Recommendations for amp to use for both gigging and practice/ jamming etc?

[Parkin92]

Hi all,

I'm trying to find an amp for using both to practise with but more importantly to gig with. It needs to be loud, (the guitarist in our band has a very loud valve amp but I play a lot of lead bass lines so I need to stand out when needed) it also needs to be able to fuzz and distort well with a good clean sound as well I use a broad range of sounds. Having two or more channels would be quite handy too.

If it helps I'm using a Sterling Ball Ray 34 (2010), with a Digitech BP200 Multi-effects Pedal, sometimes with a Big Muff Distortion/fuzz pedal and a digitech Synth Wah pedal.

Now THE MAIN QUESTION; What amp would you suggest? I'm not picky over whether it's a combo or cab & head. My budget is stretchable upto around £500 ish, although the cheaper the better (obviously).

I've been looking at a fair few different amps, and I'm not overly fussy about what brand it is providing I get my moneys worth.

So the Combos...
I've been looking at the Marshall MB4210. Any thoughts on this one in particular as I'm considering getting this one? I've also been looking at a few Line6 Lowdowns aswell as Behringer, peavy, ashdown etc.

As for Cabs and Heads, Ive been looking at Marshall MBC410 Bass Cabinet, and theMarshall MB450H Bass Head. Your thoughts?

I know Ive written and asked a lot, any suggestions and comments not matter how small would be greatly appreciated!

Best wishes,

Craig,

[lbwdog]

Welcome to Talkbass.....A few tips for you.
It's very helpful to fill out your profile if you want good advice. As it stands, we don't know where you live, so it's hard for other members to recommend gear for you. Much gear readily available in the U.S., isn't available in other countries.

I'm guessing you're from the U.K., since you spell practice with an "s" rather than a "c", and you asked about two Marshall amps. Marshall is not as common here.

Also, your profile would tell us about your musical preferences, your age, etc. All that is designed to help us help you.

My best advice would be to forget Behringer, put G-K on your list, and read previous threads in the amp forums. There's a wealth of information already posted, and would give you a lot more insight into what you're looking for......good luck.

[Russell L]

I just bought a Markbass CMD 121H combo a couple of years ago. I love it. Now I'm about to add another 12" cab to it to give me 500w with the two 12s. The combo only weighs 39 lbs. The cab is only 34lbs. I bet this rig will blow down most other heavy rigs.

[cchorney]

I would make sure whatever amp I got had a direct out so I could play thru the band's PA, because its crazy hard to keep up with loud guitar players with an affordable bass combo or amp/cab combo. Better to just get a decent bass amp for use as a monitor and then let the PA do the heavy lifting. The reason for this is that the rule of thumb is tube amps are 3 times louder than solid state amps, and the bass player should have 3 times the wattage of the guitar player - so if your guitar player is pushing 50 watts on a tube amp, thats the equivalent of a 150 watt solid state amp, which means you would need 450 watts (RMS, not peak) on your solid state amp to keep up. And since you want to be running distortion, I would add a bunch more head room and speaker capacity on top of that.

Or, like I said, just get a smaller cheaper kit with a direct out and play thru the PA.

[nocontrols]

You can go direct to PA any time this is offered.

Most people really like the FEEL of air being pushed by a proper amp, though, and the only way to do this is with speakers. Sometimes people try to go with a lightweight solution but there's no substituting... not for bassists. A big, honkin set of speaker cabs is the best for gigs. I recommend getting a 600w head, which is enough headroom for anyone, and then being done with your search for an amp. If you're at that point, you can increase volume with bigger or more speakers... simple as that.

A full-sized rig is expensive!

For solo practicing, just get a super tiny combo and that'll be enough to fill your bedroom or apartment or whatever. For rehearsal and for gigs, you'll need something a lot bigger. Personally, I never understood why some people attempt to bridge the gap and get an "all in one" solution that works for everything. It's easier just to leave your practice amp at home, use it for solo practice sessions and woodshedding, and then get something SERIOUS for playing live.

[nocontrols]

Oh, and as for specific recommendations... I gotta recommend you save up money. If you're trying to fight with a guitarist who's using a tube amp, you're going to need some muscle and a proper, powerful stack is going to cost you. For the amount of money you have, you could get a lot of good sounding combos but you might get drowned out if you've only got a 200w combo... might not be enough headroom.

As it's been mentioned above, you could go direct to the house PA. But serious rigs typically cost a lot of money, there's no easy way around it. (Peavey and GK tend to be a good value)

[Parkin92]

Thanks for the advice everyone,

@lbwdog, thanks for the advice. I've just edited my profile a bit (I set it up last night at 2:30 am so didn't even consider the profile info haha), hopefully it will be a bit more useful.

I'll try to address as many points as I can in one go;
If it helps here's the link to the Marshall MB4210:
Marshall Amps :: MB4210

As far as my budget goes... it can go up if required I'm just trying to avoid using all my wages when I'm saving up for a flat.

@nocontrols, I know where you're coming from about solo practising. I do currently have a small 15watt Line6 Lowdown LD15, however I like to experiment with different effects when I practise alone, which is no problem until I try to repilicate it at a higher volumes in band practise sessions etc, so like you say I need something bigger.

Our guitarist is using a 50 watt Valve, so like has been suggested, I'm looking at 450 Watt minimum.

As for the issues with availablity of equipment in the UK or US, I could give two links to shops I use? (I'll give them anyway)
R&B Music Shop, Aberdeen, Scotland | Amplification > Fender
-This one ^ is a small local shop where I saw and tried the Marshall Amp (Good music shops are hard to come by in Aberdeenshire, but this one's overall the best but doesn't show it's full range online annoyingly)
GAK
-This one ^ is an online shop I've used a lot hopefully it should give you an idea of what is available.

I'm quite interested in Ashdown, Peavey and GK. Does anyone have any recommendations of combos OR Cab/Head options?

Thanks again,
Craig

[Yahtzee89]

Have you thought about an Orange Bass Terror??

It's more than your budget (as you'll need a cab as well), but it will sound better than anything within your price range IMO.

It's got the power and great rock sound (though not much else, a versatile amp it is not).

[Parkin92]

Hey again,
Just found this, Behringer Bugera BVP5500 Classic 550-Watt
Was wondering what your thoughts on this were? Do you think its worth considering?
I know it was suggested that I forget Behringer, but the 550-watt and valve aspects caught my eye.

Craig,

[Gearhead17]

Originally Posted by Parkin92

Hey again,
Just found this, Behringer Bugera BVP5500 Classic 550-Watt
Was wondering what your thoughts on this were? Do you think its worth considering?
I know it was suggested that I forget Behringer, but the 550-watt and valve aspects caught my eye.

Craig,

Behringer is cheap junk made in China. The gear does work and will put out bass tones, but do not expect it to last long.

I highly suggest you look for used gear. A head that will do more than 400 watts will be helpful along with a 410 is key here. A 410 for practice and using the same one for shows is a good move. After a while, you can leave the 410 in a practice space and buy something better for shows.

"Ashdown, Peavey and GK"

All decent gear that you should check out. Type in Gallien Krueger in the search box of talkbass and check it out. Go on youtube and listen (with GOOD headphones) what other people sound like playing the gear.

Stay away from combo amps - generally speaking, they are comprised of cheap speakers in a VERY small enclosure. The wattage means nothing on those units because the speakers are not going to get loud enough to get over the drummer.

[Russell L]

There is NOTHING CHEAP about my Markbass combo.

[Parkin92]

What's peoples thoughts on the ASHDOWN 550 SPYDER? ASHDOWN 550 SPYDER - Thomann UK Cyberstore

Also what do you think of this Marshall Amp Head? Marshall MB450H Bass Head
P.s your views on the deals offered for it below would be appreciated

Craig

[Gearhead17]

Originally Posted by Russell L

There is NOTHING CHEAP about my Markbass combo.

Markbass makes some great combos! No offense to your gear at all. I should have said "budget priced combos". There are many Ampeg BA series combos, Acoustic combos, Fender Rumble series, and so on that really do not cut it in a live situation. These are examples of too many features in too small of an enclosure.

[Electricblue]

Get a decent size head (>400w) with DI.

You can use it with one small cab for jamming.

You can use it with one big cab for small gigs.

You can use it with two big cabs for large gigs.

You can use it with DI into the PA for huge gigs.

There really is no small option for bassists.

[lbwdog]

Marshall and Ashdown are not as common here as in the U.K., but one of the best values over here is G-K (IMO).
The amps are loud and priced reasonably whether new or used.

You might be able to get MarkBass cheaper over there, and it's a good quality amp also.