Help choosing an amplifier for first time

[bass-smoothie]

Hello!

So I am a guitar player and I was asked to be part of a band as a bass player. I do have a low budget bass (Jay Turser 5 strings) to do some recording at home but I don't have an amplification rig. So I would like to have some help choosing a good rig for my needs. I'm on a budget of roughly 1200$, so I look for second hand items.

I need a kit for practicing, rehearsals and live playing. We will mostly play in small bars. For bigger venues, I will use the direct out to the house PA. We will play mostly modern rock and some full band acoustic rock songs.

Some of the local ads I may get are :

SWR Redhead combo 400w (725$)
Eden D410T-D (280$ +tx)
Ampeg SVT-410HLF (650$)
Eden D212-XLT (600$ +tx)
Eden D410-XLT with Eden Time Traveler 400w (1200w)
Eden D210-T (400$ +tx)
SWR WorkingPro 4x10 (400$ +tx)
Eden 410TN (550$)
Roland Serie Bass-100 combo 100w (600$ +tx)
Mesa Fathom 600w with Mesa 1x15 cab 600w (1200$)
Mesa Bass 400+ (1500$)

Those are the trusted brands I know of and I am open to other suggestions.
Thanks!

 

[abarson]

Welcome to TB!

Much of the equipment is just a cabinet and will require an amplifier head as well. All of it is older and heavier, but it all seems overpriced. Maybe that's a reflection of your local market.

The Roland might not have enough power for gigging.
The Mesa Boogie 400+ is an all-tube amp and is too big (imho) for small bars. Plus it blows your budget and leaves you without a cabinet.

There are plenty of options on the new market to consider for your needs as well, again depending on your local market. Additional current brands to look into are Ampeg Venture series, Peavey, and Hartke. The Fender Rumble 500 combo would also more than meet your needs and not break the bank.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

You are exactly right to be looking at used gear.
1,200 bux should be able to get you something that was at least near state of the art 20 years ago.
I agree the list you have is overpriced.
If you are OK with heavy, then that opens up a lot of stuff that is still very nice, but not as light as some newer gear.
There are plenty of used G-K amps out there (400RB, 800RB, 700RB. 1001...) for reasonable money and Ampeg fridges are often priced to sell when someone gets tired of moving them.

 

[bass-smoothie]

Hello and thank you for your reply.
I am in Canada so it may explain why the prices are higher.

I'll check for these other brands.

In fact I saw also these two ads :
Hartke 3500 with 2 cabs 410TP (900$)
Hartke 3500 with cab 410XL and cab 115TP (700$)

I did not add them to the list because upon searching infos online, I concluded that Eden cabs were superiors.
I also know that an amp is required. I was hoping some suggestions to make a complete kit.

 

[bass-smoothie]

Good point Bill,
I would not like to have a big 8x10 as the kit will be stored upstairs.
If possible I would like small parts, like an amp head and cabs of 1-4 speakers max.

 

[CallMeAl]

I’d shoot for a 350-500w head and a pair of 8ohm cabinets, 210s or 115s. Even 410s can be cumbersome to move, and for small gigs one of those cabinets would probably cover most gigs you’d encounter. Lots of good brands listed there you seem to be on the right track, best of luck!

 

[Riff Ranger]

I am in Canada

Traynor! but seriously: Traynor. The SB115 combo would probably have you covered, and even new you’d come in well under budget. Alternatively, get the SB500H head and spend the rest on a killer 4 ohm cab. I have the SB112 and SB500H, so I speak from experience, even south of the border.

 

[GreyBeard]

Look for a used Fender 500C.

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

I wouldn’t bother with any of that stuff and just get a used Fender Rumble 500 v3 combo. More than adequate for what you’re doing.

 

[tb-player]

Pick the lightest one.

 

[pcake]

I wouldn’t bother with any of that stuff and just get a used Fender Rumble 500 v3 combo. More than adequate for what you’re doing.

me, too. it's lighter - in some cases, MUCH lighter. judging by the prices on the used gear, it's well within budget. it won't have speaker damage from age or being improperly used. it won't turn out to have weird smells, rodent droppings or stuff like that. and it's an all-in-one solution from a good brand. it's loud enough for most kinds of music, and it takes an 8 ohm external speaker if needed.

 

[Maxi Funkl]

Fender 500 or 800 combo for the win.

 

[Blues Bass 2]

The Rumble 500 V3 is a great amp . Plenty powerful for most gigs and 210 speakers could do many small to mid size gigs . Just be sure to try one to see if it's the sound you want .

 

[grubdumpling]

Go to your nearest L&M and rent a Small Block 115, see if it is loud enough for you. If not, exchange if for a Big Block 115 and keep it on rental until you can afford to buy it. I use both of these amps and have a great deal of experience with Traynor and can't say much against them. Though maybe stay away from the YBA100...

 

[groove pump]

Another hoo-RAY for Traynor! Back when I was okay with using a heavier rig, I had one of their DB-800 heads. I got it for well under $300 US in the used market and it was packed with an array of useful features.

Several years ago I was using an SWR Workingman's 4x10 - that line essentially became WorkingPro. I got it for cheap and it wasn't crummy as my first semi-decent bass cab, but it was cumbersome and that got old. When I lost access to a van to cart it around, I made the switch to a pair of 2x10 cabs and I've stuck with this setup ever since then. If I need really big sound, I get it with both of these cabs running together and powered by no more than either my GK MB 500 or a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. I often play without PA support.

A pair of 2x10's can stack vertically (end-on-end) to apparently give better sound dispersion. This seems to actually work. It also gets the top cab up closer to our ears where it's easier to hear in terms of self-monitoring. A pair of medium cabs also brings more flexibility compared to using one big cab because I can practice at home through just one of them, I sometimes use only one cab when my gang plays at a smaller venue, and I only need to make one extra trip loading in/out by myself - no assistance needed.

You should be okay doing smaller shows using a decent 2x10, 2x12, or even a good 1x15. There are other options, but these have been around and getting it done for a while. In terms of power needs, I'd expect you to be okay with lots of options in the 300-500 watt range. An 800+ watt head might be overkill (and pricey) for what you're planning to do, but those heads generally come with a volume knob that lets us reign 'em in if we need to keep it civilized.

Hartke should offer some decent bang for your buck (nice price tags!), but I think you'd be getting into more speaker than you can use if you got either the pair of 4x10 TP's or the 4x10 XL/1x15TP. Those sort of stacks are more for competing with a couple of guitar heroes in your band that always turn their great big amps up to AWESOME on a regular basis. Since you plan to run your sound through the PA for bigger shows, I don't see you needing a pair of those big boxes. Think that one over before you go that way.

The SWR Redhead could be a nice option. Check that one out if you can for its sound, but also in terms of how portable it is for you. I might be remembering one that a teacher of mine had and it was a beefy customer.

If you're thinking SWR 4x10's, you may find a Goliath 4x10 for the same price as that WorkingPro. The Goliath should outperform the WorkingPro big-time. One of my 2x10's is a Goliath Jr. and it's not shy about making really good sound at very healthy volume.

Used Genz Benz equipment is worth a look. I love my Shuttle 6.0, but you may see a really nice head from their GBE line that gives you some truly top shelf performance at a nice price. I've never sampled any of their cabs, but our pals here rave about them on a regular basis.

Eden... Yes their gear can sound really great, but check out that XLT before you buy it. Again, if I'm remembering correctly, that 2x10 is about as heavy as some 4x10's.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I'm not sure where you are located, but most of those prices seem pretty high for those amps and cabs. The Mesa 400+ and the Fathom with cab seem the closest to reality. Have you checked the classifieds here? Lots of good choices. Also, Reverb and even Ebay.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hello!

So I am a guitar player and I was asked to be part of a band as a bass player. I do have a low budget bass (Jay Turser 5 strings) to do some recording at home but I don't have an amplification rig. So I would like to have some help choosing a good rig for my needs. I'm on a budget of roughly 1200$, so I look for second hand items.

I need a kit for practicing, rehearsals and live playing. We will mostly play in small bars. For bigger venues, I will use the direct out to the house PA. We will play mostly modern rock and some full band acoustic rock songs.

Some of the local ads I may get are :

SWR Redhead combo 400w (725$)
Eden D410T-D (280$ +tx)
Ampeg SVT-410HLF (650$)
Eden D212-XLT (600$ +tx)
Eden D410-XLT with Eden Time Traveler 400w (1200w)
Eden D210-T (400$ +tx)
SWR WorkingPro 4x10 (400$ +tx)
Eden 410TN (550$)
Roland Serie Bass-100 combo 100w (600$ +tx)
Mesa Fathom 600w with Mesa 1x15 cab 600w (1200$)
Mesa Bass 400+ (1500$)

Those are the trusted brands I know of and I am open to other suggestions.
Thanks!

‘I’m a big Eden fan (see my avatar) and the do sound great. Keep in mind, they are no longer in business, so finding repair parts or even find a tech to work on them may be hard to find. The same for SWR.

I own two D series cabs, a 210-XLT and a 210-XST. I would avoid the 210-T as it’s pretty old, and the TN series is not of the same quality of the D series cabs. I also might suggest you consider two 210 cabs as opposed to one 410. #1: 410 cabs are heavy, bulky and a pain to move around. #2: You many be in situations where 1 cab is all you need.

Something else to consider if you are going to by two cabs, make sure you are buying 8 ohm cabs.

Best wishes.

 

[klokker]

I wouldn’t bother with any of that stuff and just get a used Fender Rumble 500 v3 combo. More than adequate for what you’re doing.

I agree, get one of those 500 watt combo's out there, save your money and call it good. Its...all...you....need for what you're doing.

 

[ProbablyTooLoud]

GK MB212ii used for ~$600-700

 

[bottomzone]

I'm a big SWR fan and still have my Workingman's 10 combo. But, I would aim for the lightest rig that has a sound that appeals to you and is affordable. No matter how good it sounds, constantly moving a heavy rig gets really old.