Decisions, decisions (bass heads)

[open.eadg]

Hi folks,


After re-thinking my needs for a bass equipment, I've dropped the idea of a racked pre and poweramp configuration, and now I'm looking at some of the new lightweight micro amp heads but can't really decide which one to buy.

As for power, 500W @ 4 ohms / ~300W @ 8 ohms is pretty standard now, sure it'll be enough to drive my soon-to-be-built fEarful cab.
Right now I'm using an Ashdown MAG 300 combo (property of the rehearsal room) which is not really my taste but it sounds decent in our rock band.

What I'm looking for is an amp with maybe a tube preamp (nice overdrive if I need it) and a variable but not over-complicated EQ. My budget is maxed at EUR 700 (without shipping costs).
I know it's not the best to get something without trying it first, but the shops in Hungary do not have much of these amps in stock, so I'll have to order over the great internet.

So far the candidates (price ranging from ~560 to ~680 €):

Aguilar TH 500
Gallien-Krueger MB Fusion
Genz Benz Streamliner 600
Markbass F1
Markbass LM III
Markbass Momark Tube 800
Orange BT 500


Couldn't find much video reviews, but I liked the Streamliner's character, the clean hi-fi sound of the Fusion, and of course, the tone of the Tonehammer.

What do you think, which one's a "best buy"?


OE

[RickenBoogie]

Without the option to try before you buy, it's anyone's guess which you'd like best. If your only option is to buy blind, make sure you get a good warranty and exchange policy.

[open.eadg]

My thoughts exactly.
It's funny though, just did a google search and found a music shop in town that lists the GK Fusion MB on their website (must be some fresh import 'cause I don't remember seeing this deal until now). I'll ask them if they have one at hand so I can try it first. It would be a steal, in most shops the MB Fusion goes for 600 € or more, and if this is for real, I could get it for 475 €...

[open.eadg]

Surprise...! It's cheap because they don't have it, lol. Seems like I have to wait until the end of November if I want an GK MB Fusion. Soooo... Narrowing it down to two amps that are available, I'm between an MB LMIII or a GB STL 600, both have a price tag around 660-670 €. Most likely I'll go with the Markbass, gotta love those EQ/filter knobs you can tweak all day long.

[OzzyGreg]

.
My two cents.....

I recently bought a GB ShuttleMax 12.0 blind, based only on the demos I found on Youtube.

I couldn't be happier.
I LOVE this amp!

At a glance it looks complicated, but really its not.

Greg

[open.eadg]

Yeah, that must be a nice amp head! But it's a *bit* expensive (1100 vs. 660 EUR), I have a 700 EUR budget so I'm trying to get the amp with the best price/value.

[Alex1984]

Most of the heads you've listed have gotten rave reviews here, hard to go wrong.

Being in Europe, maybe the Orange/Markbass would be cheaper for you?

[TC.65]

My vote is for the GB STL 600 it has a big fat tubey tone. IMO it's the best hybrid amp out there. It's more versatile than most people realize. It can go from a super clean tube like tone to full on overdrive. With the MB LM III you will have to use a pedal to get any dirt in your tone.

[PurpleDrank]

Originally Posted by TC.65

My vote is for the GB STL 600 it has a big fat tubey tone. IMO it's the best hybrid amp out there. It's more versatile than most people realize. It can go from a super clean tube like tone to full on overdrive. With the MB LM III you will have to use a pedal to get any dirt in your tone.

I agree with all of this.

[lomo]

FYI. If you are running a single 8 Ohm cab, the Shuttlemax 6.0 will be cheaper than the 12 and give you all the same features (without a 2nd internal amp you won't use). Also, although 300 watts into your 8 Ohms may be enough, your cab can easily handle 500, and I would strongly consider a head that pushes 500 into 8 Ohms unless you don't play very loud. Of the heads you list, the MB500 seems a tad louder into 8 Ohms than, say, the LM3.

[bplayer1]

Genz Benz 9.2 Shuttlemax with tube and fet pre. Very versatile and sounds great! They can be had in your price range on the net all day long. You won't be sorry!

[tombowlus]

The heads you listed are all excellent options. Really, it's going to be a matter of personal preference. If you gave us more details as to what kinds of music you play and as to your own personal tone preferences, we may be able to give you some more helpful feedback.

[jeff7bass]

Don’t forget the TC Electronics heads. They have the great feature of being able to store 3 different settings in memory then calling up each setting by pressing one button.
If you play a variety of music or use different basses, this makes changing sounds easy as 1-2-3.

[gjbassist]

Have you considered the Ampeg PF-500? It doesn't have a tube preamp but you can crank up the gain for a gritty tube type tone.

[Son of Bovril]

Yeah as the guys have said I don't think you can go wrong with any of those heads but they all have a slightly different natural tone to them, some of which you may prefer over others, but they all essentially do the same thing

[Dustin Teel]

I would consider the Hartke 5500 as well. It has a solid state and tube preamp.

You can completely dial out the SS section and run tube full on if so desired.

[4StringShooter]

[quote=open.eadg;11513477]Hi folks,


After re-thinking my needs for a bass equipment, I've dropped the idea of a racked pre and poweramp configuration, and now I'm looking at some of the new lightweight micro amp heads but can't really decide which one to buy.

As for power, 500W @ 4 ohms / ~300W @ 8 ohms is pretty standard now, sure it'll be enough to drive my soon-to-be-built fEarful cab.
Right now I'm using an Ashdown MAG 300 combo (property of the rehearsal room) which is not really my taste but it sounds decent in our rock band.

What I'm looking for is an amp with maybe a tube preamp (nice overdrive if I need it) and a variable but not over-complicated EQ. My budget is maxed at EUR 700 (without shipping costs).
I know it's not the best to get something without trying it first, but the shops in Hungary do not have much of these amps in stock, so I'll have to order over the great internet.

So far the candidates (price ranging from ~560 to ~680 €):

Aguilar TH 500
Gallien-Krueger MB Fusion
Genz Benz Streamliner 600
Markbass F1
Markbass LM III
Markbass Momark Tube 800
Orange BT 500


Couldn't find much video reviews, but I liked the Streamliner's character, the clean hi-fi sound of the Fusion, and of course, the tone of the Tonehammer.

What do you think, which one's a "best buy"?


A Traynor YBA 300 300 watts of pure power. This amp with the correct cab will blow you away. 12 -6L6 tubes, and a protection circuit that amazing. Mate it with Traynors 8-10, and you'll shear someones knees clean off if not careful. I have used the 8-10 with my SVT CL, and was amazed at the tone.

Here's a link, hope it works.

Traynor Amps: Bass Heads

[u84six]

Originally Posted by open.eadg

Hi folks,


After re-thinking my needs for a bass equipment, I've dropped the idea of a racked pre and poweramp configuration, and now I'm looking at some of the new lightweight micro amp heads but can't really decide which one to buy.

As for power, 500W @ 4 ohms / ~300W @ 8 ohms is pretty standard now, sure it'll be enough to drive my soon-to-be-built fEarful cab.
Right now I'm using an Ashdown MAG 300 combo (property of the rehearsal room) which is not really my taste but it sounds decent in our rock band.

What I'm looking for is an amp with maybe a tube preamp (nice overdrive if I need it) and a variable but not over-complicated EQ. My budget is maxed at EUR 700 (without shipping costs).
I know it's not the best to get something without trying it first, but the shops in Hungary do not have much of these amps in stock, so I'll have to order over the great internet.

So far the candidates (price ranging from ~560 to ~680 €):

Aguilar TH 500
Gallien-Krueger MB Fusion
Genz Benz Streamliner 600
Markbass F1
Markbass LM III
Markbass Momark Tube 800
Orange BT 500


Couldn't find much video reviews, but I liked the Streamliner's character, the clean hi-fi sound of the Fusion, and of course, the tone of the Tonehammer.

What do you think, which one's a "best buy"?


OE

Depending on your situation (full band, loud guitarist, drummer, etc), 300W into 8 ohms will not be enough power. You'll find that you'll need to crank the amp because a fEARful is really hungry for power, and if you have an amp that starts to sound like **** at higher volumes, you're not going to be happy. My advice, if you're planning on using only one 15/6 fEARful, look for an amp that puts out pretty high wattage @ 8 ohms. I've started a thread on that very subject, go check it out.

[silky smoove]

fEarful designs are NOT power hungry (ie inefficient), it's just that they can handle a lot of power mechanically. Don't confuse the two.

[open.eadg]

Thanks everyone for your inputs so far!

I'm aware of that the fEarful cabs can use a lot of power, and I may also consider a Terror Bass head. I listed the 500 watter, but the TB1000 would be more than enough either with 1 or 2 cabs. ((And it comes with a nice gigbag, too. ))
@gjbassist: oops I did forget the Ampeg PF-500. Looks like a nice amp, the tone sounds good to me! Plus, it's much cheaper than the others on my list, leaving some extra € to spend on a nice compressor pedal or something.

Our band is a 5-piece (drummer, two guitarists, singer and me), thankfully everyone can control their volume, including the drummer. We play different styles, from Sting and the Police through RHCP to Anouk, so versatility is a must.

As for the rig I'll be using, only one 15/6 for now, later - if needed - I can add another one, or a 12/6 cube.


OE