• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Help me decide on a new Class D head please.

Which class D Head?

  • Hartke TX600

    Votes: 11 8.2%

  • Ampeg PF800

    Votes: 49 36.6%

  • Traynor SB500H

    Votes: 13 9.7%

  • Carvin BX700

    Votes: 22 16.4%

  • Fender Rumble 500

    Votes: 39 29.1%
  • Total voters
    134
#63
I personally thought the PF 800 was garbage. It's heavy and bulky, the 800 Watts seems more like 500. The Mesa D800 was decent but it didn't pair well with other cabs IMO.

I tried a TON of Class D and stuck with my Ashdown ABM500
 
#65
The Ampeg PF has a baked-in tone that is big, clear, and burpy/grindy when you want it to be, but it's not especially tight and punchy in the mids. If I were buying blind from the rest, I'd definitely try the Traynor based on what I've read here on TB.

Note: My main amp is the Tone Hammer 500, and I share a PF350 with the kids for practice.
 
#69
lermgalieu said:
That's interesting, considering it has paired well with everything I've tried it with. Then again, I am not endorsed by Ashdown...
Click to expand...
I've never found a genuinely bad amp/cab pairing, albeit there are some that sound a better to me than others. The D-800 has a lot of tonal flexibility and is actually pretty good IME when it comes to matching nicely with a cab.

I have never had a chance to hear an Ashdown product, so I can't say much about them except this is the most glowing comparison I've ever read against gear I am familiar with.
 
#70
lermgalieu said:
That's interesting, considering it has paired well with everything I've tried it with. Then again, I am not endorsed by Ashdown...
Click to expand...

The Mesa was definitely a good amp. I tried it with my Ashdown 810 as well as a Neo 210. I also ran it through 2 Mesa Subway 112's. The sound just wasn't for me. A couple of peers here in Baltimore use it and it sounds great but not my style. Not knocking it at all, just not my bag.
 
#71
Spirit of Ox said:
I'm getting geared up to take the plunge in the Class D amp world. I've narrowed my choices down to the Hartke TX600 (love Hartke and currently use an HA3500), Ampeg PF800, Traynor SB500H (tried the 200 watt version, sounded great but too weak), Carvin BX700, and the Fender Rumble 500.

Out of the five choices, I'm looking for best tone (subjective but one that has decent EQ), enough power to play in fairly loud hard rock band, bang for buck, and reliability.
Thanks for your input!
Click to expand...

not a valid poll since you did not include the Mesa D-800 or the new D-800+. I would take one D-800 over ALL listed.
 
#75
I mean this to be helpful to the OP's deliberations:

I've owned and gigged extensively an Aggie TH500, a GK MB 800, GK MB fusion 800, and a Mesa D-800. All of those are in the stated budget, used.

The TH500 has a beautiful wooly character. It's baked in the cake, though. It's there at low volumes, and becomes more pronounced the more you crank it. I dig it at low volumes. Cranked, not so much. To my ear, it kinda gets mushy and loses the punch.

The MB 800 is deep and wide on the bottom, with a cutting top end. That's its native voice, and it's hard to dial out, if it's too much for ya.

The MB fusion 800 kinda rounds off the edges on that, but it still has the scoop and the bite. It's my second choice for a loud rock application.

The D-800 is my fave. It can be tight on the bottom and top, when you set the voicing control to min. As you turn the voicing knob up, it opens on the bottom and raises the top. Never quite has the bite the GK heads do. Never gets quite as wooly as the Aggie always does, when you crank the input gain. Has, IMHO, a great midrange character, easy to shape with the EQ.

In terms of cab choices, the Mesa wins, hands down. These days, I run modular. I've got a bunch of single-driver 8 ohm cabs, and I bring what I need to cover the gig. The D-800 can handle four 8 ohm cabs, with no sweat; it was designed to do that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BaltBass5, petch, Al Kraft and 1 other person
#76
Thanks for the help everyone but would I did is buy a Fender Rumble 500. After all the research I did, I found one still under warranty, shipped to my door for $315.00. How could I go wrong. If I really hate it, I can return it and be out 15.00 or whatever shipping would cost.
Now, I am going to buy a second amp this December or January (Xmas bonus, and $ Tax Return).
I'm probably going to spring for something like the Mesa, Traynor, maybe Quilter, or Aguilar.
Who knows? But bang for buck, I couldn't refuse the Fender. Plus I use overdrive and the built in overdrive sounds pretty good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wncBass, RedVee, Novarocker and 1 other person
#77
svtb15 said:
Im digging my Genzler magellan 800.. much more deliberate umpph than earlier class D amps.. I think the magellan and mesa use the same Class D module.. Both great amps.
The Magellan 800 may be the easiest and most simple amp to get a sound quickly..

I have also own the peavey minimega which is a beast too
Click to expand...

+1 to that. I just picked up the Genzler 800 and it is so fantastic sounding that I have put my Prodigy head up for sale and my MB500 is now my backup head. And as another poster mentioned, wait a month or two and you'll see the D-800's in the low 500's and you can't go wrong there either.
 
  • Like
Reactions: svtb15

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back