Used prices of heavy amp heads

[Cat Burrito]

56 minutes ago, Beedster said:

At £300 that's stolen, not working and in very bad condition  

I was trying to be diplomatic in my original post - very rare for it to be the widow who doesn't know what they are selling.

[Jack]

2 hours ago, Cat Burrito said:

Mine was £999 from a new price of £1799... at £300 (& with the matching cab) I would have to wonder if it was nicked. Granted there are a few who sell not knowing what they have but that is *very* low. Almost too good to be true. Might be wrong but I'd have been very suspicious.

 

1 hour ago, ern500evo said:

£300 for a AD200 and cab??? 😳

 

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

At £300 that's stolen, not working and in very bad condition  

 

39 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

I was trying to be diplomatic in my original post - very rare for it to be the widow who doesn't know what they are selling.

 

I should have paid more attention, turns out it was £400 but still. The exact phrase that was used was 'abandoned in a rehearsal room'. The seller is very well known the group though, as is the buyer, so I'm sure we'll find out if it all goes south. My point was simply that, if priced right, plenty of people will still buy the heavy stuff. I tried.

 

 

Edited October 30, 2020 by Jack

[Chienmortbb]

On 23/10/2020 at 14:21, casapete said:

Interesting thread, some great points. I’m in the process of starting to trim down my stuff and have the dilemma of whether to try and sell at the moment, when there are few gigs around to use any amps let alone larger stuff! I’ve got a Fender TB1200 amp head and Fender 610 Pro cab to move on, both in mint condition too. Serious kit but reckon they won’t fetch anything like what they should be worth, but I guess that’s just the state of play at the moment. ☹️

Sadly Pete they are only worth what someone will pay for them.

[Beedster]

6 minutes ago, Jack said:

 

 

 

 

I should have paid more attention, turns out it was £400 but still. The exact phrase that was used was 'abandoned in a rehearsal room'. The seller is very well known the group though, as is the buyer, so I'm sure we'll find out if it all goes south. My point was simply that, if priced right, plenty of people will still buy the heavy stuff. I tried.

 

 

Ah, that old classic, that usually means someone didn't pay their equipment storage fees and the owner of the rehearsal room has sold the gear at a price that covers what he's owed. Not the first or lats time that's going to happen

[walshy]

1 hour ago, Jack said:

 

 

 

 

I should have paid more attention, turns out it was £400 but still. The exact phrase that was used was 'abandoned in a rehearsal room'. The seller is very well known the group though, as is the buyer, so I'm sure we'll find out if it all goes south. My point was simply that, if priced right, plenty of people will still buy the heavy stuff. I tried.

 

 

Ha ha, I spoke to the fella, it was a total pisstake. His mate had left it in his studio for literally years and wasn't going to pick it up anytime soon. One for sale ad and his mate rang him to pick it up straight away  

[Jack]

1 minute ago, walshy said:

Ha ha, I spoke to the fella, it was a total pisstake. His mate had left it in his studio for literally years and wasn't going to pick it up anytime soon. One for sale ad and his mate rang him to pick it up straight away  

I saw that you'd tried as well! Id noticed a suspicious comment (last one in my screenshot) and assumed something was going on but I'd never have thought of that, makes sense. 

[walshy]

12 minutes ago, Jack said:

I saw that you'd tried as well! Id noticed a suspicious comment (last one in my screenshot) and assumed something was going on but I'd never have thought of that, makes sense. 

Aye he said his mate needed a nudge as he’s never been down for years and said it was fine where it was. I believe he moved it the day after 😂

[casapete]

On 23/10/2020 at 14:21, casapete said:

Interesting thread, some great points. I’m in the process of starting to trim down my stuff and have the dilemma of whether to try and sell at the moment, when there are few gigs around to use any amps let alone larger stuff! I’ve got a Fender TB1200 amp head and Fender 610 Pro cab to move on, both in mint condition too. Serious kit but reckon they won’t fetch anything like what they should be worth, but I guess that’s just the state of play at the moment. ☹️

Well, sold my Fender rig yesterday at a knock down price. The young chap who bought it ( not from BC unfortunately)was delighted though, and I honestly don’t think he knows what it’s capable of. He s in a rock band where the guitarist is currently lending him an old 150 watt combo, and say he can’t wait to get to whenever their next gig or rehearsal is to show them that he means business. He managed to get it in his car too! Nice fella, made parting with it a little bit easier. 

[Beedster]

26 minutes ago, casapete said:

Well, sold my Fender rig yesterday at a knock down price. The young chap who bought it ( not from BC unfortunately)was delighted though, and I honestly don’t think he knows what it’s capable of. He s in a rock band where the guitarist is currently lending him an old 150 watt combo, and say he can’t wait to get to whenever their next gig or rehearsal is to show them that he means business. He managed to get it in his car too! Nice fella, made parting with it a little bit easier. 

That’s nice, there’s still folks out there with intact lumbar spines for whom lightweight is simply not a variable of importance  

[casapete]

31 minutes ago, Beedster said:

That’s nice, there’s still folks out there with intact lumbar spines for whom lightweight is simply not a variable of importance  

Ha ha, exactly what I thought. The guy was a brickie by trade so not averse to carrying stuff I guess. He did comment on the 6x10 as being a bit of a handful though as he shoehorned it into his BMW 1 series hatchback! He probably has a good 30 years on me so hope he enjoys it for a while. Will probably go and see his band when/if things improve. 

[Phil C]

I've got a mesa 400+ along with road ready cabs - 2x10 and 1x18.  On the last tour that band were getting a bit fed up with lumping it up stairs, into lifts etc.  I have a mark bass 800w thing that has a little valve in it and matching Mark Bass 2x12 cab - but I find it really way too clean and I don't like it.  I also like having my mesa stack, which is nice and tall!  Any ideas as to what could replace the mesa gear with something a bit more portable, and yet without the "hifi" sound of the Mark Bass rig?  I've looked at the TC 2x10s and maybe one of their amps.... and also at the lightweight Mesa gear  - but the price on those cabs seems a little ridiculous.  Happy to hear any recommendations.  The amp doesn't have to be 2 kg, but I would rather it wasn't the 47kg of my flightcased 400+!!

[Beedster]

The respondents to this thread to date might not be your target audience mate

IMO certainly not TC. 400+ and an 18 cab is not an easy thing to replicate. The Mesa solid state gear gets a lot of praise and some of the older units, for example the M-Pulse 600, BB-750 and if you're very lucky the Titan V-12 can be picked up relatively cheap these days. Personally I'd keep your cabs, they are not going to be easily replaced. 

Then again, personally I'd keep your 400+ also

[Phil C]

Thank you Beedster.... not that often on this forum - so appreciate the advice about target audience!

It's kind of what I thought - they are going to be a bugger to replicate.  I think at least I should put the head in a lighter case.  At the moment it is in its "road ready" wooden box, and then flightcased....sometimes you just have to stare at the thing for a while, to summon the will to lift!  Cheers

 

[Lozz196]

26 minutes ago, Phil C said:

I've got a mesa 400+ along with road ready cabs - 2x10 and 1x18.  On the last tour that band were getting a bit fed up with lumping it up stairs, into lifts etc.  I have a mark bass 800w thing that has a little valve in it and matching Mark Bass 2x12 cab - but I find it really way too clean and I don't like it.  I also like having my mesa stack, which is nice and tall!  Any ideas as to what could replace the mesa gear with something a bit more portable, and yet without the "hifi" sound of the Mark Bass rig?  I've looked at the TC 2x10s and maybe one of their amps.... and also at the lightweight Mesa gear  - but the price on those cabs seems a little ridiculous.  Happy to hear any recommendations.  The amp doesn't have to be 2 kg, but I would rather it wasn't the 47kg of my flightcased 400+!!

Ashdown ABM600 at 13kg? The ABM600 has a preamp valve so not clean/clinical  unless used without the valve drive. If wanting to stay with the same brand with cabs Ashdown have just brought out NEO versions of their ABM cabs, two 210s or a 210 & 115 and you’d have a pretty decent stack capable of handling all but the biggest stages - and at that point you’d have monitors anyway. The NEO cabs are about 17kgs I believe, so the whole rig would be 47kgs in three separate pieces.

Edited November 1, 2020 by Lozz196

[Beedster]

2 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Ashdown ABM600 at 13kg? The ABM600 has a preamp valve so not clean/clinical  unless used without the valve drive. If wanting to stay with the same brand with cabs Ashdown have just brought out NEO versions of their ABM cabs, two 210s or a 210 & 115 and you’d have a pretty decent stack capable of handling all but the biggest stages - and at that point you’d have monitors anyway. The NEO cabs are about 17kgs I believe, so the whole rig would be 47kgs in three separate pieces.

Lovely rig, and lighter by some distance, but is it going to sound like a 400+ with an 18"

A lot of it depends on what sound Phil is going for, because the 400+ is a pretty versatile beast?

[Beedster]

9 minutes ago, Phil C said:

Thank you Beedster.... not that often on this forum - so appreciate the advice about target audience!

It's kind of what I thought - they are going to be a bugger to replicate.  I think at least I should put the head in a lighter case.  At the moment it is in its "road ready" wooden box, and then flightcased....sometimes you just have to stare at the thing for a while, to summon the will to lift!  Cheers

 

Case is an issue for sure. Last time we rehearsed, literally the night before Lockdown V1, we used a new studio and I had to park about 400m from the front door, as opposed to the 4m from the front door I'm used to at our usual place. My SVT-II is likewise in a head case and I suspect weighs about 50kg all in. I looked at the walk ahead of me and just wanted to just get back in the car and go home 

[walshy]

Just now, Beedster said:

Case is an issue for sure. Last time we rehearsed, literally the night before Lockdown V1, we used a new studio and I had to park about 400m from the front door, as opposed to the 4m from the front door I'm used to at our usual place. My SVT-II is likewise in a head case and I suspect weighs about 50kg all in. I looked at the walk ahead of me and just wanted to just get back in the car and go home 

Ha I feel your pain, I humped my CTM300 and matching 6x10 from outside up 3 or 4 tight as flights of stairs at @cd_david rehearsal studio. I thought I was going to die! Sounded absolutely mighty though so well worth the carry! 😂😂

[Phil C]

59 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Ashdown ABM600 at 13kg? The ABM600 has a preamp valve so not clean/clinical  unless used without the valve drive. If wanting to stay with the same brand with cabs Ashdown have just brought out NEO versions of their ABM cabs, two 210s or a 210 & 115 and you’d have a pretty decent stack capable of handling all but the biggest stages - and at that point you’d have monitors anyway. The NEO cabs are about 17kgs I believe, so the whole rig would be 47kgs in three separate pieces.

Thanks - will take a look at them.  Don't really know much about Ashdown apart from the Geezer Butler connection!

[Phil C]

"A lot of it depends on what sound Phil is going for, because the 400+ is a pretty versatile beast?"

 

Beedster- most of my gigs with the Mesa are with a Deep Purple tribute - it's loud, the guitarist likes to be able to hear what I'm playing - and I play Fenders with a pick!  There are monitors at our gigs (normally house PAs), but there sometimes isn't enough juice in those to be pumping the bass guitar through them - and the vocalist gets priority!  I just love the way the Mesa cuts through the noise - and I like the height of the rig, so that if things get really hairy, I can retreat to my stack and hear what the hell is going on!!  It's just the logistics of dragging the mesa plus two big cabs around that can be an issue.  We have gigs booked (although I have no idea if they will go ahead) for next summer including a trip to Ireland.  I want to be kind to the band, and if possible reduce the weight!  

 

Edited November 1, 2020 by Phil C
I can't seem to work out how to quote!!

[peteb]

1 hour ago, Phil C said:

I've got a mesa 400+ along with road ready cabs - 2x10 and 1x18.  On the last tour that band were getting a bit fed up with lumping it up stairs, into lifts etc.  I have a mark bass 800w thing that has a little valve in it and matching Mark Bass 2x12 cab - but I find it really way too clean and I don't like it.  I also like having my mesa stack, which is nice and tall!  Any ideas as to what could replace the mesa gear with something a bit more portable, and yet without the "hifi" sound of the Mark Bass rig?  I've looked at the TC 2x10s and maybe one of their amps.... and also at the lightweight Mesa gear  - but the price on those cabs seems a little ridiculous.  Happy to hear any recommendations.  The amp doesn't have to be 2 kg, but I would rather it wasn't the 47kg of my flightcased 400+!!

Have you thought about a Handbox R-400 (there a couple of threads on BC about them). It's a hybrid amp with valve preamp and a Class A/B power section, handmade in Poland. It is not ridiculously lightweight, but a very easy one hand carry that will sit neatly on a 1x12 cab. Pretty loud - great sound (the EQ section takes a bit of getting used to, but once you do it's fine). 

I still have my Mesa mpulse in a roadcase, which I still use live. But I found myself taking the Handbox out to more and more gigs (or at least I was when we were still gigging). My guitar player loves it...!  

My 810 cab is long gone, but these days there are plenty of pretty lightweight 410s around that sound good. 

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, Phil C said:

Thanks - will take a look at them.  Don't really know much about Ashdown apart from the Geezer Butler connection!

I started using them as the band I was in did a lot of gigs with provided backlines, and the two I liked best were Ampeg & Ashdown, just that big beefy feel to the sound. Ashdown tipped it both on the weight of the gear, plus being UK based easy to sort any problems should they occur (they didn’t).

[Beedster]

7 hours ago, Phil C said:

"A lot of it depends on what sound Phil is going for, because the 400+ is a pretty versatile beast?"

 

Beedster- most of my gigs with the Mesa are with a Deep Purple tribute - it's loud, the guitarist likes to be able to hear what I'm playing - and I play Fenders with a pick!  There are monitors at our gigs (normally house PAs), but there sometimes isn't enough juice in those to be pumping the bass guitar through them - and the vocalist gets priority!  I just love the way the Mesa cuts through the noise - and I like the height of the rig, so that if things get really hairy, I can retreat to my stack and hear what the hell is going on!!  It's just the logistics of dragging the mesa plus two big cabs around that can be an issue.  We have gigs booked (although I have no idea if they will go ahead) for next summer including a trip to Ireland.  I want to be kind to the band, and if possible reduce the weight!  

 

That's a band I'd like to see, and a guitarist who likes to hear the bass is a rarity, most I've played with like to hear the guitar! Totally agree, if you're going on the road, especially overseas, you're carrying a lot of weight. I suspect that if you opted for some of the gear mentioned above, and perhaps had a look at Barefaced cabs, you're going to save your back a lot of work for a very good tone. The questions remains whether it's the same tone (although if you dropped Alex at Barefaced an email he'll certainly do his best to advise you on cab choice given your current rig). 

[Lozz196]

Good call re Barefaced, I had the Retro 410 & 210 for a while and for Deep Purple type material they would be great. 

[Phil C]

Thanks Lozz196 and Beedster - really appreciate the advice.

www.Deeperpurple.band if you want to see the mesa rig in action - on the live vids, lockdown vids are just DI'd from a Sansamp!  Cheers!

[adamg67]

There are more and more people not even bothering with a traditional bass amp now and going for some kind of fly rig into PA or IEMs. Obviously that's been an option for a long time but there's a much bigger choice now and it includes plenty of things that sound as good as a room full of big old amp heads (one at a time, not all at once ). If you need to be loud in the room just use a PA speaker or other clean / FRFR setup to amplify the tone you have.

Presumably that trend is gradually reducing the demand for all kinds of bass amps.