I had the opportunity to use a Fender Rumble 150 class D at a rehearsal studio with a Hartke 4x10 cab .. under powered but not to shabby.
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Help me decide on a new Class D head please.
- Thread starter Spirit of Ox
- Start date
Not sure if it's been mentioned, though I would suggest considering adding Gallien-Krueger MB500 head to your D class options. Great amp. Great EQ.
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I voted PF800 - I owned one for a while and it definitely has power ALL of the way up. It also plays real well with pedals if thats your thing at all.
Also depends on your cabinets. Do you plan on carrying 1 or 2? If just one then definitely get the most power you can with your head - which again on your list would point you to the PF800 (500 watts at 8 ohms)
Other amps I have owned have the illusion of more power at lower volume settings but tend to run out of steam real fast. My GK MBF500 was like that. Tons of power below 12 o'clock but after that there really wasn't much left in the tank and it kind of turned into a gnarly, angry mess that just wasn't my thing.
My second would be Traynor - great value for the dollar - but again only 500 watts.
Also depends on your cabinets. Do you plan on carrying 1 or 2? If just one then definitely get the most power you can with your head - which again on your list would point you to the PF800 (500 watts at 8 ohms)
Other amps I have owned have the illusion of more power at lower volume settings but tend to run out of steam real fast. My GK MBF500 was like that. Tons of power below 12 o'clock but after that there really wasn't much left in the tank and it kind of turned into a gnarly, angry mess that just wasn't my thing.
My second would be Traynor - great value for the dollar - but again only 500 watts.
I love the Subway, I've got one myself, but it's about double the price of everything on the list
I love the Subway, I've got one myself, but it's about double the price of everything on the list
Actually it's only about $50 over his stated budget for a used one with 4 years left on the warranty. Other amps like Tecamp and Bergantino are over double his budget though.
Come January, I'll probably get one of the more pricey heads. For now the, Fender should work well with my hard driving punk rock music.
I'm definitely going to try before I buy- The Mesa, Quilter, and I'm still opting for the Traynor. Like I said, I had the SB200H but returned it since it was underpowered. It sounded really good and would be great for a lower volume band.
I'm definitely going to try before I buy- The Mesa, Quilter, and I'm still opting for the Traynor. Like I said, I had the SB200H but returned it since it was underpowered. It sounded really good and would be great for a lower volume band.
The Carvin BX700 has loads of power and features, pretty good tone, as well as a parametric and graphic eq, all at a pretty low price point. I have a Carvin BX500 that I'm pretty satisfied with.
ToneHammer 500 until they come out with a ToneHammer 800. Then a ToneHammer 800.
Talkbass member selling his Subway head, $575.00...I'd recommend this head as well.
For Sale - Mesa D-800
MJ
For Sale - Mesa D-800
MJ
Caveat this by saying I AM an Ashdown Endorser.
I used to play Ampeg (SVT 3 Pro, SVT 4 Pro and SVT CL). I switched to Ashdown ABM 500's about 10 years ago.
Recently I was doing due diligence on lightweight and portable Class D setups. I spent a LOT of time putting some through the paces with their respective paired cabs as well as my Ashdown UK cabs.
SansAmp VT 500: I used this strictly through my Ashdown cabs (810, 210 and dual 210's). Great little amp but I found it was lacking some warmth and sounded a bit stale to me. Just couldn't find something that didn't sound a bit sterile.
Aguilar TH500: I used this through my Ashdown cabs as well as dual Aggie 112's. Again, good rig but it just had a baked in Aggie sound which I didn't like with my cabs. If you love Aguilar's baked in tone you can't go wrong with this setup. Just wasn't for me.
Mesa D800: Again used this through my Ashdown cabs which I didn't like at ALL. Also used it with dual Mesa Subway 112's. Great little rig and very versatile but had a bit of a modern tone for my tastes and I found the cabs to be a bit boomy and lost in the mix. I have several peers using this setup and they sound great but not my thing.
Ampeg PF 800: I ran this through my Ashdown and also through dual PF 210's. Honestly I don't think that the PF's sound ANYTHING like the SVT's. On top of that, my Ashdown ABM which puts out 575 Watts at 4 ohms CRUSHED the PF 800 at 4 ohms!! Add in that the PF has the biggest form factor out of all the amps I mentioned and weighs twice as much and I was NOT impressed at ALL.
I've also used GK MB 500 Fusion's and about 5 other Class D's.
Saying all of that, I LOVE Ashdown and played them for years before endorsing. In my case, not saying these other amps aren't good. Just not my thing. In fairness I also own the Ashdown RM800 Evo which is VERY close to the ABM in tone.
If I ever decided to ditch Ashdown (which isn't happening!) I'd prefer the Mesa D800 line most and anything SS by Ampeg Last.
Just read the first page of responses, but I also recommend the Mesa Subway. I have one and it's great.
Surprised my personal favorite micro head wasn't mentioned - the Genz Benz Streamliner 900. So far, haven't found a bad tone (I'll keep trying). Had the D800 for a couple weeks and it convinced me that I need tubes in the pre. Different strokes ...
I didn't add any of the GKs because I feel like I would need to try one first. Plus, I've had bad experiences with GK amps in the past.
