Top 3 bass amps in your opinion

[BassAdder60]

Just for fun what are in your own opinion the top 3 bass amps for gigging and why ?

 

My top 3 are 

 

Trace Elliot TE1200

very good usable EQ and compressor and loud enough for any rig. Great sounding tone and just seems right for any style. 

 

Ampeg V4B 

Loud enough with enough cabs and wonderful all valve sound albeit a heavy lump 

 

Ashdown ABM600 

Great EQ and tone, powerful head and a workhorse amp but starting to be a little long in the tooth now with an average to poor compressor and Sub feature that most never use. Best back up service in the business 

 

what about your suggestions ? 

[Lozz196]

Ashdown ABM600

Fave amp that I’ve owned, great sounding with very flexible eq & bags of power, light & portable enough to not be a bind to cart about (if able bodied).

 

Marshall DBS7400

Pretty much as above though a fair bit heavier. 
 

Ampeg SVT

Never owned one but loved seeing them as provided rigs, knew what I was getting and loved the sound.

[JottoSW1]

Trace Ah500x

Laney Nexus Tube

Marshall Bass System monsters

[itu]

Glockenklang Soul (in use)

Mesa 400+ (was lovely, and heavy)

SWR MoBass (fun fx)

 

(micro combo: GK 200MB)

Edited June 5 by itu
add4

[Beedster]

Ampeg SVT II: For when you need the whole room to feel as well as hear what your playing

Mesa M-Pulse 600: For when you want to sound like you have a big tube amp but don't 

MusicMan Audiophile HD500: For when you want lovely clean and funky tone plus you want bassists to ask about it at gigs

[DGBass]

I've played through a lot of amps over the years but have come to appreciate what I have now as some of the best sounding and most versatile I've owned and used. These three are the most often actually used in my gear stash for different reasons, and my top three selection of currently used amps.

 

 

The Ashdown ABM really is a swiss army knife of bass amps and I haven't been without an ABM now for over ten years. It's a tested design and taking the time to really get to know it's EQ will reveal a myriad of useable tones. It's also what I use for the louder gigs and it always delivers.

The Ashdown Labs MK500 is also used during louder gigs and has the volume of the ABM but has a very much more refined Hi Fi quality. Sounds wonderful with my Player P-Bass with the five year old flats on it. Silky smooth clicky tones and it's also Hi Fi quiet noise wise, and even with the master on full it's difficult to tell its switched on at idle. The harmonic emphasis knob is a mysterious and wonderful thing. Not quite sure what it does but it makes everything sound great.

The mid nineties Trace Elliot GP7 SM130 has been my most gigged amp of late as I've switched to mostly to low volume small bar gigs. It's never up more than half way and is more than loud enough. It's been a revelation playing gigs with only 130 or less Trace Elliot watts and the Ashdown's aren't currently getting as much use. The GP7 SM pre-amp is a wonder of simplicity to use and has so many great and classic tones. The EQ balance knob in particular has such a dramatic influence on the useable tones with even a small tweak. 

[basshead56]

Marshall VBA400 - If you ever need to knock a stadium over...

Ampeg SVT CL - king of the beasts for just about everything else.

Ampeg B100R - closest you can get to vintage Motown magic without breaking your back or your bank managers heart

[Steve Browning]

I guess that they must be amps I've used, in order to allow an opinion. So, for me they will be

• Mesa Bass 400 - my introduction to Mesa Boogie. I have had a 400+ but just found the 400 to be more 'open' sounding. The 400+ was a bit 'detailed'. Pairing them was fun!
• Mesa TT-800 - my current amp. It can do the 400 sound and pretty much everything else. All in a super-light package.
• Mesa Walkabout/M-Pulse 600. They not exactly the same amp, but share similarities. The Walkabout is integral to my Scout combo (the 15" one) and is another superb sounding amp. The radiator underneath really adds depth to the sound. The M-Pulse was my first hybrid (valve/mos:fet) and it killed off my belief that all valve was the only way to go.

No surprises there, I guess. I have owned a 70's Portaflex and played through an SVT on many occasions. The Portaflex was good but wasn't a useful amp on a gig, whereas the Walkabout is gigged regularly and is equally at home in a studio. The SVT is invariably coupled with a fridge and I just don't enjoy playing through 10s. Probably bias on my part, but it's my opinion so I can be!

Edited May 25 by Steve Browning

[three]

Aguilar DB750

Trace Elliot - any with the 11/12 band pre and class A/B power section

Marshall Super Bass 50/100 for old school ‘70s British rock

 

I’d happily use either of the first two in any gigging situation 

[chris_b]

IMO the 3 best sounding amps I've owned. . . Thunderfunk TF750A, Dynacord BS412 and Aguilar AG700.

 

 

(The next 3 are tied for fourth. . .  Aguilar TH500, TH700 and Subway D800)

[Linus27]

Not sure if these are the best but it's the ones I've been the happiest with and have lasted.

 

Hartke HA7000 - super powerful, punchy with the option to run tube, solid state or blend both. Can be super clean or dirty. If they didn't weight a tonne or were so big, I'd still use one now. I wish there was a modern day version.

 

Ampeg PF500 - Just a great sounding amp and very musical.  Doesn't seem to be thin or clinical or run out of puff like a lot of class D amps. Long on the tooth now and heavy for a class D amp.

 

Warwick Gnome Ipro 280w - just an absolutely brilliant little amp. Way louder than you would think, tiny, super punchy and cheap as chips. I've used mine many times as my main amp. 

[JPJ]

My top three (and I own them all so I’m biased)

1) SWR SM1500 - 1500W, bridged, biamp, or stereo, full feature compressor, two channels of tone setup, bass intensifier, boost, and of course the most misunderstood and maligned aural enhancer. If you know the meaning of heft, then this amp has it in spades. Headroom to die for, and it’s capable of going stupidly ‘stadium’ loud if you need it to. The only downside is the enormous weight. 
 

2) Ashdown Geezer Butler Head of Doom. The most all-valve like hybrid I’ve played. This thing has heft, and that ‘bounce’ or ‘spring’ that valve amps have. It can go as dirty as you would like, but excels at that ‘just breaking up’ tone. Oh and even racked in a flight case, it’s still a one-hand lift.

 

3) Ashdown ABM. I use the term generically as irrespective of power output, they all use the same preamp. I used to hate these amps with a passion, until a quick post on here explained the secrets of pushing a good tone out of this preamp (biggest tip being the ‘reverse’ wiring of the pre shape switch). Probably one of the most versatile preamps once you get to know it, and as others have said, the best after sales support in any realm. 

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

I only have a top one, My Ashdown ABM600 Evo-IV. Other amps I've owned were okay but they don't come close. I was fortunate enough to buy it as 'ex-display B-Stock' for £300 from PMT a couple of years ago which was a pretty good deal.

[bassman7755]

TC RH450 - does both types of music: rock AND roll. Seriously though its essentially an SVT soundalike in a small formfactor with a great compressor and tuner built in. Its  a bit of one trick pony though, doesn't do clean / hifi at all.

[spyder]

GR Bass Dual 1400 .... Clean and punchy with two independent inputs on the preamp.

Laney Nexus Valve .... Big powerful valve amp that sounds immense.

The third is a little more difficult... Maybe Glockenlang, Warwick Hellborg or Phil Jones?

 

 

[tauzero]

Tecamp Puma 900 - have kept this despite going to a combo for most eventualities. Powerful, flexible tone.

 

GR Bass AT800 Cube - the combo that I went to. Very lightweight and very clean sound so I can inflict my own damage on it.

 

Ashdown Superduperfly (Superfly 1000) - the power amp section could be better, you can get an HF whistle, plus the two 500W power amps can't be bridged. However, the graphic/parametric MIDI controlled preamp is brilliant.

[signals55]

I enjoy my Ampegpf50t 

And Bergantino B amp 

 

[M@23]

SVT-CL, in the lead because it’s just right. 
Then there’s loads that do a great job, but I’d tip my hat to Markbass, prob the LM3, as IME, it’s super reliable and sounds great for every gig. 
Then, the Fender Rumble, as above. 

[Japhet]

I'm hanging onto my 3 favorite amps for now.

 

1) Eden WT 800. Heavy beast but sounds fabulous. Huge power and probably the best EQ section I've used.

2) Weber Mywatt 200. All valve. Sounds epic. Needs switching on about lunchtime because by the end of a normal gig it's absolutely singing. Lovely thing.

3) SWR SM500. Fairly new acquisition but have used it a few times. Love it.

[casapete]

1.  Ampeg SVT (1980’s version). Best amp I’ve ever owned, whether into the 8x10 or others.

2. Gallien Krueger 800RB. Classic head, very musical and loud for its size. Had mine a long time.

3. Fender Rumble 100v3 combo. An amazing little thing, weighs nothing and sounds ace.

[paul_5]

Ampeg SVT II - had these provided at festivals and in studios and they've ALWAYS been amazing. Personally Prefer a 6x10 instead of an 8x10, but thaT'S JUST ME.

 

SWR SM400 - Probably the most flexible eq in all of Christendom, plenty loud enough too!

 

amp SVP-Pro - needs a power amp, but still great sounding piece of kit, like a real Ampeg but with added 'drive' control for filth!

 

 

[MrDinsdale]

Marshall VBA400 and the GK700rb (would likely be an 800rb but never had the chance). I have no idea what the last one would be tbh. Never cared for the Ampeg stuff for me but love how it sounds with other people and it doesn’t get much more iconic so probably and SVT. 

[asingardenof]

On 24/05/2024 at 17:29, BassAdder60 said:

Ashdown ABM600 

Great EQ and tone, powerful head and a workhorse amp but starting to be a little long in the tooth now with an average to poor compressor and Sub feature that most never use. Best back up service in the business 

Can definitely agree with all of this, including the awful compressor and especially the aftercare.

[police squad]

I've had a couple of Trace Elliots. First gigging amp was AH150 Mk V thru a 4x12 marshall bass cab. It did the job but I couldnt afford anything else for a few years and stuck with it till the Marshall Jubilee

I used a Marshall jubilee 300 for a good few years and it was quite good , better than the previous TE

Then after some cobbled together valve pre amp and power amps settled on a Hartke HA3500. Superb workhorse of an amp (I bought another recently)

Best onstage sound was at a festival in Dover, full Ampeg SVT rig. I just plugged in my bass and it sounded wonderful.

Ampef PF500 for a while and I'm very settled with my Ashdown RM500 Evo II. It makes the noise I like to hear. Will be trying the Ashdown Pro-Di when I can get back to gigging (slipped disc) staright into the desk, no backline.

 

So ATM top 3

#1 Full fat ampeg SVT rig (but there's no chance I'll lug it about

#2 Defo My Ashdown RM500 EVO II

#3 Ampeg PF500

Edited May 26 by police squad

[BillyBass]

I don't have a great deal of gigging experience but the best amp I've tried by far is the GK Legacy 800, it allows my bass to be heard and is the amp I used the only time I have had my bass tone complimented (paired with a Super Compact)

 

Honorable mentions to GK Fusion 1200s and TE Elf