Bass Combo Amp advice

street

Hi, I'm looking to buy a (new) solid state combo amp with a powerful low end. I'd like it to be suitable for gigging in the future so guessing it'd need to be upwards of 100w. It'd also need to be able to drive an extension cabinet if I need one. It doesn't need to have any effects. I'm interested in all styles of music, funky stuff in particular. For the sound I want I think I need a 1x15 combo with a horn, and then maybe add a 2x10 cab at some stage. I've been looking at brands like Hartke, SWR, GK, Trace Elliot, Markbass, Genz-Benz but wouldn't be sure which would best suit styles like funk, R & B, soul etc. I'm willing to pay up to a grand for the amp. I was originally going to buy a combo just for home practice like an Orange Crush 50 but have decided to save a bit longer to get something nice.

Also, am I going the right way about this or should I be looking at separate head and stack units?

Advice appreciated, thanks.

Rigsby

Of the brand names you listed I would go for (in order of preference), Genz Benz, Mark Bass, and GK. I have no experience of the others. For gigging purposes, I would make 300w the minimum. Personally, I would not let the style of music dictate which amp I want. Most are versatile enough for all types of music. The type of bass guitar itself and type of strings used would be more inclined to be dictated by the style of music IMO.


Combo v head and cab is entirely a matter of personal taste. Separates are easier to carry in and out of venues. Also if you get a really good head to start with, you can always chop and change the cabs. Some of the heads these days, would fit into a lap top bag and are very light. I have always used combos, but I have been considering changing to separates for the above reasons.

ham_n_mustard

Rigsby wrote: »

For gigging purposes, I would make 300w the minimum.

I'd agree strongly with this. having clean headroom is something you'll appreciate. i've heard lads using 100/150W combos in a band situation, and they're usually cranked, and usually clipping.

Powerful combo with an extension cab is an option too

il gatto

Guy I know has an SWR. Sounds lovely. No reliability issues. It's a head/cab though.

street

Rigsby wrote: »

Of the brand names you listed I would go for (in order of preference), Genz Benz, Mark Bass, and GK. I have no experience of the others. For gigging purposes, I would make 300w the minimum. Personally, I would not let the style of music dictate which amp I want. Most are versatile enough for all types of music. The type of bass guitar itself and type of strings used would be more inclined to be dictated by the style of music IMO.


Combo v head and cab is entirely a matter of personal taste. Separates are easier to carry in and out of venues. Also if you get a really good head to start with, you can always chop and change the cabs. Some of the heads these days, would fit into a lap top bag and are very light. I have always used combos, but I have been considering changing to separates for the above reasons.

That's great Rigsby, thanks for your help : ] I like the idea of being able to swap cabs about. Not sure if my budget will allow for that kind of setup though.

street

ham_n_mustard wrote: »

Powerful combo with an extension cab is an option too

Thanks ham, looking into this option.

street

il gatto wrote: »

Guy I know has an SWR. Sounds lovely. No reliability issues. It's a head/cab though.

Thanks il gatto, do you know what model it is?

Oregano_State

I've got a fender bassman tv duo ten. It's got a tube preamp, so not solid state, but it just about comes in at your budget. Also, it looks completely different to pretty much any other amp, and the sound is ridiculously good.

Possible drawbacks:

1. The tweed outer covering doesn't stand up to knocks very well, so you'd need to mind it when gigging.

2. No tweeter (personally that's a benefit, but some see it differently).

street

I'm thinking of going for a Gallien Krueger MB115-II (the new series) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHYCxrYKTrQ

I know it's only 200w but it has a chain out for powered extension cabinets
http://www.thomann.de/ie/gallien_krueger_mb115_ii.htm
http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products/powered-cabinets/

What do you guys think?

Was also looking at the Carvin MB15 which is 200w but it can only get to 250w with an extension speaker http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbIkxLDWAHM

Oh yeah, is there any advantage to having 4 ohm head over an 8 or vice versa, does it matter?

street

Oregano_State wrote: »

I've got a fender bassman tv duo ten. It's got a tube preamp, so not solid state, but it just about comes in at your budget. Also, it looks completely different to pretty much any other amp, and the sound is ridiculously good.

Possible drawbacks:

1. The tweed outer covering doesn't stand up to knocks very well, so you'd need to mind it when gigging.

2. No tweeter (personally that's a benefit, but some see it differently).

Cheers Oregano, I'm pretty set on a solid state sound

Rigsby

street wrote: »

I know it's only 200w

Whatever you decide on, if you are going to be gigging, I still maintain that buying anything below 300w is false economy. The comparatively small extra cost between a 200 and 300w combo is worth it in the long run.

il gatto

street wrote: »

Thanks il gatto, do you know what model it is?

A quick google tells me it was a 350x or 550x. Great warm, punchy sound. Handy double rack sized unit.

street

Rigsby wrote: »

Whatever you decide on, if you are going to be gigging, I still maintain that buying anything below 300w is false economy. The comparatively small extra cost between a 200 and 300w combo is worth it in the long run.

Ok, I think I might go for a GK mb500.

street

Thanks for all the help so far guys, just wondering if anyone could give me an idea of how to setup/combine head and cabs correctly? Like assuming I bought a GK MB500 head and was choosing from MBE cabs http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products/cabinets/, could you give an example of combinations that would work well? I'm a bit iffy on how the different ohm ratings work but from what I understand of wattage the cabinet power/load needs to be the same or greater than that of the amp's power or you risk blowing up the cabinet/s. Thanks for any help.

zafo

Matching impedance is more important for the amp than the speakers, basically if the lowest impedance the head can handle is 4 Ohm then your total speaker impedance must be at least 4 Ohm. So with that in mind, if you plan on using just one cab get a 4 Ohm to get the most out of the head or two 8 Ohm cabs, giving 4 Ohm, if you want two cabs. My advice would be to get an 8 Ohm cab unless you're very sure you'll never want more than one cab. That'll still give 350 Watts so plenty of power there.

Rigsby

Just to add to the good advice given above by zafo is this link which I find useful.

http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_amps/how_to_hook_up_heads_and_cabinets.html

zafo

Here's another great link: http://speakerimpedance.co.uk/

Does the maths for you and all.

Rigsby

zafo wrote: »

Here's another great link: http://speakerimpedance.co.uk/

Does the maths for you and all.

That's a really helpful link alright. :cool:

street

zafo wrote: »

Matching impedance is more important for the amp than the speakers, basically if the lowest impedance the head can handle is 4 Ohm then your total speaker impedance must be at least 4 Ohm. So with that in mind, if you plan on using just one cab get a 4 Ohm to get the most out of the head or two 8 Ohm cabs, giving 4 Ohm, if you want two cabs. My advice would be to get an 8 Ohm cab unless you're very sure you'll never want more than one cab. That'll still give 350 Watts so plenty of power there.

Lovely, thanks for the explanation and advice zafo it really helps : ]

street

Rigsby wrote: »

Just to add to the good advice given above by zafo is this link which I find useful.

http://www.tunemybass.com/bass_amps/how_to_hook_up_heads_and_cabinets.html

Excellent link, thanks Rigsby! : ]

street

zafo wrote: »

Here's another great link: http://speakerimpedance.co.uk/

Does the maths for you and all.

Fantastic! : ]