Most Surprising Inexpensive Amp

[Doom]

What amp just blew you away, in sound and how cheap that sound came (price). Doesn't have to have been bought new, but please don't say the SVT your dad passed down to you for FREE, that doesn't count. It could be a craigslist find, or just a great inexpensive amp brand new right out of the box.

Ill start. My Fender Bassman 60 combo. Mid 90's model? Paid $150 used at GC for it. When trying it out, with volume at about 9 o'clock, I was asked to turn it down! It also has a really cool "enhance" button that pretty much is a one click mid scoop. Works great for a jazz sound on a non jazz. Basic 3 band eq with mid freq. selector, but the EQ on this amp is amazing and very functional. But the best feature has to be the built in compressor/limiter. Click it and get a tight clean sound, even when driving the volume near max. Turn it off and get a decent distortion. I like it on tho, I got pedals for the grind

[Calaverasgrande]

Traynor YBA1a. Still havent found an amp that tops it for tone. Sadly they are only 90 watts. But I used to find them for $300 all the time. Also GK400RB. Often found for $200.
Sunn Beta Bass before there was a band called Sunn(((0 or a guitarist named Buzz.

[My name is Mudd]

This. I bought this a few months ago. I love this amp.

[christw]

This is one for me. I have a newfound love for vintage Peavey amps. Bought it this afternoon and really enjoyed just about every sound I got from it.

[Sam Hain]

Peavey MK VI. Got it off CL for a $100 3 years ago. It's been dropped,barfed on,used in a fight, spilled drinks on and dropped down a flight of stairs and it's still working great.

[somegeezer]

I actually found the price of my 1001RB-II to be brilliant brand new. £620. Some of the best money I spent. I wouldn't put it past my practise amp either. Laney RB-3. I think £150 was a little over for the sound, but it's been reliable and kept me going for many years before I got the GK.

[Hnz]

The Ampeg Micro VR.
Great sound, enough volume for the gigs I play (with 2x the 210 matching cabs), compact and light and so cheap you won't believe it.


Pretty soon perhaps replaced by the Ampeg PF350.

[JimmyM]

agreed with hnz, although i did buy a 1964 b-15n for $150 10 years ago. and spent about $1500 getting it restored by jess oliver a couple years ago

[RadioactiveGuy4]

I bought an Acoustic B200h for 150 bucks at a used guitar store and i love it. Great tone and lots of power. I can overpower 2 guitar half stacks a drummer and a PA with out going past half way on the volume knob

[ScottTunes]

My first Ampeg was a '64 B-15 I got from my parents as a b-day gift (along with a Hag I) in '69... Always kicked myself for selling it... You couldn't give them away in the early 80s... and I found one just like my first for less than a Benjamin! Made me feel better about having to sell my first!!!

But by far the most surprising inexpensive amps were the '66 Fender Princeton (bought in '69), and '64 Deluxe Reverb (bought in '82) amps! Bought quite cheaply at a time when no one wanted "student" amps - bigger was better. Still have both! They both work quite well for recording bass and/or guitar.

If only I could find a "mini" with several hundred watts that sounded as good as any of these 3...

[jnewmark]

For around $230 new, you can't beat the GK MB200. It's weight is about 2.5 lbs. It's a great headphone amp, ( I currently have it hooked up to my computer to learn new songs ), enough oomph as a preamp to drive a power amp, and an emergency, 200 watt backup amp that will fit in most gig bags. It also sounds pretty good !

[pedroims]

Hartke LH500 $290 new< great amp amp

[timber22]

Hartke 3500. Pretty versatile with the solid state and tube pre's and multi-band EQ, and the loudest 350 watts I've ever played through. With two guitarists with Marshalls and a keyboardist and a very loud drummer, I don't think I've ever had the main volume above 3/10 at a gig, usually lower. I had it at 3 once when we played outdoors in a park with no PA support for the bass (which was a surprise to me). I bought it used in a rack bag to drag to gigs as a spare, and ended up really liking it.

[lookiel]

Originally Posted by jnewmark

For around $230 new, you can't beat the GK MB200. It's weight is about 2.5 lbs. It's a great headphone amp, ( I currently have it hooked up to my computer to learn new songs ), enough oomph as a preamp to drive a power amp, and an emergency, 200 watt backup amp that will fit in most gig bags. It also sounds pretty good !

What he said!

[gregoire1]

GK Backline 600 used $135!

[riotorgun]

kustom deepend 300hd for 200quid new its not bad,reliability is yet too be tested tho...

[s_mcsleazy]

every one on this website knows what im going to say so rather than say it. ill just post it


considering the cab was £20 and the head was £50 its pretty damn good

[TomB]

No one has mentioned Nemesis. I played a blue one on stage that was around 300 watts and was very impressed. I was told it is less than $400. That sounds like a real value.

[Calaverasgrande]

Originally Posted by s_mcsleazy

every one on this website knows what im going to say so rather than say it. ill just post it


considering the cab was £20 and the head was £50 its pretty damn good

I love my valve jr. I keep meaning to get around to doing some of the mods on mine. But it's kinda nice having no eq!
Speaking of, did you rotate your chassis in the head box or is that a different model?

[Doom]

I did find this during random youtube searching
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcJVo...eature=related
I have played the TNT 150's, I really did like them, especially for the price
All I have to say that if this was my amp, Its reliability would make it top notch