If I was going to spend 4k, I would buy an Ampeg head of some flavor + and Ampeg 810 and keep the extra to hand out for people helping me move the rig. I chased tone for years and spent unbelievable amounts of money just to come back to an SVT. YMMV.
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Amp Recommendations
- Thread starter Cam Buchanan
- Start date
IMO, when you buy an amp, you are buying into the company behind it. The guy who designed the Mesa Boogie Subway line of amps and cabs, @agedhorse, is always here on talkbass answering questions and helping out. That means a lot to me. Also, when I purchased my WD-800, I was able to try a TT, and the original style Subway amps. They are all voiced differently. I spent 30 minutes trying to get a sound I liked from the TT. Lots of great sounds, but just not right for me. With the WD-800, I was sold in the first two minutes. I also got to try the Mesa 12" and 15" cabs. They are voiced a bit mid-forward to help cut through the mix. The quality and sound was top-notch. I prefer my Fearless 212, which is full-range, flat response. So I stuck with that.
Strange that nobody has mentioned EBS. They use a better tweeter than most other commercial cabs, and it definitely helps with sound quality and dispersion of the higher frequencies.
Their ProLine 410 is more a less a go-to for Marcus Miller, Tal Wilkenfield etc.
Their ProLine 410 is more a less a go-to for Marcus Miller, Tal Wilkenfield etc.
I’m a gigging bassist that specializes in slap. You need a scooped sound where you get heavy lows and and shimmering highs. Avoid mid-forward voiced gear. I think of the Tone Hammer as mid forward. Avoid light weight mid-forward cabs. The Mesa Subway 210 and 410 are more scooped. The classic slap sounds were typically played on larger, class A/B solid state amps. since class A/B is out of fashion, they can be had for lower cost. Hartke LH series for example. Personally, I never liked the sound of the classic tube amps for slap. For a class D amp, I’d go with Mesa and the D800+ for its tight and fast response, amazing high quality of the EQ and voicing sections, and the quality and support overall. A lot of other Class D’s that I tried don’t have the oomph needed to support the low end needed for slap like the older Class A/B styles amps like Hartke LH, GK RB series, and Aguilar 751’s. Personally, I use the Hartke LH1000 and older ceramic 410 cabs because I literally have rigs in 3 locations and they’re cheap and do the job. Dream rig would be Mesa D800+ with 2 410 cabs. For slap, spreading the sound across more speakers actually helps with a heavier thud. A speaker cab being pushed to its limits is not good for slap in a live rig.
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I was going to recomend the same, for me the best slap tone (at least with a jazz bass) is with EBS cabs, 212 neo in my case.
As for Markbass, I would not recomend the ones with piezo, I have one 121minicmd, I used it a lot, but for slap is crap in my opinion.
Mesa. Their heads are great. The D800+ and WD800 I own do rock, blues, jazz, and R&B seamlessly. If doing a blues based gig, I use one or two Barefaced Two10 S's. Multiple genre work usually has me using a Subway 215 paired with one of the aforementioned heads.
Reliable, versatile, portable, and superb tone.
Reliable, versatile, portable, and superb tone.
It may meet your needs, may not. But the Fender Super Bassman should not be slept on. Matched with their Neo 610 is *chef's kiss*. The NEO115 is also great. I tried the Bassman 100T but the extra "oomf" from the Super felt much better.
Another vote for Mesa D800+. I love mine coupled with Genzler BA 15-3 cab. Love it. I get great slap tons with this combo! Light powerful and modular.
I would look at GK and Hartke. Hartke is definitely the best for the money. Victor Wooten uses them and he's one of the best funk bassists around.
I have used the mesa boogie subway series amp for rock,motown,r and b,tejano music etc. It does all of these styles well and i have owned for the last 6 years,I highly recommend . A d800 head and 2x10 cabinet
Hi Cam,
Everyone’s suggestions are great, that I’ve seen. When you mentioned your weight concerns, that caught my attention. It’s one of mine. I don’t know your bottom line weight, but it sounds like you want to schlep your own equipment as much as possible.
I myself play out of either a Mesa D800 or D800+. I use 2 x 112 cabs. At about 34 lbs apiece. I personally like the nice in your face tone. Sounds great for slap. I always use both when I use them on a gig. They’re beefy enough for me.
Some prefer the more bottom end of a Subway 115. As previously stated these are very excellent too, but be aware they are 39 lbs each. A lot of folks say they get by with only one.
There are quite a number of other independent cabinet makers out there that offer lighter options. I recently picked up a RevSound 210T (34lbs) which sounds great with my Mesa heads.
Everyone’s suggestions are great, that I’ve seen. When you mentioned your weight concerns, that caught my attention. It’s one of mine. I don’t know your bottom line weight, but it sounds like you want to schlep your own equipment as much as possible.
I myself play out of either a Mesa D800 or D800+. I use 2 x 112 cabs. At about 34 lbs apiece. I personally like the nice in your face tone. Sounds great for slap. I always use both when I use them on a gig. They’re beefy enough for me.
Some prefer the more bottom end of a Subway 115. As previously stated these are very excellent too, but be aware they are 39 lbs each. A lot of folks say they get by with only one.
There are quite a number of other independent cabinet makers out there that offer lighter options. I recently picked up a RevSound 210T (34lbs) which sounds great with my Mesa heads.
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I love my TH500 but I do not think it would be great for slap (which I do not do). I think you will want something brighter, GK or Berg. At your budget i would stay away from combos, you have a lot more choices and versatility with separate head and cab. As been said before, you cannot go wrong with Berg cabs, they will work for any style. My advice is to start with cabs.
A Mesa D800+ with a Subway 212 will get any sound you want. In fact, to get a really good rock sound out of it (think 70's Deep Purple), I have to work just a little bit. I find it to be an exceptional middle of the road amp. It'll give me almost any sound I ask of it.
I play grunge to funk, and it does it all.
The 212 is the key. Although, a single 115 is killer as well. Two Subway 15s are off the charts, and will do anything. However, to get extra low end from a single 115, you have to push it a little. And it'll take it. I've done loud gigs with just a single 115. I prefer the 212 though, because it sounds very deep, and is a little tighter than the 15s.
Don't even look at the 112, unless you like the midrangey jaco tone.
But there's no better "punchy" amp out right now. If you ask me.
With your budget you should be able to get a really good pro set up for about 75% of that that. I’m not to help you on a specific gear, tastes vary too much. What I would recommend is, if you are going to spend $3,000 on a rig, maybe spending some of the remaining $1,000 of your budget and go on a gear sojourn. JMO.
I'll second the take a trip and play some amps. It's impossible to hear with your eyes. I went through a new amp buy recently. I was fortunate enough, Chuck Levins in Maryland has both Mesa and Genzler. I wound up with a Mesa 115, and a Genzler 350 head. That's a lot of loud, right there, plenty for my rehearsal and small club needs. For me, larger venues have backlines and/or PA support. You can always add another cabinet, when you know what you need and want. The 800 watt heads seem to have more features/controls if you like to turn knobs. Each of the amp / cabinet combinations have their own character.
Every top bass amp is available with your budget , so just try them all out . Finding the right cabinet is another matter . These days lightweight is the way to go and if I was you , I would look at the GR Bass line of amps and cabs . You might have to order from Bass Direct in England to get one the quickest , they sell out really fast . I bought a AT410 cab and paired it with a Mesa D800 amp , could not be happier .....happy hunting .
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