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Amp Makers with Best Quality / Support

#24
McBass18 said:
Thanks for all the great thoughts. I inherited my Dad's old SVT when he passed, but I keep it in the house. Unfortunately, the Ampeg name doesn't seem to mean what it once did.
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Gotta disagree. Even in the old glory days, Ampeg would come out with occasional duds and problematic new amps. All major companies do. Their first attempts at solid state in the 60's didn't exactly set the world on fire, although some of them did overheat real good :D But I have a lot of newish Ampeg stuff that all runs great, including 4 of their lightweight heads and 3 BA combos. The PF500 did have some problems out of the gate, but they've been fixed for a good couple years. The B100R wasn't produced long by the company that owns Ampeg now, so most of them were made by the old company, and despite yours going south on you, they've become quite sought after on the used market. They also improved the quality of the cabs by a longshot in recent years. Yeah, I'm an endorser, but I still have to pay for my gear and I don't want to get caught short on a gig, either. But I've got a couple real choice vintage Ampegs and I mostly stick to the new stuff, although I do still trot out the 64 B-15N sometimes.
 
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#27
Listen to JimmyM, he knows his stuff.

I love my Aguilar gear. It's been super reliable and sounds great.
Only heard good things about their customer service too (never needed to use it..touch wood)

However, regardless of brand, if you go for and amp thats the best quality, best sounding and best suited to your needs and budget, you'll be happy.

And don't take a risk on
something just to save yourself a couple of bucks..

MC
 
#28
Chili Bo Billy said:
Traynor has one of the best warranties for their amp
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+1 The YBA300 I Bought from Thomann in Germany (I'm in Australia ) arrived with a not so great packing job & the amp powered up and have me a sweet sweet tone -for about 15 seconds-then cut out altogether.
Traynor came to the party immediately, saying that I could take it to my trusted tube amp tech locally and it'd be covered under warranty! Above & beyond imo!
Well done Traynor.
& FYI - it was a multi-pin connector that'd come loose in its journey halfway around the globe, & was a 15 min fix. ..... great CS, great amp!
 
#30
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#32
1bassplayin said:
GK is very reliable stuff and their customer service is outstanding.
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I love my Gk amps, its all I want to play but ive had TONS of problems with them, amps and cabs.

They lasted 5-6 years before the problems showed up and the customer service is top notch.

I love my Gk tone so much i have it repaired, but yeah, my experience is not good in"Gk is rock solid" department
 
#33
One more vote for GK! Never had a single issue with them, amps or cabs, all sound great and can get any tone I've ever wanted or tried to get. I've contacted CS to ask questions, and they're always friendly. Even had one of their employees emailing me back and forth on a Sunday afternoon! You can find a variety of their gear used, but if you insist on going new, I recommend getting a quote from RMCaudiodirect.com . Their posted prices are higher than if you request a quote. I just checked into an MB Fusion 500, and their quote was within your price range.
 
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#35
I currently have a GK MB500 Fusion and love it! Had it just over a year (20+ shows and weekly rehearsals) and it's been exactly what I needed!

I've owned a Carvin BX500 a few years ago and it was a solid, clean sounding amp! I'm actually looking for another one on the used market to use as a backup. Every time I play thru an Aggie TH500 I want one!!

I've never needed CS support for any of the amps I've bought, knock on wood, but hear GK/Carvin/Aguilar have amazing support!

...I'm also really excited to see what Genzler Amplification brings to the table. I owned a ShuttleMax 12.0 for a few good while and it was stellar!!
 
#39
JimmyM said:
Gotta disagree. Even in the old glory days, Ampeg would come out with occasional duds and problematic new amps. All major companies do. Their first attempts at solid state in the 60's didn't exactly set the world on fire, although some of them did overheat real good :D But I have a lot of newish Ampeg stuff that all runs great, including 4 of their lightweight heads and 3 BA combos. The PF500 did have some problems out of the gate, but they've been fixed for a good couple years. The B100R wasn't produced long by the company that owns Ampeg now, so most of them were made by the old company, and despite yours going south on you, they've become quite sought after on the used market. They also improved the quality of the cabs by a longshot in recent years. Yeah, I'm an endorser, but I still have to pay for my gear and I don't want to get caught short on a gig, either. But I've got a couple real choice vintage Ampegs and I mostly stick to the new stuff, although I do still trot out the 64 B-15N sometimes.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input @JimmyM. I guess everyone's experience is different. The PF-500 I got was built just last year (based on serial and board rev. #), but not being the original owner and without a receipt I was out of luck. From what I've read, if you get a good one it's great. However, Murphy's Law seems to apply to me and new Ampeg products. So I'm going to stay away. I'm glad you've had a positive experience though!

I'm leaning towards a GK or an Aguilar based on what I've read here. I do have a Rumble-150 head at my practice space that I've never had a problem with it (so props to those who recommended the Rumble series).

I have OCD (for real, not just the self-diagnosed kind (-;). So having something I don't have to worry about will be great! Thanks to everyone for the sage advice!
 
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#40
Chili Bo Billy said:
Traynor has one of the best warranties for their amp
Click to expand...
Got to agree. They are a company so easy to deal with and their tightly controlled in-house manufacturing process in Canada maintains extreme high quality. They will repair their equipment "even if you break it". But out of many years of using their products, I think around 10 years ago, I only had one Yorkville Sound failure and they overnighted me the replacement at their expense - wow. I absolutely love my SB500H and consider it one of the top micro-amps out there.
 

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