aofbassman Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Hey guys, I'm looking to buy a new head for my cab in the not so distant future. I am looking in and around the £750-850 mark. I really like the trace elliot punch and controlable tone but obviously a wee bit out of my price range. I'd preferably be looking for something with a graphic EQ as well. Also like the sound of tube amps but once again, a wee bit out of my price bracket. Any ideas???? Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 What cab do you have? Trace gear comes up pretty cheap second hand. You can get a lot of amp for that budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 You can save yourself a bucket load of cash when you buy here on BC. £400-£500 should get you a great amp. Be patient and one will be along soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aofbassman Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1163333' date='Mar 15 2011, 05:03 PM']What cab do you have? Trace gear comes up pretty cheap second hand. You can get a lot of amp for that budget.[/quote] I have a yamaha 4x10 at the moment which is capable of 500 w's. im looking to upgrade the head first of and then get a couple of cabs. probably a 2x10 and a 1x15. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomBassmonkey Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 (edited) *cough* GK *cough* The Fusion 550 and MB Fusion are both in that price range, they're both hybrid amps with tube preamps and solid state power amps. Both are 500w at 4Ohm and 350 at 8Ohm. The Fusion 550 has more features (such as GK's bi-amping system and motorised knobs for different EQs between channels) but is a weighty bugger. The MB is a smaller (and cheaper) beastie, it's still got two channels but is more basic, still sounds fantastic though and it's small enough to put in your gig bag. The 1001RB-II is also in that price range, it's all solid state but it's got GK's G.I.V.E. (gate induced valve effect) so it can produce a valvey growl. It's a bit more powerful at 700w at 4Ohm and 460w at 8Ohm. All of them use the GK 4 band EQ though, no fancy parametrics here. I've always ran mine totally flat though (I have the contour up a bit which gives it some mid scoop) and it's always sounded great. A bit of tweaking makes a massive difference to the tone though and they're very versatile. If you really want an all valve sound, you could pick something up 2nd hand for that budget fairly easily I'd expect. Couldn't help you with what though as I've never really been a big fan of valves on bass gear. Don't worry about your cab's power rating too much, it wouldn't matter if your head was a million watts so long as you didn't crank it. Edited March 15, 2011 by ThomBassmonkey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 Mr. Foxen's selling an 80's Orange all-valve head here fo £850. Looks in great nick and it'll sound demon! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 I'd go & browse the "Amps For Sale" section on here & then have a look at some of the similar posts that's been on here to see if there's things that will suit your needs. I'd choose 2 2x10s rather than a 2x10 & 1x15 (a 15 doesn't give you more depth). Have a look at the lightweight amps available from the likes of GenzBenz, MarkBass, TecAmp & such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 As I am currently pleasing my bands with a TC amp, I'd suggest you check out one those, closely followed by Markbass. You'll get all amps being suggested so you'll have to do your homework and see what satisfies your ear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plankspanker Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 My advice is to buy a 6u SKB rack that contains an Ashdown RPM1 (valve) preamp and a Peavey CS800S power amp (2x420W@4 ohms, 2x270W@ 8 ohms) and still has 2u spare for tuner, effects and so on. Make sure they are all in A1 condition and have only had two careful owners who used them in small, smoke-free home studios. It's exactly what you want - it really is perfect. Wait a minute! I've just remembered that I have exactly the rack described above. Unbelievably this could be yours for only £300 so plenty of cash left over. Welcome to try first if you like but you'd have to travel to NP23 5BQ. Bass and cabs here but bring your own if you like. an irresistible bargain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 To save you some time on here. The current fave amps for around that money or less would or may be Genz Streamliner TC RH450 AN other Markbass. they do so many. I say fave ..as in favourable reviews. I haven't mentioned the big all valve amps That doesn't mean they will suit you best but you could start a search for them here to get this all started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 the true answer is whatever people are selling at the time as you can see from the answers above. I would add another + for Gallien Krueger. Been round the doors with a lot of stuff and ended up back with a 700RB II again Try it all if you can, preferrably in a gigging environment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 [quote name='aofbassman' post='1163345' date='Mar 15 2011, 05:08 PM']I have a yamaha 4x10 at the moment which is capable of 500 w's. im looking to upgrade the head first of and then get a couple of cabs. probably a 2x10 and a 1x15.[/quote] Pic a sound you want and get cabs to suit, rather than a speaker config and rely on hope for the sound [quote name='Truckstop' post='1163394' date='Mar 15 2011, 05:33 PM']Mr. Foxen's selling an 80's Orange all-valve head here fo £850. Looks in great nick and it'll sound demon! Truckstop[/quote] Cheers for the plug, but its 70s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 I do like my TC Electronic Classic 450, so would happily recommend TC gear. However, as the original post stated a graphic was desired, checking out the Ashdown JJ Burnell Signature amp may be worth doing. Its also only (only he says) about £500 - £600 new. Theres a review of it here on Basschat: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=125295"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=125295[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markorbit Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 Yeah Trace gear is really good for 'punch' and it is incredible value on the S/H market. Very undervalued these amps IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil-osopher10 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 [quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='1163942' date='Mar 16 2011, 01:13 AM']Cheers for the plug, but its 70s.[/quote] Haha! The way I imagined you to say this in my head was very funny! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 It depends if you want to carry a big lump around or go with a light weight amp with the option of light weight cabs in the future, Contrary to bass chat myth (bollocks) none of the new models lack bottom end, warmth or volume Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 If you like Trace Elliott stuff then just keep scouring here and the bay until a series 6 / 7 AH350SMX or likewise turns up. They're far better than the current trace gear imo and you'll get a bargain for sure if you've got the patience. You'll also have enough change to find some nice cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 [quote name='stingrayPete1977' post='1165037' date='Mar 16 2011, 09:42 PM']It depends if you want to carry a big lump around or go with a light weight amp with the option of light weight cabs in the future, Contrary to bass chat myth (bollocks) none of the new models lack bottom end, warmth or volume [/quote] +1! I've got a Markbass F1 head, and a matching front ported 4x10 cab. I have to turn the low end down.. A lot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 [quote name='chrismuzz' post='1167612' date='Mar 18 2011, 08:35 PM']+1! I've got a Markbass F1 head, and a matching front ported 4x10 cab. I have to turn the low end down.. A lot![/quote] Yep there was a thread a few weeks ago about needing a shuttle 9.0 instead of a 6.0 for anything with a low B, I have a Ray5 and never use the lower shelving from the low boost button or get over halfway on the normal low EQ control, I'm not a fancy dusty end guy either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted March 18, 2011 Share Posted March 18, 2011 And to add to that, I've actually had to buy a compressor JUST so that my low A doesn't kill the rest of my playing lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MatthewKeys Posted March 20, 2011 Share Posted March 20, 2011 Get an ampeg! SVT7 or SVT4. They are punchy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.