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I'm looking for a 500w Amp Head, any recommendations?

#61
Downunderwonder said:
You have got it backwards. The fx loop will do what it does. Woe betide the signal that hits a pedal that can't work with 10x the voltage it's expecting.
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I’ve heard interviews with both Dave Friedman and John Suhr who build some of best sounding amps around talk about how not all effects loop circuits are designed well and how poor designs can have a negative effect on the tone. Granted they primarily build guitar amps not bass but good tone / design principles apply to either. Friedman designs rigs for a lot top tier bands so he knows what he’s talking about.
And here’s signal flow from Strymon Engineering Setting Up Your Effect Signal Chain - Strymon
describing how some pedals can benefit from being used in an FX Loop or can be used either way user preference.

Pedal designs can vary greatly. There are a lot than can take a wide range of signals just fine. There are some , vintage in particular that are really finicky like germanium fuzzes so depends on the specific gear.

I’ve personally tried different pedals in front and in FX loops and you get different results either way. I don’t think the signal coming out of most FX loop is 10x the level coming out of a bass. At least it has never seemed that great of a difference in any of my experiences. I’m not an amp designer though so I can say that with certainty. It just has seemed that great of a difference in anything I’ve tried.
 
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#62
hbabels said:
I’ve heard interviews with both Dave Friedman and John Suhr who build some of best sounding amps around talk about how not all effects loop circuits are designed well and how poor designs can have a negative effect on the tone. Granted they primarily build guitar amps not bass but good tone / design principles apply to either. Friedman designs rigs for a lot top tier bands so he knows what he’s talking about.
And here’s signal flow from Strymon Engineering Setting Up Your Effect Signal Chain - Strymon
describing how some pedals can benefit from being used in an FX Loop or can be used either way user preference.

Pedal designs can vary greatly. There are a lot than can take a wide range of signals just fine. There are some , vintage in particular that are really finicky like germanium fuzzes so depends on the specific gear.

I’ve personally tried different pedals in front and in FX loops and you get different results either way. I don’t think the signal coming out of most FX loop is 10x the level coming out of a bass. At least it has never seemed that great of a difference in any of my experiences. I’m not an amp designer though so I can say that with certainty. It just has seemed that great of a difference in anything I’ve tried.
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Preamps Explained
Another tomb from a venerated TB'er.
50 to 60 dB of gain from the input to the fx send on a typical bass amp.

10x voltage is 20dB, leave you the rest of the maths.
 
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#63
I'd suggest a TC Electronic BH550 is a good option. Good tone control plus there's the two toneprints on there which give you endless options for overdrive and lets you experiment with numerous effects. Not badly priced either.
 
#64
Recently picked up the Darkglass Microtubes 500. Has built in overdrive and distortion, both of which are amazing, and has an effects loop. Ticks all your boxes.

51Co2itm2AL._AC_SX679_.jpg
 
#65
Doomed666 said:
Hi guys, first of all, I would like to thank the people who responded to my first post, I have been in TalkBass for a short time but I already love it haha.
So, in my first post i was asking for bass combo amps, but i think i'm going for Head and Cab. I found a pretty cool HD410 4x10 (I haven't bought it yet), but now i'm looking for the head. I'm looking one that has an FX Loop and that it has some built in setting for Overdrive
Hope you guys can help me, have a nice day! :thumbsup:
(PS: my english is terrible and i had to use translator, sorry)
Click to expand...

Hi,

First, it all depends on what sound you are looking for.
After a long search and trying different sets, I ended up with the Ampeg SVT-3PRO paired with the SVT 610HLF and I am very happy.
I tried Hartke HA 5000, Markbass Little Mark III, Markbass BigBang, EBS Reidmar 750, among others, with different cabs, but they all sounded too sterile or muddy or without character.
In this time I learned one thing - even the best imitation of a tube sound will not give the effect of a real tube.
As for the opinion of some that the SVT-3PRO is too quiet or underpowered, I recommend that you learn how to properly set this amplifier.
After these experiences, the only change I want is to go with all-tube amp like SVT-2PRO or CL :)
Of course this is my subjective opinion.
Ask yourself what you're looking for, listen to your favourite bands and bass players, then start trying equipment.
Have fun! :)
 
#67
Your quest is over. Behold the Gallien Krueger Legacy 500 head. Even if you were to go combo GK makes the Legacy 500 115 combo, and there is absolutely NOTHING WRONG with owning a combo. Too often new TB'ers are talked into head/cab combos when a combo amp will do a good job. The Legacy Combo will also feature a matching 115" cab that matches the cab. More power than most will need.

Anyway here's the Legacy 500:

 
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#69
alaskaleftybass said:
Your quest is over. Behold the Gallien Krueger Legacy 500 head. Even if you were to go combo GK makes the Legacy 500 115 combo, and there is absolutely NOTHING WRONG with owning a combo. Too often new TB'ers are talked into head/cab combos when a combo amp will do a good job. The Legacy Combo will also feature a matching 115" cab that matches the cab. More power than most will need.

Anyway here's the Legacy 500:

Click to expand...


Oh dude... those new GK class D heads look super sweet... I was really tempted, but I decided to wait until they announce their new AB line of amps before I upgrade my 700RB. But if circumstances were different I'd grab one in a heartbeat, love the GK tone.
 
#71
Where are you OP? All these helpful people your were giving praise to have questions for you Doomed666.

There are a lot of choices and some great info here in this thread, thanks to you all.

Here's my latest. I love the OD on this rig, awesome Rock n Roll sound! I have also used this with a Peavey 410 TVX cab 4ohm...totally ROCKS! Very simple amp with a surprisingly amount of tones.

Good luck with your search.

IMG_20200520_100106869.jpg
 
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#72
RoketRdr said:
An increase in dB is half the exercise. Increased overhead is the other half (at least it is for me). But I agree is you run a HPF (60-100hz) on a 400w head it will get close to the same dB output as running a 500w head without. And then we have the "500w head while running a HPF on a 400w cab". :D We could run this in circles over semantics but the bottom line is we both agree. :thumbsup:
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Amen Bro! Have a good one.
 
#73
hbabels said:
Agreed effects loops on most amps can accept either rack type effects or pedals. with guitar Amp the effects loop is often the preferred location for time based effects like delay / reverb and anything else you want post gain.
I’ve heard several amp builders comment that not all effects loops are created equal so some poorly designed ones can have a negative impact on tone or not play nice with some effects. The best is to experiment with your particular setup and let your ears decide what sounds best.
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Yeah, that's what I always thought, too. Good to know my head was in the right place all these years
 
#75
Al Kraft said:
I'm not sure this is 100% true for every effect/pedal and every amp that has effects send and return jacks. I would agree it is true for many effects and amps...IME it's worth double-checking before you buy and not making a general, global assumption on this point.

I offer this from a well known TB member who has seriously excellent (to use his own words) "hobbyist engineer" skills: Effects loops, and pedals vs. rackmount
Click to expand...

A fair point! Always good to check... there's always an exception to every rule!

5sg.
 
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#76
Doomed666 said:
Hi guys, first of all, I would like to thank the people who responded to my first post, I have been in TalkBass for a short time but I already love it haha.
So, in my first post i was asking for bass combo amps, but i think i'm going for Head and Cab. I found a pretty cool HD410 4x10 (I haven't bought it yet), but now i'm looking for the head. I'm looking one that has an FX Loop and that it has some built in setting for Overdrive
Hope you guys can help me, have a nice day! :thumbsup:
(PS: my english is terrible and i had to use translator, sorry)
Click to expand...
Trace Elliott Elf 400w head is very good. Small too!
 
#79
Thundar said:
I am interested in your experience with the Minimega . I have been gigging one for about 4 years and have had absolutely no issues with mine at all.....granted, I probably don't gig nearly as much as you, but I have driven it quite hard, and after I learned how to use all its features correctly, I think its a fine amp..and will run four 15's or eight 10's quite nicely..seems like the one man's Minimax is another man's MiniMega;)
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Well I don’t know if they’re all bad.
I bought one because I had read good things.
Keep in mind that this was over two years ago and I only owned the amp for a few days.
What I remember was that it started malfunctioning on the very first set of the very first show. It sounded ok initially but once the show started,
Low volume, cutting in and out then silence.
At the time, if I remember correctly, I was using an Avatar 1510 w/horn, 4 ohm cabinet.
Luckily, I did have another amp head in my car.
I returned it And decided to decline a replacement.
I wound up with the mini Max’s that worked ok for me.
Most likely a lemon as I’ve had other products break down on me over the years (Ampeg, EBS)but this one Left a sour taste in my mouth for some reason
 
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#80
Lesfunk said:
Well I don’t know if they’re all bad.
I bought one because I had read good things.
Keep in mind that this was over two years ago and I only owned the amp for a few days.
What I remember was that it started malfunctioning on the very first set of the very first show. It sounded ok initially but once the show started,
Low volume, cutting in and out then silence.
At the time, if I remember correctly, I was using an Avatar 1510 w/horn, 4 ohm cabinet.
Luckily, I did have another amp head in my car.
I returned it And decided to decline a replacement.
I wound up with the mini Max’s that worked ok for me.
Most likely a lemon as I’ve had other products break down on me over the years (Ampeg, EBS)but this one Left a sour taste in my mouth for some reason
Click to expand...

Understandable...it doesn't take much for me to become gun shy as well.;) I had an Ampeg PF500 and an SVT7 Pro...so I get it. Its funny how many Class D amps I have owned...yet I still have my trusty Peavey T-Max that is 20 years old and never had a hiccup.
 

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