How many amps?

[Lfalex v1.1]

20 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

Wasn't it Gibson?

 

I thought it was Kaman, then Gibson?

[Downunderwonder]

Then Peavey, who phaffed around a bit failing, put it on the backburner, and then directed some serious R&D at it to reestablish the brand.

[Franticsmurf]

I have a Peavey Minimax 600, a TCE BAM200 and a Vox VX50B mini combo.

 

In one band, I have recently taken the plunge and gone DI only, but only because there is someone that knows what they're doing looking after the FOH sound and my IEM mix. The other band is a three piece and there's no intention of going ampless there as we only want a small PA for vocals to keep things simple. For those gigs I'd use the Minimax as it has a more comprehensive pre-amp section and the headroom to cope with small venue gigs. The BAM200 would come along as a spare. The Vox is surprisingly loud and easily copes with rehearsals. I have gigged with it a couple of times and it's doubled as a monitor for me on several occasions.    

[Chienmortbb]

1 hour ago, BigRedX said:

 

Why? I do all my Helix programming either on headphones or via my HiFi system, and then do the fine-tuning in the rehearsal room where I go direct into the PA and where I can properly hear how my sounds fit in with those of the other instruments. Any conventional bass or guitar amp will add too much colouration to the sound for me to be able to make any meaningful decisions unless I was to always use that amp and cab in every single situation.

My comment was slightly provocative, but I could easily go ampless, but I do deps for a few local bands and none of them have a PA that could handle bass. I think of it like chopping off the sound box on an acoustic guitar. Your amp, whether through FOH or backline, is your sound box.

[peted]

I've always had the one main amp head, plus a good DI as a backup, and a little practice combo at home.

 

My main amp for quite a few years now has been an Eich T-900. I stil have my old Hartke HA3500 somewhere collecting dust in the loft.

[BillyBass]

I currently own three heads:

 

GK Legacy 800

Genzler Magellan 350

TE Elf

 

I have a GK Fusion S 1200 arriving at the end of September.  

 

I've only just got the Genzler 350, and this might take the Elf's position as back up.  Hate to give it up though, its a great little head.

[DGBass]

I've always been more of an amp hoarder than a bass guitar hoarder. ATM I have four gig ready heads at my disposal.

 

Trace Elliot AH250 GP11 head

GK 700RB

Ashdown Blackface ABM500

4U Rack using a Trace Elliot GP12 SMX stereo pre-amp with a Harley Benton Class D GPA400 power amp.

 

Any of these will get me through a gig. I did have a Markbass LMIII as my backup amp until recently but sold it as it was never needed. I'll probably come to regret that as I'm playing without back up for the first time in years. So far so good. You do get to know each amp though if you've had them a while and can often tell when they might need a service. One bonus with having a few amps is that rotating them keeps the wear and tear from gigging/ rehersal minimal.

 

[MrDinsdale]

3 hours ago, DGBass said:

I've always been more of an amp hoarder than a bass guitar hoarder. ATM I have four gig ready heads at my disposal.

 

Trace Elliot AH250 GP11 head

GK 700RB

Ashdown Blackface ABM500

4U Rack using a Trace Elliot GP12 SMX stereo pre-amp with a Harley Benton Class D GPA400 power amp.

 

Any of these will get me through a gig. I did have a Markbass LMIII as my backup amp until recently but sold it as it was never needed. I'll probably come to regret that as I'm playing without back up for the first time in years. So far so good. You do get to know each amp though if you've had them a while and can often tell when they might need a service. One bonus with having a few amps is that rotating them keeps the wear and tear from gigging/ rehersal minimal.

 

I miss my GK 700rb, sold it a while back for virtually nothing when I wasn't really doing much music stuff along with my 410rbh. Awesome gear!

[Mudpup]

I have 4...

 

A Mesa Big Block 750 is my main gigging amp. Love it.

 

Another Mesa Big Block 750. They're not easy to find so I grabbed it as a backup when one became available.

 

Orange 4 Stroke. Simple, huge clear rock wallop, great EQ and stoopidly loud if I need it. Obtained it in a swap for a GK 700RB that I wasn't ever using. Happy to gig it if I can't be bothered to cart the Mesa around.

 

Quilter BB800. The only Class D that stuck with me. Tiny and lives in my gig bag as emergency cover. Useful to have the headphone out and aux in as my main amps don't have those.

 

All through a pair of Barefaced Big Baby cabs that I've had for ages.

Edited July 22, 2023 by Mudpup

[tauzero]

GR Bass AT800 Cube combo

Tecamp Puma 900 head because I didn't want to part with it - I'm still building a BC112Mk3 which I may or may not use with it at gigs

[DGBass]

1 hour ago, MrDinsdale said:

I miss my GK 700rb, sold it a while back for virtually nothing when I wasn't really doing much music stuff along with my 410rbh. Awesome gear!

Indeed. I see a few regulars on here still using their trad GK RB's, plenty life left in them yet. Strange though, GK always appear niche to those who have never tried them and loved by those who have and who know how good they are. Good all round amps and imho especially good for blues/rock music as the mid range availability is quite formidable. Not forgetting the boost feature🙂

[MrDinsdale]

6 minutes ago, DGBass said:

Indeed. I see a few regulars on here still using their trad GK RB's, plenty life left in them yet. Strange though, GK always appear niche to those who have never tried them and loved by those who have and who know how good they are. Good all round amps and imho especially good for blues/rock music as the mid range availability is quite formidable. Not forgetting the boost feature🙂

Yeah fantastic amps, proper workhorse too, had mine about 15 years and the only service it required was a little cleaning of some dust that had built up from not getting used regularly. When the person came to grab it and give it a quick try I instantly regretted my decision 😂

[ern500evo]

I have 3, 

ABM500 Evo RC

ABM600

GK Fusion 550

I’ve owned the ABM500 for more years than I care to remember. I’ve had many other amps in that time, but always just kept it as a spare. I bought the 600 last year, and then the Fusion 550 came up for sale. It was an amp I’d always wanted, so I couldn’t resist. The ABM500 needs repairing, I think once I get around to getting that sorted, I’ll probably sell the 600. 

[casapete]

Here is my bunch.

 

Gallien Krueger 1001RB - my main gig amp. Absolutely love it. Runs into a GK Neo410 cab.

Gallien Krueger Backline 600 - backup amp, and sounds remarkably similar to the RB. Haven’t had to

                                                     use it yet, but good to know it’s there.

Gallien Krueger MB800 - used for gigs other than with my main band. Runs into an early Barefaced Compact.

Gallien Krueger 800RB - only gets occasional use but one amp I’ll probably never sell. The amp that got me

                                          started down the GK route, and still my favourite.

Fender Rumble 100 - brilliant combo which is used for small gigs, mainly in my acoustic duo. My best 

                                    recent purchase, so useful.

[Beer of the Bass]

Two here, the Ampeg PF50T that's my usual for electric bass, and a GK MB200 that comes out mostly for double bass. With those I have a pair of homebuilt 1x12 cabs (one stashed at the rehearsal space most of the time) and a tiny 1x10 that comes out for double bass or very small spaces.

I know it's a popular idea that 300 watts is the minimum for gigging, but I've still never had a rig that does more than 200, and the PF50T does me fine for most things if I use both 12"s.

[tony_m]

Three in regular use here. 

 

Ashdown Five Fifteen minirig - used for smaller indoor gigs on small stages, and for rehearsals prior to those gigs.

 

Trace Elliot AH200 - purchased from @Deedee of this parish, occasionally used for small gigs on small stages paired with a Trace BLX-110 cab, or taken to rehearsal and paired with an Ashdown MAG210 cab (purchased off here many years ago from someone whose name escapes me now!) which lives at our studio (aka Mr Drums' old chicken shed).

 

Ashdown MAG300-210 combo - purchased many, many years ago from @karlfer, my "big" amp for larger / outdoor gigs where I want a bit more whoomf.

 

Signal is DI'd to desk from pedalboard for FOH, so all are basically for personal monitoring (and because both Mr Drums and Mr Lead Guitar like to hear and feel the bass on stage), though I guess the amp will also contribute something to the FOH sound. 

 

 

[SPHDS]

I have 3 combos, an extension cab, a headphone amp and a guitar amp....

- Kustom KLA10 - Buzzy little box that cost me £10....!
- SoundCity SC50 - Not a bad amp, if rather basic, have gigged it a few times....
- Ashdown MAG250-210 - Great amp, solid, reliable, although not that easy to manhandle up and down two flights of stairs......!
- Ashdown MAG115 Deep - Bought soon after the MAG250, to add to the noise.......
- Gallien Krueger Backline 112 - Really good amp, not the lightest, but far easier on the stairs! (Think I got it from someone on here, can't remember)
- Donner Basement - Does what it needs to (allows me to play/practice without annoying the neighbours!), plus it is rechargable!

Most are currently stacked in the corner of my bedroom whilst I look for a new band......!

[bassbora]

Very interesting responses.  I have no idea why I thought people would have either gone ampless or had 1 or maybe 2 amps.

 

I myself decided when I was looking for a gigging rig quite a long time a go to try and have it modular (not combo) so I could mix and match depending on the circumstances and if an amp would break I only needed to replace the head and not worry about the cabs.  And also keep it light so it would be easy to store and transport.  I had a GenzBenz Streamliner 600 for few years and it was great I have no idea why I sold it, probably just wanted a new toy.  I have been using a Mesa D800 for many years and it has always served me really well.  The older it gets I guess I am not thinking in the back of my head it would be a good idea to have a backup.  Or maybe I was using it as an excuse to find a new amp.

[Merton]

3 amps

2 cabs

 

Amps are Trace Elliot TE1200 for big gigs, TE Elf for backup/rehearsals and Ashdown Little Bastard exclusively for my home music room.

Cabs are Barefaced Two10s so I can take one or two as the mood/situation dictates.

 

Used to have more, this feels bang on the money now.

[JapanAxe]

My main and best ever amp head is the Demeter 800W head. I also have a lovely EBS which has been for sale for yonks but I’m not exactly sorry that it hasn’t sold! I have a Markbass Nano head for a backup.

 

On top of that I have a couple of DIY heads that live in my home studio / practice room.

 

Recently I’ve been doing some tribute band gigs in theatres with no amps at all. That can be fine but it depends a lot on good in-ear monitoring.

[asingardenof]

3 amps

1 cab

 

Ashdown ABM as main amp, TE Elf as backup and for smaller gigs. Also a Vox amPlug2 but that is just gathering dust at the moment.

 

Just the one Barefaced Two10S for now but another would be nice, as would a One10.

Edited July 23, 2023 by asingardenof

[bassbora]

2 hours ago, JapanAxe said:

My main and best ever amp head is the Demeter 800W head. I also have a lovely EBS which has been for sale for yonks but I’m not exactly sorry that it hasn’t sold! I have a Markbass Nano head for a backup.

 

On top of that I have a couple of DIY heads that live in my home studio / practice room.

 

Recently I’ve been doing some tribute band gigs in theatres with no amps at all. That can be fine but it depends a lot on good in-ear monitoring.

I have seen you mention the Demeter before and I had seen them few years back and they are one of the only amps I would be seriously tempted by. I think one came up for sale here some months back and it did not stay long. I did not really need it so I managed to resist 

[JapanAxe]

1 minute ago, bassbora said:

I have seen you mention the Demeter before and I had seen them few years back and they are one of the only amps I would be seriously tempted by. I think one came up for sale here some months back and it did not stay long. I did not really need it so I managed to resist 

Resistance is futile!

[Stub Mandrel]

Hmm... gig with my Orange Terror 500W.

Backup is my Trace Elliot Elf 250W.

I have been know to gig my Trace Elliot 4x10 combo (300W with extension cab).

 

I have a few practice amps:

Joyo Badass 50W hybrid in my music room.

Orange Crush 20 in the bedroom.

Joyo 10W combo in my partner's front room.

Hotone Nano 5W micro head (preceded the Joyo Badass).

 

I gave my Laney ProBass 150W and a 50W 4x4 homebrew combo to my brother.

Have two Blackstar Fly 3W combos, meant for guitar, but have used them as travelling bass amps.

 

[Jaybeevee]

Markbass F1 for practice at home

main amps are..

Thunderfunk TFB 550

Mesaboogie M6 Carbine.

Two TKS 1126s and an EBS 212 neo..

 

Two bands with two rehearsal spaces needs two rigs.. but i also love the difference between the two heads. Both are fantastic through the TKSs, but the EBS isn't the greatest IMO