Amp Advice

[Renno92]

I know there are multiple threads asking the same thing but looking for some advice and help please. 
 

I’ve played guitar for 16 years and dabbled in the bass scene for 14years, Except for a bass guitar, but I’ve never owned a bass rig, borrowed amps, pedals etc. 

The bass guitar is a Fender American P Bass 2004/2005 model S1. 

My old band have asked me to return as a bass player. I’ve been really getting into playing the bass recently and looking forward to the opportunity. 

Clicking online and YouTube shows so many amps and variations. There isn’t any music stores near to me to try out the amps. 
 

So, what am I looking for ? 
 

ideally a bass combo amp, however if stack is better, I’m down for advice

loud enough to gig without mic, DI etc 

rock/indie/alternative music 

budget of £500-£900

 

The ones that are catching my eye so far are, 

 

Orange OB1-300 combo 

Fender rumble 500 combo 

 

 

Any help, advice, experience would be amazing  

 

Thank you 

Ash 🤙🏻

[Lozz196]

Well of your choices the Fender Rumble 500 gets a lot of love on here, plenty loud enough for gigging and is apparently quite lightweight too - but not in sound I should add, they have a great meaty sound and pair really well with a Precision.

Might be worth checking out Ashdown though, their RM combos are similar to the Rumbles in power/size/weight but you get the Ashdown sound (which I prefer) and the bonus of great UK based customer service should any faults develop. 

[gjones]

4 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Well of your choices the Fender Rumble 500 gets a lot of love on here, plenty loud enough for gigging and is apparently quite lightweight too - but not in sound I should add, they have a great meaty sound and pair really well with a Precision.

Might be worth checking out Ashdown though, their RM combos are similar to the Rumbles in power/size/weight but you get the Ashdown sound (which I prefer) and the bonus of great UK based customer service should any faults develop. 

Lozz said it all, so I don't need to. Both good amps at reasonable prices.

And the Fender is super light.

[Dan Dare]

Rumble a safe choice. Probably a bit more versatile than the Orange. A separate amp and cab can be useful in that it's more expandable - you can add an extra cab if you need more. The Rumble has the facility to drive an additional cab, though, so that's another point in its favour.

[BassBunny]

Rumble or Ashdown Rootmaster combos.

The BIG advantage with Ashdown is the 5yr warranty and the fact that if there IS a problem, they can/will fix it. Probably the best customer support in the business.

[Quilly]

I’ve used a multitude of amps over 30 years and I’m now playing through ashdowns exclusively. 

[Painy]

Another vote here for Ashdown for all the reasons already given. 🙂👍

[lownote]

Stack for me - splits the weight, let's your specialise. Purely IMHO you cant go wrong with Markbass and your price range covers most options there. But it seems MB is a Marmite thing - you love the sound of Markbass or you don't. Even more than with basses, amps/cabs for me demand personal testing.  Other people's opinions are worthless for your ear.  I have bought many amps online and nearly always regretted it, and avoided painful bad choices by popping round and listening in person. 

[Skybone]

Fender Rumble 500 if you can afford one.

Ashdown Rootmaster or the OriginAL C210-300 would be very good choices. Light weight & powerful enough for a band.

I have an Ashdown AMP 300, which is a special run for Muzik Produktiv. Basically an older MAG 300 EvoIII amp in a Rootmaster cabinet. Not light at 22kg, but more than enough for a loud rock band.

www.muzik-produktiv.com

 

[TheGreek]

21 hours ago, BassBunny said:

Rumble or Ashdown Rootmaster combos.

The BIG advantage with Ashdown is the 5yr warranty and the fact that if there IS a problem, they can/will fix it. Probably the best customer support in the business.

This....

If I was going to buy anything other than a Trace Elliot.....

[Quilly]

4 hours ago, TheGreek said:

This....

If I was going to buy anything other than a Trace Elliot.....

Mark Gooday services traces now

[TheGreek]

They recently provided my Amp Tech with the parts to service/ repair my AH300.