Looking for a good budget bass head

[bassweedwizard]

hi, my budget is max $300, and i will of course be buying used
i recently bought a cab that is rated 800W at 8 ohms (pretty sure, it is a peavey headliner 410) although i don’t plan on getting close to that level

i’m pretty new to non-combo setups, so what should i look out for in heads, and what are your recommendations (i play a lot of doom and stoner metal stuff, as well as psych rock and thrash metal, overall the mids are very high)

 

[Chris Chong]

Warwick gnome

 

[Sparky Mark]

The Ampeg PF series heads could be worth a look.

 

[ViperTim]

Depending on where you are in the world Ashdown ABM heads can be really cheap, at least they are here in Sweden.

 

[Geogio]

Rumble 500 or 800 The higher wattage Rumbles are a compact Class D

 

[H K]

Theres so many good heads around these days, that its probably easier if you find some within your budget and ask for opinions on those.

That being said, buying amps used is always riskier than buying used basses. So make sure you try it if possible, get information on age, how many hours of use, stuff like that.
I've bought lots of vintage amps only to have them crap out after just a few weeks. And thsoe repairs can be expensive.
Newer amps, not so much, but it's still riskier than basses.

Anyway, keep that in mind and make sure you inspect it very well before comitting. Best of luck!

 

[buldog5151bass]

Stick to a major company and you should be fine. I would be more concerned about condition. Check it out well, make sure it works well, and all pots work silently.

 

[Swerve]

GK. I often see used rb-400ii and rb-700ii on places like Craigslist in the $300 range. Killer amps.

 

[Hoochie Coochie Man]

In the $300.00 price range, how about an old Peavey to go with your Peavey cabinet?
While I am not recommending this particular model, I will post this as an example of what I am talking about.
https://reverb.com/item/93036918-do...guitar-210-watt-transistor-head-awesome-sound
Or this?
https://reverb.com/item/93173024-peavey-mark-vi-series-402-bass-amplifier-head-400-watts-usa
(I would avoid anything with linear potentiometers like in the amp above, due to the likelihood of problems with dirty pots).

 

[Gervais Cote]

GK. I often see used rb-400ii and rb-700ii on places like Craigslist in the $300 range. Killer amps.

And they throw a lot of punchy mids like the OP is looking for.

 

[lug]

Peavey MiniMax, fantastic head for the coin. Been gigging with them for years.

 

[Gervais Cote]

In my area, musicians playing your style of music are using GK bass heads. A 400 watts and up would be more than enough.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Peavey MiniMax, fantastic head for the coin. Been gigging with them for years.

Definitely the best value power/money on the market and fits with the OP's music style, how come I didn’t think of it ?

 

[brianrost]

For $300 in the US used market:

Most class D amps in the 200 watt range, like the GK MB200, TC BH250, Trace ELF, etc. can be bought for under $300 used.

Old solid state amps are out of favor because of the weight, so there’s plenty around selling cheap….Peavey, Ampeg, Trace, Eden, SWR, GK, Hartke, etc.

 

[lug]

Definitely the best value power/money on the market and fits with the OP's music style, how come I didn’t think of it ?

I gigged with the original 500w version for many years. Once my gig schedule went crazy, I bought a used 600w version last year for around $300 since I like to have a backup. Been almost 10 years w/o a lick of trouble.

 

[eaglemachine]

Get a GK RB series head (400rb, 700rb, 1001rb). It’s a pro level head that is cheap now because of size, but they only weigh about 20 pounds. They get really loud for the wattage rating, can be clean or get the classic rails sound, great EQ, there are lots of them around, they are reliable for the most part, and the company is still around which is a good sign.

 

[sheesh]

For $300 in the US used market:

Most class D amps in the 200 watt range, like the GK MB200, TC BH250, Trace ELF, etc. can be bought for under $300 used.

Old solid state amps are out of favor because of the weight, so there’s plenty around selling cheap….Peavey, Ampeg, Trace, Eden, SWR, GK, Hartke, etc.

I would go with GK MB200 over the ELF, I have had both, the GK is louder and sounds better for what you want to my ear, but of course YMMV.

 

[BruceG68]

You might want to consider new as at this time of year Musicians Friend,Sweetwater,Guitar Center etc will be advertising all kinds of deals such as close outs,open box,scratch dent and ding and so on.Then you will have a warranty and return ability if your not satisfied or have problems.

 

[D.A.R.K.]

As another option, I picked up a Traynor SB500H class D head (500 watts at 4 ohms) for 300 recently as a backup. Now I use it half the time, great amp for the price of a nice pedal, with a front end that handles gobs of gain.

 

[BruceG68]

For what it's worth today on Musicians Friend countdown to Black Friday they are giving away a Ampeg V3 bass head.Check it out