• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Amp/Cab Opinions...

Christcr

Christcr

Supporting Member
Feb 8, 2015
1,127
2,387
Utah
#1
So I really keep up on basses from the companies I'm most interested in, but not so much amps. I've been using a Fender Rumble 500 Combo w/210 extension cab for many years. I can't complain at all. It's been a great amp and never let me down. Sounds good, although it can be a bit "boxy" and can fart out at high volume. But I seldom have to run it at those high volumes (it's nice to have the power when you need it though).

Anyway, I've been considering a new amp/cabs. I don't really want an amp that is "overly colored" and has it's "own sound." So I'm not interested in like a "darkglass sound" or a "high fi sound," I mostly just want a clear representation of whatever bass I plug into it and of course, some shaping ability for the acoustics at the gigs. I very, very rarely do distortion/overdrive or extreme EQing. I don't want/need an amp/tube simulator (I've never heard one that didn't sound muddy/soupy/fake and compressed to my ears). I play everything from classic rock to hard rock to Latin to funk/soul to classic pop to classic country. I've narrowed it down to the following and would like any opinions or experiences with these companies:

1) Mesa Boogie TT-800 w/112 Subway cab and 115 Subway cab.

2) Genzler Magellan 800 head w/Nu Classic 112T cab and NU Classic 115T cab.

3) Gallien Krueger - haven't completely researched the specifics, but a head (Legacy 1200?), 1x12 cab and 1x15 cab.

4) Hartke 1000 watt head (the one with the very simple control layout) and 1x12 cab and 1x15 cab.

I've been kind of leaning toward the Mesa or Genzler, but Youtube videos can only be so helpful and I've never played or heard one live. Opinions?
 
Last edited:
#2
Hartke H1000 - I don't recommend this one. It's the Fender tone stack and the knobs are not very versatile. For the flat settings on this head it's Bass & Treble at about 2/10 and Mids at 10/10. You mentioned you wanted to adjust your tone easily at shows. This head will not get you there.

Why are you specifically looking for a 12 and 15 with all of the rigs?

For something not heavily colored and easily to dial in at shows, I recommend the Mesa D800 or D800+. My guess is that you get about 20% Mesa tone and 80% your bass tone. Both are easy to dial-in, loud, and reliable. I have been using my D800 for over 5 years. No issues at all.

I don't have experience with the other heads/rigs.
 
Last edited:
#3
I can't possibly recommend anything better than the TT and Subway cabs. I own tue TT and two 115s. Hooooooooly crap is that rig VERSATILE!

Lightweight? Yup.

Loud? Stupid loud.

The dang thing even LOOKS great.

But the tone(s)....

It really will do ooey gooey warm, or squeaky clean, or anything in between.

I set mine up for warmth on the Boogie channel. I run that about 80% of the time with my neck (P bass) pickup soloed.

The Subway channel is EQed pretty extreme. I have a dual coil pickup at the bridge. That pickup isn't as fat sounding as a Ray, so I really beef it up with the Su way EQ to get me into Ray territory.

But I have had the rig for a while now. I'm still blown away by it every time I take it out. Best bass gear money I ever spent. And I've been playe for 35+ years.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Murch and prom311
#4
Christcr said:
So I really keep up on basses from the companies I'm most interested in, but not so much amps. I've been using a Fender Rumble 500 Combo w/210 extension cab for many years. I can't complain at all. It's been a great amp and never let me down. Sounds good, although it can be a bit "boxy" and can fart out at high volume. But I seldom have to run it at those high volumes (it's nice to have the power when you need it though).

Anyway, I've been considering a new amp/cabs. I don't really want an amp that is "overly colored" and has it's "own sound." So I'm not interested in like a "darkglass sound" or a "high fi sound," I mostly just want a clear representation of whatever bass I plug into it and of course, some shaping ability for the acoustics at the gigs. I very, very rarely do distortion/overdrive or extreme EQing. I don't want/need an amp/tube simulator (I've never heard one that didn't sound muddy/soupy/fake and compressed to my ears). I play everything from classic rock to hard rock to Latin to funk/soul to classic pop to classic country. I've narrowed it down to the following and would like any opinions or experiences with these companies:

1) Mesa Boogie TT-800 w/112 Subway cab and 115 Subway cab.

2) Genzler Magellan 800 head w/Nu Classic 112T cab and NU Classic 115T cab.

3) Gallien Krueger - haven't completely researched the specifics, but a head (Legacy 1200?), 1x12 cab and 1x15 cab.

4) Hartke 1000 watt head (the one with the very simple control layout) and 1x12 cab and 1x15 cab.

I've been kind of leaning toward the Mesa or Genzler, but Youtube videos can only be so helpful and I've never played or heard one live. Opinions?
Click to expand...
I've owned Genzler, GK and Mesa heads. I've not owned any Hartke so can't offer anything on that. But, my personal choice would be the Mesa followed by the Genzler.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Al Kraft
#5
Well, so far, everyone has gone in the direction I've kind of been leaning: the Mesa. And I like the idea of having the two channels on the TT.

As for the 112 and 115 thing--it's mainly so I can be "modular" for difference sized gigs. Just the 12 for smaller gigs and both for the earache-inducing gigs. Right now, my rig is all 10 inch speakers (210 cabs). They are fine, but I sort of miss the 15s and 12s I've had in the past. That was my favorite rig way back when: it was a Carvin head and Avatar 112 and 115. The thing could shake the rafters or be really quiet yet defined and still have a warm bottom end. But the head was annoyingly heavy. How bass amp technology has changed!
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrThumpenstein
#7
I have been in search of that magical tone for many years. From old school tube amps, hybrid tube preamps, and all SS. And I have recently stopped the search. I recently purchased the TT-800 and paired it with Subway 115 and found my sweet spot. It is clearly the most versatile amp I have owned and the 115 is as tight as a 12. Love this setup as it checks all of my boxes. And the biggest bonus? The Gentleman that built and designed this amp (and many more amps) is on this forum sharing his many decades of experience in the industry.
 
  • Like
Reactions: prom311 and MaxSpinrun
#8
I have recommended Traynor here before, and will continue to do so. Great value for the dollar (and made in Canada). I use their combos and also this amp & cab. 500 watt head and 2 x 10 cab.
ACAD1932-B212-4666-A7ED-E20953912A3B.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blues Bass 2, Murch, edencab and 1 other person
#12
Michael Milner said:
I have recommended Traynor here before, and will continue to do so. Great value for the dollar (and made in Canada). I use their combos and also this amp & cab. 500 watt head and 2 x 10 cab. View attachment 4865048
Click to expand...

Traynor has caught my attention recently too. They seem to be a "best kept secret", even though they've been in business for years. Michael, is that an SB500 in the photo?
 
#15
I’ve played the Genzler Magellan 800 since they came out and have zero gas for anything else.
It’s easy to dial in multiple great tones. it’s very versatile with the drive channel and two different channels.
And the man himself, Jeff Genzler, is frequently posting on this site and has the best customer service I could ever want. It’s not often you will hear the owner of a company say “message me so we can solve your problem”
Great product, great company.
 
  • Like
Reactions: DrThumpenstein and BOOG
#16
Christcr said:
Well, so far, everyone has gone in the direction I've kind of been leaning: the Mesa. And I like the idea of having the two channels on the TT.

As for the 112 and 115 thing--it's mainly so I can be "modular" for difference sized gigs. Just the 12 for smaller gigs and both for the earache-inducing gigs. Right now, my rig is all 10 inch speakers (210 cabs). They are fine, but I sort of miss the 15s and 12s I've had in the past. That was my favorite rig way back when: it was a Carvin head and Avatar 112 and 115. The thing could shake the rafters or be really quiet yet defined and still have a warm bottom end. But the head was annoyingly heavy. How bass amp technology has changed!
Click to expand...
Yeah, we’re in a great era for bass amplification.

Another plug for Mesa here. I’m currently using the WD-800 with the Subway 112 & 115 cabs. I love the versatility that you mention. The 12 or 15 alone can cover small to medium sized rooms (but they sound so good together that I usually bring both!) The voicing across the range of Subway cabs sounds great with different combinations or doubled up, and I’ve played all the combinations except the 410. No bad choices in the Subway lineup.

The heads have different features and voicing too, which can make choosing a little trickier if you can’t try them out. But there’s not one that sounds bad, just different flavors (and features).
 
#18
I think the Darkglass 900v2 no more coloured than anything else.
Of course, its got a OD stage that dominates the amp, as well as a graphic and I'd not make much use of either, but it ran pretty clean when not dialed in.
Whether you need to pay for those two elements is another question, but I'd say it can definitely do clean, ime.
(I only didnt buy it because I like simple uncluttered amps)
 
#19
@Christcr I've been on the same exact quest with very similar requirements. My shortlist is (no particular order):
Traynor
Trickfish Amplification (Mike Pope helped with design)
Phil Jones Bass

I dont have any experience... just more searching, reading, and asking questions about them than I care to admit. I really like what I've heard from Trickfish. All of the Trickfish amps can be used without a cab for practice according to an email I got from them.
 
#20
Christcr said:
So I really keep up on basses from the companies I'm most interested in, but not so much amps. I've been using a Fender Rumble 500 Combo w/210 extension cab for many years. I can't complain at all. It's been a great amp and never let me down. Sounds good, although it can be a bit "boxy" and can fart out at high volume. But I seldom have to run it at those high volumes (it's nice to have the power when you need it though).

Anyway, I've been considering a new amp/cabs. I don't really want an amp that is "overly colored" and has it's "own sound." So I'm not interested in like a "darkglass sound" or a "high fi sound," I mostly just want a clear representation of whatever bass I plug into it and of course, some shaping ability for the acoustics at the gigs. I very, very rarely do distortion/overdrive or extreme EQing. I don't want/need an amp/tube simulator (I've never heard one that didn't sound muddy/soupy/fake and compressed to my ears). I play everything from classic rock to hard rock to Latin to funk/soul to classic pop to classic country. I've narrowed it down to the following and would like any opinions or experiences with these companies:

1) Mesa Boogie TT-800 w/112 Subway cab and 115 Subway cab.

2) Genzler Magellan 800 head w/Nu Classic 112T cab and NU Classic 115T cab.

3) Gallien Krueger - haven't completely researched the specifics, but a head (Legacy 1200?), 1x12 cab and 1x15 cab.

4) Hartke 1000 watt head (the one with the very simple control layout) and 1x12 cab and 1x15 cab.

I've been kind of leaning toward the Mesa or Genzler, but Youtube videos can only be so helpful and I've never played or heard one live. Opinions?
Click to expand...
Take a close look at the DNA gear, specifically the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] amp and the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] cabs. The sound is clear, clean, and articulate with a very low and tight bottom end. I bought a DNS-410 cab back in 2015 expecting it to be the last cab I'd need to buy. Sonic qualities were/are amazing, it handles 1400-watts, and has a max SPL of 137db. An 800-watt amp will drive that to 134db. I paired that with my Eden WT500/800 and ran it bridged at 800-watts into it. Playing indoors, I usually set the master at 9 o'clock or 9:30 in a large room. Outside I ran it at 9:30. At outdoor music festivals, I got told to turn down if I snuck the master up to 10:30. So I would set it at about 10:15 and all was right with the world. It's a very loud and very clear cab. Good news is that I never need to lug around an 810 cab to be loud enough.

Bad news was that small club owners would see me rolling in my 410 and go nuts, usually forcing me to use some little 112 combo. So I needed something for small clubs too. So,in 2019 when I was accepted into the DNA Endorsing Artist group, I bought the DNS-210 cab because no one looks sideways at a bass player bringing in a 210. And it not only has the same sonic characteristics, it's crazy loud too. It will handle 700-watts rms and has a max SPL of 134db.

So I bought that 210 expecting to use it at small and medium venues and still use my 410 for large rooms, outdoor venues, and music festivals. I found out real quick that the single 210 cab driven with an 800-watt amp would handle all of my indoor venues. So now I reserve my DNS-410 for outdoor venues and music festivals. If I had known all this ahead of time, I would have bought the 210 first and then bought a second one for outdoor venues and music festivals because that's all I ended up needing.

Street price on the DNS-210 is $849. The DNS-410 is typically around $1149. Here's a pic of the two when I first bought the DNS-210 and stacked the 210 on top of the 410. Only plugged in the DNS-210 here and my 410 was just an expensive amp stand that night.

upload_2022-11-6_12-45-35.png


The DNA-800 amp is a class D amp and weighs just 4.8-lbs. Unlike most of the Eden amps that David designed, this has a simplified EQ with Bass at 35Hz, low-mid at 500Hz, high-mid at 2KHz, and treble controlling everything above 2KHz. It also has a Shape control that boosts the bass, slowly cuts low-mids, and slowly boosts the treble. I dial in a great sound with my passive Jazz Bass with the Bass EQ boosted to about 1 o'clock and the low-mids boosted to 1:30. With the shape off that sounds great. I can get a similar sound with the shape up at around 8:30 and a boost in the low-mids to about 2 o'clock (to compensate for slight scooping from Shape control). Between the regular EQ and the Shape control you can dial in just about anything.

It also has a built-in compressor with adjustable threshold and ratio. It's very versatile and can give you everything from a little extra sustain to elephant foot compression. And this amp is absolutely dead quiet. There isn't even a fan inside so no worries if you're recording by mic'ing your gear or the room. Has a DI with adjustable level, Aux In with adjustable level, optional footswitch, slave in jack, fx send and return, turner out which is not disconnected when using the mute button on front of the amp and a rear input too. The rear input is and either or not both connection. I use mine to plug in my wireless instead of stacking my wireless on top of the amp and plugging it into the front input, just because it looks cleaner. Despite the "Min Load 4 ohm" on the back of the amp, there is an update in the manual saying it can also be used with a 2Ω load delivering "almost full power". Street price on the DNA-800 is $799

upload_2022-9-5_1-32-48.png
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back