Noisyjon Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Hi All, I'm looking for a lighter weight amp to go with my cabs (2 x 1x15" Barefaced Compact cabs) and an amp that will offer a different tonal palette to the Boogie. I am just so stumped by choice, I don't know which way to go so thought I'd throw it out for some help and advice. I play Punk, Rock & Metal with a Pick and use a variety of basses (P, J, P/J, Stingray & Gibson LP) and I'm not too fussed about having a Valve pre-amp. The only conditions I want to impose is that the amp must have 2 x Speakon sockets on it and not be too big & heavy. I've whittled my list down to these 4 at the mo: Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, Gallien Krueger 1001RB-ii, Aguilar AG500-SC, Mesa Boogie M6 Carbine. So far I've only actually tried an Aguilar AG500-SC and really liked it, the GK and GB I have only read about from the very good comparison threads on here and the Mesa I have mostly read about on the Talkbass forum. What say you about my choices? Is there a cracking amp I don't know about? Experiences of said amps? Any and all thoughts & ramblings much appreciated, Thanks, Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 (edited) Hi Jon, if you want a lightweight alternative to your Mesa beast why not go the whole hog and go ultra-lightweight (Shuttle 6.0 or perhaps the new Little Mark Tube [url="http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua=en&cat=1&vedi=102)"]http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua...1&vedi=102)[/url]. The other suggestions you have seem to be neither very lightweight nor offering anything beyond your Mesa. For example I had an AG500SC and it was too hi-fi for what I wanted and while much lighter than a Mesa wasn't a featherweight either, at least compared to the Shuttle or Little Mark. To get any kind of rock sound out of it I had to use an overdrive pedal. I did have a Markbass R500 [url="http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua=en&cat=1&vedi=81"]http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua...t=1&vedi=81[/url] (Beedster now owns it) and it had a great rock sound due to valve pre-amp (could do warm all the way through to Lemmy, or with gain down quite hi-fi as well), hence my suggestion of the smaller Little Mark Tube (if its size wasn't a problem I would recommend the R500). I only sold it as I wanted a compact combo (my only gripe with Jeff Berlin combo is that it doesn't have a valve pre-amp hence I have to use the VT Bass pedal, albeit they sound great together) Edited June 16, 2009 by Clarky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 Thanks for your thoughts Clarky. I'm swaying towards ultra lightweight at the moment but I will have a look at the Mark Bass R500 now... Cheers, JTB. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 [quote name='jonthebass' post='515292' date='Jun 16 2009, 01:56 PM']Thanks for your thoughts Clarky. I'm swaying towards ultra lightweight at the moment but I will have a look at the Mark Bass R500 now... Cheers, JTB.[/quote] If seriously considering the R500, why don't you drop Beedster (Chris) a PM and ask him how he has got on with it? - he will be using it for rather different music to the stuff you (and I) tend to play but I guess that he has probably gigged it quite a lot by now and will have racked up a lot more hours on it than I did Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 The M6 is a superb amp. MB sa450 can be picked up fairly cheap (by MB standards) as it is end of line; it is a super lightweight, slim 2u high amp with 2 speakon outs that sounds excellent - cant imagine how much air it would move with two Compacts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 [quote name='Clarky' post='515311' date='Jun 16 2009, 02:12 PM']If seriously considering the R500, why don't you drop Beedster (Chris) a PM and ask him how he has got on with it? - he will be using it for rather different music to the stuff you (and I) tend to play but I guess that he has probably gigged it quite a lot by now and will have racked up a lot more hours on it than I did[/quote] Hey guys Well I'm no expert on basses and I'm even less of an expert on amps. I've rehearsed and gigged the R500 lots, however the only [u]direct[/u] comparison I have is with a Markbass LMII. Having said this, I used to have a lovely old TE valve head and play that through an old tatty Marshall 1x15 and the sound I'm after was that but with more power potential, more reliability, and lower weight. Until last year I was using the Markbass Jeff Berlin combo and it was WAY too clean sounding, that was until it completely broke up. In other words, there was no useful distortion. To my ears it was also pretty cold. Don't get me wrong, the combo is very good and very useful, it just didn't give me a warm fat Precision sound. Clarlky and I met up, amps/cabs were exchanged, and I now play the R500 through either a 102P, a 151P or a 151HF (and sometimes the two 15s together). The R500 is much warmer and gives enough distortion for me, not Jack Bruce-esque for sure, but what I consider to be a genuine slightly overdriven tone. Through the 151HF it's lovely, and way more in terms of tone and power than I had with the TE/Marshall. As Clarky suggested, at low gain it's also very clean, much like the LMII, and especially through the 102P, I can get a very HiFi sound. If I want one that is! However, I'm very out of touch with the whole amp/cab things (let's face it, I was playing through a Peavey 150w combo for years, it actually weighed more in kgs than it pumped out in watts), so don't take anything I've said above as concrete. I'd need to gig a lot more and in larger venues to really get a handle on exactly what amp/cab(s) combination would be best for me. I've stuck with the R500 because it's close to a sound I used to have which to my ears is how a bass should sound, and because both myself and the band like the tone. Furthemore, I like to be able to walk to rehearsals with bass in one hand, cab in the other, and amp on my back. I don't think it's an outstanding amp, not because it isn't outstanding, but because the music and venues I play probably don't stretch an amp enough to find out whether it is or not (I rarely get past half way on volume). However, it's never let me down (and I've dropped it a fair few times), doesn't overheat, doesn't do funny things (e.g., switch off during gigs etc), and is very easy to set up and use (I play it flat EQ with gain at about 7/10). So....., I'm sticking with it for the time being. If I had to buy a new amp for the same price now, I might however look for something more, for example some filters or a compressor/limiter, the sort of things that add just a little value to a head and make it slightly more versatile. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 You do have a world of choices and few of them bad ones. If you're aiming for something smaller/lighter how light do you really want? Big difference between a Shuttle and an M6! Would you want something that can drive one cab loud enough to keep up with your drummer or would you always take both cabs? If the latter then the Shuttle 3.0 is plenty of power, or even the older Eden micro-amps. I'd recommend checking out the Shuttle 6.0 - I really liked how it sounded with the Compact, so much so that I almost bought one. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Markbass LMII is a good option, add a VT Bass pedal and you will get the authentic cranked Ampeg punk sound not problem. Or how about the Mesa Walkabout? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 [quote name='dannybuoy' post='515503' date='Jun 16 2009, 05:26 PM']Markbass LMII is a good option, add a VT Bass pedal and you will get the authentic cranked Ampeg punk sound not problem. Or how about the Mesa Walkabout?[/quote] Jon, you are welcome to pop round mine to try the Markbass LMII (as thats the amp in my JB combo) plus VT Bass combination. I might mug you and steal Sid back though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted June 16, 2009 Author Share Posted June 16, 2009 Hi Guys, Chris - Thanks for your thoughts and extensive reply. That's a great description and it sounds like a great amp, Alex - I'm swaying to ultra lightweight and the Shuttle 6 is on my list to try for sure as I want the 2 speakons and lots of headroom, Clarky - I may well take up your kind offer, could we connect a Compact cab to your amp OK?, Dannybouy - I have a MXR M80 so can get plenty of distortion (mild to wild!) off that if needs be. Thanks Guys, Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 [quote name='jonthebass' post='515594' date='Jun 16 2009, 06:53 PM']Clarky - I may well take up your kind offer, could we connect a Compact cab to your amp OK?,[/quote] You are welcome to give it a go - you just pull out the lead at the back that goes to the 15 inch MB speaker and connect to another cab. Can't promise you could crank it up much though given elderly neighbours next door! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted June 28, 2009 Author Share Posted June 28, 2009 A quick update - I've now got a MarkBass SA450 and rehearsed it along with my Compact cabs today. All good and a killer of an amp! Cheers, Jon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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