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Fender Frontman 15B, it was virtually free. Sounds good in its operating range. At least to me...back then...
On the other hand, my first amp ever was a Peavey Basic 40 in 1984. Not only did it sound terrible, but somehow it weighed as much as a small car. Its sequel was a Carvin Pro Bass 100 I bought in the 90s, which also sounds terrible but only weighs as much as a motorcycle.I had a GK Backline 600 for a while as a backup. My other amp went into the shop so I did end up gigging it the whole summer of 2007. Frankly, it was entirely competent. Sounded great, not too heavy, $299 brand new.
The guys in the band told me they liked it better than the Ashdown MK500 I had at the time.
Salesmen are funny! Out of all the amps MTI made, nobody remembers anything but the SVT, and this salesman tried to tell you that the SS amps were better? HAHAHA!!! You win, my friend!Bummer. I've got an old Fender Bassman 100 with the pyramid cabinet that I got for $250 in the late 70's? Louder, but doesn't sound quite as good. I blame the cabinet for a lot of that.
Used tube amps were a lot cheaper back then. I got the B15N cheap, because "The only reason we have one of those here is so people can hear how much better the new Ampeg transistor amps sound." Seriously, that is what the salesman told me. He claimed someone traded it in for one of the new ones.