New Bass Amp

Passenger

Hey, buying a new Bass Amp and was wondering if anybody could reccommend anything. Thinking about something with quaility tone and decent wattage. Was looking at a Warwick combo.

What do you use?

Doctor J

I've an Ashdown ABM 300 head and cab. It's been superb for the last couple of years.

Passenger

Yeah I hear good things about Ashdown.

John

Ashdown are the best value for money no doubt. The ABM series are gorgeous but pricey. The MAG series aren't as nice but are a damn sight better than the competition, especially at the price. Warwick make great basses but amp wise I'm not that impressed.

Passenger

John2 wrote:

Ashdown are the best value for money no doubt. The ABM series are gorgeous but pricey. The MAG series aren't as nice but are a damn sight better than the competition, especially at the price. Warwick make great basses but amp wise I'm not that impressed.

Yeah. I wasn't too sure on the Warwick Amp department. I play the Basses though, that's why I was kinda gravitating toward their Amps.

John

I nearly made that mistake

Patricide

Go with the ashdown mag if you cant afford the abm, i have a mag and i must say it has a DAMM good tone, obliterates absolutly anything for the price. Also www.soundslive.co.uk do them cheaper than thomann, or at least they did when i was ordering.

Passenger

Patricide wrote:

Go with the ashdown mag if you cant afford the abm, i have a mag and i must say it has a DAMM good tone, obliterates absolutly anything for the price. Also www.soundslive.co.uk do them cheaper than thomann, or at least they did when i was ordering.

Yeah, thanks Patricide, Good Prices at Soundslive.co.uk. It's expensive for a Cab and a Head so the MAG Combo is ideal.

ferdi

i've an ashdown abm and i lurve it but in fairness i did play through a warwick head once that was bleedin deadly...

Alter-Ego

Thomann are cheaper at the moment, i was looking recently. Only like €30 tho.

Den_M

Soundslive.co.uk always did well by me also, no problems and delivery has always been pretty quick.
When playing live, is a bass player supposed to have a higher watt amp than the guitarist(s)? Like 2 guitarists with 2 100watt amps and a bassist with a 200watt one?

It wasn't me!

Bass amps should always have about three times the wattage of whatever guitar amp they're competing against methinks.

John

Yeah, I think the bass amp should be about 5 times the wattage of the respective guitar amp (valve anyway) so if you have a 30Watt guitar amp, you should have a 150watt bass amp. Personally with most venues in Dublin I think anything up as far as 300watt is fine and anything at the higher end of this scale or more is just overkill.

Passenger

Den_M wrote:

Soundslive.co.uk always did well by me also, no problems and delivery has always been pretty quick.
When playing live, is a bass player supposed to have a higher watt amp than the guitarist(s)? Like 2 guitarists with 2 100watt amps and a bassist with a 200watt one?

This 300 Watt Ashdown is plenty. here you go

Den_M

Thanks for the link but I'm a guitarist! I was just curious, getting a band together soon hopefully.

Passenger

Den_M wrote:

Thanks for the link but I'm a guitarist! I was just curious, getting a band together soon hopefully.

Cool, What kind of stuff are you playing?

Den_M

Bit of a mixture really..at the moment I'm working on how to go from 'Crying' by Roy Orbison straight into 'Blinded By Fear' by At The Gates and still makes it sound right!

Passenger

Whats the opinion on Ampeg. Here

John

Ampeg are great too. However if you're buying Ampeg you have to buy this :

Eoin Madsen

Passenger wrote:

Whats the opinion on Ampeg.

Broadly speaking, they're probably the most highly regarded bass amp manufacturer - without getting into custom builds and all sorts of other crazy crap.

Passenger

The Price says it all really. They have the reputation alright. But the Ashdown is still swaying me at the moment.