I am in a rock cover band(trying to earn some extra money) and currently have a SWR Working man's 15 combo. I want to upgrade and get a new or used amp. Should I get a combo or a head and a cab. Can someone recommend me stuff between $500 and 800?? Thanks!
- Thread starter kmk42019
- Start date
Aussie Mark
Well-known member
Head and cab would give you more flexibility when your budget grows, by being able to add other cabs to suit different gig/venue situations. For that type of money you should be able to get some decent used gear.
phatduckk
Well-known member
+1
amps are very subjective. we all like to hear different things. personally i favor markbass and GK heads.
you can get a used little mark 2 head for $500. they pop up on talkbass and ebay. and gk heads can be had for much less.
which is better? it all depends on what tone youre into...
thunder
Well-known member
when i used to work for sam ash, i used tell my customers to by once. i encouraged them to play everything and DON'T BE AFRAID TO RETURN STUFF! what sounds good in the store may not sound that good on stage, the studio or at home. the most important thing to look for is growth. If your a serious musician by the best that you can afford and make sure it upgradable. example today your playing punk. next year your playing jazz. by turning a few dials you should be able to get the sound you want (thats the most important). don't worry about size when playing live. a very grumpy guy who really doesn't want to work (the sound man) usually butchers you up any way. get something thats loud enough for rehearsal. that's my story and i'm sticking to it! i almost forgot make sure the input level of the amp is greater than the out put of the bass. that prevents clipping on the amp. it's not enough to just turn down the bass volume. if you get excited on stage and start playing harder your amp will clip and all you'll hear is distortion and might need a new speaker.
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jaylegroove
Well-known member
I'd be tempted to recommend you MarkBass, but I'm afraid your budget won't be enough for either a combo or head + cab.
Besides that option, a used MIA Ampeg is a no-brainer, especially for rock, IMO.
Moondog
Well-known member
Also consider a more powerful combo . . .
I recently picked up a Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout 12" combo on Ebay for under $600.
Combo is a tad over 50lbs and 300watts utilizing the enclosed 4ohm speaker.
This combo is seriously loud and gets very deep, has a rear port and downward
firing 8" passive driver.
Bonus: The design allows the head to be easily removed (only 13lbs) and can drive (2) 8ohm cabs,
2x10, 4x10, etc. It can even drive (2) 4 ohm cabs @ crank more power . . although not recommended
for frequent use.
As a combo or head driving other cab(s) it's really great. Uses (2) tubes which can
be easily swapped for moderate changes in tone.
They're built like tanks and used versions should be avail in the 700-900 range.
I recently picked up a Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout 12" combo on Ebay for under $600.
Combo is a tad over 50lbs and 300watts utilizing the enclosed 4ohm speaker.
This combo is seriously loud and gets very deep, has a rear port and downward
firing 8" passive driver.
Bonus: The design allows the head to be easily removed (only 13lbs) and can drive (2) 8ohm cabs,
2x10, 4x10, etc. It can even drive (2) 4 ohm cabs @ crank more power . . although not recommended
for frequent use.
As a combo or head driving other cab(s) it's really great. Uses (2) tubes which can
be easily swapped for moderate changes in tone.
They're built like tanks and used versions should be avail in the 700-900 range.
Caca de Kick
Well-known member
I tend to favor Mesa Boogie too.... 
Dr. Nick
Well-known member
Here's some advice Aussie Mark gave me a year or so ago (and everytime I plug into my rig I thank him for giving it):
"Get as many watts as you can possibly afford."
As true today as when it was written!
Good luck!
"Get as many watts as you can possibly afford."
As true today as when it was written!
Good luck!
bassmancb
Well-known member
+1 on the Mesa Boogie amps!!!
Bass Control
Well-known member
I'm reconsidering Ampeg. I went to a local store and played a Stingray through Ampeg... not my cup of tea...
I'm leaning towards Hartke amps again, mostly because I can't afford MarkBass, Mesa Boogie, and I don't like the setup of GKs... plus for the price of the Ampeg head alone that I was considering, I can get a stereo Hartke rig...
Tone on a budget to my ears. I love the sound of MarkBass and Mesa, but I'm going with Hartke...
I'm leaning towards Hartke amps again, mostly because I can't afford MarkBass, Mesa Boogie, and I don't like the setup of GKs... plus for the price of the Ampeg head alone that I was considering, I can get a stereo Hartke rig...
Tone on a budget to my ears. I love the sound of MarkBass and Mesa, but I'm going with Hartke...
shamus63
Well-known member
Current rig: Hartke 3500 (350 conservative watts @ 4ohms) through an Avatar B212 NEO cab (500w @ 4ohms).
Bought the Hartke used for $250, and purchased the Avatar online straight from them for $382 (delivered; w/colored tolex upgrade). The same cab will now run you $400 even; subtract $39 for black tolex cover.
Easy on the wallet, lightweight enough to get you out the door after a gig w/o much of a sweat, and packs a pretty mean punch. If you prefer 4x10's, not much more cost-wise.
Bought the Hartke used for $250, and purchased the Avatar online straight from them for $382 (delivered; w/colored tolex upgrade). The same cab will now run you $400 even; subtract $39 for black tolex cover.
Easy on the wallet, lightweight enough to get you out the door after a gig w/o much of a sweat, and packs a pretty mean punch. If you prefer 4x10's, not much more cost-wise.
jaylegroove
Well-known member
Hartke and rock belong to two distinct worlds, IMO.
shamus63
Well-known member
Seems to work well for me.
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Aussie Mark
Well-known member
I'll bet he was referring to the speakers, not the heads.
jaylegroove
Well-known member
You're right. Though the head did not impress me at all (HA 5500), the cab (410XL) decided me not to keep that rig. Took less than one hour till it went back to the store.
shamus63
Well-known member
Oh, definitely not the cabs. The heads are workhorses, though.
They're the only one's that haven't failed me...yet.
Kiss of death, that was.
kirkm24
Well-known member
No love for Ashdown? I love my little Electric Blue 180 Combo. For my big gigs I use a GK Neo 212 and GK 1001 RB. But whenever I can, I use my little Ashdown combo. I got mine as a scratch and dent for like $275.00 and my Stingrays sound great through it.
Hellboy
Well-known member
The best thing to do is to try as many out as you can and buy the one you like the most. My opinion is that it´s often better to wait and save up some money so you can get the amp you really like the most cause you´ll use it for a very long time.
I have used EBS amps and speakers a long time and I love them. Very reliable. I have a Fafner head and a 4 x 12 speaker and a Drome 12´ combo. I also have a 15´ active EBS speaker that I can hook up to my Drome if I need to beef it up abit. Im very happy with EBS and they´ve never failed me. I used to have GK amps but got rid of them after blowing at least 4 transformers. Very disapointing and not reliable at all. I´m sure that they have solved their problems now as this was about 15 years ago. But I lost work because of it and that was no fun.
If I were to get a new amp today, then I would most likely check out Euphonic Audio´s stuff first of all:
Euphonic Audio - Think Inside the Box
A iAMP Micro 300 with one or two Wizzy10´ speakers. VERY small, lightweight and great sounding stuff. And perhaps a iAMP 800 and a NM-410 speaker on big stages if needed. I´ve tried their stuff and it´s very impressing. GREAT sounding and a great benefit not having to carry dreadfully heavy equipment around. A Micro 300 weighs less than 2.5 pounds (!!) and delivers 300 watts. And you can put it in the pocket on your bass gigbag.
//Jan
I have used EBS amps and speakers a long time and I love them. Very reliable. I have a Fafner head and a 4 x 12 speaker and a Drome 12´ combo. I also have a 15´ active EBS speaker that I can hook up to my Drome if I need to beef it up abit. Im very happy with EBS and they´ve never failed me. I used to have GK amps but got rid of them after blowing at least 4 transformers. Very disapointing and not reliable at all. I´m sure that they have solved their problems now as this was about 15 years ago. But I lost work because of it and that was no fun.
If I were to get a new amp today, then I would most likely check out Euphonic Audio´s stuff first of all:
Euphonic Audio - Think Inside the Box
A iAMP Micro 300 with one or two Wizzy10´ speakers. VERY small, lightweight and great sounding stuff. And perhaps a iAMP 800 and a NM-410 speaker on big stages if needed. I´ve tried their stuff and it´s very impressing. GREAT sounding and a great benefit not having to carry dreadfully heavy equipment around. A Micro 300 weighs less than 2.5 pounds (!!) and delivers 300 watts. And you can put it in the pocket on your bass gigbag.
//Jan
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Freddels
Well-known member
How about an Ampeg B200r? It's in your budget and it gets that classic rock tone.
or MF is blowing out the Genz Benz NeoPak 3.5 for 499 and GB will upgrade it to handle 2ohms for the cost of you shipping it to them and then at 2ohms it'll put out 500 watts. Get a Bag End SD-15D for $375 (new) and it'll sound great. or another 15 cab.
or MF is blowing out the Genz Benz NeoPak 3.5 for 499 and GB will upgrade it to handle 2ohms for the cost of you shipping it to them and then at 2ohms it'll put out 500 watts. Get a Bag End SD-15D for $375 (new) and it'll sound great. or another 15 cab.
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jaylegroove
Well-known member
I used to be a big Ashdown fan, and owned first a MAG rig then an ABM one. I experienced severe reliability issues with both, which drove me far away from Ashdown. Too bad, because tonewise they're great+++.
