Fender TV amp or GK stack

[toefes]

Dear Talkbass people,

I was looking to get a new amp but I don't know which to choose..
For a very long time I've wanted a GK top + additional speaker, but now my eyes have fallen onto a Fender TV amp (the vintage ones)
My bass is a Musicman Sterling Ray 34 with the standard alnico PU's and active electronics.
I'm looking for a punchy sound which cuts trough the mix. The fender bass amp sounded good with the fender basses, but I don't know how they work with an active musicman..
And I'm looking for a amp/cab which does fart/sound distorted when I pluck really hard..

Sorry for my bad English, and I hope you can give me some advice/sound samples etc.

Btw I don't live near any local music stores which sell both products so I can't really test them myself..

Edit1: Will the Fender TV ten (1x10") handle my bass well too? 1x10" looks so.. fragile and not deep sounding.. I don't know why..

[AlPBass]

Given the type of bass you have, the more obvious choice would be the Gallien-Krueger head+cab. In much the same way as the Fender/Ampeg pairing being a classic, tried-and-true combination that has worked for countless bassists, the GK/MusicMan pairing seems to be another one of those classic, tried-and-true pairings that have worked for a bunch of bassists. The Ray's sound is distinctive enough that it should come through on either amp. I guess it's more a question of how much of it you want. The GK will probably go all out with that Ray sound, whereas the Fender Bassman may mellow it down a little.

[5string5fingers]

i'd get the MB500fusion,it's got a tube preamp you would be able to push to get a nice break up when you wanted. The TV amps aren't what you're looking for

[toefes]

Thanks for the replies!
Are the new GK heads any good? I was looking for the RB-IV series to go with :P
Don't know anything about the new heads.

Edit: Just seen a fusion head. They are way too expansive hehe :P I dont have 900$ for a head hehe :P Im just a poor student :P my max budget is 900EUR.

[AlPBass]

I've got an older 400 RB that I picked up used a few years ago and it's great, it works surprisingly well for a 20-year old head (if not more). A used 400RB or 800RB is a good idea because they're ery durable and, having been pretty much the best solid-state amps back in their original era, they can still hold their own relatively well against the newer stuff of today. If you want to get a new GK, the current RB series are great as well. I once tried the 400RB-IV, the least powerful of the line, which was great but is no longer in production. However the rest of the models are still there: 700RB-II, the 1001 RB-II and the 800RB. The prices are pretty reasonable for those models. If you don't want to spend alot, I would suggest the 700RB-II, it's the least expensive of the line and still has plenty of power (I believe its 480 watts at 4 ohms and 320 watts at 8 ohms) and tonal options.

[Govier966]

gk fo sho, i like my old 400rb a lot. the mb combos are really good for the price too.