holio.cornolio Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I'd been 'gigging' (village hall / family parties, low level, low volume stuff) for a while with Fender Rumble 100 1X15 which seemed fine and had an adequate amount of volume (although seems to be harsh and trebly or too, muddy and dull with no happy inbetween) until a friend leant me an Ashdown evo500 4X10 combo for a while. Apart from being an absolute nightmare to transport, the Ashdown really highlighted the tonal shortcomings of the Rumble to the point where I'm not really happy with it any more. So I'm thinking about getting something new now that my mate has taken back his Ashdown. Trouble is, I'm a total know nothing when it comes to amps. I have no prejudices or preconceptions about valves vs solid state, and really don't know if I want a 2X10 or 1X15 (4X10 is probably too big and possibly too expensive, as are valves). What I do know is this - I would prefer a combo for portability, I doubt I need more than 200 watts as 100 has been ok and if I EVER needed more volume (which is unlikely) I could just go through the PA. Tonally the Ashdown, whilst having a very nice, warm, albeit slightly modern, tone, still seemed to retain clarity to project, but I don't think the ashdown is the amp I want. The amp that I REALLY want (but can't have) is the old Ampeg Fliptop that they have at Vintage and Rare in Bath. Thing is, whilst that sounded glorious in isolation, I don't know if that sound really works in a rock(ish) scenario. So what amps are out there that would give me a slightly modern take on the Fliptop tone but would cut through in a rock band? I guess that my budget hovers somewhere around the £500 mark, but could go up to £800 if it had to. I really like the LOOK of the Ampeg B200R, and it promises to be fliptopesque, but is it just a sheep in Pimps clothing?? I realise that this is a really vague question so flame freely, but if you want the whole thing putting into a nutshell, here it is: Vintage Fliptopish tones required in a portable format for around 500 notes. Must be capable of rocking a small village hall or pub (HARD!!! ), and since I know so very little about tone (except that I don't think my fender really has any), tell me if a fliptop is going to work in a rock (ish - free, beatles, monkees, the police, dire straights, take that( ), zz top etc etc) environment. Finally please note that I am a tart, and i have already discounted the likes of Markbass, Hartke, Gallien Kruger and Eden on purely aesthetic grounds. again, bring on the flames. Cheers P.S - I play a jazz bass (a nice one - too nice to go through the rumble without rebelling!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigthumb Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I've heard not too good things said about new Ampeg combos (although I've never used one). First thoughts would be a Trace Elliot 15" combo. The 300w ones are pretty powerful and quite versatile tone wise. Not sure if it dose the Ampeg thing but I bet it wont be too far off and you can get them pretty cheep! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Not sure I would associate the fliptop sound with rock - more the SVT whoompf - but that's just my 2p. SVT + 8x10 cab - drool - but clearly is not an option, due to size / cost. Some people rate the smaller Ampegs - B200 etc - others don't. And new, they're quite pricey, even though they're coming from China. Ampeg cabs are all pretty heavy as well. Perhaps you could look at a modular approach - an Ampeg pre-amp into a generic power amp into a couple of 2x10 cabs - giving you the option of the 'little' rig and the 'littler' rig. Go the S/H route and this might be achievable within your budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leschirons Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 Check out the Trace combo in the marketplace section for amps and cabs. It's only £250. Great for a bit of Funk and Rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I realise you've said that a 4x10 may be too big but if you are going down the larger combo route and TE appeals... I have a mate who is likely selling a TE 4x10 combo with a full flightcase (which has casters and should you not need it you could sell that on as it is a pretty expensive bit of kit, though he isn't bumping the price up to cover it). I'm not sure of the wattage but IIRC it is about 250w. To add to the general vagueness of my contribution; I'm not sure exactly how much he wants for it but it may well be a lot less than you were expecting to pay (i.e. £250-£400). Shameless plug for mates gear aside... I'd also suggest looking at some of the Peavey stuff. It's bomb-proof and the tone is very good though massively overlooked in place of things with loads of bells and whistles. If you can find a good used 'Databass' combo (1x15 and iirc 400w; remember volume can go down as well as up, so you don't need to use it all ), you'd be hard pushed to do better than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I would urge you to not be a 'tart' and look at all the makes and options available and then save up a bit longer to get exactly what you want if needs be. In the mean time do your homework and try out everything you possibly can to find 'the one'. The amount of buying and selling some people seem to do to get their dream rig normally turns out to just be a frustrating and expensive mission in the end. The problems seem to be that it's a very subjective issue with the added issue of amps sounding very different in shops than they do at the gig or rehearsal. Good luck and keep us posted! Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 I'm really intrigued by the new Carvin stuff... [url="http://www.carvinworld.com/products/single.php?product=BR515N&cid=7"]http://www.carvinworld.com/products/single...R515N&cid=7[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 [quote name='wateroftyne' post='635948' date='Oct 25 2009, 10:21 AM']I'm really intrigued by the new Carvin stuff... [url="http://www.carvinworld.com/products/single.php?product=BR515N&cid=7"]http://www.carvinworld.com/products/single...R515N&cid=7[/url][/quote] Interesting; they do a 500w head that weighs 6lb and can be set to operate at 2ohms, neat. However there have been issues around Carvin's reliability but it could well be that age old problem of maybe a duff batch or particular single product that tars a company with a bad reputation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holio.cornolio Posted October 25, 2009 Author Share Posted October 25, 2009 Cheers all for the input. So now I have on my must try list - Trace 715 thingy, Ampeg B200R, and possibly another ampeg (the 300 wat 2X10), I'm also slightly drawn to a biggish line 6 lodown, Roland Bass Cube 100 (?? - loud enough??) and maybe one of the slightly more upmarket fenders... cheers for all the suggestions, I'd likely go for that Trace that Warwickhunt suggested, but I have yet to liquidate the funds fully and will probably not for a few months yet (xmas drawing near and the kids need pressies etc!) So I'll keep on shoppin'. Bizarrely I had ruled out trace as too expensive, but just shows what I know. They're back in the game!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onehappybunny Posted October 25, 2009 Share Posted October 25, 2009 [quote name='holio.cornolio' post='636384' date='Oct 25 2009, 07:03 PM']Roland Bass Cube 100 (?? - loud enough??)[/quote] Unfortunately the answer is 'no' unless you are only playing with a VERY restrained drummer. The bass cube 100 is great (I had one for a while) but just can't cut it volume-wise with a full drum-kit. With our drummer it had no chance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holio.cornolio Posted October 26, 2009 Author Share Posted October 26, 2009 he uses 7a sticks and pats the skins like a proud father burping a newborn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted October 31, 2009 Share Posted October 31, 2009 [quote name='holio.cornolio' post='636384' date='Oct 25 2009, 07:03 PM']Cheers all for the input. So now I have on my must try list - Trace 715 thingy, Ampeg B200R, and possibly another ampeg (the 300 wat 2X10), I'm also slightly drawn to a biggish line 6 lodown, Roland Bass Cube 100 (?? - loud enough??) and maybe one of the slightly more upmarket fenders... cheers for all the suggestions, I'd likely go for that Trace that Warwickhunt suggested, but I have yet to liquidate the funds fully and will probably not for a few months yet (xmas drawing near and the kids need pressies etc!) So I'll keep on shoppin'. Bizarrely I had ruled out trace as too expensive, but just shows what I know. They're back in the game!![/quote] A quick update. The combo is a 4x10 Series 6 GP12 1210. It's in good nick for its age and the vinyl covering is all intact. The only negative might be that most of the little plastic tips off the graphic have come off; not the end of the world and I reckon easily replaced. Later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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