Head Recommendations

[sqadan]

Hi all...

I need some advice-

I am soon to be gigging in a blues / roots rock situation and a need a nice stage worthy, but light rig with some old school tubey warmth....

My current amp is a Genz Benz ML200 2x10 combo which is a great amp for practice - but there is not a lot of head room on tap and it can get a little "farty" at higher volumes.

I have 2 passive basses, a 62 AVRI P-bass and a 70's classic Jazz...

Here are some heads I am considering to use with a pair of 2x10s together or one at a time.

Genz Benz Streamliner 600
Used Mesa Walkabout
Used Genz Benz Neo-Pak 3.5 (Bargain at ~$300)
Used SWR 350x
Ampeg PF500

I am open to any other suggestions and some advice as to which of these will give me the best old school thump / warmth. I don't have a tremendous budget - probably would like to keep it sub $800 for the head. I am considering SWR Golight or Goliath 2x10s to go underneath.

[BBQV]

I'd go with the Walkabout! It's an extremely powerful and really tubey-sounding little head. I'm using it with my 62 AVRI and it's tone Nirvana every time!

[Coolhandjjl]

The Eden WT405 is a great head in a small footprint. 405 watts into 4 ohms, 650 into 2. Nice voicing controls, full deep tone, and built like a tank. Also has a tube emulator push button which can be pretty darn convincing.

[zachoff]

I'd also look into a used Genz GBE. Awesome heads w/ blendable tube/ss channels & tons of EQ options.

[4Mal]

I love the Eden vibe for a blues setting. I'm willing to carry my wt800 to those gigs... For small & light, I dig the combination a GK MB500 & Sans Amp ParaDriver into a fEarful 12.6. The ParaDriver lives on a small board with a tuner. It's a real practical gig setup.

[dukeisdog]

Originally Posted by BBQV

I'd go with the Walkabout! It's an extremely powerful and really tubey-sounding little head. I'm using it with my 62 AVRI and it's tone Nirvana every time!

Isn't the Walkabout only 300 watts though? Can it stay clean if you have to crank the volume? I think the OP wants a clean tone as he is doing blues/jazz gigs.

[Kawai-chang]

Can you add a cab to the GK? Pop a nice 2x10 under it and have a vertical 4x10. Should be loud enough for blues/jazz, right?

[andy67]

I wold recommend the Hartke LH1000 simply because they rock and are awesome......Seriously, in terms of power, tone and value for money, they are unbeatable.

Hartke LH1000 | Sweetwater.com

andy

[jeff7bass]

I saw you want to pair a couple of 210’s together but you didn’t mention you already had the cabs so this is my suggestion.
Go to Avatar Speakers and checkout the Genz Benz/Avatar cab combo packages.
Get a pair of Avatar NEO B210’s with a Genz Benz head. The head will be discounted with the purchase of any cab(s).
The Shuttle 6.0 head (600w @ 4 ohms) would be plenty enough to drive two B210 NEO’s, but you can get the 9.0 or the Streamliner for more $$$.
For small gigs, one cabinet will suffice. The cabs are solid and they use good Eminence speakers with high XMAX (excursion).

If you do have the cabs picked out already, consider the Carvin B2000 head. For around 600 bucks, it has brutal power, pre-amp tube and all pro features. It warms up very nicely. It's just a great head by any measure.

[sqadan]

Thanks for the replies all... I am looking at a single 4 ohm Acme 2x10 at the moment for a cab - trying to keep it light and portable at the moment...

Anyways - I bought a used Neo-Pak 3.5 from a TB'r and am anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I realy like Genz gear and I'm hoping this will be a nice upgrade from my ML200 combo. It certainly seems like a lot of bang for the buck.

[TC.65]

I used to own the Genz Benz ML200 210 combo and I agree great tone but not enough power. I just bought the Genz Benz STL600 and love it. It has plenty of headroom and is more versatile than you would think. It gets my vote.

[iflemm]

Originally Posted by andy67

I wold recommend the Hartke LH1000 simply because they rock and are awesome......Seriously, in terms of power, tone and value for money, they are unbeatable.

Hartke LH1000 | Sweetwater.com

andy

+1!
This will sound awesome with a 62 AVRI P-bass and a 70's classic Jazz.