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Searching for a new amp


mfisher91
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Hi all,

Last year I purchased an Ashdown C210T-300 EVO III but I have come to realise that not only is it a big lump that weighs too much it also doesn't have the perfect sound for me.

What do I want from a new amp?[list]
[*]Light/portable
[*]Preferably a combo
[*]Sounds nice in a variety of situations (pub gigs, festivals, etc.)
[*]Budget ~£700
[/list]
My bass is a '99 fender precision. I play in a folk/rock band but we play/experiment with a wide range of genres.

Mentioned above that I would prefer a combo, however I'm welcome to suggestions about a head/cab mix as long as they are portable. I played a mark bass little mark III with 2x mark bass cabs earlier today which I loved, but it's £250 above my budget and the owner of the shop wants to sell it as a complete set (I asked about just one cab with the head). My worry is that now I've played that, the smaller mark bass amps won't sound as nice? I've also been looking to find a music shop in the east midlands (northamptonshire) that stocks a variety of amps, but other than PMT I can't find much - and they don't [i]really[/i] offer what I'm interested in.

I willing to look at second hand amps, but I'm not looking to purchase anything until June. Trying to get a good idea of different amps so I don't make the same mistake as last time.

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I`m also a Markbass fan, and think that together with a Precision the pair really shine. A Markbass 210 combo would most likely be enough for the majority of gigs - I used to have the 112 combo and 112 ext cab and this was plenty for anywhere I played. My set-up prior to that was a Markbass LMT head with 410 cab, and the pair sounded very similar - the 410 maybe being a bit of a "tighter" sound.

That said, the amps I`d check out if looking for a lightweight combo (and possibly ext cab later on) would be the Fender Rumbles. Have only read glowing reports re these, and Fender bass amps sound great, especially when paired with a Precision, imo. And these would be easily within budget.

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Fender amps had been on my radar too, again it's trying to find somewhere I can try everything I'm looking at. With the fenders, what's the difference between the continuous and program outputs? I do like the sound of it, as to me it sounds like you can use the amp at half the power for smaller gigs?

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I'd echo what Lozz said. Fender Rumbles, or MB combo with the option to add a cab in the future.

Also, what sort of shop would only want to sell you equipment as a set?! I'd take my money to someone who was willing to accomodate my needs as a customer.

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With the fender rumbles, are you both suggesting combos or a head/cab mix?

I've been looking at the Rumble 115 Cabinet with the Rumble 500 head - thinking that it would be better to get the larger head, as I can afford it, as it would allow me to upgrade the cab in the future?

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I was in a similar situation. I bought a new Markbass CMD121P then a matching second hand NY121 cab when funds permitted. Came in pretty much around your budget. Sounds great, is portable and gives the flexibility of one cab or two.

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Thanks all. Next step for me is to get to a shop to try some out at the same time. The problem I had with the Ashdown is that I went by myself and thought 'wow', but in reality I should of taken someone else to sit back and compare them with me. Lesson learnt, but now I need to make sure I don't make the same mistake by buying a markbass amp without testing others first :).

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On Page 1 of the classifieds:

TC, Markbass, Hartke and EBS amps and Markbass, Genz Benz, Bergantino, Tec Amp and Barefaced cabs.

All great equipment, will mix and match and all in budget. And all (IMO) better than a combo.

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Whilst I would echo the recommendations of buying used off here & going for a separate amp & cabs, I would also suggest that Northampton isn't too far from Bass Direct in Warwick. You'll get much more from a visit there than one to a generic music shop.

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[quote name='mfisher91' timestamp='1428594083' post='2742839']
Hi PTB,

Thank you for that. Part of my reason for this thread was to see if anyone knew of any decent bass amp suppliers near me - I hadn't looked at Bass Direct and it's great to see there's a decent shop near me!
[/quote]

Bassgear isn't far either... would certainly check out what they have in stock.
They are a real treasure chest of top end cabs, IMO...and amps for that matter..AND basses..!!

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[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1428594956' post='2742850']
Bassgear isn't far either... would certainly check out what they have in stock.
They are a real treasure chest of top end cabs, IMO...and amps for that matter..AND basses..!!
[/quote]

Thanks, I'll have to take a look :)

Has anyone seen any second hand Ashdown Mag c210t-300 EVO III's lately? Trying to get a grasp of the second hand rates for them. There's a few on ebay going between 200 and 300, but nobody seems to be buying them :/ .

Do either bassgear or bass direct do trade ins does anyone know?

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Have you read this thread about the Fender Rumble 500 V3 - suggests that the combo and a P bass were made for each other.

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/258807-fender-rumble-500-v3-got-one-whats-it-like/page__p__2742088__hl__fender%20rumble%20500__fromsearch__1#entry2742088

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  • 2 weeks later...

[quote name='Muppet' timestamp='1428432422' post='2741256']
I was in a similar situation. I bought a new Markbass CMD121P then a matching second hand NY121 cab when funds permitted. Came in pretty much around your budget. Sounds great, is portable and gives the flexibility of one cab or two.
[/quote]

If you like the Markbass sound then this or the 210 combo should come in within budget s/h.
I'd also look to get another similar MB cab later so you could go for the 500/4 package for those bigger
and outdoors gigs.

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