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HELP!

D

dunner37

Mar 10, 2017
35
3
#1
So.. My Little Mark II just died on me last week, and there is nobody here and New England I can find to work on it. I decided to look around for a new head, rather than ship it off to get it fixed and I had settled on an Eden wt550 I found on Reverb. Everything seemed to be going well, and I got it cheap. However, I just got an email from the seller saying he retested it, and it seems the volume was only going up to "bedroom levels".

I have a pretty important gig coming up in 2 weeks. Our local paper asked us to come to their studio and will film our set and post it online. So.. I need an amp fast, and I am starting to lose my faith in SS amps and am considering a tube head. Also there is a lack of decent music stores here in Western Massachusetts, so trying anything decent in person is very difficult.

I really need some suggestions on a solid gigging amp. My band plays both electric rock/folk sets and all acoustic shows, so I'm looking for something to compliment both styles. Any input will help. Thanks
 
#7
I'm really leaning towards the Walkabout. I'm just not sure if it'll be loud enough for all gigs. That wt550 seemed that it would cover all my volume needs, but I don't really trust the build on those at this point. I'm wondering how big of a difference there is between the M Pulse 600 and the Walkabout..
 
#10
dunner37 said:
God.. So much to think about. I wish I had more time to make a decision
Click to expand...
Too much time is the enemy of good decisions.

I wouldn't draw conclusions about solid state in general based on the sample size. Tube heads are known for awesome sound, being heavy, and having a fairly high price-to-power ratio. Hybrid amps are mostly solid state with a little bit of tube.

Mesa amps are fantastic. While no amp is the end-all-be-all for everyone, Mesa is a super-safe bet for a wide range of tastes.
 
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#13
dunner37 said:
So.. My Little Mark II just died on me last week, and there is nobody here and New England I can find to work on it. I decided to look around for a new head, rather than ship it off to get it fixed and I had settled on an Eden wt550 I found on Reverb. Everything seemed to be going well, and I got it cheap. However, I just got an email from the seller saying he retested it, and it seems the volume was only going up to "bedroom levels".

I have a pretty important gig coming up in 2 weeks. Our local paper asked us to come to their studio and will film our set and post it online. So.. I need an amp fast, and I am starting to lose my faith in SS amps and am considering a tube head. Also there is a lack of decent music stores here in Western Massachusetts, so trying anything decent in person is very difficult.

I really need some suggestions on a solid gigging amp. My band plays both electric rock/folk sets and all acoustic shows, so I'm looking for something to compliment both styles. Any input will help. Thanks
Click to expand...

If you are losing faith in SS amps for lack of reliability then be prepared to lose even more faith with tube amps.

Edit: To give a more useful input, I would pick between GK MB or RB series or fusion 550, TC Electronic RH series, EBS reidmar/HD350/Fafner/TD650 series, Mesa D800 or D800+, SWR, Ampeg SVTs, Aguilar TH500, Genz Benz Shuttle or Streamliner series or also the new Genzler Magellan is supposed to be a great amp here on TB, or Glockenklang if you find one used should be able to get it within your budget, Epiphany UL or performance series (performance 400 goes for aroudn 500eur in Europe new)... And on and on. None of the amps I listed above are slouches, they all kick serious ass. Depends on your taste and your cabs so that the amps voicing matches well.

Edit: From my experience, the EBS Fafner has the best integrated DI I have ever heard or owned.
 
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#16
dunner37 said:
At the very least there's a Mesa repair shop within driving distance of me
Click to expand...

If this is an important factor to you then it is by all means a thing to consider although I highly doubt you will ever experience your mesa to break down unless the unit was faulty from the factory.

All of the amps I have listed in my post above are road proven amps (as well as sound proven) and proven to be very reliable. But it goes without saying - if you desire pure independence and protection from a surprise break down of your amp, you should get yourself a secondary replacement amp to carry around with you all the time. Preferably a class D tiny ultralight yet powerful one. That solves all of the unwanted issues.
 
#17
At some point in the near future I'm going to get my Markbass fixed, so I can have a back up. For my new main amp, I think ease of repair/closeness of repair shop is also a consideration when making a purchase. I really liked my LMII, but getting these worked on around here is a nightmare
 
#20
Have you called Downtown Sounds in Northampton? They may be able to ship the Little Mark somewhere to get an authorized repair. If not, Jane at the Luthier's Co-op in Easthampton can probably recommend a good repair person in the area (tell her Ian's friend Andy sent you).

If you're just going to get a new amp, I have had a GK MB-500 for years and it has never failed. It's got that bright GK sound, so if that's what you're after, the MB-500 is rock-solid and would make a good choice.
 
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