I need to be educated

[Jmathews8]

I've just recently started playing bass for both myself and my church. We're in the market to get another amp. I went to Guitar Center and saw two brands that kind of stood out to me. Mesa Engineering and MarkBass. The only thing is that we don't know where to start.

Where should I begin?

[Munjibunga]

Between those two, Mesa, but it depends on the model. Bigger is better.

[christw]

What size church? (Total amount of people, number of other musicians or choir you're up against?)

[Sartori]

Those are very different brands. How extensively did you play through their amps?

[Jmathews8]

Originally Posted by christw

What size church? (Total amount of people, number of other musicians or choir you're up against?)

About 200 people in the church. Electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, keyboard, 2-3 vocals

[Jmathews8]

Originally Posted by Sartori

Those are very different brands. How extensively did you play through their amps?

Not too much. The person @ gc said they were really good

[JimmyM]

how loud do you intend on being? if you're a typical church band and you're not especially loud, you could do it with a 100w 115 combo and save some money. however, bigger and louder rigs can be turned down. usually a good starter rig that's capable of handling most situations is 300w into a 410. the 410 is a little on the big side but it's always good to have more cab than you need, and you can find good 410's used all over the place for cheap.

mesa and markbass are good brands, but there are a lot of quality brands out there. try as many as you can and don't just take the salesman's word for it. only thing i'd advise is not to cheap out on the cab. doesn't have to be a really good one, but stay away from the cheapest cabs in the store. you can cheap out on the bass and amp, but if you cheap out on the cab, even the best stuff will sound cheap.

[jmattbassplaya]

I'd go for at least a 400w head and a 4x10 just because it should cover any gig that you might find yourself in.

[Pollinator95]

Mesa and Markbass aren´t exactly beginner gear ... try out some stuff by Acoustic, Gallien Krueger, Behringer, Kustom, or Peavey.

[Wes Whitmore]

Mesa is usually more expensive than the markbass stuff. If you like how it sounds, and you think you will be playing for many years to come, buy the amp that sounds best to you and the best of what you can afford, or what fits your situation. Chances are whatever you get, you will get bit by the bug and buy something else over the next couple of years...most of us do.
Wes

[Thevolumedealer]

I'd agree with what the others above have already posted. I'm curious as to which models of Markbass and Mesa were test driven? Also, I wasn't aware Guitar Center carried Mesa? Was it a used amp?

+1 on getting a good cab that makes a world of difference.

[Hugh9191]

Is this you buying the amp for yourself or is the Church buying it for church use?

Do you put the bass through the PA at church?

[Wes Whitmore]

Some GCs carry Mesa..

[s_mcsleazy]

personally id keep away from that kinda stuff if you've not been playing for too long

[RNV]

Originally Posted by Thevolumedealer

I'd agree with what the others above have already posted. I'm curious as to which models of Markbass and Mesa were test driven? Also, I wasn't aware Guitar Center carried Mesa? Was it a used amp?

+1 on getting a good cab that makes a world of difference.

My GC is stuffed with new Mesa gear.

[Thevolumedealer]

Originally Posted by RNV

My GC is stuffed with new Mesa gear.

A bit off topic but do they also sell their guitar amps too? In Wisconsin their are really only a couple of places to buy any Mesa amps and cabs in the entire state IME.

[Wes Whitmore]

Out Columbus GC doesn't sell any Mesa gear. They technically carry GK, Ampeg, Markbass, and Acoustic. They almost never have a good selection of GK stuff in stock. So little that I don't buy my GK stuff locally anymore. The funny thing is Sam Ash is 1 mile away from GK, who also carries some Ampeg and GK...who also never has anything I want in stock...oh wait, what was this post about?

[LiquidMidnight]

Originally Posted by Thevolumedealer

In Wisconsin their are really only a couple of places to buy any Mesa amps and cabs in the entire state IME.

From what I understand, Mesa is very selective about the geographic location of the stores that the company sells stock to. They don't want stores too close that are going to compete with each other on Mesa product.

To the OP, both Mesa and Markbass are excellent amps. Being that you're relatively new to bass, your tastes probably have not become refined as those of us who have been playing 10+, 20+, or 30+ years. As others have stated, go with the rig that currently sounds the best to you. I also echo the 300 to 400 watt suggestion. I'm not familiar with your church. In some churches, especially ones that are small or are built with acoustics in mind, a 100 watt combo would be more than sufficient without PA support. However, other churches were not built with acoustics in mind (or were not intended to be churches when they were first built). In those circumstances, more power is better than less power.

[Jmathews8]

Originally Posted by Hugh9191

Is this you buying the amp for yourself or is the Church buying it for church use?

Do you put the bass through the PA at church?

This amp is just for church use. Currently it's all coming from the amp and none through the house speaker.

If I'm not wanting to go combo, what are your suggestions? Again, please dumb it down for the noob in the room lol

[rpsands]

Get what you like that you can afford.

I'd recommend an LM2 and an Avatar TB153 (4 ohm) if you're on a budget but want something that'll be giggable anywhere and have pretty flexible tones.