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Newbie post, Peavey TNT vs. TC Electronics BG250

S

sunvalleylaw

Dec 27, 2013
15
0
#1
Hi guys, newbie here. I am a long time guitarist who just got his first bass, a Squier VM Jaguar short scale, black on black.

Now, I think I need an amp. I have a 1961 Fender Concert 4x10 that is pretty similar to a Fender Bassman, but I am thinking I might need to get a more modern bass specific amp. I will be playing basically modern grungeish rock such as Audioslave, PJ, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, RHCP. Mostly we will just be jamming, and occasionally playing out if we get any good. I will also be playing guitar depending on the song.

I am looking at getting a used Peavey TNT because they seem to be bullet proof and they are cheap. I was thinking the TNT 130 model.

Also, I was looking at the TC Electronics BG 250 to save weight. But I am worried a bit about the reliability as they seem unproven. The TNT's have been around forever.

Thoughts?

PS: I broke a string the first day out, because i am a stupid guitar player and tuned a string way too tight before I knew what i was doing. I have D'Addario flat wounds coming to replace them. Silly me, but I am just new to all this stuff. Having fun though!
 
#2
Hi SVL,
Welcome to the world of making the earth move! A couple of quick thoughts come to mind.
1. What's your budget? That will dictate more than anything what you get.
2. For that 90's Rock kind of thing, I'd want something with a little grit and drive to it, maybe a tube preamp deal.
3. Do a search on here for combo amps versus heads/separate cabs and educate yourself as to the merits of each system as relates to the bass. I use both depending on the gig.

As to your initial question, Peavey TNT 130 is a great working mans combo. Good tone, nice and thick, bulletproof, great value. Kinda heavy and bulky. I use one at one of my bands rehearsal spots, it does the job perfectly.
My teacher and mentor Russ Rodgers uses a TC 750 head and he swears by it, he's one of the top pros in the South.

You may want to try roundwounds on your Jag for more growl and bite. I use flats on my P bass for blues and R& B gigs. Flats do sound very nice in a rock context with a plectrum.
 
#4
thefunkgorilla said:
Hi SVL,
Welcome to the world of making the earth move! A couple of quick thoughts come to mind.
1. What's your budget? That will dictate more than anything what you get.
2. For that 90's Rock kind of thing, I'd want something with a little grit and drive to it, maybe a tube preamp deal.
3. Do a search on here for combo amps versus heads/separate cabs and educate yourself as to the merits of each system as relates to the bass. I use both depending on the gig.

As to your initial question, Peavey TNT 130 is a great working mans combo. Good tone, nice and thick, bulletproof, great value. Kinda heavy and bulky. I use one at one of my bands rehearsal spots, it does the job perfectly.
My teacher and mentor Russ Rodgers uses a TC 750 head and he swears by it, he's one of the top pros in the South.

You may want to try roundwounds on your Jag for more growl and bite. I use flats on my P bass for blues and R& B gigs. Flats do sound very nice in a rock context with a plectrum.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I will continue to do some research here as I figure it out. re: the strings, Jason and bassstrings online helped me pick those out, so I am hoping they will work ok. I had told him I wanted a little tighter string tension feel on the low E as it just felt a little floppy to me, but that is probably due to me having absolutely no technique yet. :D
 
#5
IMO go with a BG250 with a 15" speaker. For the rock/metal sound I would set knobs as follows: Bass +2. Middle -2 Treble 0. And tone print at 5. Then put on some spectra comp compression from your tone print app. On your IPhone or Android phone and melt peoples faces
 
#6
Between those two I would go with the TC.

Just to cloud the issue, I would recommend you check out used prices for Gallien-Krueger(GK) and Carvin MB combos also.

If you haven't found your way to the classifieds yet I recommend spending some time there. Compare prices there vs. Craig's List vs. ebay to figure out what you should pay. You should be able to get 350 watt combo for under $400, no problem. If your budget is less, then the same exercise would still be helpful.

Good Luck, let us know how it turns out!
 
#7
I found a used GALLIEN KRUGER 115MBE for $149, plus $45 shipping or a Peavey TNT 130 for the same price. Thoughts? EDIT: NEVER MIND, I JUST FIGURED OUT THIS WAS FOR A CAB ONLY.

I also found a used TNT 160 for $100 plus shipping if the guy will call me back. I may just go with that one if he does.
 

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