The King is dead, Long live the...(who is?) the New King?

bassmanlee · #1 04-26-2011, 04:57 PM

It had to happen sometime. The venerable GK 400B, patched together with welds of balky switches, and lately sounding a bit phlegmatic, died valiantly, sword in hand, in my recollection playing some high double octaves in "Here Comes My Girl" at my guitar player's 50th birthday bash. Along with it went my Peavey Black Spider (Widow?) 15" driver. There one note, gone the next.

Alas, Serial 7444, we knew ye well.

So, here we are, looking for a replacement. I loved my old GK tank (it's aluminum content will contribute nicely to a new head when recycled), but have heard mixed reviews on their new stuff, particularly the Backline series.

So I cast my quest out to y'all for some advice. Please bear in mind, I've been out of the market longer than some of you have been breathing, but I need a new amp, and there are players on the market that I've never heard of. I've looked at a few threads, but often the MODEL is mentioned but not WHO MAKES IT. Not helpful.

My particulars: Amateur, part-time player in a "basement band" that plays occasionally at small bars or outdoor parties. Loud enough to make the cops come in the latter situation, but ear-bleed volume is not required. Often the quality of input power can be a bit dodgy, which may have been a factor in ol' 7444's demise, come to think of it.

Play mostly "classic" rock, country, and blues. Like a good solid bottom end and punch. I play mostly t'wards the bottom end of my Fender Jazz. No string-pops, mostly a finger player, with occasional pick for that '80s New Wave sound if required. No metal, no thrash, no effects. Like Michelle says, four strings.

Always been particular to 15" speakers. (The whole Hartke aluminum 10" thing makes me cringe. That seems to be mostly over now.) No tweeters! Existing generic cabinet can be recycled with new driver. (It would be its third.)

Location: USA Budget: <$800?

With that, I open the floor...your thoughtful comments appreciated.

Basshappi · #2 04-26-2011, 05:02 PM

Pop a repair kit on that Black Widow and go buy another GK 400B if that's what you know and love. You can find them so cheap nowadays you could probably buy two!

Then salle' forth once more brave knight, Tally Ho!

**nutdog** · #3 04-26-2011, 05:05 PM

It's a great time to be a bass player in the market.

GK, Hartke, Markbass, GenzBenz, Bergantino, Epifani, fEARful, nearful, Euphonic Audio...

If you got $800 there is a nice sounding rig out there that will be twice as powerful and 1/3 the weight of your old rig.

Check out Craigslist and the classifieds here to get an even better deal.

Keep doing searches, this question has been asked and answered many times over. Just depends what you're looking for.

GregC · #4 04-26-2011, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basshappi

Pop a repair kit on that Black Widow and go buy another GK 400B if that's what you know and love. You can find them so cheap nowadays you could probably buy two!

Then salle' forth once more brave knight, Tally Ho!

That's a good option for sure, probably the best one.

Another choice, if you decide you want something lighter, would be a used good-quality combo such as the Mesa Walkabout Scout (the 12" version goes pretty deep, maybe deeper than your Peavey 15, and you can turn the tweeter off) or a used combo from Genz Benz or Markbass. These can easily be found in the TB Classifieds.

pocketgroove · #5 04-26-2011, 05:18 PM

I play the same types of music as you do, and have other playing similarities (no effects, no metal, four strings, etc.), and the newer Peavey Tour Series amps do a great job.

Probably the best bet would be the Tour 450 or 700 head, because the combo has a tweeter (although it can be turned off). Both of the heads fall within the price range you mentioned, they provide as much volume as you could possibly need, and they sound great. They've got lots of punch, solid low end, and they are as versatile as you need them to be.

Peavey.com

TN WOODMAN · #6 04-26-2011, 05:24 PM

May I suggest the Markbass Jeff Berlin combo? Tweeterless, 1-15,350 watts @8 ohms and only 44 lbs.

Add a second cab, drop to 4 ohms with 500 watts on tap. I love mine and plan to add a second NY151 cab when I can.(and just turn the tweeter off)

I think you'll love this combo for the stuff you're playing.