d4tux Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Hi, I've recently made the swap to bass and I'm in desperate need of an amp! My current setup is to play my battered 80's Tokai LBX60 Bass --> Pod XT (with Bass Pack) --> 2 x Fostex PM0.5 Monitors Suffice to say my bass sound is lacking and isn't easily portable I'm currently playing in a Blues/Rock band and struggling to be heard over the 2 guitarists; one with a 60W tube amp, one with a 100W solid-state. I have around £200 to spend, but can probably extend to £300 at a push. The only real "must have" is to be loud enough for rehearsals/small venues and small//lightweight enough to get approval from the Mrs I've been looking at: - Ashdown EB12-180 and EB15-180 - Hartke A100 - H&K BassKick 100 - Line 6 LD175 - Fender Rumble 150 Having researched this quite a bit over the last few days I've started staring enviously at combos that are way out of my budget!!! So I'd really appreciate some recommendations as I have no idea who the best "budget" bass amp manufacturers are and what size amp I need to be "loud enough" - some sites recommend 100W, others 200-300W! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkonthehill Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 [quote name='d4tux' timestamp='1324230342' post='1472087'] Hi, I've recently made the swap to bass and I'm in desperate need of an amp! My current setup is to play my battered 80's Tokai LBX60 Bass --> Pod XT (with Bass Pack) --> 2 x Fostex PM0.5 Monitors Suffice to say my bass sound is lacking and isn't easily portable I'm currently playing in a Blues/Rock band and struggling to be heard over the 2 guitarists; one with a 60W tube amp, one with a 100W solid-state. I have around £200 to spend, but can probably extend to £300 at a push. The only real "must have" is to be loud enough for rehearsals/small venues and small//lightweight enough to get approval from the Mrs I've been looking at: - Ashdown EB12-180 and EB15-180 - Hartke A100 - H&K BassKick 100 - Line 6 LD175 - Fender Rumble 150 Having researched this quite a bit over the last few days I've started staring enviously at combos that are way out of my budget!!! So I'd really appreciate some recommendations as I have no idea who the best "budget" bass amp manufacturers are and what size amp I need to be "loud enough" - some sites recommend 100W, others 200-300W! Thanks! [/quote] To be safe regarding headroom I wouldnt gig with less than 300watts. Check the for sale section of this forum im sure you will find plenty to chose from. I dont think you would go wrong with an ashdown 4x10 combo. It will be loud enough, its not wicked heavy and once you have it then you can wok fom there to seeing what you like or want :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Some good bargains to be had in the for sale section of this site. For that budget, Peavey or Trace Elliot would be a good choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d4tux Posted December 18, 2011 Author Share Posted December 18, 2011 Thanks for the super fast responses! If i'm looking at 300W there is no way I can buy new and remain in budget without going Behringer.. I've been relatively impressed with the quality of their studio products but never tried any of their amps? Should I bother trying one out? As pre-owned seems the best option I'll be trawling through the for sale section in detail this evening - i did have a quick skim earlier. Initially, I thought a combo was the best idea as it would be cheaper/easier to move but would there any disadvantage to going for a head/cab? Sorry for all the questions and thanks again for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LiamPodmore Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Behringer amps work for some, but don't work for others. I personally wouldn't take the risk. As for the head/cab situation, you could get a 500w head and 4x10 on here for £300, but i would suggest in your situation going for a combo and possibly an extension cab. Ashdown MAG 300 210C with MAG 2x10 extension would probably do that well. Liam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HADGE Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 [i]hi i have several combos peavey ashdown custom sound and just bought a markbass 2x10 but if i was you i would look at a ampeg 100watt combo i had one for a short time and was well impressed i now have a ampeg stack as well as combos also a markbass stack but value for money is the ampeg combo and being ampeg you always get a good price when you sell it. Try one out at your nearest music shop that sell ampeg. Good luck with the combo you decide to get.[/i] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceH Posted December 18, 2011 Share Posted December 18, 2011 Don't worry too much about watts per se, it's a misleading spec at best that doesn't directly relate to output capability. 150 watts through enough speakers can be ear-bleedingly loud. Having said that, to match the levels a 2x12 60 watt valve guitar amp is capable of you'd want one serious mother of a bass amp and PA system. I've happily gigged an Electric Blue 12-150 and it has decent grunt for the money and size, but it doesn't have the oomph to really keep up with a guitar amp at full tilt. If your band are 'reasonable' and you can use PA for larger gigs then it'll do and one can be had for around £100 secondhand. For a similar small footprint but louder you have to spend quite a lot to get something new, like the Markbass. One thing that occurs to me, a heavyweight amp is a lot easier to deal with than a heavyweight speaker cabinet. Secondhand, maybe looking for a cheap robust head, like a Trace Elliot, and separate lighter neo speakers, would be the way forward. This way you could start with a single 8-ohm cab and add another as required and when budget allowed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 (edited) I used a MAG300 1x15 with extension 2x10 and it served well and by far loud enough to compete against any guitarist. I sold my MAG300 for under £200 on BC so there are definately bargains to be had with Ashdown. It also has IMO a very nice warm sound similar to valve sound which i quite liked. I sold it to buy something smaller to fit in new car - don't ask !!! large boot, small opening. Good luck Dave Edited December 19, 2011 by dmccombe7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
citymariner Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 my mag300 210t - make me an offer mate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockabillybob1 Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 if you can go a bit higher on price theres a guy on here selling a tc electronics bg 500 for 350 pounds all the combo you will ever need powerful and light packed with loads of good features i have one its awsome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudmover Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 I've got an ashdown eb 12 180watt combo which you can have for 130 delivered......its the best version with mechanical vu meter....really nice nick ....these units give a great variation of sounds...only selling as I've acquired a gb sl600. If interested pm me .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrenleepoole Posted December 19, 2011 Share Posted December 19, 2011 [quote name='d4tux' timestamp='1324232752' post='1472125'] Thanks for the super fast responses! If i'm looking at 300W there is no way I can buy new and remain in budget without going Behringer..[/quote] That's not strictly true! Never tried one, but Kustom do a range called Deep End. You can get a new hybrid head, solid state amp with valve preamp stage, and a new 2x10 cabinet all for around £300. I've never tried one, but they're meant to be very good for the money. £130 for the 2x10 http://www.thomann.de/gb/kustom_deep_end_210h.htm £200 for the 300 watt head http://www.thomann.de/gb/kustom_de300_hd_120v_us_version.htm But, as others have stated, you budget will get you a very respectable second-hand rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d4tux Posted December 20, 2011 Author Share Posted December 20, 2011 Thanks again all for your help and recommendations I like the look of the Kustom amps but I don't know anywhere local that stocks them so I can try before I buy. So I think I'm going to try my luck with a second-hand rig! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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