Best Method to Compare Amps

your ears are the only way to compare bass amps!

 

Key is to play YOUR bass with the rigs, and also swap heads and cabs, especially if you dislike a rig, so you know if it is the cab or head that is causing you trouble.

Also, make sure you understand the tone controls/front end of the amp. Lots of missed opportunities for guys trying stuff out, thinking it sucks, and then finding out that they thought (for example with Markbass) that 'filters at noon' meant 'flat'

Finally, careful what the GC salesperson tells you. Most are clueless, and are more interested in making the sale than helping you find your sound.

Have fun!

 

don't be too technical about it. the amps your looking at can be perfectly suitable for any of us (said the guy with a multi-thousand dollar bass rig)

whats important is not the bass your using to see what the amp can do, but the bass you actually own. bring it with you to GC or use something similar. as long as you understand what a given instrument is likely to bring to the table, i think you can judge any amplifier just fine, as long as you keep it in mind what your plugging into it.

i would never try and amp and think "im limiting this things capability by using this P bass"

another note- try as many amps as you can, in your price range or not. get an idea of what you like. be open minded. try different speaker sizes and listen to the sound closely. do you like 10" speakers? 15? a lot of 10s? just one 12"? they all will have their own flavor. pay attention and have fun.

best of luck to you.

t

 

I came off a little more negative than I meant to. However, most GC sales staff that I've experienced are nice guys who really don't know much about gear. I'm sure there is the rare 'bass gear head' working at some of them, but I've not run into one myself!

Have fun... bring your own bass

 

You definitely need to use your own bass. That can make all the difference.

 

There are a couple of them at my favorite GC. They do exist.

 

Yes, bring your own bass.

Play your riffs and listen carefully. At some point, I like to simply play a single note. Let it ring and listen to the quality of the tone and how it sounds as it decays. Repeat adjusting the tone controls.

It helps to have someone else play while you adjust the amp controls and listen. Go through the full range of tone settings. You can get a better indication of what the amp can do if you aren't distracted by playing.

Take your time. Try everything that you want to. It is your money so don't let them rush you. It helps if you can go when the shop is less crowded and the jerks aren't there.

 

The best way is to go down to GC, find two amps, plug them both into the same cab and wail away.

The GC staff will appreciate it!

 

Depends on how your going to use. An amp for the guy in a "for fun" basement jam band should be different from an amp used for the giging play for pay bass guitarist.

Personally I don't think GC is the place to buy from or to try out amps. The amp is not going to sound the same as it does in the store to how it sounds wherever you will be using it.

Personally I don't like GC's inventory and the sales staff is marginal at best. But it might be your only resource.

Make sure you know what type of sound you want and the volumes you will need.

I bi-amp through a GK rig which I use for large fesitval and small bar gigs. I knew the sound and power I needed before buying.

blue

 

+1 to using your own bass. If that isn't practical, grab the cheapest, crappiest bass you can find in there. Reason being a good amp and good speakers will make a cheap bass sound pretty darn good. A crappy amp or crappy speakers will make even the finest bass sound crappy.

Turn it up loud and crank the mids, you'll need those at real gigs so see that they sound musical or at least tolerable and not all harsh and honky. Don't scoop it out and make bedroom tone...other than to crank the bass and see when/if the speakers bottom out.


If it's an Ampeg Pf amp you're trying, hook it up to 4ohms and crank the snot out of it and hammer away....see if you can get it to shut down.

 

If you are not limited to GC, check out some other shops. They often have other brands or models not carried by GC.

 

Use your bass! The issue is that there are no absolutes, it can be much more of a "rock, paper, scissors" game than you might think. A low-end bass might just match the high-end amp really well, and not match the low-end amp, and vice-versa for the high-end bass. So there really can't be an absolute rule like that.

You want to use your bass, or basses, to test the amps. I'd say the most important thing to make the comparison equal is to try and get both amps as close to the same volume as possible. Our ears will often fool us where the louder thing sounds better, but only because it's louder.

 

Big guy, you are smack in the middle of Nashville and Knoxville. You live in one of the most fertile grounds for used gear on the planet. I own an amazing Mesa Walkabout Scout stack that I bought from a fellow TBer in Knoxville. If I were you I would shop the craigslist in both of those towns. Times are hard and people switch gear like changing their underwear all around you. There are deals to be had. I would spend your money on an upgrade rig USED. If you have any questions about something you see, please come back and ask. Between all of us we have played pretty much every rig in existence.

 

The best way to compare is to actually check the amp out of the store and try it in real life.

In store head auditions don't tell much.
In real life the in-store sound may not hold up.

 

Take your bass, cords, and any effects you might be using.

That is exactly what i did when pro am went outta Buisness. They had a few really nice Trace Elliot bass heads for sale. I brought my whole set up and compared my AH300SMX12 to the newer AH600SMX12 stereo, and the Trace Elliot all tube V4.
The V4 won! Hands down!

Always do your homework!

 

Ya, it's really as simple as playing a few amps and seeing which one in your price range makes you want to play the most. Ampeg Micro VR and CL do rock, though...