worst amp you have owned or had the luck to use

[JPS]

Probably a Fender BXR200 combo. Boxy, ludicrously heavy and lifeless, although reliable and sturdy in fairness.

[icastle]

Well, separating the 'just didn't like the sound' and purely emotive aspects from this (at which point I had to exclude the Fender Bassman head) and concentrating purely on reliability and power expectations, the worst thing I ever tried was a Line6 HD750.

[VTypeV4]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1359730653' post='1959530']
I was thinking of one of these...

Probably much the same Mullard based design though. With the Anodes of the EL34s usually glowing cherry red.

[attachment=126562:misc8c.jpg]
[/quote]

I think thats how mine started life but the previous owner decided he wanted a 'stack'. It's apparently played the Albert hall. Thankfully my EL34s aren't glowing as this would certainly be cause for big concern! Are these Cathode biased?

[JellyKnees]

[quote name='loushort' timestamp='1359723325' post='1959367']
worst combo an Alligator 300 watt (yer right) thing looked like a getto blaster with two 8inch speakers weighed a ton
sounded sh*te,what was i thinking?
[/quote]

I've still got my alligator combo, bought back in the early 90's. I used to get an excellent sound out of it when coupled with an extra 15" cab. British made, fitted with Volt speakers...mine was 200 watts, but I never got it much past half way, it was well loud. You're right about the weight though...hence why I don't use it anymore.

[longtimefred]

fun reading this. I dont think i have ever owned a crap amp, quite lucky really. Even my first one was an Ampeg B100R!

Most unreliable one i had was an old Hartke 3500 thing. Always broke and i got rid quite quickly, sounded good... just a duff one.

I vaguely remember playing through a carlsboro thing at a rehearsal studio that had a "suzz" channel. that was pretty sh*t and the knobs fell off all the time.

My college's old Peavey TKO was probably the most terrible. no matter what you did with the eq, it didnt really change much and wouldnt go very loud.

[VTypeV4]

[quote name='longtimefred' timestamp='1359737649' post='1959678']
fun reading this. I dont think i have ever owned a crap amp, quite lucky really. Even my first one was an Ampeg B100R!

Most unreliable one i had was an old Hartke 3500 thing. Always broke and i got rid quite quickly, sounded good... just a duff one.

I vaguely remember playing through a carlsboro thing at a rehearsal studio that had a "suzz" channel. that was pretty sh*t and the knobs fell off all the time.

[i][b]My college's old Peavey TKO was probably the most terrible. no matter what you did with the eq, it didnt really change much and wouldnt go very loud.[/b][/i]
[/quote]

Agreed with how they had 'that' sound, but how much punishment did we give those old things, man!? Smashing them into the limiter with every note!

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1359734894' post='1959612']
I think thats how mine started life but the previous owner decided he wanted a 'stack'. It's apparently played the Albert hall. Thankfully my EL34s aren't glowing as this would certainly be cause for big concern! Are these Cathode biased?
[/quote]

Yeah, you could buy them as kits, there was a 15W ( 2XEL84) and a 30W, based on Mullard designs, if you google Mullard 5-20 its pretty similar.

Had one working with PL36 TV line output valves at one time, bloody lethal come to think of it, but I was young and could get them from work for free.

[icastle]

[quote name='longtimefred' timestamp='1359737649' post='1959678']
Most unreliable one i had was an old Hartke 3500 thing. Always broke and i got rid quite quickly, sounded good... just a duff one.
[/quote]

There were quite a few dry joint issues with the early release ones.
Thankfully, it was resolved by the time they released the second production run of them.

[longtimefred]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1359742691' post='1959805']
There were quite a few dry joint issues with the early release ones.
Thankfully, it was resolved by the time they released the second production run of them.
[/quote]

ahh right, this was one of the old blackface ones with the cool LED's in the sliders of the eq section. Looked great! i bought it second hand around 14 years ago.

[VTypeV4]

[quote name='BILL POSTERS' timestamp='1359742464' post='1959798']
Yeah, you could buy them as kits, there was a 15W ( 2XEL84) and a 30W, based on Mullard designs, if you google Mullard 5-20 its pretty similar.

Had one working with PL36 TV line output valves at one time, bloody lethal come to think of it, but I was young and could get them from work for free.
[/quote]

Shame you don't still have it, or do you?

There's one on John Chambers site that runs with a pair of 807s..

[url="http://www.chambonino.com/work/linear/lin2.html"]http://www.chambonino.com/work/linear/lin2.html[/url]

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1359744705' post='1959845']
Shame you don't still have it, or do you?

There's one on John Chambers site that runs with a pair of 807s..

[url="http://www.chambonino.com/work/linear/lin2.html"]http://www.chambonin...inear/lin2.html[/url]
[/quote]

Cant open the lnk, but I found this about RSC; [url="http://www.chambonino.com/work/linear/info1.html"]http://www.chambonino.com/work/linear/info1.html[/url]

Which reminds me...FAL amps. Nuff said.

Edited February 1, 2013 by BILL POSTERS

[longtimefred]

even better, FAL lighting boxes. didnt get electrocuted much by them......

[VTypeV4]

FAL.. oh dear!

[loushort]

[quote name='JellyKnees' timestamp='1359736971' post='1959665']
I've still got my alligator combo, bought back in the early 90's. I used to get an excellent sound out of it when coupled with an extra 15" cab. British made, fitted with Volt speakers...mine was 200 watts, but I never got it much past half way, it was well loud. You're right about the weight though...hence why I don't use it anymore.
[/quote]I used to put mine thru a Laney 4x10 which was also heavy and just gave up,
It (The alligator) was great for bedroom blasting but terrible trying to cut thru the band I was in at the time which consisted of a stand up drummer a percussionist and an acoustic guitarist

Edited February 2, 2013 by loushort

[JellyKnees]

[quote name='loushort' timestamp='1359766734' post='1960227']
I used to put mine thru a Laney 4x10 which was also heavy and just gave up,
It (The alligator) was great for bedroom blasting but terrible trying to cut thru the band I was in at the time which consisted of a stand up drummer a percussionist and an acoustic guitarist
[/quote]

Fair enough...maybe it just worked better with a 15" cab, or maybe it just suited my bass better but I never had a problem hearing myself through it and I was playing some fairly heavy funk rock type things at the time.

[Anders]

I tried an Ashdown head and two cabs once.Can't remember what series.It sounded like someone put it through an eq,and the two more eq's with different setting.Totally uncontrollable and the most uneven,un natural sound I can remember.

[LemonCello]

Warwick Profet 3.2 though a Warwick 2x10 which had a distinct lack of grunt.

[steve-soar]

[quote name='JellyKnees' timestamp='1359636342' post='1957950']
Ha! I had a McGregor 200, which I ran into 2 15" no-name bass bins...I don't remember it sounding that bad at the time, although I was about 15 and probably didn't know better...it was probably pretty crap though, they were pretty cheapo amps.
[/quote]It was probably mine at one point, Birkenhead is pretty small.

It sounded really middley, no bottom end power and no pants flappage, the amp was probably knackered and being green as green I didn't realise.

[steve-soar]

[quote name='JellyKnees' timestamp='1359736971' post='1959665']
I've still got my alligator combo, bought back in the early 90's. I used to get an excellent sound out of it when coupled with an extra 15" cab. British made, fitted with Volt speakers...mine was 200 watts, but I never got it much past half way, it was well loud. You're right about the weight though...hence why I don't use it anymore.
[/quote]Didn't you bring that to Keith's once for us to fix? It does weigh a ton.

[bassninja]

1980s, Laney job (Linebacker? Can't remember...)

It sounded as if it was sealed inside an invisible duvet.

And me with a mullet and a short strap trying to 'slap that thang'. So cruel...

[JellyKnees]

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1359806756' post='1960515']
It was probably mine at one point, Birkenhead is pretty small.

It sounded really middley, no bottom end power and no pants flappage, the amp was probably knackered and being green as green I didn't realise.
[/quote]

That's very possible...it definitely wasn't 200 real watts

[quote name='steve-soar' timestamp='1359806925' post='1960517']
Didn't you bring that to Keith's once for us to fix? It does weigh a ton.
[/quote]

I did, yeah...and its worked ever since.. you guys obviously did a good job on it!

[4-string-thing]

[quote name='BluRay' timestamp='1359621602' post='1957555']
I had a Cougar 115 combo that was horrific. I'd "upgraded" from my first amp, a 1968 fender bassman silverface, because the cougar had more watts (which I thought meant it was better). I still weep bitter tears of regret.
[/quote]

I bet you do!

[4-string-thing]

Wow, 5 pages and nobody's mentioned Behringer, so let me be the first!

In a certain rehearsal complex in Leicester they had, at one time, a Behringer head and 4x10 which sounded completely sh*te, due to one of the drivers missing a cone! They also have a selection of totally crap Peavey combos.

In another, more upmarket, rehearsal complex round the corner, they have a selection of "decent" gear such as Fender, Markbass, Trace, and Ampeg. Only the Markbass sound any good, the rest are all bobbins! (The Ampeg being especially dull and boring) These are expensive amps and cabs, in good conditon, but to my ears just don't sound as good as my own amps (including my cheap Ashdown Mag)

Edited February 2, 2013 by 4-string-thing

[paul_5]

I'm a bit undecided on the 'Ashdown' sound. I had a MAG head for a while, and that sounded great through a Trace Elliott 1153 cab. I've also been lumped with them as backline on last minute gigs and have had nothing but woolly thumps out of them. Still better than the Carlsbro Stingray though.

[Graham]

[quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1359816751' post='1960699']
Wow, 5 pages and nobody's mentioned Behringer, so let me be the first!

In a certain rehearsal complex in Leicester they had, at one time, a Behringer head and 4x10 which sounded completely sh*te, due to one of the drivers missing a cone! They also have a selection of totally crap Peavey combos.

In another, more upmarket, rehearsal complex round the corner, they have a selection of "decent" gear such as Fender, Markbass, Trace, and Ampeg. Only the Markbass sound any good, the rest are all bobbins! (The Ampeg being especially dull and boring) These are expensive amps and cabs, in good conditon, but to my ears just don't sound as good as my own amps (including my cheap Ashdown Mag)
[/quote]

I had to play through an awful Behringer 4x10 with my old Hartke a few years back at a gig, wasn't particularly impressed with it, was even less impressed that I pay for the privilege as the American headlining band (the appropriately named See You Next Thursday) demanded the other bands on the bill pay to 'rent' it from them for our sets. Think it was only about a fiver, but was pure fuming at the principle of the thing as no-one else had brought a bass cab, as we were told the headliner would provide one.

Basically they're tour had been a disaster and they needed to recoup some money; suffice to say I didn't bother to hang around to watch their set.