Best Value Amps and Cabs

[Erik Stokley]

if you're into vintage gear, 70s /80s peavey amps are awesome. they're loud, reliable and sound surprisingly good, though the aesthetics and size are not everyone's cup of tea. you can usually find the head with matching 215 for under $500 on any craigslist in any state

 

[rojo412]

Gear from the 80s and 90s that was top-end, but now too heavy for people to carry is selling for way less than it should, in some respects. Heads are a more reliable bet for that, to be honest. Got a Trace Elliot head for less than I spend on a bottle of mid-level bourbon. And it works GREAT!

Cabs can be had cheap, but all it takes is one blown speaker to ruin that economy.
I snagged a pair of GK 4x10 cabs for $75 total. I found one of the speakers was blown and if I'd actually been able to get the correct speaker, it would have been $110 just for that. Still not a terrible deal, but if it were 2 speakers? I'd have done better buying a better single cab in the first place. AND they still don't have the speaker available. I used a wrong speaker and it all works, but I still spent more on that one speaker than the total of the cabs.

But as underpriced stuff goes, Peavey and GK are my faves.

 

[Chickenwheels]

Used gear.

This. I particularly like older amps with modern cabinets.

 

[iriegnome]

For the OP- are you wanting to know about cheap or long lasting quality. I’m the short run, cheap is cheap. Do yourself a favor and spring for quality gear and you won’t regret it. Yes it will definitely be more expensive up front, but 10-20-30 years from now, your gear will still be quality gear and going strong. Cheap will still be cheap

 

[sawzalot]

Used Quilter BB800. GREAT value.

 

[DeepHz]

Anything Mesa is a good bet.

 

[_Tay_]

Used older amps are a great value if you aren’t really worried about weight. For instance, the Mesa Mpulse 600 was $1299 brand new. Taking inflation into account, it would cost a ton more for a Mpulse 600 today. They are selling used with a comparable price to the new Mesa amps, and people are buying them because they sound so good. Don’t get me wrong, the newer amps are great. It’ll just be interesting to see if they hold their value after 15-20 years.

FYI my fender rumble 500 is selling for more than i bought it for new already. That is after 2 years.

 

[jemerpi]

Versatile and durable big bang for low buck? And....on sale?

Check this out.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[Paul New]

For new gear, cheap+good+versatile= GK combo.

For used gear, depends on budget, but still could be a GK something. I have an old GK 400RB that I bought for like $150.

 

[MVE]

I saved a lot of money when I stopped constantly buying new stuff after I bought a Bergantino cab.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Mesa Boogie. Worst bang for my back. Best bang for my buck. Unkillable. That being said, there's probably a slew of Peavey TKO bass amps in landfills which are also heavy and unkillable...but Mesa Boogie actually sounds good.

 

[Loretta]

BUGERA Veyron for the amp. Got this just for 2 weeks now but it sounded quite good to my ears.
I bought it used but it's cheap new as well.

Cabs are difficult.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

I haven't bought any gear in ages. Some of you guys regularly spend the GDP of small nations on rotating and/or amassing gear all the time, so you are pretty well familiar with lots of gear.

I'm looking for opinions on what amps and cabs are considered a great value - the maximum bang for the buck. So this is going to rule out the entry level stuff as well as the real high end stuff.

Obviously opinions differ on what makes amps and cabs "good," so not everyone will agree, but maybe there are a few generally recognized candidates?

V4b + 212av

Pf50t + 210he

Micro vr + 212av

 

[bodgiebass]

For some, watts/$ is the bang for buck. Could also be features/$ or desirability/$ or tone/$.
For those who want warranty and peace of mind, only new gear from reputable companies will suit.
We need to meet our minimum requirements for whatever our purposes, then compare the bucks.
I can repair an old amp, but I don't want to. I've come to value higher end (manufacturing ) for trouble free music making.

 

[babsobass]

Hartke Amps & Avatar Cabs.

Is Avatar still in the bass cab business? Their site has only two cab models listed for sale. I've been using 2xSB112 Avatar cabs for years and still like them. It would be a shame if they are not staying in the bass cab biz.

 

[FunkHead]

Is Avatar still in the bass cab business? Their site has only two cab models listed for sale. I've been using 2xSB112 Avatar cabs for years and still like them. It would be a shame if they are not staying in the bass cab biz.

It's kind of sad but it does look like that way. a 2x10" & 2x12" is all I could find.

 

[InkCow]

One thing I wished I had known when I was getting serious about playing again after decades of… not… was that combo amps are completely legitimate options now. They’re powerful enough for almost any real world situation and extensible for the rest. They’re also light and can sound as good as you’d need or want.

 

[marchone]

I haven't bought any gear in ages. I'm looking for opinions on what amps and cabs are considered a great value - maybe there are a few generally recognized candidates?

Only personal choice here but it works and is pretty versatile. Ampeg PF-50T and Mesa Boogie SW210. I cranked my CS ‘64 Fender Jazz to overdrive today to get an early Entwistle sound but normally have it much cleaner. The rig isn’t a one-trick pony and will last a long time with care.

 

[Cristo]

For the OP- are you wanting to know about cheap or long lasting quality. I’m the short run, cheap is cheap. Do yourself a favor and spring for quality gear and you won’t regret it. Yes it will definitely be more expensive up front, but 10-20-30 years from now, your gear will still be quality gear and going strong. Cheap will still be cheap

By value, I don't mean just low cost, I mean highest amount of overall features/quality/desirability per dollar.

I currently use a GK1001-RBII and an Avatar 210 Neo cab. I am content with those, but they are getting up there in age, and since I might be getting back to gigging, it's possible I could need some replacements. Or maybe I'll just get GAS!

I would want solid good quality gear but I'm not interested in the super cheap stuff and I'm not interested in paying twice as much for something that is only a slight bit better.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

For example, the David Eden 4 ohm D410XLT in excellent, low milage condition I bought for $300.

View attachment 5010529




It cost me $1,000 for this entire amp head and cabinet combo, used. The head was still under warranty when I bought it.

View attachment 5010527

Awesome cabs, and you are correct, being sold cheap. Almost bought one of those 12 years ago, but opted for two 210 cabs instead. Congrats on your find.