ossyrocks Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 (edited) Hi all, I don’t have much bass amp experience. I have a Mark Bass LM3 with 2x10, and a TE Elf which usually runs with a BF One10. I’d like to try another amp to run with a BF Super Compact I just picked up. My bass taste is conservative, vintage P and J basses, strung with flats. Musically, I’m in a little instrumental jazz band, a nine piece soul/ska/funk/disco/rock band, and a straight ahead old school blues band. I want vintage thump and warmth. At a recent gig with my MB rig, in a larger than usual venue, I felt it was lacking in the ooomph department. I’ve asked a mate, a member here, who has a lot more experience than I do, and he recommended a Bergantino Forte D, which look rather nice, but are quite expensive. I have also been thinking about an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500. Hit me up with ideas, ta. Rob Edited November 5, 2023 by ossyrocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZEYADE Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 hi the tone hammer 500 even 700 is the best match with the super compact 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 I take my RM500 to the studio in the shoulder bag and I play reggae and dub, it has plenty of lows and it’s not really what I would call a bright sounding amp especially with the shape button ,and they have a super quiet fan, if you wanted more power there’s the RM800 which I think is the same , they are reasonably priced now too 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 (edited) For me the Ashdown RM wins out here as I found it to have more - dare I say the H word - heft to the sound than any of the other class D amps I tried (Markbass, Tonehammer, TC RH, GK MB). Edit - forgot to mention as well that being UK based should the amp develop any unlikely issues it’s easy to get it dealt with, Ashdown being a great company to deal with. Edited November 5, 2023 by Lozz196 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossyrocks Posted November 5, 2023 Author Share Posted November 5, 2023 @Reggaebass and @Lozz196, two votes for the Ashdown RM ! This wasn’t even on my radar. Do you think the Barefaced Super Compact I’ve just got is a good match? Cheers, Rob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 Definitely, have used my RM500 with BF cabs and they pair well together. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossyrocks Posted November 5, 2023 Author Share Posted November 5, 2023 Ok, looking at these now. There’s two models EVO and EVO-II. What’s the difference, apart from the price I could get one for? I can see a brand new EVO-II for £549, which seems very reasonable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 The EVO-II is about half the weight of the EVO-I version. It also has a matt finish on the facing plate rather than shiny, the shiny version did make it a bit difficult to make adjustments on stage so Ashdown changed it. Other than that the sound/controls are the same. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 I use mine with a BB2 gen 3 and it matches well 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudpup Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 There are a couple of Genz Benz Streamliners in the classifieds here for an absolute steal. I would grab one of those. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnDaBass Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 Mesa Subway D800 Fender Rumble 800HD Both simple to use with either a rotary (Mesa) or push button tone shapes to dial in your vintage tone of choice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 The best tone I got aside from heavy Trace Elliot gear was from a Tecamp Puma. Looks like Bass Bros has a 900 in stock. https://bassbros.co.uk/product/tecamp-puma-900/ That'll fit in your back pocket. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted November 5, 2023 Share Posted November 5, 2023 I'll usually run my TH500 into an SC when I'm playing a PJ5, with flats and a lump of foam under the strings. This is a very complimentary signal chain. I think your LM3 would have a pretty good "vintage" sound through an SC. I usually run the LM EQ at 12 o'clock and both filters off. That sounds good to my "vintage" ears. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 On 05/11/2023 at 09:43, ossyrocks said: I have also been thinking about an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500. How about pedals? E.g. an alternative to the Tone Hammer amp is the Tone Hammer pedal into your existing Markbass LM III. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 The new AMpeg Venture series would probably fit the bill here. B15 and SVT modes would cover all the thump and warmth territory I would imagine... 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossyrocks Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 13 minutes ago, jrixn1 said: How about pedals? E.g. an alternative to the Tone Hammer amp is the Tone Hammer pedal into your existing Markbass LM III. I am a luddite. Up until two years ago I didn't believe an electronic device that didn't contain valves could be called an amp. I try not to use pedals, and prefer to go just straight in. However, I do have to use an octave on one tune in the 9 piece, and for that band, I have an old school Boss BCB30 board with TU2 Tuner, OC3 Octave and LMB3 Compressor. I don't really want to start looking at pedals. What I do need to try is my LM3 into the Barefaced Super Compact. I only picked the cab up a few days ago, so I haven't been able to try that combination out yet. Don't get me wrong, I have really enjoyed the Mark Bass rig, and I do think they sound better than a lot of stuff out there, but that last gig sowed the seed of doubt in my mind. Perhaps using it through the BF cab instead will dispel that doubt. Rob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossyrocks Posted November 6, 2023 Author Share Posted November 6, 2023 (edited) 4 minutes ago, Bigwan said: The new AMpeg Venture series would probably fit the bill here. B15 and SVT modes would cover all the thump and warmth territory I would imagine... I am indeed seriously interested in the new Venture series amps. I have never actually played through an Ampeg, but I have gigged with players using them, and always loved their sound when in the audience. The V3 seems to be readily available to buy, but the V7 is pre-order only. Would the V3 be enough? hmmm Edited November 6, 2023 by ossyrocks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bigwan Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 5 minutes ago, ossyrocks said: I am indeed seriously interested in the new Venture series amps. I have never actually played through an Ampeg, but I have gigged with players using them, and always loved their sound when in the audience. The V3 seems to be readily available to buy, but the V7 is pre-order only. Would the V3 be enough? hmmm Personally I'd hold out for the v7. Better looking at too much power than not enough, and I've had gigs with cab combinations where 300 was not enough, but my gigs (metal) wouldn't be the same as yours, so take that with a pinch of salt!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 The Barefaced Super Compact is an excellent cab but needs a lot of power to compete with a loud drummer. I used a GK MB500 and it just wasn't quite enough. I upgraded to a GK MB800 and it gave a little bit more headroom. Interestingly enough, my Markbass 121 CMD P combo, is louder than the GK MB800 combination. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted November 6, 2023 Share Posted November 6, 2023 The RM is a good head but I still use a T21 Paradriver to get a more vintage type tone with it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geddys nose Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 I would look at it the other way and try the one10 with the compact. Will get a lot more out of the MB @ 4 ohms. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 (edited) On 05/11/2023 at 11:49, ossyrocks said: @Reggaebass and @Lozz196, two votes for the Ashdown RM ! This wasn’t even on my radar. Do you think the Barefaced Super Compact I’ve just got is a good match? Cheers, Rob Yes. That was my rig for a while and it was great! As soon as I read your thread title my mind went to the RM too Edited November 8, 2023 by Merton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted November 8, 2023 Share Posted November 8, 2023 On 06/11/2023 at 17:09, jrixn1 said: How about pedals? E.g. an alternative to the Tone Hammer amp is the Tone Hammer pedal into your existing Markbass LM III. Yep. I've got a Two Notes Le Bass in front of my ( otherwise very clean) Markbass CS450 and Schroeder 21012L, and channel B does a fair job of reproducing what my Ampeg SVP-PRO sounds like, but it's got the bypass, modern drive (A) , series and parallel sounds available as well. I'm sure the Aggy, Ampeg, Darkglass etc. Units are all good in their own way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossyrocks Posted November 9, 2023 Author Share Posted November 9, 2023 Thanks for all the input here. I've just snagged a secondhand RM 500 EVO from PMT for £249 on Ebay. I'll hang on to the LM3 too for the time being. Cheers, Rob 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ossyrocks Posted November 10, 2023 Author Share Posted November 10, 2023 Great disappointment today. The RM500 arrived from PMT and it's clearly f**ked. There is a loud and nasty buzz whenever a string is struck, even at lower gain settings where the input is not being driven very hard, and after that it sounds like there's an octave pedal switched on. They also didn't include the bag they said came with it, and it was very very poorly packed, I'm surprised I didn't just empty a pile of parts onto the floor from the very oversized box it arrived in. I have contacted them already for a refund and return. Hey ho. Rob 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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