R500,terror bass or little bastard

Marchurren · #1 03-02-2011, 05:52 AM

hi im looking at buying a smallish bass amp head and the main three that im really looking at in my price range are the markbass r500, orange terror bass or ashdown little bastard. wondered if anyone had any opinions on any of these or other suggestions in that sort of criteria. i like the idea of an amp thats capable of breaking up a bit but also nice clean tones aswell. hasnt got to be amazingly loud just enough for small gigs i guess. probably be playing fingerstyle 90% of the time and favour a more vintagey rich tone rather than a really modern style cheers marc

theblackshades · #2 03-02-2011, 05:53 AM

I like the tiny terror. If I weren't so hell bent on having a tube amp, I'd have one of those by now

Marchurren · #3 03-02-2011, 07:06 AM

Cheers man the terror does seem the most popular choice. No one seems to know much about the other two. I'm gonna also have a really good look at the Aguilar tone hammer 500

LuvMusic · #4 03-02-2011, 08:22 AM

Two out of the three amps you mentioned are higher output amps, 300w+. The Little Bastard is 30w. If power is a consideration, the LB probably won't fit your need. For gigging you'd be relying on using the DI with a PA or other support.

I have both a MB 102 combo and a LB. I don't consider them equal, they are different and I love them both.

Marchurren · #5 03-02-2011, 09:40 AM

Good point but I'd probably go into the pa anyway 9 times out of 10 I guess. Having mainly played guitar I like the idea of an all tube amp and the lb does look and sound pretty cool from what I've seen of it. I really like the look of the Aguilar tone hammer amp tho just wonder if it's a bit pricey for what it is?

tombowlus · #6 03-02-2011, 09:50 AM

Tonally, I think that the Little Bastard would probably nail what you are after, but might not have the juice you're looking for. The Terror Bass 500 is going to be plenty loud (and then some!), but generally has a harder edge and more bite than the Little Bastard (which is fairly warm/round/rich).

You might also want to consider a Mesa/Boogie WalkAbout, Genz-Benz Streamliner 600/900, or one of the new Ampeg Portaflex heads (PF350 or PF500). Even though they are all solid state, those PF heads (much like the Micro-VR) can cop some great tube-like tones (in an Ampeg context, of course).