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ampeg vs. swr

Z

zsace1223

Sep 5, 2007
14
0
#1
I am trying to decide between two amps (the Ampeg BA-115HP and SWR WorkingPro 15 200 Watt 1x15" Bass Combo Amp). i play reggae and I'm looking for some solid, clean lows to go along with the groove. I really don't mess around with effects, keeping my tone clean. They both are about the same price. The SWR has a limiter and the Ampeg doesn't. The SWR also has a bass intensifier. The Sweetwater Rep told me to go with the SWR but I don't really trust salesmen. Please give me some advice thanks.

-Zach
 
#7
I have bought, sold, and lost $$$ on so much gear that it is embarrassing. From my many years of doing it wrong, I can tell you NOW what to do. I would watch Ebay and Craigslist(CL for your local area) and look for a Gallien-Kruger 400rbIV, 700rb or 1001rb head, used. If you are somewhat patient(or lucky) you can find one in the $350+ pricerange. Then get either a 1-15" or a 2-10' cab to start with. You should be able to get in for around $600. Good deals can be had if you just look and be patient. As far as cabs go, used Avatar 210's, Peavey 210's or 1-15s, are a good start. After a while you can add your second cab of whichever you dont have, The 115 or 210. Just make sure you get 8 ohm cabs so you can eventually run 2 cabs for large gigs ,and 1 cab for practice or small gigs. Persoanlly i would never go with less than 300 watts @4 ohms. My personal fav is the GK 700rbII which is a very loud 480 watts @ 4ohms , 320 @8ohms. I can play anywhere with this head. I think it is suprisingly powerful for its rating.
 
#8
zsace1223 said:
My budget is between $600 and $700. Any suggestions then? How much more power do I need?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what your space limitations are, but for your budget, you can get a used setup that will walk all over the combos you listed. For example, the Peavey Max 700 can be found used for around $350 bucks and delivers 275/475/700 watts @ 8/4/2 ohms. A good used 410 (or new Avatar 212) can be had for the remainder of your budget.

I'm not saying the suggested set up will be ideal for you (only you know that), but I'm just trying to show you what can be had for your money.

Mike
 
#11
mike_v_s said:
I'm not sure what your space limitations are, but for your budget, you can get a used setup that will walk all over the combos you listed. For example, the Peavey Max 700 can be found used for around $350 bucks and delivers 275/475/700 watts @ 8/4/2 ohms. A good used 410 (or new Avatar 212) can be had for the remainder of your budget.

I'm not saying the suggested set up will be ideal for you (only you know that), but I'm just trying to show you what can be had for your money.

Mike
Click to expand...

Exactly! Yorkville 400, GK, Ampeg B2, lots of other amps will fall into that $300- $350 price range used. I'd get a new Avatar cabinet with the rest of that budget, but that's mainly because I don't trust used speakers very much, unless I know the player really well. You really should be able to get a good 350-400 watt head used and that avatar 212, maybe even the 410 for $700, depending how much you spend for the head.
 
#13
jtc_hunter said:
I would watch Ebay and Craigslist(CL for your local area) and look for a Gallien-Kruger 400rbIV, 700rb or 1001rb head, used.
Click to expand...

+1 I've seen some decent to outright steals on the local Cragslist (I hope they weren't really stolen!). I saw a reasonably new Peavey half stack (4X10 and a head) sell for $300. I pointed it out to someone who was starting out locally as a decent rig to jam with others but they opted for a headset rig instead (yeah that'll go over well when jamming w/o a PA system).
 
#14
i just found an swr 410 workingman cab for 240 bucks at a guitar center and im sure they are ripping me off... used cab and a nice head can be done for 700 bucks even if you buy a new head... im in a similar market not for reggae but i like a nice deep clean tone... the swr cab sounded amazing compared to new cabs in the same price range...(under 350 bucks) check out carvins website they have a 400 watt 4 ohm head for 420 bbucks if you can find one of them used you could be golden and have 400 watts instead of 200 with 4 speakers steada one
 
#15
zsace1223 said:
I am trying to decide between two amps (the Ampeg BA-115HP and SWR WorkingPro 15 200 Watt 1x15" Bass Combo Amp). i play reggae and I'm looking for some solid, clean lows to go along with the groove. I really don't mess around with effects, keeping my tone clean. They both are about the same price. The SWR has a limiter and the Ampeg doesn't. The SWR also has a bass intensifier. The Sweetwater Rep told me to go with the SWR but I don't really trust salesmen. Please give me some advice thanks.

-Zach
Click to expand...

the swr is very clean and high fi , but also very versatile. ampeg is warm are full. i had swr , now i'm kinda sold on ampegs. or gk great i still day dream about my 800rb that i rocked back in the day!!:ninja:
 
#16
I got a used GK 1001rb head on ebay and a new GK 410 SBX cab from rmcaudio.com for $800, $400 a piece, and I have more than enough power to play anywhere. I would recommend GK gear because they have a lot of features on their heads that help you shape your tone, like a 5 string contour switch for deeper lows, contour and presence knobs that work similar to a boost/cut knob on your bass for mids and highs, bi-amping which is great for tweaking just the amount of tweeter you want to use, and the boost feature they have IMHO is an awesome addition to your tone. It's all preference really, I started with Peavey, went to Ampeg, and now have my GK rig, which I wouldn't trade for anything else.
 

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