Hello all. Returning bass player after 9 years of down time and I find myself floored by the technology jumps over the last decade. I'm getting a little dizzy in my quest for a new amp.
I play in a blues, rock band, very guitar driven. We play a wide range of styles from classic blues, jazz and a few heavier songs. (Open chord and no drop tuning on the bass.) In the past my rig was merely for stage volume and I utilized a DI box (love the sansamp) to run to the PA as it sounded much better than my standalone rig. Now it appears that I will have to carry the volume for small and medium-sized venues, as quite a few in this area have downsized or eliminated their PA systems in the intervening years. At the very least I'm going into every show expecting to carry the volume.
I'm looking for an amp ($600 absolute max but would love to be closer to the $400 range) that can carry the venue and cut through the hellaciously loud dueling guitars in this project, as well as offer a wide range of tonal capability with a minimum of fuss. I am NOT an accomplished amp fiddler. I can hear what I like, but am not versed enough to be able to dial it in on some of the more-complicated amps. To put it simply, I need an amp that can be adjusted quickly with as few knobs/dials/sliders as possible.
I'm going to initially be playing through a GK neo 4x10 and will be looking for a 2x12 neo to complement at some point in the future. Bass is an '84 G&L L-2000. Everything I play is finger-style.
Side question, with this type of setup is it time to dump the DI's? They've been my tone binky for so long just for the ease of use.
I play in a blues, rock band, very guitar driven. We play a wide range of styles from classic blues, jazz and a few heavier songs. (Open chord and no drop tuning on the bass.) In the past my rig was merely for stage volume and I utilized a DI box (love the sansamp) to run to the PA as it sounded much better than my standalone rig. Now it appears that I will have to carry the volume for small and medium-sized venues, as quite a few in this area have downsized or eliminated their PA systems in the intervening years. At the very least I'm going into every show expecting to carry the volume.
I'm looking for an amp ($600 absolute max but would love to be closer to the $400 range) that can carry the venue and cut through the hellaciously loud dueling guitars in this project, as well as offer a wide range of tonal capability with a minimum of fuss. I am NOT an accomplished amp fiddler. I can hear what I like, but am not versed enough to be able to dial it in on some of the more-complicated amps. To put it simply, I need an amp that can be adjusted quickly with as few knobs/dials/sliders as possible.
I'm going to initially be playing through a GK neo 4x10 and will be looking for a 2x12 neo to complement at some point in the future. Bass is an '84 G&L L-2000. Everything I play is finger-style.
Side question, with this type of setup is it time to dump the DI's? They've been my tone binky for so long just for the ease of use.
