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Looking at mini amp heads, any help?
- Thread starter Arnold
- Start date
I like my Carvin BX500 a lot. It's lightweight but isn't exactly a tiny enclosure. It's still smaller than a typical racked head. It's nice that it still weighs only about five pounds. You can get the optional footswitch that'll let you turn the graphic EQ on or off (or use the switch on the front panel). I leave it on but you could probably use it to get two different sounds out of the amp.
I use mine through an Avatar SB112 (and I'm waiting for Dave to send me my second matching cab) and it sounds unbelievable. I really like the level of control that it offers; it is quite a luxury to be able to select two mid frequencies to boost or cut.
I use mine through an Avatar SB112 (and I'm waiting for Dave to send me my second matching cab) and it sounds unbelievable. I really like the level of control that it offers; it is quite a luxury to be able to select two mid frequencies to boost or cut.
I've had an Eden WTX500 for a few months and have been very happy. I play 5 string electric and upright. Electric tone is great- solid bottom and punchy enough to sit well in a four piece cover band. OK for upright- I suspect a better bass and bassist would make it sound even better. I like my old WT400 and this has a similar though far from identical sound. If you like the Eden sound generally I'd definitely check it out.
I moved from a TF550b to an LMII a couple years ago and never looked back. I can get the LMII to sound very close to the TF with some EQ (reducing the bass a touch, and dialing out the upper treble with the VLE filter). However, there was no way that I found to dial in the deeper low end, more even, flatter mid response, and especially the upper treble clarity of the LMII with the TF EQ.
I enjoyed the TF quite a bit, and it's a great sounding head... warm and tight. But, I found the LMII (now the LMIII) just as loud, more forceful in the low end, much better treble response (if you want it), and 1/3 the size and weight. The TF is still a bit 'warmer' in the mids, but much less 'full range' through the low bass and upper treble.
My buddy TBer Vision made the same move that I did (from the TF to the LMII) a while back.
IMO and IME.
I own a Markbass CMD102P combo. The head is a renamed LMII, exactly the same, just built in and renamed "Combo head". Its a very good head, light, clean, loud. The only fault that I found was the EQ section. Its good but not as versatile as Id like. The VLE and VPF filters are very nice and help, but the EQ itself has a low and high shelvings, and then 2 mid bands centered around 400 and 800 Hz.
Have you seen the new Ibanez Promethean? Just like the Markbass, very small, very light, 500w@4Ohms, but cheaper with a 6 band graphic EQ, footswitch and all the stuff. If I have a chance, Ill sell my Markbass rig and buy the new Ibanez head. Its a very serious newcomer to the class-D lightweight head world.
Have you seen the new Ibanez Promethean? Just like the Markbass, very small, very light, 500w@4Ohms, but cheaper with a 6 band graphic EQ, footswitch and all the stuff. If I have a chance, Ill sell my Markbass rig and buy the new Ibanez head. Its a very serious newcomer to the class-D lightweight head world.
FYI, Markbass has a number of different models with different EQ designs. For example, my F500 has the same low and high EQ (actually not shelving, but very wide Q peaking controls on the MB stuff) and two bands of semi-parametric mids.
In general, I agree though, if you are tweaker and like turning a lot of knobs, the MB stuff isn't really about that. To my ear, their voiced to have the response relatively flat when all the knobs are set at neutral, and then provide enough EQ to keep the head sounding that way in different rooms. If you are one who likes to 'use EQ to get your tone', there are better options out there regarding multiple bands of EQ, etc., etc.
markbass F1 is the deepest, punchiest, fattest, best sounding amp out there IMO.
all the markbass stuff is great though, and its true you can get a LMII used for like..$450
all the markbass stuff is great though, and its true you can get a LMII used for like..$450
Yes.. however, that's why I use the term 'neutral' and non 'noon'.
The 'flat', starting setting for the MB heads is all tone controls in the noon position, and the two filters all the way off (counterclockwise).
I have 2 GS112's like the OP and I've owned both the LMII and now a Gallien-Krueger MB2-500.
The LMII pairs well with those cabs. There are a number of guys (and gals I presume) on these boards using that rig. There was nothing I disliked about the LMII, but I found a tone I liked better in an Aguilar AG500 so I thought I was out of the class D crowd.
That is until I found the GK MB2-500 for a screamin' deal. I bought it as a backup head knowing that it was one of the earlier "versions" and sure enough it had some of the challenges that other people had experienced.
I've got to put in a good word for this head, however, and the company behind it, because at it's best it sounds very very good, and it is very versatile. That is, since I got my replacement unit. I contacted Bob Gallien when the problems started, and he told me to send it back for a replacement. The GK customer service processed my replacement quickly and I received a brand spanking new head a week later. The one I have now is fantastic and it's have the weight of the LMII.
The LMII pairs well with those cabs. There are a number of guys (and gals I presume) on these boards using that rig. There was nothing I disliked about the LMII, but I found a tone I liked better in an Aguilar AG500 so I thought I was out of the class D crowd.
That is until I found the GK MB2-500 for a screamin' deal. I bought it as a backup head knowing that it was one of the earlier "versions" and sure enough it had some of the challenges that other people had experienced.
I've got to put in a good word for this head, however, and the company behind it, because at it's best it sounds very very good, and it is very versatile. That is, since I got my replacement unit. I contacted Bob Gallien when the problems started, and he told me to send it back for a replacement. The GK customer service processed my replacement quickly and I received a brand spanking new head a week later. The one I have now is fantastic and it's have the weight of the LMII.
They do sound good, but man, the reliability is just horrible. There is still post after post in the MB2-500 thread of even the newer models folding.
Hopefully you will have good luck with yours. If the replacement folds on you, you might want to try the MB F1, which is tighter and more aggressive than the LMII, and more in the GK tone universe (i.e., tight low end, lots of upper mids, etc.).
The reliability would have probably kept me from buying one at the full retail price, but the good secondhand deal and the awesome customer service drew me in. The GK definitely gives me tonal variety next to the Aggie.
I would not hesitate to buy an F1, or any other Markbass product for that matter. All great sounding heads!
+1 GK will eventually figure out the MB2-500 problems also. It took them a few years after introduction to get the MB150 'right', but they were then solid as a rock.
i'm digging my Ashdown Little Giant 1000.
great clean tone, and all the connectivity i could ever want.
"Set it, and forget it!"
great clean tone, and all the connectivity i could ever want.
"Set it, and forget it!"
Doug Parent
Supporting Member
Tried the Carvin BX500, returned it. The GB Shuttle 6.0 is still impressive to me even after the honeymoon. I never tried the LM 2 or 3.
I've been systematically trying out mini heads in an effort to downsize my own rig. The formula? Bring my main bass (a Fender Roscoe Beck V) and a cab (EBS NEO-112) to try out each head. The candidates so far?
-Markbass F1
-Markbass Little Mark II
-Gallien-Krueger MB2-500
-Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0
-Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0
-Eden WTX-260
-Eden WTX-500
Granted, there are more mini heads out there than what I've listed, but this is what I've been able to find in stores. And whenever possible, I've to do shootouts with these heads in the same sitting.
A disclaimer right off the bat: I've been using an Eden WT-400 head for over 10 years. It's been a workhorse and works with my sound.
But I tried to go into this process with an open mind. As for the results?
The Markbass F1. I had some reservations about trying this one out. First, the guys at Guitar Center who helped me out with this were kind of green and not very helpful. But some armtwisting got them to be a bit more cooperative. I guess they realized that being difficult might see an $800+ sale walk out the door. As for the amp itself? I was impressed with the power and tone shaping. But my first concern was how did the amp sound completely flat. And on that front it was pretty good. But I still find the VLE and VPF filters a little confusing from the outset. But at $799, I don't know if it's head and shoulders above the competition from a value standpoint.
MarkBass Little Mark II head I wanted to try this model out with my own gear since I had only heard it with a store bass and cabinet before. Would my preconceived notion that the Little Mark II had a nasal midrange be tossed aside? NOPE. As with any other gear tryout, I started with everything set flat. And with those settings I still could not stand the mids from the Little Mark II. And it took significant tone shaping to change that. Not cool in my book. I think that if I'm going to spend $500+ on an amp, it had better sound great set flat.
Gallien-Krueger MB2-500. The experience wasn't ideal though. First? A VERY annoying ground buzz coming from the amp. The sales guy had to unplug the amp and get it on a different power circuit to get that to go away. And then the fact that I was there just before the store closed. But the quick impressions? I liked it a lot. I thought that it sounded good flat. And the EQ was powerful. And reading some specs today I see that it's rated for 500W at 4 ohms, and 350W at 8 ohms. That's a significant power rating, and at only $599. And it weighs in at only 3 lbs, 12 ozs. This incident and some other info has led me to have some reservations about the build quality of the GK head. If I plunk down over $500, the head better be reliable.
The Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0. I thought this head might be something of a dark horse in this race. But I had hopes for it when I heard that the folks at Genz Benz had worked on the EQ section so that it would deliver some classic tones. The end result for me? The EQ delivered what was advertised, but there wasn't a great degree of control. It was more subtle than the EQ sections that I've become accustomed to. And the EQ pre-shapes tend to get defeated if you use any of the parametric EQ. As for the power output? I was surprised at just how much I had to crank this amp to get some serious output. And I was equally surprised to read that it was rated for 175 watts at 8 ohms and 300 watts at 4 ohms.
The Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. This version is a very similar to the 3.0, but with a couple of major differences. The power output is increased, but again the power levels are dramatically different when you're switching from 8 ohms to 4 ohms. Running in 8 ohms, the 6.0 puts out 375 watts, but in the 4 ohm configuration it will pump out 600 watts. Again, I was surprised how low the output was with such high power ratings. The preamp stage was notably different from the 3.0, namely as this model has a tube preamp with a good ammount of gain control. This tube preamp offers a notably different color to the tone of this particular head, and honestly I liked it. The EQ section is pretty much identical to the 3.0.
Eden WTX-260. I was really surprised by just how much power this amp puts out. And the sound was remarkably different from the Genz Benz amps. I wish I could come up with a better term, but it seemed to be more of a "hi-fi" sound. The EQ was also much more powerful. Very significant tonal changes with minimal spinning of the control knobs.
Eden WTX-500. This one didn't totally follow the formula. I tried this out with another bass and cabinet than the rest of my shootouts. But it really just comes across like a more powerful version of the WTX-500. And from a control standpoint it's classic Eden. If you find something that works, why change it? This is a very transparent amp with powerful EQ and some beefy output.
Ultimately I'm leaning towards the Eden WTX-500 for my own purchase. The other amps didn't make the grade for me. But I think doing a shootout like this on your own can steer you in the right direction. Forums like this are great for discussions about gear. But ultimately I think when we're looking for gear, we want an instrument or an amp to come as close as possible to the sound we hear in our heads. And that means trying things out.
-Markbass F1
-Markbass Little Mark II
-Gallien-Krueger MB2-500
-Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0
-Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0
-Eden WTX-260
-Eden WTX-500
Granted, there are more mini heads out there than what I've listed, but this is what I've been able to find in stores. And whenever possible, I've to do shootouts with these heads in the same sitting.
A disclaimer right off the bat: I've been using an Eden WT-400 head for over 10 years. It's been a workhorse and works with my sound.
But I tried to go into this process with an open mind. As for the results?
The Markbass F1. I had some reservations about trying this one out. First, the guys at Guitar Center who helped me out with this were kind of green and not very helpful. But some armtwisting got them to be a bit more cooperative. I guess they realized that being difficult might see an $800+ sale walk out the door. As for the amp itself? I was impressed with the power and tone shaping. But my first concern was how did the amp sound completely flat. And on that front it was pretty good. But I still find the VLE and VPF filters a little confusing from the outset. But at $799, I don't know if it's head and shoulders above the competition from a value standpoint.
MarkBass Little Mark II head I wanted to try this model out with my own gear since I had only heard it with a store bass and cabinet before. Would my preconceived notion that the Little Mark II had a nasal midrange be tossed aside? NOPE. As with any other gear tryout, I started with everything set flat. And with those settings I still could not stand the mids from the Little Mark II. And it took significant tone shaping to change that. Not cool in my book. I think that if I'm going to spend $500+ on an amp, it had better sound great set flat.
Gallien-Krueger MB2-500. The experience wasn't ideal though. First? A VERY annoying ground buzz coming from the amp. The sales guy had to unplug the amp and get it on a different power circuit to get that to go away. And then the fact that I was there just before the store closed. But the quick impressions? I liked it a lot. I thought that it sounded good flat. And the EQ was powerful. And reading some specs today I see that it's rated for 500W at 4 ohms, and 350W at 8 ohms. That's a significant power rating, and at only $599. And it weighs in at only 3 lbs, 12 ozs. This incident and some other info has led me to have some reservations about the build quality of the GK head. If I plunk down over $500, the head better be reliable.
The Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0. I thought this head might be something of a dark horse in this race. But I had hopes for it when I heard that the folks at Genz Benz had worked on the EQ section so that it would deliver some classic tones. The end result for me? The EQ delivered what was advertised, but there wasn't a great degree of control. It was more subtle than the EQ sections that I've become accustomed to. And the EQ pre-shapes tend to get defeated if you use any of the parametric EQ. As for the power output? I was surprised at just how much I had to crank this amp to get some serious output. And I was equally surprised to read that it was rated for 175 watts at 8 ohms and 300 watts at 4 ohms.
The Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. This version is a very similar to the 3.0, but with a couple of major differences. The power output is increased, but again the power levels are dramatically different when you're switching from 8 ohms to 4 ohms. Running in 8 ohms, the 6.0 puts out 375 watts, but in the 4 ohm configuration it will pump out 600 watts. Again, I was surprised how low the output was with such high power ratings. The preamp stage was notably different from the 3.0, namely as this model has a tube preamp with a good ammount of gain control. This tube preamp offers a notably different color to the tone of this particular head, and honestly I liked it. The EQ section is pretty much identical to the 3.0.
Eden WTX-260. I was really surprised by just how much power this amp puts out. And the sound was remarkably different from the Genz Benz amps. I wish I could come up with a better term, but it seemed to be more of a "hi-fi" sound. The EQ was also much more powerful. Very significant tonal changes with minimal spinning of the control knobs.
Eden WTX-500. This one didn't totally follow the formula. I tried this out with another bass and cabinet than the rest of my shootouts. But it really just comes across like a more powerful version of the WTX-500. And from a control standpoint it's classic Eden. If you find something that works, why change it? This is a very transparent amp with powerful EQ and some beefy output.
Ultimately I'm leaning towards the Eden WTX-500 for my own purchase. The other amps didn't make the grade for me. But I think doing a shootout like this on your own can steer you in the right direction. Forums like this are great for discussions about gear. But ultimately I think when we're looking for gear, we want an instrument or an amp to come as close as possible to the sound we hear in our heads. And that means trying things out.
I think this is the key line for anyone. I have to say... honestly, I disagreed with your take on most of the units above. In my experience with my cabs and basses, I have yet to find a head that sounds as good flat as the LMII. I also own an F1, and owned a Shuttle 6.0 previously. But then again, that is the key. What is it that your ears are looking to find? What is the tone "in your head"? When it comes down to it, you need to do exactly what ShoeManiac did... head out and try them yourself, with your own bass and cabs! I know some people don't have that option because of local availability. But whenever possible, do it! I'll likely be offering up my F1 for sale before long, only because the tone of my LMII sounds just a bit better with my current rig and playing situation.
Heck... the only way I ever get new gear is by trading. I've been able to try a rediculous amount of gear the past few years just by trading around the TB community. That has helped me find "my" tone, while not having to spend a ton of cash making it happen!
