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Budget vs Expensive

#21
dhsierra1 said:
agreed, and worth doing :D

Try that expt in a good stereo system, pretty astonishing the difference a good amp makes there with high quality gear.
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The noise floor at a gig is huge compared to a home setting.... or at least I hope it is ;) So the differences get harder to hear.

Plus a lot of the cost in bass gear is for durability, which is very hard to hear :D
 
#22
I've blown up a few behringer amps in my time.
Sometimes they were backline amps, and after 2 or 3 sets by other players, I came on and cranked em up to match the volume of the guitars, and about 1/2 through the set, volume went down to quiet and the cabinet started buzzing.

I would never gig one of those without a backup.

now my qsc plx amp, I've been playing without a backup for years with that one. It has 2 channels, so I guess the back up is built in!
 
#23
Given that the technology to make a basic combo amp has been around for decades, I'm not surprised that somebody has managed to take the basic 100-Watt 12" combo and cost-reduce it.

One thing that I'd pay more for (and have paid more for) is portability. For me, going from 50 to 20 pounds is progress.
 
#24
I've totally rocked with budget gear. I've done a lot of stuff with cheap gear over the years and IMHO I thought I sounded as good as my playing. Having said that, I've never gotten the boneage from playing cheap gear that the expensive gear gives me.
 
#26
I just picked up a Behringer 450 W bass head for the equivalent of beer money and I have to say it's built really well. I won't get into how it sounds because that's a bit subjective but, objectively it has massive toroidal transformer (more expensive and better) and the transistors have both a HUGE heatsink and active cooling with a good-sized fan. Not saying all their amps are as robustly constructed (IMHO their mixer/amp combos are not, and their Buyers drivers are known to be weaksauce) but for some folks the Ultrabass series could be good value and as durable as some of my higher-end gear.
 
#27
dhsierra1 said:
That said, there's a reason why the serious pros will more than likely not go with the more expensive instruments. They can and do need that final few percent, it matters to them and their performance and they can tell.
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I think there are levels to this.

There's "This meets a minimum in my standards for a good enough instrument."
There's "This is going to hold up and I'm not going to have to worry about it."
There's "I've got the money, I can tell the difference, and I want something tweaked to my preferences."
 
#28
I check out as much gear as possible. I sometimes repair gear just for that purpose...so I can check out the guts and spend a lot of time trying it out and sometimes gigging with it. I classify gear this way:

Junk...and nobody likes it...just bad

Overpriced junk with good marketing

Reasonably priced, but good...just your average decent quality gear...meh

Unbelievably good for the money

Expensive, but ordinary...good marketing...elitist gear

Expensive, but excellent


Anyway, I think you'd find this in any market.
 
#29
JimmyM said:
I've totally rocked with budget gear. I've done a lot of stuff with cheap gear over the years and IMHO I thought I sounded as good as my playing. Having said that, I've never gotten the boneage from playing cheap gear that the expensive gear gives me.
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Definitely this - I've played a TON of gigs on Squiers thru Peavey rigs, and it worked just fine,,, but now that I'm further along in my playing career - a little higher up on the food chain - I can afford much nicer gear than I've ever owned - I enjoy it more, and sound better than I ever have...

High end gear is not a necessity by any means, but it sure is an enjoyable luxury to have...


- georgestrings
 
#31
While I generally deplore the endless behringer argument, I'm going to jump in here. Being broke and cheap (frugal?). I've purchased and used a fair amount of behringer gear. I've found that for the money, the amplifiers are just ok. Poor construction, failures, etc...

I've learned that it's a better idea to save up a few extra dollars and go for a used GK or Hartke. Hartke stuff is very reasonably priced and built like a goddamn tank. It can be run hard, slammed with distortion pedals and cranked to full without breaking a sweat. Also, Larry is the best and their customer service is top-notch. I think the same can be said to a lesser extent for GK.

So I tend to avoid active electronics from Behringer. However, I've been using two of their (discontinued) BB115 cabinets for 6 years now. They sound great, and have taken a beating without any issues whatsoever. The drivers are rated at 600W, which I used to think was ridiculous, but I've been slamming two of them wired in parallel with 1000W amplifiers and they're standing up to the abuse just fine.

I'm not a behringer basher by any means, I still own and use a lot of their gear, but I think there's better amplifiers in that price range, especially if you go used.

My $.02...
 
#33
georgestrings said:
High end gear is not a necessity by any means, but it sure is an enjoyable luxury to have...
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+1

For a long time I played a Peavey Mark VIII XP stack and a squire Pbass. I made some fantastic music through that rig. I prefer what I have now. It sounds better to me. It feels more natural to play. It has enhanced my experiance, and that is what matters most.
 
#34
Amen to the budget equipment, everyone should be able to play. If it works for you, use it. As you get further along and more wealthy, GAS will consume you anyway. Enjoy your lean years, that is where the real growth happens! Unless you start out with lots of cash. Then thats a different matter.
 
#35
CL400Peavey said:
+1

....For a long time I played a Peavey Mark VIII XP ...
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I had that same head. I think I got it used for 99 at GC.
No probs with it what so ever for the 4 years that I owned it.

While the old Peavey gear is inexpensive, I would not ever put Peavey in the "Cheap" category with ..the "B" word. (I don't have any long time experience with any new peavey stuff, although the knobs feel.."cheaper" and they look more..I dont know.."toy-ish"? than they used to.)

I've had my share of bad experiences with the B brand.
And while I'm not hating on the brand as a whole..I also would not buy anything powered by them again.
I've had mixers, DI box, crossovers, compressor..never had trouble with any of that stuff, but I (and others that I know personally, not just forum mates) have had multiple problems with their amplified products.

IME,JMO,..YMMV..(but, probably not by much.)
;)
 
#37
Played a friend's behringer Ultrabass combo with the 410s at a couple of gigs. It was ok, but my Markbass rig sounds better to my ears, and gives me a sense of security, reliability-wise (although anything can break, no matter what it is). Used to play Peavey, and again it sounded ok as well. But, I'm one to sve up for more expensive gear based on certain things that make it actually better (not just good marketing). I feel better thinking it will be more reliable, and especially when it actually sounds better than some cheaper gear. But, often certain cheaper products do get the job done, too.
 
#39
zachoff said:
The thing with budget amps... It's pretty easy to learn to fix a guitar and a cabinet (unless you've cracked a panel or something).
It's not easy to learn to fix amps, and it's generally expensive to have them fixed when they break.

It's for that reason, alone, I don't generally buy budget amps... Unless they're super-duper cheap and cool looking.
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I doubt there's much of any measurable reliability difference between a cheaper amp and an expensive one. But for some reason people feel better about spending money on fixing an amp that cost them more in the first place.

You get a 3 year warranty on a cheap amp these days.

Sound wise, they are sounding good.
 

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