...so somebody please convince me I (don't) need one.
Here's the thing. The two bands I'm in may start gigging in early fall, and I need an amp combo that can cover every and any gig possible - and we might get a demo spot at a local festival come September, if all goes well, so it should serve as a decent monitor too. I scanned around quite a few the shops in the capital here in Croatia and tested out four amps in total. The two main criteria were price (ceiling is 1000 USD) and versatility when my five- and six-string basses were plugged into it (Yamaha RBX375 and a J&D RM6 chinese bass, J+MM).
The Yamaha Bass Stage 150W 1x15" was cheap, and while it did sound okay as far as the top strings were concerned the B string was flubby as all hell - no amount of EQ did the trick, and the only thing going for it was the contour control which could help me emulate a good fretless sound, but that was about that.
The
MAG C210T-300 EVO II is good, very versatile, but I hadn't the chance to try it with my main six-string so I have no idea how balanced it is. I know it can handle a B string fairly well (the practice space I use has one), the EQ section felt pretty controllable and the built-in suboctaver blew me away with how well it worked. But, the shops are fresh out of those and won't get them till it's too late.
The
Wharfedale WHB200C surprised me because it's rather powerful for a 200W hybrid amp, the EQ section is very powerful (three-band with three range-switches, probably Q-factor controls) and gives a very, very flexible sound - except that, when clean, the C sounds glassy, and when overdriven, starts breaking on high strings, which pretty much kills both the chords and harmonics.
So finally I tried the TC Electronic BG500 2x10, got a perfectly balanced sound out of it from the moment I plugged it in and flattened the tone controls. This all happened with my RM6 which is a very, very trebly bass. The tone controls broaden the tone palette immensely, I felt the compressor did its job just as well and once I dialed in the overdrive, that pretty much sold the deal because of just how great the driven sound sounds, even on high strings and natural and pinched harmonics.
So here's the thing. I'm planning to pony up the cash for it next month, and I can get a good deal on it. I know the amp does not have a speaker output so getting an extra box for it is a no go. I know the amp doesn't have a C-string tuner. I know the amp weighs as much as a pick-up truck. I'm willing to put up with all three for the time being.
So what say you?
