Bass amp for under £500?

[Hagan888]

Hey guys, i'm in a small band who start gigging soon. I'm currently using their amps for practice but i'm looking for an amp i can call my own. I'm not looking for a bedroom practice amp, i need one for small gigs, outdoors and i have £500 limit. I can go a little over but no more over a hundred. I would really appreciate some answers, i'm in no hurry so i'm always listening. Thanks for your time

[LukeFRC]

look in the sale forum, find something, then ask questions about a specific amp. £500 will get you something nice

[JTUK]

Do you mean just an amp as you already have a cab...or do you need a cab as well...?

if the former, then you have a decent budget, if the latter, then things get a bit more difficult..but still achievable.

Edited August 19, 2012 by JTUK

[Truckstop]

You could get a second hand Ampeg PF-500 for £250 or so which leaves you with £250 for a decent cab. There's also a Hartke LH500 on sale on this forum for £200 which is a total bargain.

That leaves you plenty of cash for a good 4x10 cab (such as Ashdown, Hartke, Trace Elliot) or if size matters, an excellent quality 2x10 (like Ampeg, SWR, TC Electronic etc). The deals are out there!!

My amp and cab cost me £350 all told. And it's capable of serious tone and volume!

Truckstop

[vindi]

Hey Hagan

If your looking for a starter rig you won't go far wrong with this & still have cash to spare!!! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/183054-final-price-drop-peavey-mk-iv-1980-american-made-amp-peavey-bx115-bw/"]Final Price Drop Peavey MK IV 1980 American made Amp + Peavey BX115 BW[/url] I've used this for years. It will give you a good quality bass sound that can keep up with loud drummers & guitarists. If you need to go louder you can always add an extra 4 ohm cab as the amp will operate @ 2 ohms! Also there is the facility to send a line out to the PA for those really big gigs. I have used it with loads of different bands from Reggae to rock n roll but mostly for rock.

Good luck with your search

Cheers Vindi

[warwickhunt]

For your budget (assuming it is just an amp you require), you 'probably' won't get a better quality amp than the Glockenklang that I have for sale!

[Muzz]

Without wanting to side with any particular seller, I can say from experience that the Roland D-Bass combos are very very capable amps, not heavy either. I've never understood why they aren't more popular. I had one and it was plenty loud, I added the 115X extension cabinet and it was ridiculous. Never sold mine, unfortunately it was stolen.

[warwickhunt]

I would like to add that patently I have plugged the amp that I have for sale (as will many others ), however if the OP wanted unbiased advice re. amps for gigging and at a budget price (assuming you aren't influenced by fashion or aesthetics), I'd take a look at some of the amps from Peavey. They are bomb-proof, often stable down to 2 ohms, have a decent EQ range and tbh they sound pretty good. Gallien Krueger and Hartke also do some good quality amps that are to be had pretty cheap... but they may not be as nice as my Glock!

[3below]

I can fully recommend Peavey, Tour 700 is such an underrated amp. The sub octave thing is irrelevant in my opinion but rest of amp excellent. You also get 500W into 8 ohms, a bonus. I like them so much I have bought second one from this forum. There is one FS at the moment £225. Leaves you a good amount to purchase used Barefaced Cab if you get lucky or build own fEARful cab.

[Paul S]

If I were in your shoes I'd bite Vindi's arm off!

[Lozz196]

With the budget available, you can easily get a giggable set-up, be it combo, or amp & cab.

Look for Peavey, Ashdown, Hartke, Trace Elliot, all usually available on here, all easily able to do the job. Ampeg also great, if you can locate the items within budget.

I`d look for at least a 300 watt rig, where you`ll actually be getting the 300 watts. Apologies if you already know this, but, if an amp puts out 300 watts at 4ohms, if you connect a single 8ohm cab, you`ll get about 160/180 watts, so will need either another 8ohm cab connected as well to get the full power, or a single 4ohm cab. 300 watts should be more than enough for a live band setting - 200 probably. In fact, that`s what my next rig is going to be, 300 watts, having found that massive powered rigs are overkill, I just don`t need anymore than that.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Lozz196

[Truckstop]

Also, the Gallien Kreuger 700RB-II 1x15 combo that's for sale on here for £400 is a massive steal and will be good for you for many years to come!

Truckstop

[Jack]

My advice would be a GK Backline 600 and whatever cab tickles your pickle. Having said that, I don't think there's been a suggestion so far that I don't agree with.

Edited August 19, 2012 by Jack

[xgsjx]

There's a lot to be had in your budget if you're buying 2nd hand. If its an amp you are after (not a combo or amp & cab), then there's a lot of nice stuff.

I'm gonna suggest trying MarkBass stuff. If it's a combo you're after, then the MarkBass 2x10 combo is very hard to beat & you'll get a s/h one for around the £600 mark.

[warwickhunt]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184687-must-go-before-22nd-700w-ashdownpeavey-stack-l200-ono/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184687-must-go-before-22nd-700w-ashdownpeavey-stack-l200-ono/page__fromsearch__1[/url]

No affiliation!

[JTUK]

Best buy...in terms of everything..IMO..goes to the G Heart-Core but I suspect the OP requires a rig rather than just the amp.
And I would also suggest that he is new to this amp world so needs a bit of background to the stuff on offer.

If he has £500 to spare and just needs basic power... I'd say look at Ashdown and TE and he should have change to spare...you might throw in GK there as well.

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1345384802' post='1776913']
Best buy...in terms of everything..IMO..goes to the G Heart-Core but I suspect the OP requires a rig rather than just the amp.
And I would also suggest that he is new to this amp world so needs a bit of background to the stuff on offer.
[/quote]

Yes, if you are talking purely 'quality' of amplification, then my Glock would take some beating for that budget BUT I've also accepted that the OP might be talking full rig and may not have masses of experience of gig rigs.

[Musky]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1345382620' post='1776867']
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184687-must-go-before-22nd-700w-ashdownpeavey-stack-l200-ono/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.u...__fromsearch__1[/url]

No affiliation!
[/quote]
That is a bargain!

[Lozz196]

Great deal. heavy gear, but would be an awesome rig. Doubtful the 115 would ever be needed, but nice to have it there "for emergencies".

[dmccombe7]

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1345382620' post='1776867']
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/184687-must-go-before-22nd-700w-ashdownpeavey-stack-l200-ono/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.u...__fromsearch__1[/url]

No affiliation!
[/quote]

WHOW that's bloomin cheap for a full live rig.

Go for this if space and weight aint a prob.

Dave

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Just ordered an ashdown mag 300 Evo iii head and mag 410t cab as a package from dv247 for £555 :-)

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='Mr Fretbuzz' timestamp='1345463165' post='1777696']
Just ordered an ashdown mag 300 Evo iii head and mag 410t cab as a package from dv247 for £555 :-)
[/quote]

Cool.

Enjoy the undergarment flapping force of the BAAAASSSS as it thunders!