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Best second-hand combo bass amp for a beginner?

Hi TB, this is my first post here.
I started playing bass back in early February, when I got my first bass (Tagima TJB4 Jazz-style bass) and a cheapo no-name 15-watt combo practice amp. Recently, I've been looking to upgrade my amp and buy a nice second-hand unit for a better sound. So far, I've found the following models in my area, all roughly the same price:
  • Hartke A70
  • Hartke A100
  • Hartke HD75
  • Fender Rumble 40 (v3 model)
  • Fender Rumble 75 (older Rumble model)
  • Fender Rumble 30 (older Rumble model)
  • Peavey Max 115 (60W model)
Any thoughts on which unit might be the best? Pros and cons for a specific model are greatly appreciated. Any other particularly interesting amps that you think might be worth tracking down? Thanks!
Very happy with my Fender Rumble amps 200w and 500w, but they are the newer and lighter models. But here’s the thing. Any of the ones you are considering will be okay for home use… for now. But you may find yourself looking for more later (more power, better sound) as you play more and potentially in jam or band situations. So maybe saving up for an amp that serves your now and later needs is a better way to go. GL!
 
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I recently got back into playing guitar again. I used to play the 6 string and now I'm starting with the bass. I recently purchased a combo amp after about a month of research and headaches. I went with the Fender Rumble Studio 40 1x10 to begin. I have not tried it yet. I am waiting on it to arrive. I will attempt to update when I play it. My thought process is that its got lots of features to get a tone down, lots of I/O for connecting to external sources for gigs or whatever, and its a pretty good price given all the utility. Hopefully this helps. There is also a Fender Stage 800 I believe it is called. It is an 800 watt version with the same software but it has 2x10 speakers. It is significantly more expensive.
 
Thank you! To be honest, 100W does seem almost excessively loud to me, but I've never done a gig before in my life and all I've ever known is the distorted mess from my 15W unit, so who knows ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
More is generally better though, I'll try to test the 100W Hartke soon and see how I like it.
I have a Rumble 100 v3 (100w, 12”) and I use it for rehearsals with my blues band (trio usually, occasional guest players and a medium-to-heavy hitting drummer). It’s great for rehearsals but it’s been a little buried on some gigs. Not that it wasn’t loud enough; it’s that it got washed out and muddy when pushed. Then I got a Markbass combo, 300w, 12”. It’s a ton of headroom, but I like that it keeps integrity of tone at any volume.

I like to think of it this way; speakers (both size and number) give us volume , wattage gives us headroom (tone). Some may say 100w is bare minimum for jamming and gigging; but it really depends on goals, situations, style, other musicians, etc.


Thanks! Mostly solo practice, but I'd love to get something a little louder for some small post-COVID gigs at college, hopefully. :)
I've been hearing a lot of great about the new Rumbles, I really like their design and their tone seems to be really solid, so I might end up getting the Rumble 40.
The Hartkes are a bit louder (and heavier :p) than the Rumble 40 but might be worth it. That kickback design makes them a big "fatter" IMO but that might be a non-issue. I'll try my best to test all of them, hopefully I'll find a good-sounding amp that will last me a long time.
One possible route is to get the Rumble 40, have a great at-home amp and low level jam amp (heck, people gig those things, it does have a line out!) Then you can save up for something bigger than a 100w/15”. It’s possible that size amp won’t be your last. Something like a Rumble 500 or similar would be my choice for a gig amp, just covers more ground. This will also buy you time to shop around and find which brands you like.

All IME/IMHO, of course :)
 
Stay away from the older Fender Rumbles. They were bad. The Hartke HD75 is a very good amp. if you prefer new, the Acoustic B50C is available for 149.99. Really good amp. The B100C is only 219.99 new also. Dynamite amp for the price.
 
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(sorry for using portuguese, response just has relevance to the OP)

Lucca, como a disponibilidade de amplis importados usados no Brasil é baixa, e tudo costuma custar os olhos da cara, eu não desprezaria como opção os combos da Staner. São super honestos, e tanto o modelo de 100W (BX100) como o BX200 voce consegue por menos de R$2000, alguns em 12x sem juros no Mercado Livre.
Tenho vários amigos que usam, e o modelo maior segura qualquer gig...
 
I'd avoid the hartkes personally. I think they have terrible tone.

My suggestion for a tiny practice combo is the ampeg ba108. Cheap and louder than it has any business being plus somehow still sounds like ampeg.
But since those aren't on your list get one of the fender rumbles
Interesting, are the Hartkes that bad when it comes to tone? I was really starting to like the Hartke A70 after reading some older reviews.
Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to find any Ampeg gear for a reasonable price here.
 
(sorry for using portuguese, response just has relevance to the OP)

Lucca, como a disponibilidade de amplis importados usados no Brasil é baixa, e tudo costuma custar os olhos da cara, eu não desprezaria como opção os combos da Staner. São super honestos, e tanto o modelo de 100W (BX100) como o BX200 voce consegue por menos de R$2000, alguns em 12x sem juros no Mercado Livre.
Tenho vários amigos que usam, e o modelo maior segura qualquer gig...

Oh, that is a very good suggestion!
Here is a link to a review of the Staner BX100 combo.
It seems to sound really good!
Cheers (valeu)!

 
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If you are young and strong, Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace are a good way to find a Fender BXR300C. Us old guys hate carrying them around and most will let them go for a song. They sound
image.jpg
GREAT. And are loud enough for any bar or medium sized venue. I played many an outdoor show with mine. Except for the heft, the best sounding amp I’ve ever owned
 
(sorry for using portuguese, response just has relevance to the OP)

Lucca, como a disponibilidade de amplis importados usados no Brasil é baixa, e tudo costuma custar os olhos da cara, eu não desprezaria como opção os combos da Staner. São super honestos, e tanto o modelo de 100W (BX100) como o BX200 voce consegue por menos de R$2000, alguns em 12x sem juros no Mercado Livre.
Tenho vários amigos que usam, e o modelo maior segura qualquer gig...

(Portuguese version)

Por enquanto eu ainda tô deixando de lado as marcas brasileiras (Meteoro, Staner, Borne, etc.) pra ver se eu consigo um amp legal de uma marca mais conhecida, mas também pela minha experiência ruim com meu Impact CB60 da Borne - é um modelo de 15 watts só, o tom é bem fraco e às vezes meu Jazz Bass da Tagima nem soa com um baixo real, mas só esse amp já me custou quase R$ 700 e não teve tanto retorno assim... Mas valeu pela sugestão, eu vou dar uma olhadinha nos Staners!

(English version straight outta Google Translate 'cause my lazy bum doesn't feel like translating right now)

For now I'm still leaving the Brazilian brands (Meteoro, Staner, Borne, etc.) aside to see if I can get a nice amp from a better known brand, but also because of my bad experience with my Impact CB60 from Borne - it's a 15 watt model only, the tone is very weak and sometimes my Jazz Bass from Tagima doesn't even sound like a real bass, but this amp alone cost me almost R$ 700 and didn't have that much return... But thanks for the suggestion , I'm going to take a look at the Staners!