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Amp Recommendations

#21
Thrashman said:
mmm I was thinking tube type amps, I've had about enough of solid state for awhile, it got me where I needed to be but I want something that I'll love for awhile. I mean, I have heard that solid state is better these days but I still hear more good things about tube amps.
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But yeah, off of someone else's post where he said "solid state...not like with guitar..." Tubes = round sound, slow transients (which you'll be playing fast music), temperamental tone, and tube problems. The class D tube amps are hybrids. They have tube pre-amps (which is where your tone is colored) but solid state power and reliability. They're great. Most people use them. And, they're small and light.
 
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#22
Hello, and welcome to TB. Two magic words: Buy Used. As a rule of thumb, take whatever amp the guitarist uses and multiply the wattage by three. That will give you enough oomph to compete (i.e. 100 watt Marshall = 300 watt Ampeg), or pretty close. With the popularity of class D amps and small, lightweight, super powerful cabs, a lot of older, heavier, perfectly good gear is available for bargain prices. Shop around, and you may find a great 4-10 cab for well under $200, and a high powered head for under $700. You can always ad another cab later on. Like with guitar amps, the power ratings can be misleading, especially when considering four or eight ohm loads. Tonally, don't be afraid of solid state amps, just get a tube preamp. That's a great combination, because you get the reliability of SS and the sound of tubes, without the extra hundred pounds to lug around. The cost between the two options is in the ballpark. Hope this helps.
 
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#23
I know whatcha mean man, I'll definitely search around and look at stuff, I just need some direction because well, I've only ever looked at Marshall amps :D

And as far as venues and playing live and all that jazz (or thrash hahaaa) I live in central minnesota, ya know, big farms, meth heads, poopie like that. So I don't know much about the venues here, if there are any, and I betcha they aren't very punk or metal friendly, and the clostest guitar store is about 15-20 miles to the east and its more of an antique shop.... and actually I think there is a place a little closer that opened recently or some such. But as far as guitar center and the like, I aint drivin 60 miles to Minneapolis. Mmm I'll probably check those stores and/or see about having something shipped whether new or used. I'll see what I can get that's been used and decent condition.

And for band stuff and live, again, I live in the midwest, the big fricken dead zone eh. Unless I went to one of the cities maybe, or happened across someone like myself who doesn't like thr city but loves the heavy music. I'll see where it goes, for now I just wanna practice and have fun and annoy my neighbor LOL. (hey he had it comin eh? dog barkin all the time, and the guy is my age anyways he can handle it. 20 yr)

Also could y'all explain a bit about why tubes don't matter as much for bass?

I think I addressed most of what you guys said up there but I see I have new unread posts so standby for more responses! :D
 
#24
Thrashman said:
mmm I was thinking tube type amps, I've had about enough of solid state for awhile, it got me where I needed to be but I want something that I'll love for awhile. I mean, I have heard that solid state is better these days but I still hear more good things about tube amps.
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Your choices are going to be very limited on tube amps for bass. The vast majority of bass amps these days are solid state. There are some hybrid amps that have a tube preamp section. You need to expand your thinking beyond what you would consider for guitar amps because bass amps are a totally different beast!
 
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#25
Yeah I'll definitely look at solid state or hybrid.

Ahhh I remember what else I wanted to say, I like Cliff Burton, Lemmy, Steve Harris, Dave Ellefson, Dan Lilker and Tom Angelripper, probably another one too but them are the main bassists I like.
 
#27
Thrashman said:
I know whatcha mean man, I'll definitely search around and look at stuff, I just need some direction because well, I've only ever looked at Marshall amps :D

And as far as venues and playing live and all that jazz (or thrash hahaaa) I live in central minnesota, ya know, big farms, meth heads, poopie like that. So I don't know much about the venues here, if there are any, and I betcha they aren't very punk or metal friendly, and the clostest guitar store is about 15-20 miles to the east and its more of an antique shop.... and actually I think there is a place a little closer that opened recently or some such. But as far as guitar center and the like, I aint drivin 60 miles to Minneapolis. Mmm I'll probably check those stores and/or see about having something shipped whether new or used. I'll see what I can get that's been used and decent condition.

And for band stuff and live, again, I live in the midwest, the big fricken dead zone eh. Unless I went to one of the cities maybe, or happened across someone like myself who doesn't like thr city but loves the heavy music. I'll see where it goes, for now I just wanna practice and have fun and annoy my neighbor LOL. (hey he had it comin eh? dog barkin all the time, and the guy is my age anyways he can handle it. 20 yr)

Also could y'all explain a bit about why tubes don't matter as much for bass?

I think I addressed most of what you guys said up there but I see I have new unread posts so standby for more responses! :D
Click to expand...

Ha, really...tubes dont matter at all bro. Bass or guitar. Just depends on what you like. Like, dogs or cats. Like me for instance, I think tubes sound dead. All of them. Others, solid state sounds bland, or harsh. Opinions are like ********. YouTube works wonders for sound checks on multiple fronts. Search brands: ampeg, ashdown, peavey, eden, mesa boogie, hartke, mark bass, GK, tech 21, aguilar, etc. Those are all big name brands with great products. Check them out, find something you think you like. Then look to buy it. If you're just playing at your house though, 2 10s should be just fine. Then, if you find people to play with, you can add another one and make a good half stack. And, you can get a pro 210 w/ amp set up for well under a grand.

Ellefson plays Jacksons through a HyDrive
 
#28
Hey I'm kinda curious, I know lemmy used marshalls, what did angelripper use? Ya know that band Sodom, I dunno who listens to thrash around here... Just a curious musing.

Like I said before I'll look at those amps y'all said and do some research.
 
#29
Thrashman said:
Also could y'all explain a bit about why tubes don't matter as much for bass?
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I think a few reasons, but the biggest likely being that bassists embraced SS more in the past, so amp companies felt comfortable investing in designing better solid state amps. I don't believe there are as many high end SS or hybrid guitar amps as there are high end SS or hybrid bass amps.

IMHO, based on what you'd use it for, I'd say you're best off getting one of the GK MB210 combos (or similar) and adding an overdrive preamp like the sansamp, a darkglass, or one of the countless other pedals that do the same thing. You'll be able to get that grindy sound at any volume (rather than having to crank a tube amp up to get it to overdrive), and they really do sound good. Again, many bassists use an overdrive pedal into a clean amp VS. guitarists that like to get their overdrive from the tube head.
 
#30
Thrashman said:
I am an intermediate guitarist and I am new to bass, so I don't know anything about bass amps. I was wondering what would be a decently good sounding and loud amp for under $1000, and I already know I want a Peavy T-40 for a bass.
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Since you are already a Peavey freak with your T- 40 (great bass!) Stay Peavey. They make excellent bass amps and used Peavey amps are very affordable and very, very good!

Peavey was good enough for Tommy Shannon/Double Trouble SRV!
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#31
To put it briefly, tubes don't matter as much for bass because a bass guitar sounds good without them.

Electric guitar amps purposefully color and change the sound of the dry guitar tone to give it life. Basses aren't quite the same- not sure why, if it has to do with the human ear being tuned to higher frequencies or if it is just a historical tonal preference or what, but basses (good basses?) don't need the same coloration as guitars to sound good.

Heck, I am LOOKING for a bass amp that sounds like my dry bass going into my interface/computer. Of course, tubes aren't going to make a bass sound bad, and they still do give a tubey warmth, but it isn't the same choice as it is on guitar. It is more like deciding if you want your pedal to be true bypass or buffered. If you think you want tubes, go for it, but it isn't imperative or as impressive as you might think.

If you are by yourself and not playing with anyone, I wouldn't think you need a crazy amp. You can get a 210 combo amp around 250 watts that is loud enough for smaller gigs and louder practices around 400 or so- Fender Rumble, TC Electronic, GK, and I think Carvin has one- and they are also lightweight enough that you can heft them around. They are typically light enough to be able to heft around, too, and that is something I am interested in.

Whatever you do choose, though, I would suggest getting multiple 10in speakers over 15s. It is just personal preference, but I find 15s with my P bass lack the definition I like for anything other than thumpy motown or similar sounds(despite what I first thought I thought when I started bass).

EDIT: I just remembered that Ampeg has a 210 combo amp that might be right up your alley: Invalid Link Removed

210s, 450 advertised watts of power, and a built in Scrambler distortion that would probably work well for the tone you are going for as it has that classic Ampeg-grindy-sound. My friend's bassist in his band got one to replace a weak amp he had, and my friend loved the tone so much that he ended up buying the Ampeg DI box to try to get that sound himself. I am sure others around here can let you know what they think of it, but it is alright in my book.
 
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#33
I'm talking to a buddy of mine who is a bassist, he recommended a hartke ha3500 and hartke 410 cab, and I'm really thinking about getting it. As far as the actual bass it self, thats a project for later :laugh::bassist:
 

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