Amp testing-day

[BasHermus]

Yesterday I (finally) had some time for testing some amps.

In two different stores I could test some amps, with a variety of cabs (where applicable).
All of them played with my main bass. A Maruszczyk Elwood 4 string, with TI flatwounds and a Noll preamp

The amps I tested were:
Store 1
-AER amp three
-AER amp two
-TecAmp Puma 700
-TecAmp Tiger 400
-EBS Fafner
-Aguilar Tone Hammer 500
Store 2
-TC Electronic RH450
-Ampeg PF350
-Ampeg PF500
-Eden Nemesis (forgot the type)

In the first store they had a switching system for easy switching between amps and cabs, while you where playing (very useful).
Cabs available from TecAmp, Aguilar and EBS (but I just switched to the one that sounded best to my ears with the first amp, which was an Aguilar 112).
Of course I couldn't do that with the AER's (since they are combos).

In the second store (since I am looking for a small rig) I tested them only with a TC Electronic RS112 and an Orange Isobaric 212.

My quick findings for that day:

AER amp three
Pros
A really nice sounding amp. Nice, warm sound, but with a very good definition of the notes (not very forgiving for my sloppiness).
Nice projection, and really small and light.
It got a nice grit (almost tube-like) when turning up the gain.
Cons
Expensive
The compressor didn't do it for me
Something inside of the amp rattled at certain frequencies (which for is an immediate turn-off). And I wasn't even playing that loud (I like the have my hearing when I'm 50)

AER amp two
As the amp three, but not as nice sounding (luckily no rattling with this one).

TecAmp Puma 700
Good, clear sound, but no real character. A bit boring.
No headphone

TecAmp Tiger 400
Good, clear sound, but no real character. A bit boring.
No headphone

EBS Fafner
Pro
A really nice sound. Warm and organic.
Cons
Too big and expensive for my taste. I only tested it because it was present in the switching rig.

Aguilar Tone Hammer 500
Pros
Nice basic sound. Overdrive is not bad.
Cons
No headphone connection possible.
Expensive
The sweepable mids really did not work for me. It just seemed to kick the whole soundspectrum out of balance (my gues is that it just is too much and too narrow). It really screwed up the definition (it went from boomy to nasal and annoying).

The following three sounded best with the TC Electronic 112. Simply more definition, bass and volume than the Orange 212 (even with the tweeter completely turned off).

TC Electronic RH450
Pros
Really flexible
Good definition
Best overdrive sound.
Cons
The sound felt artificial to me. It seemed a bit detached from my fingers.
No real warmth (think oven vs microwave)
Too many knobs/hidden knobs (with the shift option) for me.
The compressor was too squishy for me (maybe I just do not like compressors???)

Ampeg PF350
Pros
Really nice sound (once you figure out that you have to turn up the gain).
Nice and warm.
Cons
Fixed mid control
Note definition is less than with the AER.
No compressor

Ampeg PF500
Pros
As the PF350 but nicer.
Better definition, good warmth
Nice mid control
The only compressor that I liked. Even fully cranked it stayed very musical, without pumping.
Cons
Not as small as the PF350

Eden Nemesis
Only tried it for a minute, because it was too woolly for me.

I still did not make the final decision, because I still want to try:
-AER amp one (without rattling)
-Ibanez Promethean


Is there any other that I really should try?

[StickBass]

I like your reviews. Thanks for the info. Have you tried MarkBass or Genz Benz rigs? I'm interested in a comparison between the TC RH450 (or you might try the Classic 450--fewer controls, easier overdrive), the GB Streamliner 600, and the MarkBass Little Mark Tube 800. Other interesting MarkBass products are the Little Mark III, the TA501, the Little Mark Rocker 500, and the SD800. Also the GB Neo-Pak 3.5 looks awesome. I'll be trying some of these out this weekend, so maybe I'll leech onto your thread here with my quick reviews. I'm looking for a very lightweight SS amp that's loud enough for a metal band, and gets good overdrive. The quality of the overdrive will probably be the determining factor for me, as I think all these amps are gonna be pretty awesome. Thanks again!

[rodl2005]

Nice reviews.
i still think you can't really' get ' the idea of an amp without playing it in a band situ.
Re the Mark /Genz Benz comparison, I've had the lmII & GB shuttle & STL-600. All nice amps.
LMII-clean, warm & plenty of power at 4 ohms, easy to dial in many tones with the VLE & VPF filters.
GB Shuttle-transparent, great eq, excellent mid freq control, great preset eq's, plenty of power. Able to get a nice tube OD.
GB STL-600- lots written re this in the thread. Excellent power, nice interactive eq. Lots of bass on tap, but tameable with adjustment. Big, round sound.
More overdrive on tap than the shuttle. Not as ' true' to your instrument sound as the shuttle, but that 'phat-ness' just isn't there in other similar amps. Whether that fat sound is for you, only you can tell.
That's my quick take on the 3

[RickenBoogie]

+1 to testing an amp with the band, and another to check out, especially if you're looking for small, and awesome tone: Mesa Walkabout Scout.

[rodl2005]

+1. Cannot go past the Walkabout Scout as far as combos go. Or as a head alone it's pretty hard to beat imo

[JimmyM]

Seems like you were into the Ampeg heads. I'd also recommend trying the SVT 7 Pro. Probably the biggest of the micro heads, but not prohibitively big. It's like a PF500 with a tube pre and 500 more watts. They're all great heads being talked about here, but I'm partial to the new Ampeg stuff.

[BasHermus]

Thanks guys, and thanks for the remarks.

I know that you should try an amp in a band context, but it is a bit hard to bring a band to the shops .
And if an amp doesn't connect with me solo, I don't see it improving much in band context.

As for the other brands mentioned.
Genz Benz is a bit hard to get, over here in the Netherlands.
I used to have a MarkBass LM 250. Good volume and flexibility, but it couldn't do the sound that I like most. Sound wise, it was blown away by a small Vox T25 combo (which lacked sorely in volume of course).
And I am one of those guys that prefer to have one really good sound to having lots of mediocre ones (hence I try to avoid modelling stuff).
I used to have a Ashdown MAG 300 + 410 (my first 'real' rig) as well. But I just got fed up by dragging it around (and compared to the MarkBass it sounded as if it would me more suitable for guitar than for bass).

And the Mesa is really expensive over here (1750 euros = $2500), and lacks a headphone out (which is a must when you have three small kids).
As a comparisson. The (considered really expensive) AER amp one can be had for a little over 1000 euros (=$1500) over here.

And JimmyM, yeah the Ampegs really seemed to suit my taste (which I did not expect, 'cause usually rock-bass is not really my thing).
The SVT 7 pro sounds nice, but is really overkill for my situation (I don't even think I need the 500 watts. The LM 250's volume rarely got past noon ).
And for tube sound, I can always put my LA610 in the effects loop.

[JimmyM]

I'm always bewildered by the idea that Ampeg amps are only good for rock. I've used Ampegs in a ton of non-rock situations from light jazz to modern blues and country to disco and funk, and they've always been great. I think the idea they're only rock amps started when grunge bands started blasting them, then Sansamp came out with emulators where they'd include sample settings, and the sample settings always had distortion, so now a lot of people think that's all Ampegs are good for. Crazy talk, I tell you! The cleanest most hi-fi amp I ever owned is my SVT.

[rodl2005]

+1 I virtually never ran my all tube amps into overdrive.
Just pure warm all tube tone.
Saw a vid of Madeline Peyroux(?)-lovely laid back blues/jazz- & saw a shot of her bassist using a Stingray 5 & what looked like an Ampeg SVT3Pro.
Sounded great, & definitely not 'rock'.

[BasHermus]

I'm always bewildered by the idea that Ampeg amps are only good for rock.

That's what I found out as well. The PF500 really had more definition than some amps labelled as 'clean'.

Saw a vid of Madeline Peyroux(?)-lovely laid back blues/jazz- & saw a shot of her bassist using a Stingray 5 & what looked like an Ampeg SVT3Pro.

I really love how the bass sounds on her "Between the bars".

Maybe I should try my Matamp with a bass cabinet...

[BasHermus]

I made a decision, I'm going for the Ampeg PF500.

Reasons (in order of importance):
-Sound
-headphone-out
-Flexibility for swapping heads/cabs if I'd want to
-Compressor
-FX loop
-Price

So my next goal is pairing it with a a good cabinet.

I might be able to get a pair of Bag End S12-B for a very good price.
Would this be a good combination?

Other cabs I should consider (and I don't really like the form-factor of the new Ampeg portaflex cabs)?

[steve_rolfeca]

Originally Posted by BasHermus

I made a decision, I'm going for the Ampeg PF500.

...So my next goal is pairing it with a a good cabinet.

I might be able to get a pair of Bag End S12-B for a very good price.

...Other cabs I should consider (and I don't really like the form-factor of the new Ampeg portaflex cabs)?

Given what you've said about your preference in amp tones and your volume requirements, how about a Bergantino AE210 or two?

I'll throw another one out there- check out the Audio Kinesis Thunderchild. Unfortunately, you'd have to take a chance on it, as I doubt that you'll find one nearby to audition.

[BasHermus]

Given what you've said about your preference in amp tones and your volume requirements, how about a Bergantino AE210 or two?

Man, these look really nice as well.

But two of them would be three times as much as the pair of Bag Ends would cost me.
And the nearest place where I would be able to test them would be in the soth of Germany (as in 700 km away).

I'll throw another one out there- check out the Audio Kinesis Thunderchild. Unfortunately, you'd have to take a chance on it, as I doubt that you'll find one nearby to audition.

Thanks, nice suggestion as well.
Unfortunately getting it to the Netherlands will be a pain, and I'm not sure whether I'll want to take the risk.