Another "First Amp" thread

Reace George · #1 02-03-2012, 05:19 AM

Hello,

I have a music project coming up with school where I need to bring my own amp, but I don't really have a bass amp. I normally play through my laptop (with Guitar Rig 5) and now and then I play with my Roland Keyboard Amplifier, but I don't really think that it's suited for the bass.

I asked my father if he could help me with the money and he agreed, so I have a total of €300,- to spend. I really want my first amp to be one I can use at (small) gigs later, so I don't want a practise amp or anything below 100 watts really.

I looked at Thomann and Feedback and I also searched around on Talkbass for reviews about the brands and such, and got a few amps in sight.

On Thomann I found an Ashdown T15 250S, a 250 watt combo amplifier with 15" speaker that can be extended (2x8 or 1x4), for €279,-.
Also on Thomann I found the Gallien Krueger Backline 115, a 175 watt combo amplifier with 15" speaker for €239,-.
On Feedback (Dutch music store) I found the Hartke A100, a 100 watt combo amplifier with 15" speaker for €300,-.
Second hand I found an used Hartke HA3500C amplifier with a Hartke VX410 cabinet, a 350 watt amplifier with a 400 watt cabinet, for €300,-.

Which one do you recommend, and what are the pros and cons of each according to you? If you have others that I should look at, feel free to post them and I will take a look. My budget is €300,- so I can't really buy anything above that price.

Kind regards, Reace George.

smcgov · #2 02-03-2012, 06:51 AM

I'd go with the ashdown or the hartke 3500 personally...

the hartke gives you the freedom in the long run to sell the cab or change out the cabinet....

waleross · #3 02-03-2012, 06:51 AM

Don't know about what is good over where you live but I know Ashdown is a popular amp as is Hartke. Starting off with a 15" speaker should give you a good bass thump for your first amp.....good luck to you ...................

Zoa · #4 02-03-2012, 07:00 AM

Hartke 3500. Not even close IMO. The head/cab combination gives the freedom to add another cab later should you want more volume, and should be more gig-worthy as is than any of the others. 10's will do just as well as 15's if you have enough of them, and that 410 will trounce a typical single 15.

Reace George · #5 02-03-2012, 08:38 AM

I'd like to point out that the Hartke HA3500 and the VX410 are used, so I'm not aware of the exact quality of the product or why the man wants it sold.

Also, I don't really know how it is with Ohms and such, but it seems that the 410 works with 400 watt on 8 Ohm, and the HA3500 works with 250 watt on 8 Ohm. Does this mean that I can only get 250 watt out of this stack, or can I get the full 350?

Scott549 · #6 02-03-2012, 08:47 AM

Go with separates because then you can upgrade as needed in increments. Something like a GK Backline 600 is very cheap used, and you can use it with just about any cabinet. Any head with roughly 300 watts or more will do.

capofirstfret · #7 02-03-2012, 08:47 AM

I'm gonna throw another vote in for the Hartke 3500. I played a gig once where backline was provided and the amp rig was a Hartke 3500 into a 2x10 and a 1x15 cab and I got some great tone out of that rig. I think you'll be quite happy with that amp for a long, long time.

Reace George · #8 02-03-2012, 08:51 AM

In that case, I'll try and get the HA3500. Thank you for your input, I really hope to get it for the price

Shenry · #9 02-03-2012, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reace George

Also, I don't really know how it is with Ohms and such, but it seems that the 410 works with 400 watt on 8 Ohm, and the HA3500 works with 250 watt on 8 Ohm. Does this mean that I can only get 250 watt out of this stack, or can I get the full 350?

Correct. You'd need to add another 8 ohm cabinet to get the full 350. But don't be dismayed by that, power isn't all that's important.

Zoa · #10 02-03-2012, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reace George

I'd like to point out that the Hartke HA3500 and the VX410 are used, so I'm not aware of the exact quality of the product or why the man wants it sold.

Also, I don't really know how it is with Ohms and such, but it seems that the 410 works with 400 watt on 8 Ohm, and the HA3500 works with 250 watt on 8 Ohm. Does this mean that I can only get 250 watt out of this stack, or can I get the full 350?

Used is good, you'll get good bang for your buck. Hartke is good about CS and reliability in any case.

You will only get 250 watts out of that setup, but should you want more power, you can add another 410, which will drop the load to 4 ohms, which will give you the extra 100 watts. Plus, it'll give you a bunch more speaker area, which is way more important than watts anyway.

NGJBeaner · #11 02-03-2012, 11:43 AM

From experience I'd say go Hartke! I have a HA3500 head and owned a VX410 cab and higher with it for about 3 years with NO problem. Very reliable and has great tone and volume.

Reace George · #12 02-03-2012, 12:19 PM

Damn, someone beat me at the Hartke stack

. I really can't afford going any further than €300,-, and someone just offered exactly that amount of money before I could. So unless that guy retreats his offer, I'm not going to get it.

I'll keep watching it for the next couple of days, in case he does, but my hopes aren't up that high. Damn'it.

Reace George · #13 02-05-2012, 05:15 PM

Alright, scrap that! I still have a chance on the stack, because the guy loosened up and removed his offer. I'm so glad ^-^

However, I need to get the money from my parents and they aren't that convinced before I contact my teacher, so I need to hold on a little bit longer. I think I know what he'll say, though, and it will be pretty similar to what you guys told me

vistacruiser · #14 02-06-2012, 12:24 AM

Give that used stack a good try before you buy, there may be a reason the other guy backed off. Pull the grill off the cab and make sure all the cones work, etc. One of my buds has a Hartke 3500/Ampeg 410hlf. (4ohm cab), It gets gigged a lot in his kids punk band and would be a great first amp I think.

The only trouble he's had is a bad power switch.

Downunderwonder · #15 02-06-2012, 01:12 AM

+1
Buying used gear is a risky business, hence the great deals you can get if all is well. Ideally take someone with some experience in checking out gear to help putting it through its paces.

Reace George · #16 02-06-2012, 02:49 AM

Alright, thanks for the advice. If I'm lucky, I can convince my teacher to check it out, for he lives in the same city as the seller.

Downunderwonder · #17 02-06-2012, 04:01 AM

Bear in mind that your teacher is going to be wary of feeling responsible for "crap that happens". If you can let him off the hook for that then he's more likely to give it his best shot at checking it out.

It's a used rig. It might be fine today and not fine tomorrow.

Reace George · #18 02-06-2012, 05:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downunderwonder

Bear in mind that your teacher is going to be wary of feeling responsible for "crap that happens". If you can let him off the hook for that then he's more likely to give it his best shot at checking it out.

It's a used rig. It might be fine today and not fine tomorrow.

Good idea, I'll try to remember that!

Reace George · #19 03-13-2012, 06:15 PM

A quick update on this thread: I couldn't get the Hartke HA3500 with the VX410 cabinet, and because I've been playing in a rather serious band last couple of weeks, I decided to go search for another second hand deal. Furthermore, I've been looking for HA3500's because they seem like one of the best heads in the price range.

I found a couple of them; one's a HA3500 head (350 watts) with a 410 TP (300 watts) and a 115 TP (150 watts) stack for €450,-. Note: I assume that they're Transporter cabinets. This is the image provided with the offer: Hartke Stack. The main downside here is that I'll have to convince my parents, and I don't know how great the Transporter series are and if they're worth the money.
The other amplifier I found is a Hartke VX3500 (350 watts) combo. I've learned in this very thread that a stack is the way to go, but I considered this one an option because of the stack-like setup. It would cost me €300,-. The main downside here is that there's no way to plug in another cabinet, and the amp is therefore pretty limited.

What should I do? I want to use the stack with our band and I need plenty of volume in the rehearsal room there. We play over a Behringer set of 2x800 watts (however, both the channels as the main volume are halved), and the guitarist is going to play over a 100 watts Marshall stack. As far as I've read on TalkBass about Transporter cabs, the volume is lower than most cabinets, so I'm worried if it can be of use. However, if I buy this stack, I can individually upgrade the cabinets to the VX or XL series.

I'd like to hear your opinions on this. I'd like my first amp to be one going with me for a couple more years. Thanks in advance!

CL400Peavey · #20 03-13-2012, 06:45 PM

Read up on why mixing a 115 and a 410 cab isnt the best idea.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reace George

A quick update on this thread: I couldn't get the Hartke HA3500 with the VX410 cabinet, and because I've been playing in a rather serious band last couple of weeks, I decided to go search for another second hand deal. Furthermore, I've been looking for HA3500's because they seem like one of the best heads in the price range.

I found a couple of them; one's a HA3500 head (350 watts) with a 410 TP (300 watts) and a 115 TP (150 watts) stack for €450,-. Note: I assume that they're Transporter cabinets. This is the image provided with the offer: Hartke Stack. The main downside here is that I'll have to convince my parents, and I don't know how great the Transporter series are and if they're worth the money.
The other amplifier I found is a Hartke VX3500 (350 watts) combo. I've learned in this very thread that a stack is the way to go, but I considered this one an option because of the stack-like setup. It would cost me €300,-. The main downside here is that there's no way to plug in another cabinet, and the amp is therefore pretty limited.

What should I do? I want to use the stack with our band and I need plenty of volume in the rehearsal room there. We play over a Behringer set of 2x800 watts (however, both the channels as the main volume are halved), and the guitarist is going to play over a 100 watts Marshall stack. As far as I've read on TalkBass about Transporter cabs, the volume is lower than most cabinets, so I'm worried if it can be of use. However, if I buy this stack, I can individually upgrade the cabinets to the VX or XL series.

I'd like to hear your opinions on this. I'd like my first amp to be one going with me for a couple more years. Thanks in advance!