Great simple stylish gig amp

[jennymy12]

So, I have played acoustic guitar and studied music for years, but have just recently taken up bass. I bought a MIM Fender Precision and am looking to play garage/Spaceman 3 style music. I want a good rich distorted sound.
I am a girl on a budget. Wanting to spend under three hundred, and totally open to used equipment.
I really like the look of Oranges, but want to be sure I am getting an amp I can gig with. Also don't want to spend money on an amp I'm going to want to replace in a year. Something simple...
What do you pros think?

[JimmyM]

good rich distorted sound and $300 to spend? not much to choose from. most cheap amps have crap distortion.

[garmenteros]

Your best bet is to try and get a gk 400rb head for under 175 (which can happen) and try and get a cab for 125. Vintage peavey mark heads are also good low budget and reliable gear.

[tjh]

sorry, but for us very old coots, what is garage/spaceman 3 style music ?? ... trying to figure out what you need for power and coverage ... I dont use any, but there is a plethora of effects gizmos out there that should be able to replicate any sound you want, and then its just a question of cheap power ...

[johnk_10]

Originally Posted by garmenteros

Your best bet is to try and get a gk 400rb head for under 175 (which can happen) and try and get a cab for 125. Vintage peavey mark heads are also good low budget and reliable gear.

+1 for a GK400rb with a used cab.

[jennymy12]

Ha! You old coots are the reason I'm on the hunt! Thirteenth Floor Elevators? Not a whole lot of chord changes, but plenty of strong sixteenth notes.

[4Mal]

Not sure about spaceman3 but I palyed a bunch of punk with and an early GK back in the late 70's. They'll do aggro just fine using the boost control. If you need squishy and grind, then drop a sans amp in front. A time honor'ed rock rig.

[jennymy12]

Wow, you guys are fantastic. The GK is it. Thank you so much for all of your help!

[zachoff]

Old Acoustic, Kustom, Kasino (Kustom off-brand), and Earth.

Both my Earth and my old Kasino heads pretty much couldn't get clean. If all you want is disto in a loud/cheap package these would be your best bet. The old Acoustic stuff is starting to get a little pricey but a few years ago you could get those for cheap as well. Anyway, those would be my suggestions.

[wiseguyst]

I'm actually quite impressed with Acoustic brand amps. A band I was helping out bought the B200 head and 410 cab for their practice space and it was great, especially when I found out how little they cost! I think there is a 200w/15" combo brand new for $350 on musicians friend. Start with that and then maybe down the road get a Sansamp BDDI or MXR M-80 DI with the built in distortion if you need more crunch. Just make sure to save money for a cart to haul your rig around.

[banikek]

Anyone who knows who the 13th Floor Elevators are is cool in my book!