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Another “Which amp should I buy” thread

CoryB

CoryB

Supporting Member
Mar 20, 2024
426
1,837
Virginia
#1
I currently own a PJB BP200 with 2 Cab27 speakers (210-ish watts with both speaker boxes used). Currently I play at home as I'm a new-ish bass player with lots of guitar experience, but I'm working to become a proper bass player.

Anyway, I'd like something else for home practice that could also be used later to gig if I go that direction. My current contenders are:

1. Ashdown OriginAL EVO C112T 300
2. AshdownStudio 210
3. Ashdown Rootmaster C210-500-T EVO II
4. Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210
5. Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212

Will any of these be suitable for lower volume practice at home and still provide a decent tone? My practice room is roughly 14x17. Any other similar size/wattage amp suggestions. I want to stick with a combo so I’m not hauling multiple pieces around.

Thanks for any thoughts.
 
#2
Liking my GK Fusion 800 210 combo = plenty loud for most gigs inside and outdoors, definitely plenty loud enough for my 16'x16' practice room.
If more volume is needed pair with an old GK 410MBE neo cab = either stack or put the 410 on the other side of the stage. Nice lightweight rig.
 
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#5
CoryB said:
I like the PJB stuff, I just wonder about having enough wattage. What don’t you like about Ashdown?

Also, I want to move towards a more vintage sound. PJB is great but definitely not vintage sounding.
Click to expand...
Oh I get that completely, PJB is not vintage at all. I just don't think the non-UK Ashdown gear is very good quality. GK is far superior in build quality, quality control and sound in my opinion. Tough as nails too. The prices reflect that pretty well.
 
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#9
I've got three truisms for you.

This is not a marrriage.
You.can't predict the future.
Watts are not a measure of volume.

The first is the biggie. Noone is going to look down on you if you change amps 3 years, 3 months or 3 weeks down the line. So get what you need now, there is no need to future proof.

Which leads onto the second. Suppose you listen to what feels like the default TB advice of 500W and two 2x10s. And then a band comes up, and as is not that uncommon these days they play with IEMs and electronic drums. You spent on kit that is worse than useless.

And finally, watts are not a measure of volume. Sensitivity - volume per watt - is if anything even more important. And crudely speaking that's related to speaker area.
Your PJB rig isn't the heaviest of hitters, but if you look at the poll in my sig you'll see plenty of us play out with no greater amount of kit. Your rig wouldn't cause me a second of anxiety for the gigs I do.

You want new kit? Fine, go ahead. But get what you want/need now, let the future look after itself!
 
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#13
CoryB said:
I like the PJB stuff, I just wonder about having enough wattage. What don’t you like about Ashdown?

Also, I want to move towards a more vintage sound. PJB is great but definitely not vintage sounding.
Click to expand...
You could easily add a tube-emulating /mild overdrive pedal to your signal and keep the PJB as your main head. 200w isn’t a ton, but it’s also quite capable of being plenty loud. You need to find efficient speaker cabinets and increase your surface area ie more speakers if you’re looking for significantly more volume. Just a thought.
 
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#14
CoryB said:
I like the PJB stuff, I just wonder about having enough wattage. What don’t you like about Ashdown?

Also, I want to move towards a more vintage sound. PJB is great but definitely not vintage sounding.
Click to expand...
One thing I'll point out is that many decent little heads (class D) can fit right in a backpack. I can put my bass in a gig bag on one shoulder, both of my heads in a wee pack on the other shoulder, and have both arms free to carry a cab from here to there. Some combos might also be easy to manage, but it depends on what we're comparing to what. Only offering this so that you don't rule out a potentially terrific modular option just because it's not an all-in-one box. Modular can also be super portable, but it depends on what we're talking about.

Nothing against the combos you listed - they're probably really good. I'd actually love to get a look at those GK Legacy combos...

I'm right in the middle of the "500 watts and a pair of 2x10 cabs" crowd mentioned above by our pal @JimChjones - and that post makes entirely too much sense, btw. :thumbsup: Now that I have my capable rig though, I'm finding that my needs to push big volume from my own amp are diminishing as my band is now working with a more capable PA that can carry some of my sound. Now I'm routinely using only one of my cabs on stage for hearing my sound and leaving the other one either in the car or at home.

If you're going to play with PA support for your sound, you really don't need to join the 500 watts and a pair of 2x10 cabs crowd. But a pair of 2x10's has been wonderful for me if I need that (especially if we're outdoors and I'm on my own). I get a boatload of volume from that layout without needing to lean too hard on my master volume, but only one cab can sometimes do just fine if we're indoors in a cozy setting.

When I'm practicing alone, I get terrific tone with either of my cabs running at bedroom volume using either my GK MB 500 or Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. Your wants and needs may be different from mine, but I've never felt any need for a practice amp once I had these amps and cabs on hand.
 
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#15
First off, thanks for the truisms.

JimChjones said:
I've got three truisms for you.

This is not a marriage.
You.can't predict the future.
Watts are not a measure of volume.

The first is the biggie. Noone is going to look down on you if you change amps 3 years, 3 months or 3 weeks down the line. So get what you need now, there is no need to future proof.
Click to expand...
I AM married, and my wife, while very supportive of my hobbies, doesn't like me wasting money doing incremental upgrades. Buy once, cry once for me. I've spent way too much money on something that wasn't _quite_ what I wanted, selling it (usually at a significant loss), and finally buying what I wanted in the very beginning. I'm trying to break that cycle.
JimChjones said:
Which leads onto the second. Suppose you listen to what feels like the default TB advice of 500W and two 2x10s. And then a band comes up, and as is not that uncommon these days they play with IEMs and electronic drums. You spent on kit that is worse than useless.
Click to expand...
Perhaps. But who is to say that I will only play with those people? I'm also looking for a sound that the PJB gear doesn't give me.
JimChjones said:
And finally, watts are not a measure of volume. Sensitivity - volume per watt - is if anything even more important. And crudely speaking that's related to speaker area.
Your PJB rig isn't the heaviest of hitters, but if you look at the poll in my sig you'll see plenty of us play out with no greater amount of kit. Your rig wouldn't cause me a second of anxiety for the gigs I do.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the links to your polls. I see that highest percentage of respondents (28%) use 2x12 speakers. Along with that, the highest percentage (68%) use 400-800 watt amps. I would think that many if not most of these players, with substantially more experience in the game than me, came to their gear decisions through either conventional wisdom or trial-and-error.

Interestingly, both of your polls highest percentage results fit right with the specs I'm considering. Such uniformity must speak for something.
JimChjones said:
You want new kit? Fine, go ahead. But get what you want/need now, let the future look after itself!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the affirmation. The equipment I want now should suffice for my needs and wants for the foreseeable future. If it doesn't work, I'll find something that does on down the road.
 
#16
burgerdj said:
You could easily add a tube-emulating /mild overdrive pedal to your signal and keep the PJB as your main head. 200w isn’t a ton, but it’s also quite capable of being plenty loud. You need to find efficient speaker cabinets and increase your surface area ie more speakers if you’re looking for significantly more volume. Just a thought.
Click to expand...
Do you have a suggestion for the pedals you mentioned? I'm still digging through all of the differences in bass vs guitar and which pedals work in whcih world. Pedals are fun even if I do end up with another amp.
 
#18
CoryB said:
Do you have a suggestion for the pedals you mentioned? I'm still digging through all of the differences in bass vs guitar and which pedals work in whcih world. Pedals are fun even if I do end up with another amp.
Click to expand...
Personally I’ve used and enjoyed the Way Huge Green Rhino, Pork Loin and a Sansamp PBDDI. I still have and use the PBDDI on every gig. It’s simple and sounds consistently great.
 
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#19
CoryB said:
I currently own a PJB BP200 with 2 Cab27 speakers (210-ish watts with both speaker boxes used). Currently I play at home as I'm a new-ish bass player with lots of guitar experience, but I'm working to become a proper bass player.

Anyway, I'd like something else for home practice that could also be used later to gig if I go that direction. My current contenders are:

1. Ashdown OriginAL EVO C112T 300
2. AshdownStudio 210
3. Ashdown Rootmaster C210-500-T EVO II
4. Gallien-Krueger Legacy 210
5. Gallien-Krueger Legacy 212

Will any of these be suitable for lower volume practice at home and still provide a decent tone? My practice room is roughly 14x17. Any other similar size/wattage amp suggestions. I want to stick with a combo so I’m not hauling multiple pieces around.

Thanks for any thoughts.
Click to expand...
Look at the Ashdown Studio 15 , it puts out a full 300 watts .
 

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