Bass Amp Options

Seany

Having recently purchased




I have decided that I am going to spend a few more quid to get a decent bass amp.

I have been looking at a couple of options:

Hartke VX3500 Combo


Ashdown ABM 500 Combo


Trace Elliot 1215 Combo

I have also looked a couple of the Ampeg models but think these might be slightly out of my price range unless I find something decent second hand.

I am looking for something at least 250/300W as Im using my band mates Hughes & Kettner Bass Kick 250w Combo at the moment and find that on occaision this gets lost behind the guitar.

I'd be looking to pick up something either new or used from €500 - €1000.

Any thoughts on the above amps or can anyone recommend other combos or amps/cabs within this price range??

Cheers,
Seany

ferdi

i've got a 300watt version of that ashdown abm....they are very versitile, beautiful tone....i cant really fault mine.

Karl Hungus

Hmm, I use a Trace Elliot myself, and practically swear by it. Although mine's only a 30 watt, I get some amazing tone from it. I can only imagine what that 1215 combo sounds like.

68 lost souls

I love ashdowns, Id recomend them to anybody.

John

I've used Trace Elliots and Ashdowns and I'd go with the Ashdown over the Trace Elliot personally. Especially if it's an ABM you're going with.

judas101

i got one o dem warwick sweet 15's recently.i know lots of people arnt very fond of them but i love it.its got everything you need. i use it with an old Rickenbacker (an odd combo i know!) but it sounds deadly.

tracey elliot's are excellent too

smog

John2 wrote:

I've used Trace Elliots and Ashdowns and I'd go with the Ashdown over the Trace Elliot personally. Especially if it's an ABM you're going with.

Would have to say the same. Have an Ashdown Mag300 with 4x10 and 1 X15 and can keep over two guitarists with Dsl and Tsl heads and cabs. And cause Ashdown is pretty resonably priced you can pick that all up new for the grand. The Amppegs and the traces i have played through have always sounded muddy in comparrison to the warmt of the ashdowns.

John

judas101 wrote:

i got one o dem warwick sweet 15's recently.i know lots of people arnt very fond of them but i love it.its got everything you need. i use it with an old Rickenbacker (an odd combo i know!) but it sounds deadly.

As much as I love Warwick basses, their amps do little for me. In any case, the Sweet 15 falls far short of the OP's 250-300 watt minimum.

68 lost souls

Yeah I hated the Sweet 15 when I played it. It just didnt sound good at all. That ashdowns are a great price, they will last for ages aswel, the ABM is the way to go. I play a MAG300, its not as good as the ABM and sounds amazing only wish I had have gone for the ABM.

Rustar

All 3 look to be fine amps, but one thing bothers me about the Ashdown. It doesn't seem to have any sort of compression/limiting, which is important if you're going DI to the board. The EQ's are limited to 3-band as well, which isn't a huge thing, but still a consideration.
Assuming the Hartke and Trace amps are of similar quality and wattage, I'd probably go for the Hartke.
BUT
If you can pick up the Trace cheap enough, grab it!

Doctor J

The ABMs have a 7 band EQ, three knobs and four sliders. I like the sound of the Ashdowns but I find their EQ awkward tbh. If I was to do it all again I'd get an Ashdown power amp and a different pre-amp altogether. Mine sounds lovely but I sometimes get frustrated with the lack of versatility of the EQ section, though the fundamental tone is a winner. It can be awkward to zone in on the area of frequency you want to adjust without adversely affecting a aprt of the tone you like. The Ashdown Labs stuff harks back to the old TE heads I used to love so dearly.



I wouldn't worry too much about onboard compression, usually they're pretty ****e in the grand scheme of things and any engineer who runs a bass amp output into a desk without running it through his/her own compression deserves unemployment tbh.

I wouldn't touch the Trace with the proverbial large bargepole tbh, they sound great but, in my experience, the sound broke up long before it should have (in terms of clear output) and I saw too many ones with too many electrical woes. Since the Gibson takeover they've been a very mysterious proposition.

Seany

Unfortunatley the Ashdown Labs 575W (2X10") Combo is quite expensive at around £1200 or €1700 so I would consider that out of my price range!

There is a guy selling an ABM Combo on ebay for £610 (buy it now) but i am interested to see what kind of shipping I am quoted!

Based on an approx spend of up to €1,000...I could look at a set up like smog's (brand new) with the Ashdown Mag Series of 300W + Cab 4x10. + Deep Cab 1x15 all for €950 from Musikproduktiv/Sounds Alive.

I was initially looking at ashdown but was a little concerned when i seen that they have 3eq where trace elliot & the hartke have a 7-10 eq range.

I dunno

Maybe the Doc is right ... I may need to be treated for GAS.

Doctor J

The MAGs have 3 band EQ and the ABM have 7. You could just put big graphic EQ into the effect loop if it's that big a deal (which it's not, condsidering the electronics on your bass) :v:

Mr. CooL ICE

I got my Gallien-Kreuger Backline 600 and 2x10" and 1x15" cabs all for €812 inc delivery from thomann a few months ago and i cant recommend it enough. Neither can most reviews. It is 300W and is a big step up from my crappy old Laney HardcoreMax 120W. If you spend a bit more, you could get a 4x10" cab instead of the 2x10". When i wanted to get it, it was sold out from most places and as soon as they got them in, i ordered, and a week or two later they were gone again. AFAIK, theyre the same price as when i got them.

smog

Doctor J wrote:

The MAGs have 3 band EQ and the ABM have 7. You could just put big graphic EQ into the effect loop if it's that big a deal (which it's not, condsidering the electronics on your bass) :v:

Bang on for me anyway, TBH i never found the need for more Eq's then i have between the Mag and the eq's on the stingray or ibenez. But i suppose its personal taste again Reason i went this way over the combo is i wanted to have the deeps of the 15" cab also as well as the clarity of the 4 x 10" (with a little tweeter) Sean, give me a shout, the doc has my number, If you want to give my rig a going over in creamy some time. And GAS is buisness, nothing like having a dream rig. Problem only begins when you play multiple instruments, way too much stuff to purchase

Seany

Cheers Smog, tis very decent of ya. I reckon it will take over a week for my bass to get here anyway so I might be in touch then.

<Insert stupid question here> If I get the Ashdown Mag 300w Head... is that enough to drive both the 4x10 (350w) & 1 x15 (150w) cabs??

I would have thought that the Head would need to be at least 500w to drive both cabs...or am I showing my ignorance here

Eoin Madsen

You don't need to drive both cabs at full power, it should still work great. You need to be careful to match up your impedances though.

Zapp Brannigan

I use an ABM Evo combo 500 with 1 15" speaker. Love it. So Ashdown have got my reccomendation though I can't fault Trace Elliot.

Seany

Eoin Madsen wrote:

You need to be careful to match up your impedances though.

Okay... I dont know a lot about this area. Both Ashdown Cabs that I am looking at now have equal Impedance of 8 Ohms.

This is the Bass Head

With This Cab

Along with This Cab

Would this rig work well or is it overkill? As Smog said, I can get the whole rig new for less than €1,000.

Thanks again guys

Doctor J

I'd say overkill. A 2x10 and a 1x15 will cover every frequency you'll ever need and with ample volume too. The 4x10 is just going to give you a hernia.

The Ashdown head is happy pushing 4ohms, so both those cabs will be fine with the head.


Edit -> This with the 1x15 would kick ass.

Seany

Doctor J wrote:

I'd say overkill. A 2x10 and a 1x15 will cover every frequency you'll ever need and with ample volume too. The 4x10 is just going to give you a hernia.

The Ashdown head is happy pushing 4ohms, so both those cabs will be fine with the head.


Edit -> This with the 1x15 would kick ass.

Is 4 speakers not always better than 2

Doctor J

Not when you've got to carry them. :v:


What you'll get from the 4x10 isn't worth what you'll pay for it and the **** you'll go through afterwards with it (ever try to carry a big amp up the stairs at JJ's or through the hundreds of drunks in temple bar at 3 in the morning? ) compared to the 2x10. I've been meaning to get a 2x10 for my Ashdown for a while, there's no way in hell I'd get a 4x10 to pair with the 1x15 I already have. It's a heart breaker.

Seany

There's only about sixty quid in the difference in price but I get what you are saying about the extra weight!

Sure Im the guitarist...that surely is the bass players problem

Parsley

Slighty OT here, but I've got this, could I add that 2x10 ashdown cab to it for more "Powah", if needed?

smog

I have the 4x10 and the 1x15 but i have only have set up for a gig once with the full rig. Normally i would just bring the 4x10 and the head to most gigs as sound engineers normally try to DI you before the amp, also we tend to play at quiter levels at gigs then we do in rehersals.

Parsley wrote:

Slighty OT here, but I've got this, could I add that 2x10 ashdown cab to it for more "Powah", if needed?

Yes i think so,