Good, cheap, loud SS head?

[fireincairo]

Carvin BX600. Brand spankin' new-399.

That actually looks pretty nice for the dough. Lots of features.

 

[mike_Ro11]

+1 on the Gk 700RB-2 or 800RB

 

[bassman08]

You could get a tech-21 sansamp rbi and a good used power amp if you shop around in your budget. Maybe you could even get the sansamp PSA-1 if you were patient and shopped hard or just saved a little more money. Would make for a very versatile high-power rig that would work with many speaker combinations (impedence wise). The sansamps are also capable of running in front of traditional bass amps as well, not just power amps. I've run mine in front of a Fender bassman 400 (which you can find used and still be in your price range).

 

[RCCollins]

Nemesis NA650 - 2 ohm capable, versatile eq, affordable.

+1 these are great

 

[Metal Matt]

SUNN, ACOUSTIC, PEAVEY...

More in particular the stuff from the 70's and 80's. Never heard an old amp from these companies that wasn't loud as ****. And they can almost always be found for fairly cheap. But it all depends on what you want as far as tone and stuff. Just thought I'd mention those brands since you brought up buying used.

I'm pretty sure a lot of old Peavey stuff ran at 2ohms. My Sunn Concert Bass and Concert Slave both run fine at 2ohms. Not too sure about Acoustic though.

 

[Linas]

Carvin b800/b1500 depending on what you can find.

 

[honestjohnny]

You might also look at the Carvin BX500 while you're at it. It's their answer to the Shuttles and MarkBasses. Never heard it, but I like my Carvin amp, so....

 

[Ric5]

Good, cheap, loud SS head?

Behringer or Peavey ... for me I prefer Ampeg but Ampeg is not cheap.

 

[Kingkananga]

You can only get GK800's used now but they make the backline 600 which is 300watts and a sweet head at a cheap price.

 

[chicago_mike]

Also look for a Peavey T-Max.

 

[megadan]

used 800RB would be my first choice by far.

After that, used Sunn and Acoustic amps from ebay.

 

[spectorbass83]

Another vote for GK and Peavey.
You can probably find Peavey MAX/Firebass 450/700 heads for disgusting deals if you look around. They're going to go for less than GK.

I'd probably lean towards a used GK 700RB/1001RBII - lots of headroom, great tone and its also light/compact.

I would also look into the used SWR redhead or WorkingPro (if you don't mind a tube in the pre amp section on the newer models).

 

[David Jayne]

This is a bit like the old 'good/cheap/fast' argument--pick any two. You can't have all three.

 

[Lowbrow]

This is a bit like the old 'good/cheap/fast' argument--pick any two. You can't have all three.

Disagree. A well-maintained used GK 400/800RB will do just fine on all three counts.

 

[Christopher]

The new Hartke LH heads look interesting, and are near or under a buck per watt.

 

[David Jayne]

Disagree. A well-maintained used GK 400/800RB will do just fine on all three counts.

I understand what you are saying. But I have an 800RB, and it sounds like @$$.

 

[NWB]

Carvin BX600.

A great amp for darn cheap, loads of features, brand new, warranty. And it sounds quite good too.

 

[ThunderLizard]

Fire-
You should be able to find a used Ampeg B2 in your price range. 375 watts. I used one with two cabs in a very loud rock band for years. It's still working fine after 12 years.
Don't forget to check out the new Acoustic power amps at MF or GC.

 

[GabeN]

GK 800rb used. I got one LNIB off ebay for $350 and it's great. Oh and it's LOUD. Painfully loud. I drowned out my drummer at 1/4 volume. I drowned out 2 drummers at 1/3 volume. It's LOUD as hell.

 

[Freddels]

There's a Peavey Tour 450 in the classifieds right now (not mine).