From 15W Amp to... What?

[Gjallarhorn]

Hey!

Like the title says, I still use my 15W amplifier that I got from a beginners-kit. It's enough when playing alone in my room, but it's getting weaker and weaker.

Recently I managed to form a band with my friend and we are going to practise together in a couple of days.

Hopefully the rehearsal hall that we will play at has a decent amplifier, but I am preparing for the worst (I have to upgrade it sooner or later anyways).

I have been reading on different threads and other forums about this and that and a lot of people says that getting a bass combo is a "waste of money" and that it's better to get a bass head and a bass cabinet, since you can replace these individually.

Now I would like to get some guidance when it comes to these stuff, because my knowledge is far from good.

What I want:
- Be heard over or at least with the acoustic drums and among the guitars (one of them has a 120 watt amplifier)
- Be enough when playing at small gigs, but not too excessive
- Be fairly cheap but enough to hold for at least 1-2 years minimum (Decent in short)

When it comes to Bass Combos, I have been looking at:
- Peavey Tour TNT 115
- ~450 USD
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When it comes to Bass Head and Bass Cabinet:
- Behringer BXR1800H - Bass Head
- ~130 USD
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- Kustom DE410H - Bass Cabinet
- ~300 USD
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The Bass Combo will cost about 450 USD and the Bass Head + Bass Cabinet about 430 USD.


The reason I made this thread is that I need your opinions, since you have more experience than me when it comes to this.

Do you have any other recommendations in this cost-range or anything else that's good to know when it comes to purchasing bass amplifiers?

I check websites daily for used amplifiers, but if I can't find one when the time comes, it's good to be prepared.

(Keep in mind that I am from Sweden, so craigslist and anything else within the US is not an option for me)

I appreciate all help I can get!

 

[kbakerde]

I used to have a TC Electronic BG 250 that was fansastic. Retails for $399 USD, 250w, very light, gets very loud and has the cool Toneprint feature.

But if I was to recommend something, I would say the GK MB115-II. I think it's MSRP at $499 USD, 200w. Many here will sing the praises of both the sound and reliability of the GK lines. This is a nice entry level amp, sounds good, is light. The big win here is that down the road you can buy a $399 MBE115 powered enclosure and voila you have a modular 2 x 15" 400w stack that should handle anything you can throw at it.

 

[RickenBoogie]

The stickies and faq's cover this subject quite well. Bottom line, buy as much wattage as you can afford, and don't skimp on the spkr cab. Get a big 4 ohm cab and be done, (2x15, 8x10), or get an 8 ohm 4x10 and be prepared to add a 2nd identical cab later, if and when you need more volume.