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looking for an amp head (or preamp), good clean sound
- Thread starter René_Julien
- Start date
LH500 is not in stock at my local store. (Also not many bassists around here. So it's all basic gear, nothing extravagant or boutique... or the latest things.)
However they do have an HA2500 and HA3500.
They are very good as well.
10 band eq is a plus
onboard compressor was good (although I still might get a rack compressor)
but that tube emulation thing holds me back on those
(I don't know about the HA 3500, has that on got an actual tube?)
But LH500 seems so great to me due to it's simplicity and that I consider rack gear like compressor and EQ. I know a good TLA compressor used, for a good price.
That's the problem, trying out amps.
So many brands, so little stores carry around here.
thoman offers one month money back if you are not satisfied with the product
As far as I know the 3500 has a tube and the 2500 has tube emulation. However if you look at the front of those amps they both have 2 pre amp gain controls. One of them is the tube/tube emulation, the other is solid state.
I can do that.
I can also order it in my store I suppose, I haven't got time to go down there the last couple of weeks. (Bad for store owners business.
)But I don't know if he'll take it back if I don't like it.
I'm a good customer though and he knows me very well.
He will take my poweramp back if needed to.
The Hartke LH500 is in the running.
Or maybe if that above idea works of no preamp, maybe I'll try that.
If I'll figure out how all this signal stuff works.
Thanks for the advice so far.
Monday is my day off, maybe I should take a long drive to one of the bigger music stores here in Belgium just for the sake of trying amps out. (I hope that the bigger stores carry more brands of amps.)
Thanks for the info.
I know that Hartke stuff is great. And at good price.
Judging from specs and reviews, the LH500 might be the thing for me.
I'm also going to give the HA3500 another try.
Come to think of it, my store had a used HA3500 for sale, wouldn't hurt getting that one until I find something to my taste.
I need somthing for rehearshel with my band... not that the POD isn't totally useless.
But all that time tinkering with the settings.
edit:
just checked the stores website, used HA3500 is gone
a new one costs 425€
the LH500 from thomann costs 345 €
+1 on the Demeter HBP-1. Cristal-clear sound. I have one, love it.
-1 on the Mesa M6. Lots of high-mid emphasis which cannot be EQ'd out. And the effects loop won't let you use a rack compressor effectively, because the Send level is controlled by the Master volume. Weird but true. I have one, it's going bye-bye.
-1 on the Mesa M6. Lots of high-mid emphasis which cannot be EQ'd out. And the effects loop won't let you use a rack compressor effectively, because the Send level is controlled by the Master volume. Weird but true. I have one, it's going bye-bye.
There are a lot of great choices out there for what you're asking about. Honestly, I think you could get what you want out of the old Hartke 3500. That's a great amp that gets over looked with all of the newer amps out there.
For a clean, great sounding amp you may also want to check out a Markbass LittlemarkII. I've had one of a couple of years now and it's such a great little amp. Small, light and very powerful. The F1 is even smaller and quicker sounding.
For a clean, great sounding amp you may also want to check out a Markbass LittlemarkII. I've had one of a couple of years now and it's such a great little amp. Small, light and very powerful. The F1 is even smaller and quicker sounding.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far guys.
Keep em coming.
I have a lot to think about now.
The LH500 only costs 345
Now it's getting to me.
It wouldn't hurt taking the risk of ordering one, since my budget is much larger than that.
Keep em coming.
I have a lot to think about now.
The LH500 only costs 345
Now it's getting to me.
It wouldn't hurt taking the risk of ordering one, since my budget is much larger than that.
Probably worth going with the LH500 then if you think it could be right for you, specially with the Thomman one month thing.
If you're potentially looking for a preamp/amp head, I'd like to throw out a suggestion for the Genz Benz Shuttle MAX 12.0. I've had one for a couple weeks now. Very clean sounding with a bit of warmth. Clear and articulate. It has a FET and a tube channel, each with an active parametric EQ, which I find very useful and always musical. It houses two power amps inside that put out 375W each side @ 8 ohms, but Genz Benz seems conservative with their ratings. The entire unit weighs 6.75 lbs. The Shuttle MAX 12.0 seems to be my ideal setup for the foreseeable future and a much welcome change over all my previous amps, which were way too colored and unclear for my tastes (I often practiced with a DI through studio monitors till recently).
The Demeter preamp, LM II and line driver suggestions all appeal to me too.
The Demeter preamp, LM II and line driver suggestions all appeal to me too.
SWR is very clean but too sterile for me
Love the early Trace amps with 12 band graphics; all that I use now (the 2 Ampegs and the SWR sit quietly in the corner)
The rack thing is too much trouble for me for small gigs
Never tried the Mesa
Hartke, GK, and Genz get some love here but I have not had enough time with them
good luck
Love the early Trace amps with 12 band graphics; all that I use now (the 2 Ampegs and the SWR sit quietly in the corner)
The rack thing is too much trouble for me for small gigs
Never tried the Mesa
Hartke, GK, and Genz get some love here but I have not had enough time with them
good luck
Most likely I will order the Hartke LH500.
At 345 it seems like a steal.
The reviews I read about it are positive for me.
Doesn't mean I'm not going to be on the lookout for something else.
If in the future I find something I like more I'll have the LH500 as a backup.
That line driver idea still appeals to me.
I'm going to hold on to my poweramp so I can try such a thing in the future. I'm still not sure if it will work like I planned, but I can find that out.
Thanks for all your opinions and guiding me.
At 345 it seems like a steal.
The reviews I read about it are positive for me.
Doesn't mean I'm not going to be on the lookout for something else.
If in the future I find something I like more I'll have the LH500 as a backup.
That line driver idea still appeals to me.
I'm going to hold on to my poweramp so I can try such a thing in the future. I'm still not sure if it will work like I planned, but I can find that out.
Thanks for all your opinions and guiding me.
