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Help Me Pick my Forever Amp

#41
I bought a Mesa Boogie WD-800 4 years ago to be my forever amp. It hasn't stopped me from trying others for comparison in the mean time. Perfect? No. Great? Yes!

Very pleased with it :cool:

Of those OP listed, I can confirm the Magellan 800 is rock solid as well. Traded mine for an Ampeg PF-50T, then that for a like-new Mesa TT-800.
 
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#42
walterw said:
then your question contains its own answer!

you don't need a "bass amp" at all. just scrounge up a plain PA power amp that has lots of power and isn't too heavy or expensive and feed it with the 1/4" out from your sansamp (switch that to high level) to drive your stage cab while feeding the XLR to the PA

i run mine in just this way and it sounds awesome, i haven't cared about a "bass amp" in forever

you can try it out right now for no money, just feed the sansamp into the fx return of your rumble head to bypass all the rumble EQ and treat it like a straight power amp

says who? soundguys love the sansamp tone, it works just fine in a rock mix. a big low end with some scoop in the mids serves to fill out the sound while keeping the bass out of the way of the vocals and guitars, and a bit of grind on top gives you some note definition
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Yeah, kinda like this:
20250228_005738.jpg
 
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#43
ImTheOnlyOne said:
I bought a Mesa Boogie WD-800 4 years ago to be my forever amp. It hasn't stopped me from trying others for comparison in the mean time. Perfect? No. Great? Yes!

Very pleased with it :cool:

Of those OP listed, I can confirm the Magellan 800 is rock solid as well. Traded mine for an Ampeg PF-50T, then that for a like-new Mesa TT-800.
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The TT800 gets my vote.
 
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#44
I can’t say enough about how much I love the Venture amp. I think I said as much in another thread with you? Lol I still mean it! For what you say about your goals, I think it would suit you well, arguably more so than the other options. If you’re mostly rocking a single 212, I’d suggest the V12.

I think the SGT-DI does have a cab sim if you absolutely have to have one at some point.

Good luck!
 
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#45
dfp said:
I can’t say enough about how much I love the Venture amp. I think I said as much in another thread with you? Lol I still mean it! For what you say about your goals, I think it would suit you well, arguably more so than the other options. If you’re mostly rocking a single 212, I’d suggest the V12.

I think the SGT-DI does have a cab sim if you absolutely have to have one at some point.

Good luck!
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Haha you definitely might have, I really appreciate the feedback!
 
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#47
I'm not exactly sure why cab sims are important to you, so I can't speak to that. I've never used them. To me, cabs don't seem to ever sound the same since I'm seldom comparing them in similar environments, so the concept has never stuck. I prefer to deal directly with issues of EQ, response etc. in absolute terms (freq cuts, boosts, headroom) that I can carry around in my head as I'm often not able to choose the gear I play through.

My most used amps these days are my Magellan 800, my Mesa WD800 and my Genz Streamliner. I use them for practice and for playing in my two musical combos, which have very different requirements. I also still own a B15N and have owned various Ampegs in the past. For home practice all of these amps work great, although they have different strengths and weaknesses. The Streamliner is a great amp for example, but very voiced, and the least commercially available of the bunch, so I wouldn't recommend it for you.

The other two are light, and sound great. The WD800 has more function than the Magellan 800, but a long run with the Magellan has taught me that it is the easiest amp for me to get a decent sound from. I use it in smaller venues through a small cab. For some reason, for me, the controls just click and I can always dial in a decent sound very quickly. The WD800 can get to the same place, but for some reason (perhaps too many options for my limited cognitive abilities?) it takes me longer to get there. You can't go wrong with either.

I know that you want to make the single right choice, but I wouldn't over think it. As others have said, it's a moving target.
 
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#51
IMHO, go with what gives you the sound in your head. You know what that is (Sansamp). You have a few options with a Sansamp:

1. Go direct to PA. I have done this with absolutely stellar results. But you'll need a good to great PA, and some people don't have this option.

2. Go from a Sansamp to a power amp then to a bass cabinet, or conversely to something like a powered top.

3. Look for a used Tech21 VT Bass 500 head. These are killer little class D Heads, but they stopped making them for some mysterious reason. You can find them occasionally on Reverb.

Good luck in your search!
 
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#52
Elmstreet said:
Hi, my name is Eric and I overthink everything :thumbsup:

I know there's been probably a million of these so I do apologize.

TLDR - Need an amp to pair with my cab (VB212), don't love my current head (Rumble 500), I like the Ampeg sound but am worried about reliability and feel like I might need a cab sim.

I'm in the process of buying an amp to pair with an Ampeg VB212 cab I just got for a good deal used. I’m currently using a Rumble 500 head with it until I can sell gear / save for a head that’s right for me.

Options:

Ampeg Venture V7 - Makes the most sense, not battle tested, no cab sim
Ashdown Rootmaster III 500/800 - Cab sim, no pre-eq di, 5 year warranty, has everything I want on paper, jack of all trades master of none?
Genzler Magellan 800 - Everyone seems to swear by it, but no cab sim
Genzler Kinetix - A little pricey, tube preamp seems awesome

Budget is around 1k USD. If something is $1,300 that’s perfect for me I could definitely save a bit more to get it, not a deal breaker.

Bass influences are Tim Commerford, Matt Freeman, Mike Inez, Robert De Leo, Duff, Flea, Karl Alvarez, Mike Dirnt. My favorite recorded bass tone is Tim’s on Battle Of Los Angeles, Evil Empire’s bass tone is a CLOSE second.

Things I want:

Tried and true - In my limited experience I've found myself wishing I just stuck to tried and true gear like a P bass, Sansamp BDDI, Empress Compressor, etc. I seem to always wish I would have got the thing that best fits me instead of compromising, selling gear and getting the thing anyway.

Ampegish - I’m in a 90s rock/grunge/alt cover band and the 90s is filled with SVTs and 810s. I like the sound of Ampegs but I’m having a hard time finding all the features I want in an amp that gets glowing reviews on here as well. Something that can do an Ampeg impression is fine, and paired with the Ampeg VB212 I’m sure it will be close enough. I've owned an Ampeg RB210 and loved the sound, didn't love some other things about it.

P.S. I’ve spent a lot of time practicing at home with a SanSamp BDDI V2, blend all the way up, and that sound is phenomenal to me, this is the sound in my head. I understand it’s supposed to replicate an SVT + 810 with ultra low on. This doesn’t always work live, so I’m trying to find that balance of how much boxiness can I pull out but still be heard in a live setting

Versatile - My main gig is a 90’s cover band, so something that can do an Ampeg impression fits well. I also find myself playing all kinds of music when I’m at home practicing, so I want something that covers a lot of ground sonically. Something that works for my current gig but will stay with me for my future gigs as well, whatever they may be.

Flexible in the mids - I don't NEED a 5 band EQ per say but I really like the ability to pull out a little boxiness around 500, pull out some mud at around 300, and boost around 1k for clarity. Currently my Empress compressor pedal is pulling out the 500hz with the color circuit so 4 band should be fine with just high and low mid knobs.

Power - something no less than 500 watts I’m thinking. I’m running 1 single Ampeg VB212 8 ohm cab, my band has no Sub in our PA so I’m all the low end.

DI - Pre/Post isn’t completely necessary but a nice feature. I’m currently using a Rumble head and I hate how the master controls the DI.

Saturation - This isn’t a must, but man it sure would be awesome. The Ability to have some always on vintage saturation that sounds great and doesn't kill the low end. I play with a pick about 70% of our set and if I’m totally clean it can get a bit nasally and thin, I feel like the saturation really keeps things thick.

Cab Sim - This is where I need some help. I’ve convinced myself I need this feature. I love dirt, and playing around with different gain stages, and I feel like I just have to have something to control the treble if I’m running this dirt and taking the DI out of my amp. This also really limits my options down to I think Darkglass and an Ashdown Rootmaster III.

FYI we run our own sound, so I don’t have a FOH engineer that’s able to adjust the treble at the board, I have to do it all myself.

I think that covers everything. I just want to do my due diligence, get the right amp for me, buy once cry once, and be done with it.

TIA!
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But then, in ten years, after the 2030 90’s revival has come and gone, and the original fan base is moving into senior living facilities(having long since stopped going to clubs), with what live music clubs that are left not booking that kind of music anyway, you may also wake up one morning and think, “I’m kinda over that stuff and that sound”.
 
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#53
Elmstreet said:
Haha you definitely might have, I really appreciate the feedback!
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I read so much Talkbass when I was amp shopping recently.. it can be too much… I had myself convinced multiple times that certain amps were just the end all be all, before I had ever played or even heard them in person… and a couple of times I was really disappointed when I finally played this or that (mesa wd800, aguilar ag500, neither is “bad”, just didn’t make the sound I wanted)… no substitute for trying an amp out with the rest of your gear and your own ears!
 
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#57
brianrost said:
Get a Quilter, GK or Mesa and you’ll be all set.

Forget the cab sim. If you don’t like your cabs, get something else.
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You misunderstand what a cab sim is for. It’s so the FOH engineer takes a sound from your DI that you DO like, perhaps something tailored to sound more LIKE your cab, than a typical full range DI signal will. It’s not to override your stage sound with something different.
 
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#58
dfp said:
You misunderstand what a cab sim is for. It’s so the FOH engineer takes a sound from your DI that you DO like, perhaps something tailored to sound more LIKE your cab, than a typical full range DI signal will. It’s not to override your stage sound with something different.
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Assuming you have a FOH person. Assuming you have more than a couple of 12’s+horn cabs on sticks, with nothing but vocals in them.
 
#59
Michedelic said:
Assuming you have a FOH person. Assuming you have more than a couple of 12’s+horn cabs on sticks, with nothing but vocals in them.
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Maybe we’re talking about 2 different applications of a cab sim. I refer to a cab sim DI, not a cab sim applied to the sound going from amp into a bass cab on stage. Apologies if any confusion.

From OP’s original post, he seems to be referring to a cab sim DI as well.
 
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#60
When I was recently amp shopping I became enamored of the cab sim DI idea… so I bought an Aguilar AG500 v2. I couldn’t get past the limited top end, even with Hi boost on and treble dimed with my bass through my cabs (nothing to do with the cab sim DI)… when I AB’ed it to a TCBam200 at home and found the basic tone of the Bam much more to my taste (though underpowered for gigging unfortunately), the AG went back to the candy store, cab sim and all.

Tried Venture V7 next, and viola! Yeah I kinda wish it had a cab sim DI, yeah I wish it did 2 ohms or at least 2.67, yeah it’s different having the volume boost mostly at the 2nd half of the sweep not the first half, and no I don’t need a single knob compressor, yadda yadda… but the tone is just there, for me, and the EQ is quite versatile. And while I go for mostly clean tone, the B15/SVT settings, with grit set very low, IMHO do seem to add something to the tone that I am enjoying exploring.

I will say, reliability issues with the Portaflex amps made me skeptical of the Venture amps when they were released. It was not on my shopping list at all until I ruled out a few others, and came to decide that the amp designed to sound like the same sound I was after might actually be worth a shot. I like it so much now, I may buy the V3 as a backup, bc I simply don’t want to play any other amp currently, a smaller version could be convenient in some cases, and yes, only time will tell how reliable they will be.
 
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