Help me find a Bass amp please!

[Bruce85]

Hello all. I am in search of a bass amp and without boring you with a long story, most amps I cannot test in stores where I live (south africa) so my decision will be mainly on reviews and YouTube videos.

Im thinking either a 1x15 or 2x10 or maybe even a 2x8 never heard one in person perhaps if anyone has experience with these they can tell me if they are a good option.

I need something 200 watts + in order for it to do what I need it to do from what fellow musicians tell me.

So far what I know is from listening to demos on YouTube is that the sound of Warwick and SWR amps are really appealing to me. However SWR is no more and I cant find many Warwick user reviews. The ones I did find were from 2011/12 and said they found them to be underpowered. I dont know if thats true and if it is if that has changed.

Also I see most bass amps are Class D and the Warwicks being Class A. Differences, pros/cons etc?

So if I enjoy how a SWR and Warwick is sounding what other brands may sound similar that I could look into?

Any advice is appreciated I am a guitarist looking to get a bass amp so please bare with me!

Thanks!

 

[BazzTard]

I haven't heard those amps so cant recommend a similar sounding amp.

I do have two Hartke 210 cabs and they rock. They have as much bottom end as a 15 so don't think you lose bass tone with tens.

I have two 250watt amps,a Hartke AH2500 and a MarkBass LM250. Both are great sounding, the MarkBass is about a quarter the size and a tenth the weight of the Hartke.

The MarkBass I leave the EQ flat and it just carries the bass's natural sound so well,I highly recommend MarkBass amps.

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

Is this for electric bass or acoustic double bass?

 

[Bruce85]

Hello. Im actually wanting to use it with a Fender Bass VI with a humbucker in the bridge.

 

[cannedveggiessuck]

I recently swapped out a mesa 400+ for a markbass little mark tube 800.
I really like the mark bass sound and would recommend it to anyone.

 

[Bruce85]

Hello all. Im wanting something new.

Im really enjoying the sound of the Warwick amps.

Theres the BC300 1x15 which seems like a good option.

Or going for their 300 watt head and a 4x10 or a 4x8 cabinet.

Anyone ever used a 4x8? Would it handle small to medium gigs with a loud drummer and heavy rock music?

Thanks.

 

[MrLenny1]

300 - 400 watts with a 4x10 is a great rig.
I played that combination for years.
8 in speaker cabs don't sound good IMHE. I tried Phil Jones.
Eden is similar to SWR sound.
I use a 2x10 Eden XST with a 400 watt head and it covers average bars
quite well.
Happy hunting.

 

[Bruce85]

Hey Mr. Lenny.

I see these Warwicks have a Class A preamp and people say they are inefficient. Would that affect the output wattage. For example a 300 watt maybe only sounding like 200 watts?

Thanks.

 

[Joedog]

Heavy rock w/loud drummer? I'd say a minimum of 4 10's, or 2 15's. To get the most out of them I'd say around 500 watts, give or take. This assumes you are not plugging into a big PA?

 

[Bruce85]

Hey Joe. 99% of the time I will be able to plug into a PA. It will mainly be at practice that I wont have use of a PA for the bass amp.

 

[Jim Carr]

@Bruce85 — what is your budget and what amps are available to you that fit that budget?

 

[Bruce85]

Hey mate im in South Africa so we work in Rands here.

So due to conversions and depending on where people live that are replying here its going to differ everywhere.

All I can say is that im looking at mid range priced amps.

Also I dont want something excessive wattage wise that im never going to make use of.

Plus I dont want something huge size wise that's going to be a burden to transport.

I tried a Ashdown MAG 420 combo yesterday it sounded alright but im not sure it was powerful enough. I see alot of people say its actually 220 watts not 420.

So perhaps I need something more around 300 watts. I dont think I need to go as high as 500 though.

Ashdown, Fender, Warwick, Ampeg, TC Electronic, Hartke are available for stores to get for me but besides the Ashdown and Fenders none are available to test.

Im thinking a 4x10 cab is going to be excessive size wise.

The 4x8 Warwick interests me as it is light but I hear mixed feelings from people about 8s. Some praise them and some hate them.

The Warwick BC300 combo. Warwick 300 head and 4x8 cab. The Fender 200 or 500 Rumble. The Ashdown 420 Mag. Ampeg BA210v2 are all around the price range I can afford. Perhaps alittle bit more if I save longer.

I hope that helps. Thanks guys.

 

[Vince Klortho]

Hey Mr. Lenny.

I see these Warwicks have a Class A preamp and people say they are inefficient. Would that affect the output wattage. For example a 300 watt maybe only sounding like 200 watts?

Thanks.

If it is the preamp that is class A then that will not affect the output power. If it is the power amp that is class A then, yes, it will be very inefficient but that will not affect the output power per se.

I see that Warwick has a model LWA1000 that has a class A preamp and a class D power amp so there is nothing to worry about concerning efficiency or power output. The USM-WA300 is similar.

 

[Bruce85]

Thanks Vince!