Pretty new to amps. What's suitable?

[ClaytonMUSE]

Alot of the questions I had were answered on the FAQ sticky, so less for you to think about

At the moment I'm using your average 20 Watt practice amp that I'm pretty sure is broke, its fine for sitting in my room playing to myself but if I put the volume past like 3 it just makes farty noises and the volume goes all over.

I've got about £500-£600 that I've put aside to spend on "bass things" and I wanted to get a multi fx pedal and a new amp, the gigs I'll be doing with it will most likely be small pubs, clubs, my college, things like that. Unless me and my friends suddenly get talent spotted in a bizarre circumstance and get swanned off to a recording studio to create our debut album and then a stadium tour, I live in hope.

So, I can't afford a head and cab so I was looking at some combos. Naturally I want the opinions of as many people at talkbass as possible
How do you guys feel about these ones

http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/rb-7/69001
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/...l-3000-a/69591

The behringer is alot cheaper, but the Laney looks better. But what do I know...

Do you guys also think that I could easily get away with a much smaller, cheaper amp for what I'll be doing?

And feel free to suggest some different combos.

[Muckaluck]

That Laney looks pretty cool. Nice thing with that is if you get tired of it, it could serve as a stage monitor later on.

Best to go with something bigger that you might just turn the volume down on. An eagle can fly low but a chicken can only fly so high.

Personally I'd get the Gallien Kruger Backline head, the cheaper Marshall head or the Warwick head and pair it with that Ampeg B410-HE. You could get by with spending around 550 euros on a great rig that could cover any small to medium sized venue and still be upgradeable.

[ClaytonMUSE]

You know what I didn't even bother to check for heads and cabs because I just assumed that they'd be way out of my price range, but I have alot of options. I've always liked things Warwick aswell, the things I've played anyway. I'm really glad you posted that!

I like the thing about the eagle too haha.

[BassmanPaul]

IMO the first thing you should get is a good amp and leave the FX pedal for down the road. You're going to need around 300 or 400 watts and decent speakers to handle that - Maybe a 4x10. Used equipment should make your money go further. In order to use effects safely you need an amp that can handle them with out damage.

Don't bother with that Behringer amp. I played through one once and was terrified I was going to break it.

Paul

[Montanamike]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

IMO the first thing you should get is a good amp and leave the FX pedal for down the road. You're going to need around 300 or 400 watts and decent speakers to handle that - Maybe a 4x10. Used equipment should make your money go further. In order to use effects safely you need an amp that can handle them with out damage.

Don't bother with that Behringer amp. I played through one once and was terrified I was going to break it.

Paul

Well said Paul! Leave the efx pedal for later, I have one and only use it as a tuner and volume, hardly worth the cash. The nice thing about a bass is that they sounds good without efx.

Try to find a small head that is reliable and easy to find on the used market; GK 400 rb (any series) comes to mind. Great bang for the buck, reliable, made in the US and way louder than it should be. They sell for 200-325 USD on the used market. A 410 cab by any of the reputable mfg is going to be a great start. Make sure you listen to it though and buy the sound you like. For example GK sound very different from Ampeg different from Peavey.

If you decide to buy a combo the new GK MB combos rock and have tons of power, great bang for the buck too. The mb112, mb115, and the mb210 should be in your price range.

Too bad you aren't in the US I have some gear that would suit you great.

Good luck and have fun shopping.

Mike

[ClaytonMUSE]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

IMO the first thing you should get is a good amp and leave the FX pedal for down the road. You're going to need around 300 or 400 watts and decent speakers to handle that - Maybe a 4x10. Used equipment should make your money go further. In order to use effects safely you need an amp that can handle them with out damage.

Don't bother with that Behringer amp. I played through one once and was terrified I was going to break it.

Paul

Yeah I was looking at some stuff on ebay, I'm a little apprehensive about buying used amps though, I'm fine with buying a used bass but I don't know about amps.

Originally Posted by Montanamike

Well said Paul! Leave the efx pedal for later, I have one and only use it as a tuner and volume, hardly worth the cash. The nice thing about a bass is that they sounds good without efx.

Try to find a small head that is reliable and easy to find on the used market; GK 400 rb (any series) comes to mind. Great bang for the buck, reliable, made in the US and way louder than it should be. They sell for 200-325 USD on the used market. A 410 cab by any of the reputable mfg is going to be a great start. Make sure you listen to it though and buy the sound you like. For example GK sound very different from Ampeg different from Peavey.

If you decide to buy a combo the new GK MB combos rock and have tons of power, great bang for the buck too. The mb112, mb115, and the mb210 should be in your price range.

Too bad you aren't in the US I have some gear that would suit you great.

Good luck and have fun shopping.

Mike

Yeah that is too bad! I live in Manchester which is great if you're looking to buy death by beat down or drugs, not so great for bass gear. I've heard that it's better to have a few smaller... I don't know the word, not speakers, the cone things ( I know =.=) in one amp than just one big cone if you understand what I'm saying, its clearer and brighter apparently. There's alot of stuff on Ebay though!

[SC Bassboy]

Out of the two amplifiers you listed, I say go with the Laney. It costs more, but I've rarely ever regretted spending a little more for better quality. A 2x10 will put out more volume than a single 15. Plus the Laney has a built in compressor/limiter and it kicks back which is nice when you want to hear yourself instead of blasting your feet.

[Montanamike]

Originally Posted by ClaytonMUSE

Yeah I was looking at some stuff on ebay, I'm a little apprehensive about buying used amps though, I'm fine with buying a used bass but I don't know about amps.



Yeah that is too bad! I live in Manchester which is great if you're looking to buy death by beat down or drugs, not so great for bass gear. I've heard that it's better to have a few smaller... I don't know the word, not speakers, the cone things ( I know =.=) in one amp than just one big cone if you understand what I'm saying, its clearer and brighter apparently. There's alot of stuff on Ebay though!

Try Ebay or there is a bass forum in GB, http://basschat.co.uk/ Does GB have a site like craigslist?

BTW, I buy alot of used gear and I am less leery of amps than I am of guitars. Amps get handled less and aren't made of wood and if your buying quality gear it is pretty tough.

Speaker size is a very personal thing. I use multiple different set ups but I prefer 12's. You may prefer 15's or 10's. The key is to buy the sound you like. I am a GK guy, if you couldn't tell, because they have a very clean, true sound in my opinion and their heads are a bit bright when set flat but you can EQ them to do anything IMO.

Sounds like a road trip to London or somewhere with bass shops is in order!

[ClaytonMUSE]

Originally Posted by Montanamike

Try Ebay or there is a bass forum in GB, http://basschat.co.uk/ Does GB have a site like craigslist?

BTW, I buy alot of used gear and I am less leery of amps than I am of guitars. Amps get handled less and aren't made of wood and if your buying quality gear it is pretty tough.

Speaker size is a very personal thing. I use multiple different set ups but I prefer 12's. You may prefer 15's or 10's. The key is to buy the sound you like. I am a GK guy, if you couldn't tell, because they have a very clean, true sound in my opinion and their heads are a bit bright when set flat but you can EQ them to do anything IMO.

Sounds like a road trip to London or somewhere with bass shops is in order!

Theres a PMT store near me, it's not bad but theres only a small corner for bass stuff and it's mainly practice amps, there's a couple of cabs but nothing worth travelling for really, they only have 1 or 2 cabs at a time. The bass I use at the moment, Peavey Millenium AC, is kind of funky, although the strings I have at the moment don't sound too funky. I've heard so many great things about Ampeg but I guess I'll have to try them out myself, plus all the ampeg gear I've seen looks very expensive.

[Montanamike]

Originally Posted by ClaytonMUSE

Theres a PMT store near me, it's not bad but theres only a small corner for bass stuff and it's mainly practice amps, there's a couple of cabs but nothing worth travelling for really, they only have 1 or 2 cabs at a time. The bass I use at the moment, Peavey Millenium AC, is kind of funky, although the strings I have at the moment don't sound too funky. I've heard so many great things about Ampeg but I guess I'll have to try them out myself, plus all the ampeg gear I've seen looks very expensive.

Job# 1 buy strings and learn how to install them if you don't already know how. Lots of great articles on line and not brain surgery.

Job #2 take your time buying, this is a very important and potentially life changing purchase.

Job #3 listen to me try and not piss-off the Ampeg users. Their gear and the guys who play the gear are great but the company has changed ownership a few times and has now moved 100% off shore, even engineering. They have had spotty quality issues and the company isn't what it used to be. The cabs tend to have a grungy rock sound, just not my thing, since they lack the versatility other makers offer. Rant over.

Did you check out the UK bass site?

[TheDude007]

Originally Posted by Montanamike

If you decide to buy a combo the new GK MB combos rock and have tons of power, great bang for the buck too. The mb112, mb115, and the mb210 should be in your price range.

+1
If you ask me, one of these would easily be your best bet. They're about as light as they come, and have TONS of sound to them. I would recommend probably the 115 for your situation. Of course the nice thing about the 210 is that if it turns out to not be enough down the road, you can always run an extension cab to it.

Good luck to you in the never ending quest!

[ClaytonMUSE]

Originally Posted by Montanamike

Job# 1 buy strings and learn how to install them if you don't already know how. Lots of great articles on line and not brain surgery.

Job #2 take your time buying, this is a very important and potentially life changing purchase.

Job #3 listen to me try and not piss-off the Ampeg users. Their gear and the guys who play the gear are great but the company has changed ownership a few times and has now moved 100% off shore, even engineering. They have had spotty quality issues and the company isn't what it used to be. The cabs tend to have a grungy rock sound, just not my thing, since they lack the versatility other makers offer. Rant over.

Did you check out the UK bass site?

These are a set of Stadium Elites standard gauge, to be honest, I bought them because my favorite bass player favoured them when he was my age (I'm obsessed) turns out they aren't the right set for me.

Yeah I intend to take as much time as it needs until I find the right set for me, I'm gonna drag my dad around the country to look for some deals and try out a few

I'm looking for more of a funk sound, I love the sound of a nice clean, funky tone.

[TrevorOfDoom]

you're in England, so have you checked out Ashdown?

[ClaytonMUSE]

Originally Posted by TrevorOfDoom

you're in England, so have you checked out Ashdown?

I have now! I'd heard of them but I didn't think they were UK based, which is good. The MAG C410T-300 EVO II Combo is in my price range and looks like a really good combo, anyones opinion on this?

[Montanamike]

Originally Posted by ClaytonMUSE

I'm looking for more of a funk sound, I love the sound of a nice clean, funky tone.

Funk is in the fingers and in the soul. Good luck

[MJ5150]

Trace Elliot is an English brand as well and of good quality. Especially the older stuff. Probably out of your price range, but Hughes & Kettner is in Europe and they make excellent bass amplification products.

-Mike

[ClaytonMUSE]

Originally Posted by MJ5150

Trace Elliot is an English brand as well and of good quality. Especially the older stuff. Probably out of your price range, but Hughes & Kettner is in Europe and they make excellent bass amplification products.

-Mike

Yeah I saw the Trace Elliot stuff, alot of it is way out of my price range. I'll be sure to check out the Hughes & Kettner though, thanks!