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Need help on a new amp!

L

lorenk

Apr 8, 2008
555
2
Bend, Oregon
#1
So I am in a band, and my 100w combo isn't cutting it (im going against a marshall half stack). So I'm looking at getting a amp and cab, but being that I live in a fairly small town I am limited on my options to try out. So heres some of the bands I like:

Bouncing Souls "gone" (approx. 30 seconds in)



Here's what I play through:

Hotrodded Fender Pbass
MTD Kingston Artist
Daisy Rock RockCandy bass (its pink...i couldnt resist)
Sansamp BDDI

The amps I'm looking at are:

GK 700RBsomethingsomething (forgot the numerals)
Carvin BX600
Peavey WT450

I'm looking to spend $600 or so on the amp, I'm sure I've over looked other amps, so any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!


-Loren
 
#7
You're looking at some decent stuff there. Remember to add speaker cabinet(s) to your shopping list. The more speakers, (generally), the louder you will be... so pushing a lot of watts through a single 15" will (most likely) not be the most efficient use of that power.

(there are exceptions, but generally speaking, to keep up with a Marshall halfstack, you're going to want at least a 4x10, if not a pair of them - depending on how loud it gets)
 
#9
thanks for all the replies!

the $600 was for the head, as for cabs...thats still kinda up in the air, though I'm leaning towards a 4x10.

I wish i could go to a guitar center, but the closest one is 3 hours away and i dont really have the means monetarily or transportation to get there. hence tb :)
what im hoping though is some cab will pop up on craigslist that i can snatch up for cheap...if not im thinking avatar. maybe a 2x10 if my budget gets cramped, then add something later.

thanks again for the replies!
 
#15
From the three you listed, go GK all the way. Peavy hasn't sounded good since the '80's (DO YOU FEEL THE FLAMES COMING?!!), and Carvin should have stuck to direct sales of bass and electric guitars (they were actually quite good back in the '90's), today not so much.
 
#16
I think the GK you are looking at will cop those tones the best. the two punk videos have an entirely different sound from sublime. But you will easily get that from using the GK, a pick, and roundwounds on your bass.

As for the sublime sound. Thats not too hard to cop and the gk will work well for that too. You might have to use different eq;s to do it though.
 
#17
first, thank you all for the replies! I have a few more questions, so i just quoted and asked away, to keep it simple :)

vinxbass said:
Your best bang for the buck is going to be the Carvin gear, though I'm not a fan of the BX600. If there was anyway you could get a 4x10 cab, I'd shoot for the Carvin BX1200 head and then you'd have the power to compete with a 100 watt Marshall.
Click to expand...

what do you not like about the bx600? From what i read (and granted, i probably missed something) I thought the bx1200 was basically the same amp with more power.

DeaconK said:
FWIW, Hartke is having a promotion. I just bought a HyDrive 410 and they provide a rebate for their 350 watt amp for free ($45 shipping). I happen to be upgrading from a Rumble 100 as well.
Click to expand...

i went to their website and was unable to find anything on the rebate, where did you find it? and how does hartke sound?
*edit* ah found the rebate!
Erik the Red said:
think about a 215, i just got a acoustic 106 2x15 for under 200
With one of those behind you, it's hard not to notice a bass note.
In terms of amps in that range, you're choices are pretty limited unless you can find a good used deal.
Have you checked out the Carvin BX500?
Click to expand...

I have, but im a bit hesitant til people get some reviews up in the BX500 thread. I am a bit intrigued though since it has the tube. But, a tube isn't required since I can fake it with the Sansamp.

Alaska Bass said:
From the three you listed, go GK all the way. Peavy hasn't sounded good since the '80's (DO YOU FEEL THE FLAMES COMING?!!), and Carvin should have stuck to direct sales of bass and electric guitars (they were actually quite good back in the '90's), today not so much.
Click to expand...

Could you expand on why Carvin should have stuck with direct sales? It seems like people are fairly split over Carvin amps, and since I'm not able to play em (curse living in the sticks!) anything you can tell me about them would be greatly appreciated! :)

Also, with GK amps, would a 400RBII be "enough amp" for me to perform with? Or would I most likely be needing the extra wattage of the 700RBII? Will I be able to get the "growl" from the 700RBII without being to loud?

When I went to the music store in town that had the GK amps, they said they wouldn't set up the amps til I had the money because it was to much work. =/ ah well.

thanks again for all the replies!
 
#18
About Carvin amps:

I've never played the one you have listed as an option ... but I own the b1500. For 650 bucks, it's the loudest amp I've ever used, hands down. It's got headroom for days, and it sounds great. Solid tone with a nice, simple EQ (6 knobs for EQ).

Also, I've got an avatar cabinet ... also highly recommended. Sounds amazing, and I can't wait until I have the money to get another one.
 
#19
Since your plan is to move to a head and cabinet, why not get the cabinet first. Something efficient and lightweight, a Neodymium equipped cab. Hook that up to your bassman 100 speaker out, and you may be surprised at the increased volume.

I feel certain that the biggest limiting factor of your volume is not the 100 solid state watts, but the single 10" speaker. Same amp with more speakers will mean much more volume.

If it works for now, that gives you more time to shop and wait for the killer deal on a used head, and you'll already have a cabinet.

You also may want to consider optimizing your output at every step. Different strings? Raising your pickup 1/4" can make a huge difference in output. Crank your sansamp, or try some other form of clean boost.

Traynor YBA-200's can be found for around $500 used, if you don't mind the weight.
 
#20
lorenk said:
Could you expand on why Carvin should have stuck with direct sales? It seems like people are fairly split over Carvin amps, and since I'm not able to play em (curse living in the sticks!) anything you can tell me about them would be greatly appreciated! :)
Click to expand...

I remember before when Carvin started branching out into other revenue streams (WOW, that makes me sound old!). They used to focus on making guitars and basses that had many of the features and quality of instruments twice as expensive. The reason they were successful was due to their attention to detail, and quality vs. cost ratio.

They got to a point that most businesses get to, which is do we continue doing what we are good at and stay at this size, or do we branch out into uncharted territory with the hopes of expanding our business (read revenue). They opted to expand by utilizing the quality name that Carvin had become as a marketing tool, and outsourcing their production of cables, amps, sound systems, etc.

For reasons only they know (lack of knowledge, no passion for perfection in the other lines, etc.) they began (and continue) to flood the market with inferior quality product at a cheap price. This has had the effect of lowering the quality image of the name Carvin, while opening up greater revenue streams for the company.

Their down-trend in quality has been no more apparent than in the peripheral production lines that their company has, namely sound systems, amplifiers, cables, etc. These other products have changed the company from a quality product at an affordable price focus, to a cheap product at a cheap price focus.
 

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