Amp Recommendation for Bongo

[rutgart]

My 2 Cents worth would be to try a range of Amps but be sure to check out Markbass, They have so many options

 

[Aussie Mark]

Hey everyone, I'm in the market for a new amp

I play a weird combination between funk (wow how many bassists do you hear say that), and progressive metal.

I would not recommend Markbass or the GB Streamliner for metal (NB. I own a Markbass TTE500 and a Streamliner 900)

SWR or GK would be good choices for "funk and metal"

 

[Josh]

..or you could get yourself a decent preamp a'la VTBass, Sadowsky or any of them with good reviews. That way you will always have "your" sound with you no matter whats availible.

Pnts

Will consider. Thanks for the input!

Streamliner only weighs about 5 pounds.

Something to keep in mind thanks again for that.

imho the Markbass + Bongo combo is great - also have had good results with a Hartke LH head..which is well under your budget but worth considering (again imho)

Hmmmm never considered Hartke. I will look at them as well.

GK 1001 RB with a NEO 212 cab. Look for them used and you will score big.

They are always up on sale on Kijiji so if I do go the GK route I will more than likely get them used.

My 2 Cents worth would be to try a range of Amps but be sure to check out Markbass, They have so many options

Going this weekend or next to start a/b/c/d ... whatever I can get my filthy little fingers on.

I would not recommend Markbass or the GB Streamliner for metal (NB. I own a Markbass TTE500 and a Streamliner 900)

SWR or GK would be good choices for "funk and metal"

Okay that was some form of relief reading this because this was my hesitation. That was my assumption when I started looking at amps but I see so many of these MB and GB recommendations and I feel that maybe I just haven't given them a fair chance yet.

I still want to check both out and form my own opinion but your post really just confirms what I've been thinking all along.

How versatile is GK? I mean funk and metal are usually what I am know that GK has that signature growl which is perfect IMO for both genres. How does GK hold up in other scenarios?

 

[tkarter]

Peavey rain sleet or snow it works with my bongo.
tk

 

[kamakazee]

I play my Bongo 6HH through a GK 700RBII, Neo 210 and Neo 115 and the sound is amazing. I play mostly funk, prog metal, gospel and rock. My knobs are set flat on everything (except the bass knob on the Bongo, which I use to compensate for room size at church). We play a few songs that require a switch back and forth from fingerstyle to slap, and I find I don't need compression. I love the option of the tweeter control, which lets you dial in the exact amount of horn you need. I have not tried Markbass, as I don't have a dealer close enough to drive - So I can't offer a comparison. I will say the Neo cabs are soooo great when it comes to moving. No offense to Markbass, but I don't like carpeted amps.

 

[cellkirk74]

Besides what all the others said, you should go and try a Mesa m6. You can get crazy amounts of oumph and punch from these heads and I've seen them for about 1k in the US. I never tried the GK Fusion but heard good things about it.

If you like it small, the Genz Benz shuttle 9.0 or 9.2 might be a good idea. But at least my old shuttle 6.0 was too weak for loud punk / hc stuff.

To me the Markbass stuff is really good for anything but the louder Metal or Hardcore stuff.

 

[Josh]

Peavey rain sleet or snow it works with my bongo.
tk

I've never found Peavey stuff to ever be something to brag about in my experience. This is one brand I know I've tried before. It just didn't stand out or have any of that 'wow-factor'

I play my Bongo 6HH through a GK 700RBII, Neo 210 and Neo 115 and the sound is amazing. I play mostly funk, prog metal, gospel and rock. My knobs are set flat on everything (except the bass knob on the Bongo, which I use to compensate for room size at church). We play a few songs that require a switch back and forth from fingerstyle to slap, and I find I don't need compression. I love the option of the tweeter control, which lets you dial in the exact amount of horn you need. I have not tried Markbass, as I don't have a dealer close enough to drive - So I can't offer a comparison. I will say the Neo cabs are soooo great when it comes to moving. No offense to Markbass, but I don't like carpeted amps.

I like these comments! Nothing better than first hand experience and what kind of music you are playing along with it! Thanks for this! As things are narrowing down it seems like GK is becoming my best option for what I need. Still don't want to shut down anything else yet. I am itching to get to a music store.

Besides what all the others said, you should go and try a Mesa m6. You can get crazy amounts of oumph and punch from these heads and I've seen them for about 1k in the US. I never tried the GK Fusion but heard good things about it.

If you like it small, the Genz Benz shuttle 9.0 or 9.2 might be a good idea. But at least my old shuttle 6.0 was too weak for loud punk / hc stuff.

To me the Markbass stuff is really good for anything but the louder Metal or Hardcore stuff.

I've heard amazing things about Mesa stuff. It was never in my price range so I guess that's why I usually skipped over it's stuff. I guess it's another one I'm going to add to my list of things I got to get my hands on!

 

[pudgychef]

+1 on checking out the M6 - ime it would be hard to find a way to make the head not cut through....me likee

as for the Hartke LH - I notice a lot of heavier players using them right now (at least according to the gear section in their interviews...) I thought the relatively simple controls on the head made a nice partner to the Bongo..

 

[MSilvers]

Another option would be to get a high powered combo instead of a head/cab set-up. They each have their advantages. It's a little pricey (but if you're considering spending around $1000 on just a head than maybe not too much) I'll always recommend the AER Amp One combo. It's 200W and only one 10" speaker, but don't underestimate it, HOLY COW it's loud. Honestly the only time I've ever been in a situation where it's not loud enough is when playing with a loud rock-band outdoors (so no walls for sound to bounce off of). Any medium sized indoor venue, or of course anything with P.A. support it's great for. I've never heard an amp I thought sounded clearer, or overall better. All of my bass professors ask to borrow it all of the time. It's great because it's easy to carry around as just a small combo, but gets super loud. I've blown sound guys at clubs away with this thing. amp one - AER - The Acoustic People

That being said, I also have the Hartke LH500 head and HX410 cab. That's a solid amp, gets pretty loud. I use the AER for recording, the sound just doesn't compare.

 

[Josh]

+1 on checking out the M6 - ime it would be hard to find a way to make the head not cut through....me likee

as for the Hartke LH - I notice a lot of heavier players using them right now (at least according to the gear section in their interviews...) I thought the relatively simple controls on the head made a nice partner to the Bongo..

I will make sure I go check out the M6's. They are a little out of my price range but if I notice a significant different compared to the other heads I can justify the cost. Guess it'll be a little hard to see how that head cuts when I will be demoing them by myself.

I will also look into the Hartke LH. The simple controls do seem like a huge pro for my Bongo because I much rather change the eq on my bass than my amp. However this could be a con for my passive Jazz.

Another option would be to get a high powered combo instead of a head/cab set-up. They each have their advantages. It's a little pricey (but if you're considering spending around $1000 on just a head than maybe not too much) I'll always recommend the AER Amp One combo. It's 200W and only one 10" speaker, but don't underestimate it, HOLY COW it's loud. Honestly the only time I've ever been in a situation where it's not loud enough is when playing with a loud rock-band outdoors (so no walls for sound to bounce off of). Any medium sized indoor venue, or of course anything with P.A. support it's great for. I've never heard an amp I thought sounded clearer, or overall better. All of my bass professors ask to borrow it all of the time. It's great because it's easy to carry around as just a small combo, but gets super loud. I've blown sound guys at clubs away with this thing. amp one - AER - The Acoustic People

That being said, I also have the Hartke LH500 head and HX410 cab. That's a solid amp, gets pretty loud. I use the AER for recording, the sound just doesn't compare.

Really, really you giving me a link. I know of a local reseller that has that exact combo you linked me to. I will make an effort to go to that store and try them. They are really expensive but I guess by the time I add a cab to my head, I'm looking around the same price. 200W does sound little skimp. I guess my problem would be like you said in an outdoor situation. I don't know where I will be playing when I start playing more. As of now I've only played indoor gigs but I don't know what's to come. Nonetheless I am going to check them out based on the fact you really praise this thing. It is worth a shot.

 

[73jbass]

I've been using a Thunderfunk for about 5 years and never looked at another amp. With the Bongo 5 HH and the Heritage SVT 810,you can get some serious,clean volume if needed.

 

[Josh]

I've been using a Thunderfunk for about 5 years and never looked at another amp. With the Bongo 5 HH and the Heritage SVT 810,you can get some serious,clean volume if needed.

I will be looking into that thanks!

Okay I found someone selling a GK700RB rack with Power Conditioner + Tuner + Sansamp RBI and a rack for it all for about $1000. This could be all the features I need / want! It would be rather bulky but it would be manageable. Should I hurry up and rush on this offer or should I wait it out?

 

[Freddels]

I will be looking into that thanks!

Okay I found someone selling a GK700RB rack with Power Conditioner + Tuner + Sansamp RBI and a rack for it all for about $1000. This could be all the features I need / want! It would be rather bulky but it would be manageable. Should I hurry up and rush on this offer or should I wait it out?

Price seems high. Price all those items as new to get an idea.

 

[dmarotta]

I used the TC RH450 last year . It was provided by the back line company. I had a hard time getting a sound I liked. Steve Baily used the rig after and he got a good sound but with an Ibanez signature bass.
Try the Momark System by Markbass. The modules swap out easily and that head sounds great with lots of different cabs.

 

[Josh]

Price seems high. Price all those items as new to get an idea.

Well the head alone is 660
Conditioner is about 200
Tuner is another 100
Sansamp is about 330

Total is about give or take $1300. Saving about $300. You are right, it's not that great. Maybe if I can talk him down to lower 8-upper 7 I will make the trade.

Thanks actually making me do that.

I used the TC RH450 last year . It was provided by the back line company. I had a hard time getting a sound I liked. Steve Baily used the rig after and he got a good sound but with an Ibanez signature bass.
Try the Momark System by Markbass. The modules swap out easily and that head sounds great with lots of different cabs.

Okay so you sort of addressed my concern with TC. I never hear anyone say it's a bad head but I never hear anyone talk about the sound, rather the vast amount of features.

I will look at the Momarks while I'm checking out MB in general.

Thanks for the input

 

[epitaph04]

I got my GK 700RB II for about $320 dollars. Either talk him way down or offer to buy just the head.

 

[Northray]

I got my GK 700RB II for about $320 dollars. Either talk him way down or offer to buy just the head.

The GK stuff can be found for very reasonable prices.

OP - I have a TC Classic 450 (same amp as RH450, less features). I think it sounds best with TC cabs. Since you already have a TC cab, you may want to see what the two sound like together. My Markbass LMIII sounds good with my TC cab as well.

 

[Josh]

I got my GK 700RB II for about $320 dollars. Either talk him way down or offer to buy just the head.

Yeah there are a ton on these classified sites. I just liked that one because of all the other goodies.

The GK stuff can be found for very reasonable prices.

OP - I have a TC Classic 450 (same amp as RH450, less features). I think it sounds best with TC cabs. Since you already have a TC cab, you may want to see what the two sound like together. My Markbass LMIII sounds good with my TC cab as well.

Yeah for sure if I go the TC route I'm going to keep my cab!
How are you liking your TC head? Pros? Cons? I think I really want to hear from someone with a classic because that way it would be a whole encyclopedias worth of features listing.

 

[ghunter]

I had a TC RH450 for a while and traded it. Just didn't work with my two Bergantino 12" cabs - it had too much detail and nowhere enough growl and thump. I definitely wouldn't recommend it for what you're playing either, but I can see where it would be a wonderful head with other more jazz-y styles.

I think you're on the right track with that used GK rig (personally GK doesn't do it for me - I'm not a GK fanboy). You'll get a great tone now, and can take your time to plan your next rig without feeling rushed.

IMO there are too many good choices out there right now for amps and cabs

 

[njhammer]

Awesome! I haven't heard much about GK Combos to be completely honest. The only reason I'm a little hesitant about the Combo is because I don't want to compromise sound because of the size. Well not entirely. How would you compare the Fusion to the Combo and what kind of music do you play through your GK gear?

The MB150 puts out 100w and 150w with the 112 extension cab. Has a really nice stereo chorus built-in and stereo DI, which I love for recording. The Fusion is all valve with a horn bi-amp, so is a completely different animal. Great with the fretted and fretless Stringrays that I own and extremely loud (350w with the 8 ohm 112 setup I have and up to 500w @4ohms)! Not sure how the Bongo would work with it, though, as I read somewhere that Bongo and valve don't mix. I don't own a Bongo, so I can't say from experience - just something I read. I'm sure someone hear can/will correct me if I'm wrong!

I'm also very happy with the 212 Neo cab. Portable and really "clean" sound, especially with the horn.

I play and record good old rock and roll through my gear. The MB150 gives me a smoother sound than the Fusion, which I like use when I want a more aggressive presence in a track.

Hope this helps. Good luck!