Help me choosing bass amplifier

[jtpaulo]

Hi guys,

I want to buy a new bass head and cabinet and i would like to know your opinion about the following heads:

GK MB500, GK MB500 Fusion, Orange Bass Terror 500 , Aguilar Tone Hammer 500, Markbass LittleMark III and Ampeg pf-500.

I also would like to find a good cabinet for the head, please suggest the one you think it suits better the head.

I know i have a lot of suggestions but, i live in portugal and music stores here are really small so it is impossible for me to try all these heads...

I play mostly rock, blues and funk, this way, i like to have a solid sound with good definition. In a few cases i like to add some gain to the sound and have a valve sound but , in most cases i prefer a clean sound.

I need the amp to handle gigs in small and medium size bars without any other amplification supporting the bass.

Thanks for your help and excuse me for possible english mistakes.

[rust_preacher]

Precision sound for rock and funk: I do it with the TH500. I sold my LittelMark II, although it was good as well. The TH500 never will shut down on you, which is just one of the great features it offers. Very organic, tubey sound too.

PS: Your English is fine!

[enricogaletta]

In your selection, the Aguilar Toine Hammer 500 without doubt!
Cheers. Enrico
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[jeff7bass]

The Markbass LMIII is priced pretty low for a great little amp. Tough to beat in this price range.

The Genz Benz heads are available at Avatar Speakers at discount prices with a purchase of any cab. The Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 paired with an Avatar TB153 is an absolute dynamite combination for a very good price. So is any GB head with an Avatar B212 NEO. Depending on your needs, add another B212 NEO for a monster 4x12 stack, just make sure you get an 8 ohm cab if you’re considering a two cab stack.

I have yet to hear the Tonehammer but it would be cool if you could compare it to the GB, MB, or GK in a side-by-side comparison. I’ve heard all the others.

[JxBass]

I appreciate that it's difficult to try out the equipment you're interested in given your location, but I believe you're only going to get suggestions based on other people's experiences and preferences that may not fit you at all.

If you haven't already done so I would read every thread and comment you can on the things you're considering and make the best possible educated guess. That's what I've done for as long as I can remember and it's worked out pretty well so far.

[jtpaulo]

Thanks for the feedback.

I'm adding an ampeg svt 7 pro, aguilar 500 sc and GK 700 RBII to the list. What do you think? Any more suggestions?

The Aguilar TH 500 fits well with a gs112 cab? Is the sound loud enough for small/medium size bars?

Thanks for your help.

I will try to test as much amplifiers as i can but some will be impossible.

[rodl2005]

Another vote for Genz Benz Amps. Great stuff, great customer service, so the Avatar option seems great to me. Shuttle 6.0 & cab to match is a great way to go.

[jtpaulo]

OK, for me it is difficult to find avatar cabs.

For the Genz Benz suggestions, do you think this combo is a better deal than the other options?

Shuttle Series | GENZ BENZ

41 lbs is a cool weight

[ButtUglyJeff]

How colored to do like your tone? Ampeg and Orange really add "character" to your sound, which is why I like them both...

[jtpaulo]

I had the opportunity of testing a tech 21 landmark 300 and really liked the sound. The only problem is that the tech 21 4x10 cabinet that i used is too big for me to carry it in my car.

I really liked the versatility of the sound i got with the LM 300. What do you guys think about this head when compared with the others. What about SWR stuff?

Please help me because i am really lacking a big store to try all the stuff i would like so your opinions are really important.