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Best combo amps from $350-$400 and under?

Decoyx7

Decoyx7

Sep 18, 2011
71
2
Baden-Württemburg, Germany
#1
I need a good, loud amp. maybe like 100 watts or something...something I can actually clearly hear under drums, two loud guitarists and vocals. I dont have much of any money, and my Fender Rumble 30 is just not cutting it. What's a good, loud combo amp? With some nice, classic sound with it? But cheap? I've seen Acoustic brand amps are cheap...but I'm not sure about the durability or quality of them. I've played some at Guitar Center, and they seem a bit...cheap...I guess. Ampegs are legit I suppose, But I REALLY want to try to stay between $200 and $300. But I could try to push up to $400 if I needed. I suppose I just need a LOUDER amp, but I can't exactly turn up any amps to 11 in the middle of Guitar Center to see how loud it gets. Anyone have any suggestions? I could always go look for a legit used amp, I don't see any problem with that.
 
#3
If a COMBO amp is what your looking for, I have now and have had many Acoustic combo amps and I have never had a quality issue Re: their sound, or construction, I know some here dont like them and thats fine everyone has different taste and budget, but for the money and wattage you may want to reconsider unless you go used and then thats a whole different ball game.. just my opinion ..
 
#5
I've got a Yorkville 400B combo that's plenty loud....and it sounds great. Got it for $250 used. In a venue of 100 people and a band that consists of guitar, drums, keys, lead singer and two back up singers, I've got the gain on 3 and the volume between 3-3.5. For your purposes you may not need 400 watts so you may be able to find a 200B for less cash.
 
#6
In my opinion, I would go for at least 200wts and a 15" speaker or a 2-10" combo. With 100wts, you might have a hard time keeping up with drums and two guitars and if you can, your tone my suffer. If you can swing the $400, the Gallien Kruger MB115 would be an excellent choice. I have the MB210 and after playing mine, a good friend got the MB115 and it sounds great, he loves it. I think that the for the price, the tone and light weight technology make the GK MB line a great deal.
 
#7
Used Ashdown EVO300 MagII 2x10 combo is a good one in that ballpark. I picked one up for $300 and it's great. Plenty of power for small to medium sized gigs and you can buy a 15" extension cab for it at a later date if you decide to play larger venues.
 
#9
I'd shoot for the GK MB112. While the MB115 sounds good, it's reaaaally boomy. I've tried different basses (Lakland P / Ibanez BTB1000e) and find it very hard to get a tone that doesn't rumble the wall. I've used the MB112 with the Lakland and didn't have that problem at all.
 
#10
In that price range you can get quite a lot of you look for something used.

I love Craigslist. In that price range you should have no troubling finding a combo or a rig that would meet your needs. You'll have to balance what you want. If it's newer it will have to be lower-end to fit your budget. If it's higher end it will have to be older, but not vintage yet.

I just checked my local GL and saw a 215XL Hartke cab for $275 and a Hartke HA 2000 head for $170. That's a bit over your high end, but most likley you could get both for less. My point is that with a little searching and some common sense you can get a decent rig in your price range.
 
#13
A 100w amp isn't gonna be enough to get you home against the other competition you list. In fact 200w will barely be enough if your drummer and guitarist(s) are that loud.

The 200w GK MB112 and MB115 are in your price range, are realiable, sound great, and are an honest 200w amp that you can push hard. I prefer the 112 for it's tighter more focused sound but in your case the 115 may be a better choice to push through the volume of the others.

Either way your getting a combo from a top of the line company with a rep for really good products. These amps are amazingly loud and very good sounding for their size.
 
#16
CL400Peavey said:
Go used. 200 watts into a decent cab will be loud.
Click to expand...

+1 to this. Unless you're absolutely certain about buying brand new, you can save a lot of coin buying used. I'd go that route, especially as it seems you're buying your first bass setup that will be gig capable.

If you are going to buy new, +1 to the Acoustic combos. They're quality for the price.
 
#17
Ampeg B3 is probably the best bang for the buck. I work at a music store in Chicago and these go for about $275 used. Could definately keep up with a drummer. My only complaint is that they clip real easy with active basses, however it does have a pad.

Also a used peavy Combo 300 go for around $250-$300 used. Good ****, cause its old peavy. If you can find a cheap cab, I also suggest the peavy mark III. those things are loud and work forever. Good Luck!
 

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