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Amp RECOMMENDATION Needed.....

DPG003

DPG003

Guest
Oct 15, 2011
145
36
#1
I am a guitarist switching to bass and I am putting together my rig. I have a G&L L2500 Tribute bass and I just purchased a GB Neox 112T cab from TB member Lomo. Will possibly add another 112 at some point.

I'm looking for a head to match with the cab. I will be playing with a pick most of the time. Music styles will include everything from 70' Classic Rock to Modern Rock/Metal and Praise & Worship. I need a head that can cover those basses. Playingin front of 200-300 people.

I have been considering some of the smaller size amps like the Ampeg PF500 - Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 & GK MB500. Unfortunately I don't really have a way to be able to try them out. I know some amps have their trademark sound that may or may not be the best choice for those styles of music and the fact that I will be playing with a pick. Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks
 
#3
Any of the 3, my personal favorite is the G-K. However 200-300 people with a single 12" is not going to happen. You will not be playing guitar, bass needs not only amp power but speaker area. I would suggest the Genz and have a matching rig. Get the second 12" cab ASAP if you don't have PA support!
 
#4
B-string said:
Any of the 3, my personal favorite is the G-K. However 200-300 people with a single 12" is not going to happen. You will not be playing guitar, bass needs not only amp power but speaker area. I would suggest the Genz and have a matching rig. Get the second 12" cab ASAP if you don't have PA support!
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+1

OP, the different amps do have inherent voicings but with a little twist of a knob or 2, any of them can sound good in any kind of music. It isn't quite the "fender for clean tone, marshall for crunchy rock and mesa for metal" thing of the guitar world. And get that second 12. Bass needs to displace a lot of air to get the lowend out there anywhere near as loud as a 112 combo can do it with guitar. Even in smaller settings, it's easier on the equipment to let the pair cruise along comfortably rather than wring every last ounce of performance out of one. 112's are for playing along with acoustic guitars in coffeeshops. 212's is an electric gig rig.
 
#6
scottfeldstein said:
Totally. Any of those will probably make you smile, but I have the GK MB500.

And, dude--this isn't guitar. Let me tell you a story.

Once upon a time there was a magical land called bass guitarville where you needed 200w and 410 minimum to be heard.

The end.
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+1

And they lived happily ever after until they discovered that they needed ~900 watts into 4 ohms (2x112, 2x210 410, 610, 215, 156, etc.) to be actually heard outdoors with weak or missing PA support, and that such rigs actually just SOUND better, mostly... :D

I am naughty. :hiding:
 
#7
I'd favor the GK but that's a matter of personal preference. You've been informed well as far as adding a second 12" cabinet unless you've running through a PA and just use the rig as a stage monitor.

I think 12" cabinets sound great but for enough volume to fill a larger room like a church sanctuary without sound reinforcement you'll need more then one.
 
#8
DPG003 said:
I am a guitarist switching to bass and I am putting together my rig. I have a G&L L2500 Tribute bass and I just purchased a GB Neox 112T cab from TB member Lomo. Will possibly add another 112 at some point.

I'm looking for a head to match with the cab. I will be playing with a pick most of the time. Music styles will include everything from 70' Classic Rock to Modern Rock/Metal and Praise & Worship. I need a head that can cover those basses. Playingin front of 200-300 people.

I have been considering some of the smaller size amps like the Ampeg PF500 - Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 & GK MB500. Unfortunately I don't really have a way to be able to try them out. I know some amps have their trademark sound that may or may not be the best choice for those styles of music and the fact that I will be playing with a pick. Any thoughts or recommendations? Thanks
Click to expand...

Is that a 4 ohm or 8 ohm 112? In any case a Shuttle would be a good bet.. 375W @ 8ohms .. 600W@ 4ohms. Look here in the classifieds they pop up often and they are great heads.. You can get just about any kind of tone you want.. You might also consider a GBSL 600/900. They pop up pretty often here too. I have owned a 6.0 and now use a 9.0 and I have been very pleased with both.. and the other bass player at my church that I sold my 6.0 to loves his..
 
#9
will33 said:
+1

OP, the different amps do have inherent voicings but with a little twist of a knob or 2, any of them can sound good in any kind of music. It isn't quite the "fender for clean tone, marshall for crunchy rock and mesa for metal" thing of the guitar world.
Click to expand...

Hey thanks everyone for the great information. This is an awesome forum. I need to change my way of thinking after playing guitar for so many years. Bass is obviously a different animal. It's great to know that bass amps can be tweaked for any kind of music. That was always an issue with playing guitar, having to buy a specific amp for its sound Marshall - Fender - Mesa Boogie etc. Marshall can do crunch but lacks in the clean dept. and so on.

The GB Neox 112T cab that I purchased is 8ohm. so it sounds like I need to buy a 2nd one to do the job. Yeah the wattage thing is so different. A cranked 100 watt Marshall head would melt your face. Sounds like you need a minimum of at least 300 watts for a gigging bass rig.

I have read allot of great things about the GB Shuttle 6.0 any downsides to that head compared to others in it's range? Thanks again for all of the help.
 
#10
Some of the genz stuff may be a little too clean for some seeking a really vintage tone (think tubes, hair, grit, ampeg svt, etc.) but like we said, they can be adjusted to warm them up a bit. I've heard many folks gig them around here and they always sound good. Genz customer service is also some of the best.
 
#14
scottfeldstein said:
Also, since DIs have been brought up, I now use an overdrive pedal that functions as a DI. I love the idea that the front of the house is getting an ampy tone. Plus, if my amp head fails--DI and all--what good will it's built-in DI do? At least with my pedal I can still finish the gig. (Or so I tell myself.)
Click to expand...

Scott,
Which overdrive pedal are you using as a DI?
 
#16
Reading through the first post again, I'm a little partial to the GK as well. The boost knob thingamajig puts growl on your sound for the rock stuff and it'll still do clean for the church stuff.

That said, any of those amps and a second 12 and you'll be able to gig most anywhere. It'll hang with guitars and a heavier drummer. Once you get past the natural volume level of the drumkit, everybody should be in the PA......in a perfect world anyway.

Couple situations you might still find it sounding a little small may be a big, spreadout, outdoor festival stage with no walls to help reinforce the lows. Most of those at least have decent sidefills/monitoring....hopefully.

Or a metal show with guitar stacks cranked to 11.......bring ear plugs if you know what's good for ya.
 
#17
I used to play in a 5-piece band doing rock covers from the 70s and 80s. (Think Head East's "Never been any reason" and some REO) We played local bowling alley bars and even some weddings. The drummer wasn't particularly hard-hitting. And I think I would have struggled to cut it with a pair of 12s. Your mileage may vary. But at that time I used a crossed-over rig with 2x10s and an 18.
 
#18
scottfeldstein said:
I've given up on trying to get ampy, tubey tone from solid state heads. (And I'm sure not going to lug a tube head.) So I rely on pedal effects to give me a little sizzle. In the end, that's all I'm after anyway. Golden-eared purists may scoff, but I have a 4 pound head and they don't. :)
Click to expand...

A few years ago I would have agreed with you...as I lugged my SVT2 Pro around. But after recently...and after 30 years of being a tube amp purist...trading in my beloved SVT for an STM900 I would now beg to differ. I've already rolled the tubes for some Mullards and have a great sounding head weighing in at 6.5 lbs. Granted it doesn't quite have the depth of 6 6550s ( tube power stage) but its not a bad trade off...and my 5 year old can carry it.
Back on topic though, I am a recent Genz Benz convert after years of Ampeg, Mesa and Eden pure tube heads and cabs. The GB heads are versatile, lightweight and have great overall tone. I agree with everyone else, you need 2 cabs. Either 2 112s or try a 210 on top of your 112 as well. This is a personal preference thing you will have to work out. Also pay attention to the ohm rating as well. Your next cab should be 8 ohm as well to make a 4 ohm load on your amp. You need a huge head to be able to handle a 2 ohm load and the micros can't do that.
As far as bass and power is concerned, the more the better. More headroom = cleaner and truer tone and will help you relax when you play so you don't hit the strings overly hard trying to overcompensate for lack of volume.

Most of all...have fun!
 
#19
boethius said:
A few years ago I would have agreed with you...as I lugged my SVT2 Pro around. But after recently...and after 30 years of being a tube amp purist...trading in my beloved SVT for an STM900 I would now beg to differ. I've already rolled the tubes for some Mullards and have a great sounding head weighing in at 6.5 lbs. Granted it doesn't quite have the depth of 6 6550s ( tube power stage) but its not a bad trade off...and my 5 year old can carry it.
Click to expand...

Your story reminds me that my only regret in the purchase of my GK MB500 is that I didn't fully investigate the MB Fusion. It's the same amp, but with a tube preamp stage. I wonder how good it is at hotting up the signal a bit the way I like.
 
#20
I've played the PF, a GB 9 and the GK. Of those, I'd pick the GK (actually, I did) from a sound, quality, price and size perspective.

Sound--all are good, but have their differences. Which is best is subjective. The GB6 is supposed to be voiced with less low end so it won't blow up the 112 cab in the combo it comes with. The MB is clean, but very tweakable.

Quality--I thing the GB and GK are close. GB has a transferable warranty. I'd put the PF behind those two. Has a loud fan, which I wouldn't want in church, and I had problems with the limiter when hooked to a 4ohm load.

Price--The PF is the least expensive, but I believe I could tell why. The 6 and MB are close. Shop used in the classifieds. I got the MB for less than a new PF.

Size--The 6 and MB are close, but different shapes. I'm digging the way it looks on my cab. The PF is the biggest.

I use the GK with a 112 cab at church. Which is a 350-400 seat room that this rig will handle with no problem (actually, it will get louder than they want it).

Two good 112 cabs will go a long way. I'm partial to the streamliner these days but it didn't play well with my particular 112. Yours may be different. Mine doesn't have a tweeter, which I'm sure is part of the reason. IMO the STM needs a cab with an aggressive mid voicing and one that will let the highs shine.

While 900 watts may sound great, any of these amps will give your neox all it can handle.

Of course your idea of what sounds good may be different than mine.
 

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