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Amp suggestions

trevcda

trevcda

Supporting Member
Mar 8, 2007
1,814
3,090
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
#1
This season has had me dragging out a rack of bass gear again and got me thinking about looking into a lighter weight amp. I currently have a 32lb Ampeg B5R in a rack with a Korg Tuner, a Shure QLXD wireless and power conditioner, all prewired into a rack I can throw on top of the cab of day and I'm good to go. I'd really like to shave some weight off of that rack and possibly get a lighter amp. I like the sound of the Ampeg and built in DI that can be ran premaster volume. I bought it brand new when they first came out and t's rated at around 300 watts at 4 ohms and has always been more than enough on stages from a corner bar to a 10K cap arena. I want something that is designed OEM to be rack mounted. Not opposed to used. Given the above limitations/feature requests, what would you suggest?
 
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#2
The Quilter Bass Block 803 is the lightest 800-watt Class D amplifier, it's affordable, sounds great and it's versatile.
With 3 voicings ("modern", "warm", and "qtube"), a normal or mid-scooped input, and a 3 band EQ with semi-parametric mids, you can easily set it to sound to your liking, and you can get close to the Ampeg flavor using the warm or qtube voicing together with the scoop input.

See the "Settings guide" at the end of the product page to view how versatile it can be…

Also very robust and reliable, you can trust this brand (Pat Quilter is the "Q" of QSC, specialized in PA amps)
 
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#3
I'm using the Fender Rumble 500 combo. Using it alone gives me 350 watts into 2x10 speakers. Getting the Rumble 800 gives you 400 watts in 2x10 speakers. This configuration is good enough for even large gigs where it is my stage monitor. It weighs in at 36 pounds, which can be carried together with my bass in a gig bag. For really big stages I got an extension cab which gives me the full 500 watts. But I haven't needed that amount of power ever. The rumble is a bit mid scooped but it also comes with a 4 band EQ, so I just boost the mids a bit for my fretless bass.
 
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#4
Jogobass said:
I'm using the Fender Rumble 500 combo. Using it alone gives me 350 watts into 2x10 speakers. Getting the Rumble 800 gives you 400 watts in 2x10 speakers. This configuration is good enough for even large gigs where it is my stage monitor. It weighs in at 36 pounds, which can be carried together with my bass in a gig bag. For really big stages I got an extension cab which gives me the full 500 watts. But I haven't needed that amount of power ever. The rumble is a bit mid scooped but it also comes with a 4 band EQ, so I just boost the mids a bit for my fretless bass.
Click to expand...
Yeah the Rumble 500 is a great option for small & light weight & sounds good.
 
#5
I have a Quilter V803 and when I put it in warm setting, it really sounds like an Ampeg class A/B amp but I’m not sure it can be rack mounted.

In your situation, I think a Mesa Subway D800+ would be great and the EQ and all the tweaks you can do with it would bring you very close to the sound you want. This one can be rack mounted with some extra hardware and is feather light.
 
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#7
Jogobass said:
I'm using the Fender Rumble 500 combo. Using it alone gives me 350 watts into 2x10 speakers. Getting the Rumble 800 gives you 400 watts in 2x10 speakers. This configuration is good enough for even large gigs where it is my stage monitor. It weighs in at 36 pounds, which can be carried together with my bass in a gig bag. For really big stages I got an extension cab which gives me the full 500 watts. But I haven't needed that amount of power ever. The rumble is a bit mid scooped but it also comes with a 4 band EQ, so I just boost the mids a bit for my fretless bass.
Click to expand...
The Rumble 800 weighs only 27lbs. There's also the 800 head, if you already have speakers. Both have a DI output with pre/post switch.
 
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#8
From OP:
"want something that is designed OEM to be rack mounted. Not opposed to used."

I will assume also OP wanting a Bass Head not Combo

Mesa Subway have rack mount kits for most their Amps and GK has some both are excellent Amps but not Ampeg clones

If you have room or pedal board can add Ampeg SGT-DI or any Ampeg clone pedals to any Rackmountable Amp with fx loop or preamp input
 
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#11
Thanks for the replies.

As was mentioned above, I'm not interested in combos. I have several cabs that I use based on the situation.

I'll look into the Mesa amps for OEM rack options. I don't want to duct tape my amp to a rack shelf.

Also, I'm not giving up the rack. I can roll a cab in, put rack on top, plug in the cabinet and the power and strap on a wireless transmitter and be ready to play in under five minutes.
 
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#12
ctmullins said:
Ditch the rackmount tuner and the power conditioner. Keep the Ampeg. Get a smaller rack case.
Click to expand...
This, but ditch the B5R also. Went from an SVT3-PRO in a case with a Furman Power Conditioner (about 35 lbs.) pushing an Ampeg PR-410HLF (about 130 lbs.) to an Ampeg PF-500 (11 lbs., has built-in DI) pushing both a Hartke HyDrive HD210 (38 lbs., the newer HL210 is only 28 lbs.) and a G-K NEO 115 (40 lbs.). 160 lbs. to 90 lbs., and I can use just one cab for rehearsals and smaller venues, lightening my load even further.

The Ampeg Venture V3 is 4 lbs., the V7 is 7 lbs., both with DI. Make the change. (Skip the combos.)
 
#14
JoeyFab said:
This, but ditch the B5R also. Went from an SVT3-PRO in a case with a Furman Power Conditioner (about 35 lbs.) pushing an Ampeg PR-410HLF (about 130 lbs.) to an Ampeg PF-500 (11 lbs., has built-in DI) pushing both a Hartke HyDrive HD210 (38 lbs., the newer HL210 is only 28 lbs.) and a G-K NEO 115 (40 lbs.). 160 lbs. to 90 lbs., and I can use just one cab for rehearsals and smaller venues, lightening my load even further.

The Ampeg Venture V3 is 4 lbs., the V7 is 7 lbs., both with DI. Make the change. (Skip the combos.)
Click to expand...
Neither of those Amps are able to be rack mounted

Kind of perplexing OP has now twice mentioned he is not looking for combo and wants Amp rackmoutable also doesn't want to put on Rack Shelf
BUT right after 2nd time those request
Gets recommendation for Combo and non rackmountabe Amps🙂
 
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#16
OP: it is clear that you want to keep your rack and just lighten it up. Since your Ampeg B5R is a 2U amp, and since you like the Ampeg sound, swapping out the B5R with a 2U Ampeg 7 Pro (as suggested by @lokikallas in post #13) would be an option to consider.

Another option to consider is to ditch either the 1U rack mount tuner or the 1U power conditioner (which the latter, IMO, doesn't really do much) and get a 1U rackmount preamp of your choice (such as an Ampeg variety) and run that into a 2U lightweight power amp such as a Class D Crown XLS 2502. That Crown amp weighs 10.8 pounds according to Crown's website, and it is a convenient 10.7 inches deep.
 
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#20
Nebadon2000 said:
Neither of those Amps are able to be rack mounted

Kind of perplexing OP has now twice mentioned he is not looking for combo and wants Amp rackmoutable also doesn't want to put on Rack Shelf
BUT right after 2nd time those request
Gets recommendation for Combo and non rackmountabe Amps🙂
Click to expand...

Understood. Part of my point was that I also used to lug around a rack-mounted system, and now I don't. You really don't need to rack-mount anything anyore. All part of the "Make the change" statement. ;)
 

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