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Amp hunting for beginners?

#21
Have to play it by ear really. Try to avoid obvious damage, large knocks, broken dials and lots of rust are generally worth avoiding. If there are claims like "one speaker not working", it's probably been through over work so you don't know what state the working speakers are actually in (but on saying I had a guitar cab which had that problem, because of which it went pretty cheap, the connector had simply slid off the rear of the speaker, a quick crimp later and it was sorted).

If you can, try and try the amp before buying. Just to play it for a few minutes to see if there is anything clearly wrong (crackling, static, volume all over the shop etc).

I'm sure others will chime in with other points to keep your eyes open for.
 
#23
I was in your situation not long ago. I couldn't find anything used that was inexpensive enough so I bought a new Genz Benz 3.0 micro head and a Gallien Krueger NEO II 112. Total for both was around $600.

If I get in a situation where I need more volume I can easily find another matching cab. I am not there yet though.
 
#24
Topping my short list would certainly be a Fender Rumble 350 and Ampeg BA115HP (not necessarily in that order), even if you have to purchase pre-owned. They are both solid performers, great tone, can be had at a reasonable price, and loud.
 
#25
Masashi is God said:
Dude check out your local gumtree too, at least you can try the amp first, which can be a bit tricky with the bay...
Click to expand...

Another good option, though you can still look within certain geographical locations on ebay and all the sellers I've dealt with directly were fine with trying it out before handing over the cash.


hgiles said:
I was in your situation not long ago. I couldn't find anything used that was inexpensive enough so I bought a new Genz Benz 3.0 micro head and a Gallien Krueger NEO II 112. Total for both was around $600.

If I get in a situation where I need more volume I can easily find another matching cab. I am not there yet though.
Click to expand...

New the 3.0 was over £500 :(
 
#26
Again, thanks for all your responses guys. After spending quite a while searching the internet, I "think" I've come across a good cab, but now I'm left at the head. If the cab I've got in mind is 300 watts RMS, 8 ohms, then I should be aiming for a amp with 300 watts and 4 ohms, right? Or over 300, to my understanding. So I now ask of you, wonderful TalkBass community, if you know of any cheap-ish second hand amp heads, that would fit that criteria?
 
#27
When comes to heads, spend some time playng it and manipulate all the controls to see that they work and aren't scratchy/dirty. Ask the owner why he is selling and try and suss out if he is hiding something. Look at the back and make sure the jacks are tight and function properly. As for cabs listen to the speakers at all volumes for rattles and abnormal distortion, sometimes you have to set the rig in the center of a room because it could make things on the wall rattle. Used is a good way to go for the bang for the buck factor, but it is easy to get burned too.If for any reason you have doubts , walk away. There is alot of used gear out there, especially if you live near a big city. Hope that helps! Good luck!
 
#30
vrtcl said:
Again, thanks for all your responses guys. After spending quite a while searching the internet, I "think" I've come across a good cab, but now I'm left at the head. If the cab I've got in mind is 300 watts RMS, 8 ohms, then I should be aiming for a amp with 300 watts and 4 ohms, right? Or over 300, to my understanding. So I now ask of you, wonderful TalkBass community, if you know of any cheap-ish second hand amp heads, that would fit that criteria?
Click to expand...

I'll assume it's a solid state amplifier, so it'll be 4 ohm minimum, which means you'll be fine running it into an 8 ohm cab, it'll probably run at about half the power (so around 150 watts, but half power isn't really an audible difference).

Think of the wattage rating on a speaker cabinet as the capacity it can handle safely, so you'll be fine (also keeping in mind that it's unlikely you'd ever be running the amp so hard that it's actually putting out it's full 300 watts RMS (at 4 ohms)).


hgiles said:
the gb 3.0 was recently closed out at bassplace for $320 or so.... GK Neo II 112 was about the same price.
Click to expand...

Sadly we don't get the same prices in the UK :(

However, at least with the micro amps it's less of a hassle to ship them if you find a seller that is willing. Though the import duties would add a bit :(
 

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