Help Me Pick my Forever Amp

[Elmstreet]

I ended up going with a Quilter Bass Block V803.

I’ve been able to mess around with it a bit for the past few days and I love it. It just does everything I was looking for. I can’t get a bad sound out of it.

My Venture 212 is mid pretty mid forward so I think it pairs perfectly with the scooped input. I’ll most likely be here all the time.

I really like the grind I’m getting with a pick in the qtube mode, it’s a sound I have had a hard time finding through other various pedals and amps.

I recorded a little sound sample on my phone, it definitely doesn’t do it justice but I definitely am happy with the sound.



I wanted to thank everyone that pitched in and helped guide me on my quest.

 

[chris_b]

I have several Aguilar amps and a Thunderfunk, but my forever amp seems to be an Aguilar TH500. I've been playing one for over 10 years and it's still ticking all the boxes.

 

[Hawk620]

Unless your doc has told you that you have only one week to live there is no such thing as a forever rig. Knowing some guys even that wouldn't keep 'em from shopping the latest a greatest new rig while also out shopping coffins.

 

[BruceG68]

My 2 cents is also like some are saying on here your plans,tone,interests can also change in say 5 years or more.So if you want to buy for the long haul some other things come into mind like serviceability,resale value,being able to contact the company in case something goes wrong.There are some manufacturers like Fender,Boss,Beringer that talking to a live person is impossible.When people on here suggest Mesa Boogie I can vouch by saying their amps would be my 1st choice.I bought a D180 head and 215 cab years ago when they came on marketing in the early 80s and the last I knew it's still working.I bought Bass 400+ in 93 and finally sold it 2 years ago.All that time without even a blown fuse.When you call Mesa someone actually answers the phone which is more than I can say for a lot of manufacturers.One of the Subway amps would serve you well for years to come.

 

[6thplanet]

I'd love to sell you your forever amp. It might actually look like this....

It's wicked awesome, but I'm a bit biased.
Only box it doesn't check is a cab sim on the DI.

 

[Djadja]

A serious consideration is the kind of support you get from the company… you did notice that Jeff Genzler of Genzler Amplification commented here and not to push his own product. And as has also been said, agedhorse, who is a key player at Mesa and also has long time ties with Genzler and before that, Genz Benz, also participates regularly on TalkBass.
There are tons of great amps mentioned here and available. To the degree that service and customer engagement is important, you can’t do better than Genzler or Mesa. FWIW, I was an early adopter of the Genzler Magellan 800 and don’t feel any gas to move on to anything else. If I couldn’t consider a Genzler or Mesa, I’d look at Trickfish or Bergantino, but I have a Genzler that is staying put.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hi, my name is Eric and I overthink everything

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!

What is this “Forever Amp” of which you speak?…50 years ago I bought my “Forever Amp”…and here I am today 15 forever amps later with another case of Gas…

 

[Kaa]

there is only one forever amp.
View attachment 7163900

I beg to differ.