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Need help choosing my first head

Matthew Hanafin

Matthew Hanafin

Dec 23, 2015
81
61
23
Michigan
#1
Hello everyone there are probably a hundred threads simular to this one so I'll apologize in advance but here's my situation, I've been playing for about 4 years and my two main basses are a Mexican precision bass w/ SD quarter pounder and a Warwick rockbass Corvette and for the last 3&1/2 years I've been using a warwick BC150 the 1 15 inch combo and I'm finally tired of not having my own amp when I gig and plugging straight into the pa when I jam with my friends I need something louder, a lot louder there are 3 amps I'm thinking about the ampeg svt 7 pro which my teacher has and I used in lesson and we have a school of rock band we gig with sometimes and I'm fairly familiar with this amp and like the tone but it is a bit bigger than the other two and I'm concerned about reliability, the Aguilar th500 this amp wasnt on my radar until recently when I saw when of my favorite bands Charly Bliss and the bassist was using one and it sounded amazing, gritty and warm but I have not tried this amp myself and probably wont have the opportunity to so theres that, and last but far from least the Mesa subway d-800 this amp was in my local music shop when they realised it a few years ago and I remember it being absolutely breathtaking really great all around and extremely small but it is more expensive from what I can tell,, note that whatever one I buy will be used so reliability is key as for what I play all kinds of rock, classic, indie, lots of punk, post punk that sorts of stuff I like to play a little of everything but with bands that usually what I play. Please help me make the right choice!!
 
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#2
All the heads you mentioned are nice. Given some recent new product releases from Mesa and that Mesa has a transferrable 5 year factory warranty on their gear - a used D-800 with as much or more factory warranty left than you might get on some new amps could be a good choice. I would check the TB classified section.

Aguilar also recently brought out a TH700 so there are probably some folks stepping-up to the new version who would be willing to part with a TH500 for a good price.

I own a D-800 and a TH500 and think highly of both. For voicing versatility though, I would give the edge to the Mesa. It's also got a little more power on tap, which can be a good thing. If an old school tube type tone that gets a little woolly as the volume goes up and doesn't have a bright top end is what you like, the TH500 can do that quite nicely. IMO both are reliable heads from quality conscious US manufacturers.

I hope that's helpful!
 
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#3
Al Kraft said:
All the heads you mentioned are nice. Given some recent new product releases from Mesa and that Mesa has a transferrable 5 year factory warranty on their gear - a used D-800 with as much or more factory warranty left than you might get on some new amps could be a good choice. I would check the TB classified section.

Aguilar also recently brought out a TH700 so there are probably some folks stepping-up to the new version who would be willing to part with a TH500 for a good price.

I own a D-800 and a TH500 and think highly of both. For voicing versatility though, I would give the edge to the Mesa. It's also got a little more power on tap, which can be a good thing. If an old school tube type tone that gets a little woolly as the volume goes up and doesn't have a bright top end is what you like, the TH500 can do that quite nicely. IMO both are reliable heads from quality conscious US manufacturers.

I hope that's helpful!
Click to expand...
Thank you so much!, the tone hammer sounds very appealing to what I want out of it but I really want to have a brighter high end
 
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#4
Matthew Hanafin said:
Thank you so much!, the tone hammer sounds very appealing to what I want out of it but I really want to have a brighter high end
Click to expand...
While the D-800 is a little darker sounding than say a GK MB head, it is more tonally versatile than the TH500 IMO. I will tell you that the TH500 takes little while to learn to use (the controls are very interactive and don't work exactly the way they do on most amps), the D-800 is much more intuitive. Your cab will also factor into the brightness equation.
 
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#5
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#6
Al Kraft said:
While the D-800 is a little darker sounding than say a GK MB head, it is more tonally versatile than the TH500 IMO. I will tell you that the TH500 takes little while to learn to use (the controls are very interactive and don't work exactly the way they do on most amps), the D-800 is much more intuitive. Your cab will also factor into the brightness equation.
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I think I'll drive to a store and try both of them in person to be sure I'm in mid Michigan area so I cant imagine it'll be that hard to find one
 
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#7
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#11
Aguilar has it's fans and it's haters - I know one good bassist who bought one and never used it after the first time he played it - others swear by them. GK is brighter, but you always have an eq. Mess also is has a great rep. Best suggestion is to play it before you buy it, so you know you like it.

Also, remember that the cabs will color the tone more than the head.
 
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#14
Matthew Hanafin said:
I've looked at all the music shops within an hour of me and can't seem to find the subway or aguilar so trying may not be an option
Click to expand...

Yeah, nothing near me or in GR either. I haven't seen anyone carrying this brands. Maybe in Detroit. While both of those heads are great choices, you could find some really good stuff on Craigslist if you're willing to make the drive for it. There are lots of other choices that would make for an amazing first amp. And, in the used market you could get an entire rig within your budget.
 
#16
Col Pruse said:
The Ampeg PF heads are on sale on all the instruments sites currently. Could get a PF-500 brand new for $325.
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I'll second this. It's an inexpensive workhorse. I built a rack mount for a PF-500 and have used it for years. It's been reliable, and I like the tone controls on the PF series. One day when it fails I'll get a D-800, but for the money this has worked well for me.
 
#17
Matthew Hanafin said:
I think I wanna go fender rumble 4×10 cab because it's a seemingly sturdy decent priced 4×10 but I am open to suggestions for the that aswell
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I have a Rumble 500 head and a Rumble 410 cab. Sounds great! I recently added a 115 to the mix. Pretty powerful sound. Maybe you can convince a store owner to let you try this setup. Very affordable and dependable products.
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#18
I've tried the Fender Rumble at my local GC. Price is right and the tone is serviceable but kinda meh to my ears. Also tried the Markbass at GC. About 2x $ than the rumble, but the tone is better. The two amps I own are a GK MB200 and Mesa D-800+. Both sound great and their watts are rated very conservatively in comparison to others, i.e. they can get stupid loud. Even with an 8 Ohm load, the MB200 can pump out enough volume to compete with a heavy handed drummer and Marshal during practice. A used D-800 is right in your price range and what I suggest. A new GK MB500 will push you over the edge a bit. Good luck in your quest!
 
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#19
The amps you cite are pretty nice as other commentors have said, and fairly popular in general.
Like you, I play several different types of music etc., but tend to focus on alt rock, HC, Post-HC, Punk and funk. I have owned several different amps in an effort to "find my tone"; Aguilar DB751, GK 700RBii, GK MB500, GK MB800, Ibanez Promethean, Darkglass M900, and a Mesa D800+.
After years of searching, gigging, rehearsing et al etc., "my" tone from amps has settled on/down to a GK MB212 Combo w/ MBP 212 extension, and the GK1001RBii w/ CX210 and Neo 212 cabs.
IMO:
Aguilar is VERY clean and transparent. Mids tend to be hollow, and tempermental to tighten. Not the amp(s), IMO, for punk/HC/post-HC, great for "pretty music."
Mesa or GK would suit you better.
Mesa, like many amps, are bullet proof, reliable, and can get you to a great point/tone with your cited genres. A D800+ may be more your route; deep/brite switches, HPF, and fairly shapeable EQ. Note, the EQ section only really gets going between 10 o'clock and about 2 o'clock positions; hardly anything before, and almost zero after.
GK, IMO should also be considered. Highs get high without becoming shrill/super harsh, boost and contours can tighten mids to a point of almost zero, but can open-up to totally punch through any mix particularly mixes with a ton of crunch/distortion/guitars and loud drummers.
GKs can get as muddy as you want, or as clean (without becoming shrill) as needed. Mesa is similar, but can get sort of boomy even without Deep engaged IMO, and can get shril on treble side.
Cabs will DEFINITELY affect/effect your tone. Horn/tweeter or not? 10s, 12s, or 15? Can get sort of crazy.
IMPO, I would stay away from companies that attempt to serve multiple niches, when they started with instruments first. Fender, Gibson, and Ibanez come to mind; stick with their instruments plain and simple.
You are in the ballpark with Aguilar and Mesa, but should also consider GK.
Good luck.
 
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