and will last the course. That said, any gear, expensive or cheap can have reliability issues. But as a rule of thumb, more expensive gear is expensive for a reason. I've actually had that model of amp, and while it did the job, it was unreliable, heavy for it's size and not very efficient. If you were dead set on a Behringer due to cost, I'd be tempted to look at a cab and head combination rather than a combo. This will give you greater flexibility in the long run but it will be more expensive. You could start of with a basic head and cab, and then add a second cab over time when funds permit. Once you've grown as a player, you can then start to upgrade the head, and then cab to better gear as you mature as a player. Don't get hung up on gear snobbery, because as anyone will tell you, it's not the kit but how you use it that counts. If it works for you, go for it. For not much more than £200 you could look at a new Ashdown EB12-180 combo. Same power, but a much better made amp. However, a quick scout on ebay has pulled up this ace [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HARTKE-HA2500-bass-guitar-amplifier-valve-preamp-250w-/120660822766?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item1c17f20aee#ht_500wt_898"]Hartke[/url] head for £130! Amazing heads for the money. Match it with one of these [url="http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Hartke210XL.html"]cabs[/url] of Bass Direct for £130 and you have a killer little setup for not much more than a new Behringer combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 When I first upgraded from my practice amp to something giggable I bought new. Then almost immediately I upgraded again and took a MASSIVE hit on the price I had paid. I was uncertain about buying secondhand but using the classifieds here on Basschat is really as safe as you can get IMO. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=115170"]This[/url] is what I would buy with your budget. Maybe not fashionable but Peavey kit is by reputation indestructable and reliable. You might just get an Ashdown combo too - there is or was an EBO 300W for sale in the Basschat classified for £200, which would be a steal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tino Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 [quote name='heavyrockerbass' post='1069315' date='Dec 25 2010, 08:06 PM']I'm looking to upgrade my bass amp, as I currently have the Marshall MB30, and while this is a decent little practice amp and it has faired me well! I would like to upgrade it to something with a little more power and versatility. I'm on a fairly tight budget being a student! One amp which caught my eye was the Behringer Ultrabass BXL1800A, does anybody know if this is a good investment? I would preferably like to buy new, but if you know any good places to look for 2nd hand except the obvious eBay! and any amp with similar stats to the behringer; 100W-200W, (preferably with some sort of distortion effect but that isn't a must have as I can get a pedal!) would be perfect. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance![/quote] Roland DB700 in lovely condition £200 collected with cover...cant be a cheaper quality amp on here???? can there??? Merry crimbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conan Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 (edited) Yep - look at the for sale section on this very forum! Two hundred quid won't get much on the brand new market, but some extremely good gear at great prices come up regularly on here. Even stuff like Trace Elliot, Marshall, Ampeg, Ashdown, Roland, etc should be well within your reach if you are prepared to be patient... Highly recommended - but also rather addictive! Even if you can't cobble together another ton, might be worth a speculative offer on this beast - a fantastic combo at a brilliant price... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=105357"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=105357[/url] Edited December 26, 2010 by Conan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky Mark Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 +1 for the Ashdown EB12 180. It's got all the facilites you'll probably ever need, including a compressor, octaver and an excellent DI for larger gigs with PA and a great tone. I think this is partly due to the 12" speaker as when I bought mine, I also tried the 15" version and didn't thnk it had the same dynamics to the sound with identical EQ settings. It's small but not lightweight, but is a very useable amp for gigging, not just practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 [quote name='Conan' post='1069777' date='Dec 26 2010, 08:23 PM']Even if you can't cobble together another ton, might be worth a speculative offer on this beast - a fantastic combo at a brilliant price... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=105357"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=105357[/url][/quote] But don't forget to keep a few quid back for one of these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 I have the Behringer 1800A, and while its a bit on the weighty side, I have used it nearly every week for over a year. The Ultrabass thingumy is a bit of a gimmick really! Some strange chorusy/octaver effect, but the compessor is punchy enough! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PVTele Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 I've had a Behringer BX1800 (180W, VTC, 1x15" paper cone, horn, straight (not tilt-back) cab, no Ultrabass thingy) for a couple of years. Bit heavy, mind, but very solid. Mine has been well used, and while it does get a bit warm on a loud pub gig, it's never let me down for a moment. Very impressed with it, esp. as you can easily find the warm, old-school blues / R&B sound that I need - perfect with a P-Bass... I got mine nearly new for a silly price on eBay, but I believe you can find them for under £200 new from GAK or Thomann. Personally, I've never had the least trouble with the various bits of Behringer kit I use or have used. I understand the prejudice against the reasonably-priced (c.f. Squier, at least until very recently!) but certainly I've not found them unreliable. Maybe I've just been lucky? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethFlatlands Posted January 1, 2011 Share Posted January 1, 2011 If you buy Behringer, steer well clear of their aluminium coned speakers. Awful, breaks really quickly (a few weeks of moderate use) and one blew and took my Warwick head with it. I'm fairly reasonable when it comes to cheap gear but this stuff shouldn't even be on sale it's that poor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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