What amp...? Totally clueless.

[Cameronj279]

So basically I'm now looking into a lightweight amp head but have literally no clue about what I would need when it comes to amps. I don't drive so it would have to be something I could take on public transport (along with my bass and pedalboard).

Main reason behind me now wanting to get an amp is that my band have been offered quite a few gigs that we haven't been able to do because of this. We generally play smallish venues but I wouldn't say tiny and with the music we do I need quite a large bass sound as bass and guitar are both doing 'lead' roles.

I've looked into the Aguilar Tone Hammer, Markbass Little Mark and some of the TC Electronic stuff but as I say, I'm totally clueless!

Any help appreciated!

Edited July 23, 2015 by Cameronj279

[discreet]

No doubt you'll get lots of suggestions. However... the G-K MB500 Fusion is small but sounds massive and is very warm-sounding and hefty. But you can get the 'G-K' sound too if that's what you want. I've been using one for a while now - it's great. It's just that the new Tech-21 VT500 is giving me GAS...

Edited July 23, 2015 by discreet

[Lozz196]

If you want some grit/gain to your sound, the Markbass won`t be the amp for you unless you use pedals to get it. That said, the Markbass sound is great, especially - imo - with a Precision. On it`s own it sounds pretty uninspiring but in the mix it really fills out.

The Tonehammer is an awesome amp, it`s what I use, and has a real old-school vibe about it. Sure you can get highs from it, but they`re not modern hi-fi highs, something to think about.

As Discreet says, the GK MB Fusion is great, warm and hefty sounding, though it can do the famed GK sound if set to do so, just that it can also do that warmth that people don`t often associate with GK. Probably the more versatile of the three.

TC Electronics - very versatile, the RH amps with the on-board tuner, compression and gain, well that saves on some pedals. I like TC gear, some go on about the "real power" as oppose to the advertised power, but they sound nice, and are plenty loud enough. I`ve always thought of TC gear as the ideal amp for sessions/depping because of the versatility - the RH750 especiallybecause of the added tweetertone.

If wanting really lightweight both the Tonehammer and the GK MB Fusion are great in this respect.

And agreeing on another part of Discreets post, the Tech-21 VT-500 is giving me GAS too.

[Merton]

3rd vote for the GK MB Fusion

Or my MB200 in the classifieds But that won't do the same job really and probably isn't right!

[bjelkeman]

I have a GK MB500 Fusion as a lightweight when not using a Mesa M9 (which generally is overkill). I like it. Otherwise a Tone Hammer would be good too. For speakers to go with that I recommend Barefaced or TKS which are lightweight. I have a TKS 112 and the GK in a bag meant for a cajon. It works.

[Japhet]

Are you looking for a combo or separates (head and cabinet)?

[discreet]

[quote name='Japhet' timestamp='1437689654' post='2828337']
Are you looking for a combo or separates (head and cabinet)?
[/quote]

OP states 'lightweight amp head'. I asked the same question myself, then happened to re-read the OP...

[Cameronj279]

As Discreet said just the amp head. Have no need for a cab as I couldn't transport it even if I had to.

I've never actually considered Gallien Krueger and have no idea of what the sound is from them but they seem to have a signature sound from what people are saying? I'm curious to try these out. From what has been said the Aguilar is probably not what I'm looking for but the TC, G&K and the Markbass are sounding ideal so far.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1437690362' post='2828347']
As Discreet said just the amp head. Have no need for a cab as I couldn't transport it even if I had to...
[/quote]

Is it then safe to assume that there will always be a bass cab to hand at the venue..? If so, remember to take adequate cables to connect from the amp to either a jack socket or a speakON, as either are commonly found on bass cabs.
If there is no bass cab involved, a DI (Direct Injection box...) could be used to plug directly into the PA. No amp required at all in that case.

Edited July 23, 2015 by Dad3353

[Cameronj279]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1437693877' post='2828370']


Is it then safe to assume that there will always be a bass cab to hand at the venue..? If so, remember to take adequate cables to connect from the amp to either a jack socket or a speakON, as either are commonly found on bass cabs.
If there is no bass cab involved, a DI (Direct Injection box...) could be used to plug directly into the PA. No amp required at all in that case.
[/quote]

The gigs in question have generally been cab provided but all bands required to bring their own amp heads (seems a bit weird to me really).

[LewisK1975]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1437694050' post='2828372']
The gigs in question have generally been cab provided but all bands required to bring their own amp heads (seems a bit weird to me really).
[/quote]

Doesn't see strange to me at all - most of the gigs I did when I was in an originals band were just like that. Cab provided, bring your own head.

Lots of love on here for the GK mb fusion - haven't got one personally but they're well liked and something of a 'jack of all trades' regarding sound shaping as far as I can gather.

I looked around a few months ago and ended up with the Tecamp PUMA 500 - same size and weight as a hardback book. If I'm honest its' not the most useful for tone shaping, the EQ on it is better employed for suiting the room. I just use a Sansamp para driver before it and really only use it as a power amp.

[Cameronj279]

I would probably only be using the amps EQ for suiting it towards the room as my ACG has way more tone controls than I could ever need

[paul h]

I've just bought a TC BH550 and so far I couldn't be happier.

You can load up the tube drive and spectracomp toneprint effects and you basically have a RH450 for £150 less!

[CamdenRob]

It's such a difficult question to answer... The core tone of the various options varies wildly depending on what the amp was designed for.

Of the lightweight heads they largely fall into two catagories

1) Emulating big valve heads (ashdown, orange, aguliar etc) for gritty warm sounds
2) Modern "HiFI" (GK, Genz shuttle etc) for clear and punchy sounds

As sugested above, If you're not looking for a particular niche sound or you'd like the versatility then go for something that can approximate either like a GK fusion or some of the markbass gear.

Tone is such a personal thing. My rig is very HiFi and alot of players would find it totally unsuitable for their tone requirements. Conversly I can't get anything like the tone I want from an orange/ashdown amp... they are just not designed to do what I want from an amp. Doesn't make them bad amps of course, it's just an illustration of the smorgasboard of options available...

Edited July 24, 2015 by CamdenRob

[Cameronj279]

Clear and punchy is really what I'm going for so I'm headed into Glasgow to see if there is any Markbass/GK amps in any of the shops to try out. I think one of the shops has a few TC amps in stock so I'll give them a go if I have time.

[Cameronj279]

No Markbass or GK but was quite impressed by the TC RH750. Most likely overkill power wise for what I need though?

[mrtcat]

Just wait for the Tech 21 VT500 to be released and then pick up a used GK/MarkBass/TC head from the for sale section on here. Something tells me there might be a flood of used compact heads on the horizon lol.

Edited July 24, 2015 by mrtcat

[chris_b]

As well as Markbass, GK and TC I'd also suggest yo uhave a look at Genz Benz Shuttle 6.2 or 9.2 amps.

Along with several other companies Genz were put out of business by Fender when they restructured, but Genz amps are amongst the best out there, although only in the classifieds these days.

[Merton]

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1437736696' post='2828615']
Just wait for the Tech 21 VT500 to be released and then pick up a used GK/MarkBass/TC head from the for sale section on here. Something tells me there might be a flood of used compact heads on the horizon lol.
[/quote]

Haha!

[Cameronj279]

[quote name='mrtcat' timestamp='1437736696' post='2828615']
Just wait for the Tech 21 VT500 to be released and then pick up a used GK/MarkBass/TC head from the for sale section on here. Something tells me there might be a flood of used compact heads on the horizon lol.
[/quote]

I was actuslly thinking about doing this. It does seem like there will be a few going up!

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1437690362' post='2828347']
I've never actually considered Gallien Krueger and have no idea of what the sound is from them but they seem to have a signature sound from what people are saying? I'm curious to try these out. From what has been said the Aguilar is probably not what I'm looking for but the TC, G&K and the Markbass are sounding ideal so far.
[/quote]

I guess your basic choice is between relatively clean and neutral on the one hand and more baked in "rock and roll" on the other.
E.G Markbass, Puma, GB shuttle, TC BH vs G&K, GB streamliner, Orange Terror, TC RH.

There are some good youtube demos and reviews of all these but its obviously best to try them out.

Edit --- just realised I was ninja'd by camdenrob

Edited July 25, 2015 by bassman7755

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1437736527' post='2828613']
No Markbass or GK but was quite impressed by the TC RH750. Most likely overkill power wise for what I need though?
[/quote]

If you like the sound, and bearing in mind the on-board tuner/compressor etc, so really saving weight on other items you may already cart about, then go for it. My gigging amp - the Tonehammer 500 - is far more powerful than I`ll ever need, but I love the sound.

[The Badderer]

^^^ always good to have something more powerful than what you need (if it's solid state not a valve amp). Headroom and not needing to push the amp hard are always good things. With a Class D, far better to have too much power with an RH750 than try to get by on a class D at 250-300W only to find you're pushing it quite hard up to its limits. (let's not get into another Class A - A/B - D debate as there's a thread open for that...)

[Cameronj279]

I think I'm probably best buying second hand and trying them out as I would actually be using the amps. Because of my extremely limited knowledge of amps I reckon this is the best option. It also means if I decide it's not for me worst case scenario I've lost a couple of quid and not a few hundred.

[mcnach]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1437680151' post='2828215']
So basically I'm now looking into a lightweight amp head but have literally no clue about what I would need when it comes to amps. I don't drive so it would have to be something I could take on public transport (along with my bass and pedalboard).

Main reason behind me now wanting to get an amp is that my band have been offered quite a few gigs that we haven't been able to do because of this. We generally play smallish venues but I wouldn't say tiny and with the music we do I need quite a large bass sound as bass and guitar are both doing 'lead' roles.

I've looked into the Aguilar Tone Hammer, Markbass Little Mark and some of the TC Electronic stuff but as I say, I'm totally clueless!

Any help appreciated!
[/quote]

The Little Mark is very sweet.

I know you ask especifically about heads but...
I'd actually suggest a Markbass CMD121P combo. Used they can be had for about £350-400... although finding one might be tricky if you want one quickly. If I didn't drive, that would be one of my first choices: it's small, light enough, yet pretty loud and sounds very nice. Very easy to make it sound huge by simply adding another cab. If I had to take public transport/depend on lifts... that would be my choice. I mean, I drive, and I still use that more often than any of the other amps/cabs I have.
Most gigs I play, I have PA support, so the amp becomes more of a stage monitor solution. The CMD121P is perfect for that. I recently bought a Stagg stand for it (£15ish if I recall correctly) which is light and easy to carry along, and it helps a great deal: it still sits low to get depth from the floor reinforcement, but angled upwards towards me I hear it so much better.

If you're only looking only at heads... the LM3 would be right up there in my list, but don't forget Genz Benz. The Streamliner and the Shuttle are both great amps and the 600/6.0/6.2 often comes up for sale used at £325-375 (or even the 900/9.x series too). They're maybe a bit louder than the LM3, but not lots, in my experience (I was rotating an LM3, LMT800, Shuttle 9.2 and Streamliner 900 for a while, trying to decide which was best for me... ended up keeping both GB, and selling the MarkBass because I use that little combo -a LM3 head in combo form, essentially- already most of the time). They sound really nice, with the Streamliner being a bit more "old school" but both being able to give a very wide range of sounds.

The ToneHammer sounds nice, old school style, but when I tried one it drove me crazy: the controls are way too interactive. I settled for the Streamliner instead as it gives the same kind of general vibe, but much more straightforward to use. The overdrive on the TH was very nice, however. But It's not something I use a lot, and when I do I'd rather use an external pedal The Streamliner's overdrive sounds ok too... but I never drive it that hard. I prefer it clean(ish).

I had a TC RH450. I did like it, but there was something about it that didn't really gel with me. I loved it when I first tested it but afterwards... meh. The minute I tried the LM3 I knew the RH450 was history for me.

For absolute versatility and ease of transport, a head ans separate speaker is probably the best option, especially if you say you can get away with just bringing a head most times. I'd still push a little more for the small CMD121P because my experience with provided cabs/combos has been pretty disappointing... so it sucks to go to all that effort to play a gig that you just don't enjoy soundwise. The little combo is not that hard to carry, and would be my first choice. With a soft cover and a cheap foldable trolley... roam the streets at leisure!

You can always achieve something similar by buying a head, and getting a small light nice cab later... as suggested above, TKS and Barefaced make some cool cabs. In fact, my CMD121P sounds amazing paired with a TKS1126 cab. I hadn't tried that pairing until a couple weeks ago that I had a gig in a small bar in Glasgow Drury Street. I took the MarkBass combo and the TKS cab... it sounded fantastic. There was a reggae band playing before my band and it was just beautiful. I have a foldable trolley to carry two cabs, or in this case the combo plus one cab... Not really something I would like to try to get into a bus/metro with... but just one cab or just the combo... dead easy.