Mark_Bass Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Hey everyone, I'm in the market for a new bass amp. At present i have a love hate relationship with my Mesa Boogie M-Pulse (im selling it btw) but i do love my Ampeg 410HLF. So i thought that rather than asking the obvious "what amp should i buy?" type question, i thought instead id ask "What 5 Amps should i try before anything else" To help clarify the requirements, at present i only play in a covers band so rock, soul and blues genres. But i hope to find another metal band to start gigging with again soon. Budget wise lets set the max at a nice £1000. The two that have caught my eye is the Genz Benz Streamliner and the Mesa Boogie M6 (though slightly above my budget). Is there any other makes i really should check out before parting with any cash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomBass Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 That's a nice budget to have. Have a look at the Ashdown ABM line, and is well within your budget. There's also a new 1000 version on its way, similar price to the M6 I believe, and lighter than the 500 which I have. Cheers Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Are you looking for low weight/micro amps? If so: Aguilar TH500 TC Electronic RH450/750 Ampeg Pro 7 (but watch our for limiter issues) Genz Streamliner 900 Genz Shuttle 9.2 All different, but all of them will get their own fantastic tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebassman Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 [quote name='Mark_Bass' timestamp='1331809175' post='1579114'] Hey everyone, I'm in the market for a new bass amp. At present i have a love hate relationship with my Mesa Boogie M-Pulse (im selling it btw) but i do love my Ampeg 410HLF. So i thought that rather than asking the obvious "what amp should i buy?" type question, i thought instead id ask "What 5 Amps should i try before anything else" To help clarify the requirements, at present i only play in a covers band so rock, soul and blues genres. But i hope to find another metal band to start gigging with again soon. Budget wise lets set the max at a nice £1000. The two that have caught my eye is the Genz Benz Streamliner and the Mesa Boogie M6 (though slightly above my budget). Is there any other makes i really should check out before parting with any cash? [/quote] I have had a Mesa M6 for a couple of years so can answer any questions relating to that. What's the Love/ Hate issue with the Mpulse? cheers thebassman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_Bass Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 [quote name='thebassman' timestamp='1331818072' post='1579370'] What's the Love/ Hate issue with the Mpulse? cheers thebassman [/quote] Nothing hardware related, its never let me down and plenty loud, but i just cant seem to find the right tone so i spend more time tweaking the parametric eq than possibly just trying to enjoy the amp. So i was looking for something simplier, im very tempted by the Genz Benz Streamliner 600. I like the notion of being able to use that and the TC RH450 at home with just a pair of headphones, i have tried the TC Rebel Heads and they've got a tonne of fantastic functionally but found the treble a smidge harsh sounding and also i dont think id every stop tweaking the dials lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 The Genz Streamliner is a very sweet sounding tube amp, and it can handle very high volumes and still be clean (although it can dirt up very easily IF you want it to with the gain dial changed a little). Much more versatile than you would think. Some users have discussed how they are getting new tones all the time just be adjusting the gain. The mids need a little push to be 'flat' (about 1 ish) and you will probably want to dial back the bass, but that is what the dials are for, I'd opt for the 900 if you are coming from the big Mesa amp. Worth the extra £100 for the headroom. The RH amps should actually satisfy you quite well if you don't want harsh treble! They are are more of a low mid kick type amp...eg imagine a tube amp through a sealed 8x10. Its kinda baked in to the amp, but WHAT a sound it is. The RH450 has a high pass filter that automatically cuts the plasticky Marcus Miller type high end twang, but with the 750 you can dial that in or out. Hopefully this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 [quote name='Mark_Bass' timestamp='1331819608' post='1579403'] I like the notion of being able to use that and the TC RH450 at home with just a pair of headphones, i have tried the TC Rebel Heads and they've got a tonne of fantastic functionally but found the treble a smidge harsh sounding and also i dont think id every stop tweaking the dials lol [/quote] That surprises me if you're talking about the RH450, as I found the top end lacking, one of the few reasons why I ended up picking up an RH750 with the Tweetertone control, as well as the extra headroom I found I needed. I'd happily recommend the RH750 and I'm very happy with mine, but there are a few things worth bearing in mind. The sound isn't as versatile as I might like. That's not to say that the EQ isn't flexible (although it would be nicer to know which frequencies you were boosting in the semi-parametric EQ section as opposed to just guessing), but it very much has its own characteristics as an amp. Secondly, I think that whilst the chassis of the amp feels solid enough, I think the front panel feels flimsy. It looks great, but for me there's always that worry that the knobs on the front panel will fall off if you don't look after it properly. Furthermore the preset/shift/mute buttons are flimsy too. Disappointing, as overall I happen to think the amp is really fantastic and incredibly useable in most situations. Just protect it well if you get one! The RH750 sounds incredible with the RS212's and 210's. Definitely a head worth keeping in mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_Bass Posted March 15, 2012 Author Share Posted March 15, 2012 In fairness it might be the cab i was playing through, for all i know if it had a tweeter volume dialled up that might explain it. I wont discount it at the moment then, ill revisit and have another good play :-0) Ill head-up to bass direct and spend some time going through their range of heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterfire666 Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 +1 for the RH750, great amp, silly loud, very flexible too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Surprised no one has mentioned your user name to try! MarkBass do some brilliant amps well within your budget. How about the TTE-500? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AttitudeCastle Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Hartke LH, used by many in rock, soul and blues and metal! Nice powerful, not too heavy (not exactly lightweight though) and sits nicely well within your budget! The LH500 is enough for most situations but the added outputs of teh LH1000 and power if you need it is nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 (edited) [quote name='Mark_Bass' timestamp='1331819608' post='1579403'] Nothing hardware related, its never let me down and plenty loud, but i just cant seem to find the right tone so i spend more time tweaking the parametric eq than possibly just trying to enjoy the amp. So i was looking for something simplier, im very tempted by the Genz Benz Streamliner 600. I like the notion of being able to use that and the TC RH450 at home with just a pair of headphones, i have tried the TC Rebel Heads and they've got a tonne of fantastic functionally but found the treble a smidge harsh sounding and also i dont think id every stop tweaking the dials lol [/quote] The trouble with the mpulse is that there are loads of options for tone shaping - some great sounds but if you are not careful some horrible ones! I would suggest that you look at the factory sample settings in the manual before you give up on it - I slightly tweak the 'driving rock' one, which just sounds great and should suit the stuff that you're playing A lot of the amps that you are looking at here are fine, but not a patch on the mpulse if you can find the right eq setting! Edited March 15, 2012 by peteb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 For £1000, my list would have Glock, Thunderfunk and Aguilar DB on it... all SH prices... but then I wouldn't be confident of how they would match up with the Ampeg. For Straight ahead rock, I might even think Orange valve amps or a Hiwatt. The TF packs a mighty punch for its weight, amps up well, and is very well made..it is also pretty hard to get a bad sound out of IME.. I haven't seen inside the Ag or Glock but would expect the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_Bass Posted March 16, 2012 Author Share Posted March 16, 2012 (edited) [quote name='peteb' timestamp='1331841528' post='1579836'] The trouble with the mpulse is that there are loads of options for tone shaping - some great sounds but if you are not careful some horrible ones! [/quote] Good idea, i think i tried that once but only very quickly, i should spend some serious time in my rehearsal space was stumbling around on ye old Bay of E and i came across someone selling a Warwick Tubepath 10.1, so i brought it. Wasn't in anyway a massive investment, Id played one two or three years ago and seeing as I'm looking to buy a new amp i thought why not? At least i can A/B with my existing Mesa Amp and really see if the new for a new amp comes from me just wanting a change or something more 'tonal'. Suffice to say if it doesn't work out with the Warwick ill offer it up here, and if it does then ill be selling my Mesa. Anyone use or have played with the tube paths? I know they're a few years old and peavy by todays standard but i thought it was worth the cash off hand. Edited March 16, 2012 by Mark_Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_Bass Posted March 22, 2012 Author Share Posted March 22, 2012 So the Warwick amp turned-up yesterday took it to rehearsal and tried it out, played it for about 20 minutes then it it went 'pop'! So i'm sending it back, think ill take a punt at the Genz Benz streamliner 900 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Just been talking to a mate about Warwick Tubepath his bassist has, had trouble with the valves in it suffering, they probably aren't very good. If he is going to end up binning it, I might take it as a project for some token sum, might save double handling, I'm sort of interested to see what they are like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark_Bass Posted March 23, 2012 Author Share Posted March 23, 2012 From the way mine went pop its either just the onboard fuse or the output stage amp. I spoke to my local guitar amp doctor who said he's had a number of them in over the years and becuase i just got it to send it back. They have a xtreme 10.1 which id be slightly tempted to look at but at the end of the day i realised very quickly that lugging a 20kilo head around isn't as much fun as it used to be, considering how many great lightweight amps are knocking about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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