Bass Amp Suggestions for a new Semi-Pro player.

What is your budget, and what kind of music are you playing?

 

More details would help the good folks here to help you better. Styles? Budget? HiFi or vintage sounding?

 

With that kind of budget and music style in mind, I would look up Tricky Audio, and have them build me a F212. I would pair that with an Ampeg PF800.

 

Sounds like a fun gig playing all those different styles!

Since there's so much variation I'd probably go with a pretty clean amp and use a good dirt box or a VT pedal for the heavier stuff, unless they're separate gigs. Some of the more popular amps these days are;

Aguilar TH500- lots of pros use them here in Nashville. I think they sound fantastic. Super warm and thick, and really lightweight. Most reports seem to indicate they're pretty reliable too. At least I haven't seen any complaints

GK MB500/MB800/MBF800- I think the MBF800 is really good. Some folks love GK and some don't, so hopefully you could try one first.

Kustom's new amps are getting crazy good reviews, many claiming the mbx 500(I think that's the model) to be the BEST amp they've ever heard. I wouldn't know, but I'd sure love to hear one, because they're dirt cheap

I've played the Ampeg PF500 many times, but not the PF800, which would be the one I'd choose between the two. I'm personally not a fan of the PF500. While it sort of has the Ampeg sound (which I love), the PF500 kind of sounded like an SVT with the flu It just doesn't have the heft I associate with classic Ampeg.

You might enjoy the Markbass amps. I don't personally, but they have a lot of fans.

Tons of great sounding options these days. The main thing I'd suggest is checking reliability reports. Happy shopping!

 

with that kind of a budget I wouldn't order custom cabs, unless you can play the exact build first with the amp you choose...
I also wouldn't choose a PF-800 for a corporate type band (I rehearse one weekly). Great sounding head for some genres, others not so much....
I would look into GK for that type of band personally as I find them a bit more flexible and capable of copping more tones, plus they'll fit into your budget nicely....
I'd suggest to get in to as many stores as possible and play as much stuff as you can and go from there. Opinions here don't mean squat compared to your ears when you're hands on!
Cheers and best of luck!

 

plus one to all of this too!

 

Seeing as you are in the UK, check out Barefaced.

 

I mentioned GK as it's a pretty versatile amp- it can get loud and still remain very clean- like Duke said, throw a VT pedal in front of it (like I do live) and you can get a really nice and warm SVT ish tone. You can cop great slap and pop tones, great R&B, great Reggae/Dub, etc. For my country/americana gigs I prefer ampeg as well as others. For corporate gigs I would (again) suggest GK over Ampeg. Just my taste though! Just find it more versatile, especially with regards to the mids/eq in general....
Good luck man!!

 

Yep Barefaced bass and Tricky Audio are both based in the UK. Great tech in their cabs.

 

Sounds a bit like what I usually do. Covers incl. Pop, Classic Rock, Funk, Soul, weddings, private partys as well as theater/musical productions and straight ahead Jazz. Sometimes, but only sometimes, I play some Classic Metal (originals and covers).

My main amp since early 2014 has been the Aguilar Tone Hammer 500, before that I mostly gigged the Aguilar DB 750 which is now in the basement most of the time. I for one love the Tone Hammer. If very warm, growly, not super modern, not super neutral, relaxed and polite highs, but very punchy plus a minute vintage vibe is your tone, check out this amp.

I also have the above mentioned Kustom KXB 500, which is a very different beast tonewise. Much more neutral than the Tone Hammer, very little colouration, quite transparent without being super modern, has a tad of the vibe of a Trace Elliot ss amp from the early/mid '90s, very punchy in the lows. To me it's not the best I've ever heard, but it's very good, and a bargain.

If you want very open, neutral, transparent, and almost glassy, check out the Tecamp Puma 900, form factor and EQ are fantastic. I sold mine because of the open and airy tone, was just too much for me.
Regarding cabs, I've been using two 1x12 custom made neo cabs and they work very well, even for loud Rock gigs. Once or twice a year I have a gig where I have to push my rig (usually Tone Hammer + two 1x12s) to its absolute limit; 98% of my gigs I'm absolutely fine.

 

Interesting, was never a fan of Ampeg but scored a pf500 and 115 he cab for $400 and man...i never looked back..its the clearest amp that sits right in a mix i ever played...its light..loud...and it is played a volume for 3 hr practices weekly...this is my first(after having everything) plug and play amp for all sounds i need that does it all...one thing i would like to mention...used to mess with pedals and amps..now i found a good setting and use the tone controls in my bass...it seems that i find my settings in range i like volume and gain wise and am getting much more usable sound manipulating pickups and tone controls...its cool cause ..no more tap dancing...no more static fuzz and no more being at a gig and playing a show and never have found "my sound"..less is more..also i am in the studio and i used pre amp out into board..great,great cut and sitting well in the mix

 

for versatility, I'd suggest a clean amp and a pedal like the Sansamp Programmable Bass Driver DI. I have one with my MarkBass, and I have the best of both worlds, clean punchy amp, with tubey warmth via the BDDI. You can't go clean and punchy with a tube amp

 

Aguilar Or Markbass Heads. Lightweight and powerful.
fEARful or Barefaced cabs . Lightweight and powerful.

I have Markbass sd 1200 with barefaced Big Twin.
I didn't find much amps too light and too powerful yet.

 

If I was you I'd follow your gut and get Markbass. They have a number of models that are all, in my opinion, variations on the same theme. Match with a scalable Barefaced pair of cabinets and you have a potent, light, scalable rig that should be robust and reliable.