I need a new bass amp for jazz

[Linnin]

He asked for opinions...I gave him my opinion based on my experiences of playing with jazz big bands in all manner of venue.

So what? He's a 17 year old Italian male that wants high wattage, and I don't blame him a bit! He might also want a hot red Ferrari and Kate Upton. I do too.

 

[elgecko]

So what? He's a 17 year old Italian male that wants high wattage, and I don't blame him a bit! He might also want a hot red Ferrari and Kate Upton. I do too.

I guess that make three of us!

 

[james simmons]

The one I found worked best for me in a jazz setting (and I tried mark bass and GK and EA and some peavey thing that was lying around) is the Genz Benz shuttle. Can still be found used, and now that they're up and running again, there could be some cool new options.

best bang for the buck or Ruble...is Genz-BenZ 2.0 they are easy to find on ebay,,,sound a mazing ,,only down side is they are a Class A amp;;;when one chip goes,,its all over i GOT 3 YEARS OUT OF THE FIRST ONE...in the second year of the 2nd one... I love them...and you can carry it in your Man Bag;;;

 

[Lia_G]

Welcome! If you do decide to buy new rather than used, here are a couple of links from Thomann, from the Italian language pages. Two 115 combos, both from reputable companies. Not 500 watts (both are 300 watts), but I personally think they stand a good chance of doing what you need if you're not completely dead-set on 500 watts:

Peavey Max 115
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Ashdown Toneman C115
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Of course, if you are able to buy used, your Euro will definitely stretch farther.

Best wishes! I hope you find something that works well for you.

~Lia

 

[Jim Carr]

I recommend this one: Invalid Link Removed

 

[Downunderwonder]

Sone of you guys sound unfamiliar with jazz ORCHESTRA. When all that brass goes for gold and piano and drumset put the hammer down I use some real headroom keeping up my end.

 

[Third Stone From the Sun]

I just got the Hartke LH500 its awesome nice warm but punchy thanks to tube preamp that would well they also make a 1000 watt for not much more the LH1000 then check Music Go Round the one in my city has unbelievable cabs for cheap

 

[twinjet]

I had a 90w Behringer combo amp that filled an auditorium nicely with a jazz orchestra concert I played once. Now I rock a Hartke 4x10 and a Fender 200w head, and I imagine that would only sound better!

Used, you could probably score that around $500.

 

[bopeuph]

Honestly, I don't really think you need a whole lot of power for simply jazz, nor is there any brand that really beats the other. Of course, more headroom gets a nicer sound and gives more versatility (so, you could use it on a rock gig if need be), but I have loved the years of service my used Polytone Mini Brute III gave me for the $200 I paid for it. I still use it when I don't care to break down my other rig. Sounds great with upright and electric, and has decent volume...though doesn't keep up if you're playing with a guitarist with a full stack. But it has done incredibly well for everything from a small duo to a large jazz orchestra, both indoors and out.

 

[fdeck]

My main band is a jazz orchestra that gets pretty close to as loud as a full jazz band can get. I get by with an amp that puts out an honest 150 Watts or so, into a 12" speaker of typical efficiency. It has a limiter LED, so I'd know if it's topping out, and it isn't. I'd recommend it, except that the speaker is home-made.

With that said...

Have we ever had a thread about amp power, where we agreed on a suitable power level for any given situation?

Different players find that they need different amounts of power to be comfortable. That's OK. In jazz, you don't want to have the amp top out or go into compression, because jazz is a dynamic genre. I've noticed that electric bass tends to be louder than upright in a jazz setting. Playing upright, I'm typically dialed in at a level where the rest of the band can drown me out if they want to. That's part of the band balancing its dynamics by ear. Everybody has to be listening to everybody else. It's not like rock, where every instrument has its own frequency slot. For instance in the jazz band, my range overlaps with bass trombone / tuba and bari sax.

And there are different styles of jazz. A band that is more rock- or funk-oriented might want to have louder bass.

So it's still a judgment call. If I had to rush out and buy an amp for jazz, on a tight budget, I'd probably come home with one of those GK 12" combo amps, or something like that.

 

[Low Class]

TC BG250-12 combo

 

[elgecko]

Honestly, I don't really think you need a whole lot of power for simply jazz, nor is there any brand that really beats the other. Of course, more headroom gets a nicer sound and gives more versatility (so, you could use it on a rock gig if need be), but I have loved the years of service my used Polytone Mini Brute III gave me for the $200 I paid for it. I still use it when I don't care to break down my other rig. Sounds great with upright and electric, and has decent volume...though doesn't keep up if you're playing with a guitarist with a full stack. But it has done incredibly well for everything from a small duo to a large jazz orchestra, both indoors and out.

Exactly. Jazz is the original realm of the micorig. Many a big band has been carried by a 100 watt Polytone or GK MB150

 

[lsabina]

I've used a Phil Jones Bass Cub with a big band. It was fine, although now, I don't chance anything and use a Phil Jones Super Flightcase in these situations. Clean tone and plenty of power.

 

[redhed]

Get an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500!

 

[stuntbass77]

If your gigging with it I wouldn't worry about the watts too much as you will be going through the house. Get a good amp with a good DI and make sure the house goes through your amps DI. My peavey session bass amp has the best DI of any of the higher end bass amps I have owned. It has a switch to go clean or through the eq, I love it and will never sell it. It was made in the US and has been going strong since 92'. I say go with mark bass.

 

[KohanMike]

Carvin eBay store build-to-order MB115 200watt combo, $340, with Celestian neo 15" 400 watt speaker another $75. compact, light, powerful.

CARVIN MB15 15" 15 Inch Micro Bass Amp Amplifier Speaker Cab Combo NEW

 

[Cowboy in Latvia]

Here are a few options that might do the trick.

Andertons has an [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]as well as a [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] that would probably work for your needs but would be a few less watts than you have specified. (Careful, the head only goes to 8 Ohm so you would not get to add another cab.)

On the other hand, you could probably go with a Invalid Link Removed and either an Invalid Link Removed or a Invalid Link Removed
The problem with the nuke +410 would be that you have to watch your volume so you don't "nuke" your speakers.

Good luck with your search.

 

[DaveAceofBass]

Up your budget and get an Acoustic Image. The best for jazz both upright and electric.

 

[fdeck]

If your gigging with it I wouldn't worry about the watts too much as you will be going through the house. Get a good amp with a good DI and make sure the house goes through your amps DI. My peavey session bass amp has the best DI of any of the higher end bass amps I have owned. It has a switch to go clean or through the eq, I love it and will never sell it. It was made in the US and has been going strong since 92'. I say go with mark bass.

In my experience playing in jazz bands large and small, there is rarely a "house." A big-band is 19 acoustic musicians, though the guitar, bass, and piano are typically amplified. Sometimes there's a small PA for soloists or a vocalist if there is one.

Granted, a PA might be needed in a really huge venue, but those situations are few and far between for jazz players.

I know there's a point where an amp is too small for jazz. The amp that I use for combo gigs (100 Watts and 1x8 speaker) is definitely inadequate for the big-band.

 

[thudfromafar]

Playing outdoors is the part that makes me think he'll need more than a shuttle combo or GK combo. Coming from someone who's used 3.0-10T in a jazz orchestra, and played both indoors and outdoors with it.