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Any GOOD bass combo amps for $250 or under?

M

MyWifeBoris

Jun 28, 2010
188
3
34
Canada
#1
Or am I screwed for finding that? My old amp is suffering from the various drawbacks that come with age, and I've been wanting a new one for awhile now. I'm pretty sure most of your guys' judgement with amps is better than mine.

So I'm askin' you guys if there's any GOOD bass combo amps for $250 or under? I prefer combo amps, because then I only have ONE thing to lug around other than my bass. Makes it easier for me too, as I'm not the most fit guy in the world. I'm on that budget for an amp. Used the other 200$ I had to get another bass guitar. Y'know, just incase my old Dean gets in a bit of a situation and can be used no longer.

It's for gigs. I don't need much power, 50 watts is a minimum, but I'll take any suggestions for bass amps with higher power than that.

Any suggestions from you guys?
 
#3
#7
MyWifeBoris said:
The Ampeg looks promising, thanks!

For gigs. I don't need much power, 50 watts minimum. Sorry, should put that. e_o
Click to expand...

I would go with the orange combo before the ampeg. Heard alot of things negative about the volume of the ampegs and quality of sound at higher volumes.

Btw,curious as to what gigs you're doing,where you only need 50w? Acoustic only,like coffee shop type deal,with no drums?
 
#9
5string5fingers said:
Btw,curious as to what gigs you're doing,where you only need 50w? Acoustic only,like coffee shop type deal,with no drums?
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Yeah. We do parties, coffee shops and birthdays mostly. We've done charity events where they supplied the amp once or twice, but we generally go for smaller gigs. We wanna play music, but we don't wanna do it in front of crowds yet. :D

We're all a bit shy, y'see.
 
#10
IMO you want a head/cab if you dont want to carry something heavier. About the only combo's Id consider owning are the new GK MB series, which are all lighter than my 2x10 cab alone!. I used to bust my back with a Fender BXR300C combo. Carrying that thing up and down stairs sucked.

But if you dont need a lot of watts, Id get a GK backline 110 or 112 combo used. I had a backline 210 combo that I could barely get $250 for used. It weighed a lot, around 70 lbs, but had way more power than you need and is in your price range. It could grow with you too. Will easily power another cab.
 
#11
The Acoustic brand is worth looking at because it's proven to be a pretty good value overall, but I'm also intrigued by the updated line of Orange combo bass amps. They've got a single 12" 50-watt combo with a fairly flexible control panel including a built-in tuner. Someone looking for a grab 'n go amp it's worth looking at. $250 at GC.

The other route you could take (and very popular) is going used. You will most likely find a better amp at roughly the same price. I myself like having a warranty, but it's definitely worth taking a look at your local C'list before deciding .

Last thing, go for more power even if you don't think you'll need it right now. 50-watts might work at the occasional birthday party, but any venue larger than my living room is going to need more juice. tuba4's used acoustic B200 is a great idea, though she's a chunky one. Add casters and your set. Trust me on this one, 500 watts isn't enough if you find yourself outdoors without PA reinforcement.

Good luck MWB, let us know what you decide!
 
#12
I'd get an Acoustic combo, or the Orange 50 watt if that's the power you need.

EDIT: I forgot to mention GK. I saw a 70 watt 12" combo for $79 at my GC. It wasn't bad for the money, Or look for a used Acoustic 260. Mine has pretty decent volume to use for smaller stuff. Behringer is also an option, but not a very good one. Most of the speakers in the combos have lower RMS ratings than the amp puts out. The BXL900 for example, it has a speaker rated for 70 watts. The BXL1800 is 180 watts but has a speaker rated for 120 watts.
 
#15
First of all, I'd go used. My two all time favorites are the SWR Workingman's 12 and the Trace Elliot Boxer 60. I like older Trace Elliot in general. Just don't remember some of the other models. The one that only has a slot in the front where the grill cloth should be is pretty good sounding and DIFFERENT which is always a plus in my book.
 
#16
Man, if you could find a used or NOS G-K Backline 112, that is a great little amp. It's 100w into a single 12, G-K tone, good EQ section. I used one of these as my small-gig amp for YEARS, and it worked great without a problem. The only reason I gave it up was to trade it in along with my big & heavey Eden rig on a Markbass combo (which now covers both small and large gigs).

G-K recently discontinued this amp, and is replacing it with a higher priced 112 combo. Check the usual sources and see if you can find one... they were $279 brand spankin new at GC, so you'd be well under your budget on a used one.
 
#17
MyWifeBoris said:
My old amp is suffering from the various drawbacks that come with age, and I've been wanting a new one for awhile now.
Click to expand...

I just got my old Gorilla combo amp that I had when I was 15 years old fixed -- I thought it was done for, but it turned out that there was just one loose solder connection. That and the pots (potentiometers -- the "guts" of the knobs) were filthy. Took twenty minutes and twenty bucks to fix, and now it sounds like new. If you know a good tech or electronics repair shop that'll take a look at your amp w/o charging you an arm and leg -- and if you liked the sound of your amp in the first place -- you might look into that.

As for new combos in that price range, I had your post in mind when I was looking for something else today -- saw two Ibanez combos in the music store -- a 1x10" for $200, and a 1x12" for $250. Didn't sound too bad, and volume was decent for the kinds of small gigs you're talking about.

The Peavy and Fender Rumble combo amps I've played have been okay -- not bad but, to me, kind of generic sounding and not very clear.

Hartke makes a 1x10" combo in that price range that's not too bad.

If you're willing to nudge your budget up a bit, I've seen three GK MB 115 combos selling used for about $320 -- these'd sound better, imo, and get louder than the Ibanez or Hartke combos, and give you some room to play bigger gigs in the future. They're light enough to toss a fair distance, let alone carry easily.

A Workingman 12 sounds really attractive -- I haven't played one, so can't comment from personal experience, but both the 10" and 12" combos got great reviews here:

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Bass+Amp/brand/SWR

I'd get a 12" over a 10" -- there are a couple on craigslist right now in your pricerange.
 
#18
Don't know where you're located, but give the Traynor / Yorkville combos a look. Up here you can pick up a used 100W for $220 if you act quick, and they kick the snot out of most other combos I've tried in the same price range (Fender, Ashdown, Ampeg).

I have heard good things about the new Orange and Acoustic combos, but haven't tried either. A big minus for both is that they are not made of quality plywood ... MDF is much heavier than plywood.
 
#19
Played a Yorkville 1x15" combo -- forgot about that -- a month back. Don't know how many watts or what it'd go for used, but I'd take it over the Ibanez, Fender, and Hartke combos I mentioned... Hartke also makes a 100W, 15" (I think) combo that'd be more in the Yorkville's league (depending on your tonal preferences), but I don't know if you could find a used one for $250.
 

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