Hi, I have a Spector Euro 5 (beadg), Emgs through an Aguilar pre. My board has a Darkglass compressor and a Darkglass Vintage Ultra, then a few other irrelevant things. The Darkglass is great as I can go straight out of the xlr out and give a tech the control (being a tech sometimes I understand how helpful this is as you can actually pull the bass down if you need). However I want to mess around with some amps, for live, studio and jams. I haven't plunged into the amp world and I would love some input as to what to try out. Head and cab? Combo? Wattage? I like cool gear and finding interesting stuff that isn't the complete norm but if that's what works, that's what works! I play in primarily hard rock and metal but I do play a fair amount in funk and jazzy situations. Cheers for any input!
How loud do you need to get? Are you trying to hang with double-bass-drum metal drummers who play with broomstick-thick sticks and are loud AF? Do you also have ridiculous guitar players who are using Mesa half stacks with 412 cabs?
Tech21 Deuce deluxe Transparent combo to use your pedals , can use an extension cab if required. Tech21 VT Bass combo Fender rumble series for decent amp combo’s After that, you are getting into separates, if that’s what you want, that’s a whole massive minefield, coloured bs uncoloured cabs, clean vs heads with a drive circuit, class D vs Tubes. Budget is nice to be listed too and any weight issues. You will get a long list of what people like themselves now, which may or may not be best for you....
Hi Rainus Here is what I think a good amp should have: A good EQ section, that gives you the possibility to shape a variety of different sounds. Personally I prefer amps that have more than just "bass, mid and treble". A pre/ post EQ DI, that has a ground/ lift switch. A preamp out/ poweramp in (fx loop) aaaand tubes! greetings Wise(b)ass
You’re already a DG fan, why don’t you take a look at their amps and cabs! Never tried them myself though, just my 0,02$
My take? GK. Loud, super reliable, affordable especially used (RB series), and they take pedals fantastically.
Ampeg SVT + Ampeg 8x10 cabinet. Boom. Done. ... I kid, I kid, although an SVT and 8x10 is a really popular option among the tube enthusiasts. A bit heavy for some of us, but a great option none the less. Now, let's talk more realistic, and as you probably know, this is going to be opinion/preference from just about everyone who responds. Rock sounds, and jazzy funk sounds can vary greatly, so you should look for an amp that's flexible, that has at least a 3 band EQ, and even better if you can find one with a parametric EQ that let's you pick frequencies to boost or cut. A really popular one around this forum is the Mesa WD-800. It's got lots of power, it's reasonably sized, and the tonal flexibility is fantastic. Some other great options would be an Ampeg PortaFlex, Gallien Kruger MB model, or Fender Rumble, just to name a few. As far as cabinets go, there are SO MANY great ones out there, and things important to one person, may not be as important to the next. For example, someone looking for something loud, may not care how much it weighs, or how big it is. Compare this to someone like me who wanted something loud enough, that sounded good, and fits in the trunk of my Civic. As far as good all around cabinets, definitely check out Mesa's Subway line. Also, if you're willing to pay a little bit more for something really light, small, and insanely loud for the size, look into Barefaced. If budget is a constraint, then look at the Fender Rumble cabinets, or even the combo. Whatever you decide, best of luck in your search!
Thanks a lot for the input guys, I'll throw in some other aspects. At the moment I'm not playing huge gigs, pubs and outdoor things. Things may change as time goes on so I'd want to keep volume options open if I need more loud. How ever unless the gig isn't with PA I am usually fine with a DI out and an amp for self reference but I guess a gig without PA does pop up so that's that. The guitarist I am playing with currently is actually really good volume wise as he likes to hear me and what I'm doing(Marshall Half stack), drummer is comfortably loud. Budget is flexible but lets just say $1000AUD (around $700 American), is that going to get me somewhere comfortable? I am all for the used market as well. Deals and steals in the used market is how I can comfortably afford Spectors and Musicmans 8). Opinions are very welcome, if you love something tell me because I can just look into it further and at least it gives me somewhat of an idea to look into. Weight isn't tooooo much of an issue but lighter is always better. I'm 20 so I've got a decent amount in me before I cook the legs with heavy amps ahahaha. I am currently running through a Fender Rumble 350 Combo and I do like the sound and i get the volume I need but I want experiment. Pretty sure they're 10" speakers so maybe I should try some 4x10 cabs if I'm enjoying it? Or if you want, just tell me to Shut Up N' Play Yer Guitar (probably fair) but being a gear nerd is half the fun isn't it! Cheers
To be fair you have one of the best combo’s out there that will go for a reasonable amount of gigs if there is no PA support - to go ‘better’ you would be looking at separates and that would start to eat into your budget very quickly. With that budget - you go expensive head and cheaper cabs, or more expensive cabs and cheaper head! Personally I like Barefaced cabs which go bloody loud at great quality an you could get a cheaper head with something like the Hartke LH 500/1000 to power it. Simple tone stack and neutral enough to let your pedals shine through, which is probably what you want. If you like a fender sound the old Fender Pro solid state bass amp is a beast and cheap to get. Tech21 VT Bass 500 is another great amp, gentler Magellan, Trickfish bullhead but these now start to eat into your budget. If you really like tinkering you could get something like a helix stomp , which models a lot of the DG stuff, sell the DG stuff and other pedals and liberate some more cash for the amp and cab, or get a smaller drive unit like the Fender Downton express or Tech21 DP3X which has EQ,drive and tuner in one pedal. Buckets of options
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