ampeg b1-re, ashdown abm 300 or peavy tour 450???

[Mikethebass]

Hello wise bass chatters!

Looking at getting a new head for my
Marshall dbs 2x10,1x15 400watt 4ohm cab

Only got £200 at most to spend so secondhand market obv!
I currently have a ashdown superfly running on just 1 off the 250 watt outs but need some headroom.
Play events of up to 300 people.

The contenders are

Ampeg b1-re
Ashdown abm 300
Peavy tour 450

Any help?

Cheers

Mike

[andy67]

Of my recent purchases, bang for buck would have to be the Hartke LH1000. S/H prices range from £250 - £350 but don't forget the LH500 which can be easily picked up for £200 (£299 new!!) The LH range are superb sounding powerhouses that really defy logic in terms of their pricing considering the high end LH1000 (current top of the range Hartke amp) costs as little as £519 whereas the bottom of the range Ampeg B2re is nearly £600 new.

link: [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/hartke-lh1000/25123"]http://www.gak.co.uk/en/hartke-lh1000/25123[/url]

link: [url="http://www.gak.co.uk/en/hartke-lh500/25125"]http://www.gak.co.uk/en/hartke-lh500/25125[/url]

Loads of sound samples on YouTube.

andy

Edited May 4, 2011 by andy67

[yorick]

Out of the three choices, i'd recommend the Peavey, as it's the only one i've used. And very good it is too!!

[Monckyman]

I`m very happy with my ABM500 but if you can stretch to a Hartke I reckon you won`t regret it.
Try holding out for that extra £100 and you have a whole new set of choices.
MM

[Lozz196]

If the budget can`t be upped, out of the three amps listed, I`d go for the Peavey. May be heavy (tho as you have a Marshall DBS, weight is obviously not a factor ), and a bit unfashionable, but they go on forever, and are virtually indestructable. And they sound good too.

[icastle]

[quote name='Mikethebass' post='1219509' date='May 4 2011, 08:44 AM']Hello wise bass chatters![/quote]

You sure you didn't want the room next door?

I'm currently using a Peavey Tour 750, as others have said - they're heavy and virtually indestructible.
Tone is a pretty subjective thing, but I'm happy with it's performance.

Prior to that I was using a Hartke 3000 - a little lighter than the Peavey but suffered from some pretty poor soldering, in fairness it was easy to put right and it worked faultlessly ever since (I still have it as a backup amp).

The only reason I moved away from Hartke to Peavey was that they went hybrid and I'm not a fan of valves.

[fryer]

Definately the Peavey !!

[acidbass]

All three are cracking value or money amps, but I'd lean slightly towards the Ashdown personally, maybe followed by the Peavey. Hope this helps!

[mcnach]

[quote name='yorick' post='1219516' date='May 4 2011, 08:58 AM']Out of the three choices, i'd recommend the Peavey, as it's the only one i've used. And very good it is too!![/quote]

+1

I like that amp a lot.

[MuckedUpFunkies]

I was in exactly the same situation and tried all three and i suggest you do the same. Personally I found the Ampeg the best because of the EQ options. =)