Poll: best amp brand

[Anemic_SluG]

So in my house I have Ampeg SVT II pro an Orange 4 Stroke, a Mesa D800, a Mesa M6 and a Peavey Megabass. They all are awesome in their own right. I don’t know how you pick the best. I got the Peavey when it was released and hasn’t died. So longevity goes to that. I haven’t even played everything on the list so I guess the OP should send me all the ones I am missing so I can have a fair shootout.

 

[KenD]

I voted Other: Troll-a-Matic

 

[Pauly 4001]

No Kustom?

No Plush?

 

[BassToGoGo]

Sorry but this is like asking "what is the best car"? or the infamous tone wood debate.

There is no answer.

 

[Ostie]

I voted for Fender and Peavey cuz that’s the only ones on the list I own right now. Not ashamed to say that I had a Crate practice amp for almost thirty years before it died.

 

[StereoPlayer]

The word “best” should be banned here.

 

[jb90]

For me? Handbox. Both WB100 and R400. Amazing heads! I sold my GK and Ampeg for them and I don't regret even for a sec. Try them out guys!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Yeah I know, popularity contest? And an Ampeg B15 is a far cry from their 1x10 solid state practice amp. But anyways……

What I really wonder is, does a particular brand have a signature sound? Do they all sound the same if you tweak the eq just right? In that case just go with your preferred features and don’t worry about the tone?

I’m an Eden fan from way back, but since they are no longer in business, I’m going to go with two, Dollar in Amp out, I think Mesa rules the roost!

 

[Al Kraft]

For me, in today's market, for my tone goals and other expectations, Mesa tends to be the best brand to satisfy me.

That said, I own other brands which I like very much and really like some brands I have played but don't currently own. "Best" IMO needs to be qualified (tone, features, reliability, warranty, value, price, etc. and/or some combination). Additionally, for my playing needs in multiple bands, that definition of "best" is often situational.

 

[AlexanderB]

But where is the good stuff?
EBS? Glockenklang? Warwick? GR? Trickfish?

 

[JangoMike]

Ive always liked Mesa.

 

[beaglesandbass]

Yeah I know, popularity contest? And an Ampeg B15 is a far cry from their 1x10 solid state practice amp. But anyways……

What I really wonder is, does a particular brand have a signature sound? Do they all sound the same if you tweak the eq just right? In that case just go with your preferred features and don’t worry about the tone?

There's no best, there's preferred.

 

[Topkat13]

I would have gone with good, better and best.

 

[MarshallAC50Stack]

I will vote for favorite amp brand but not “best”. IMO, A ranking of top 5 favorites would be a better poll than just 1.

good suggestion

 

[dave64o]

I have five amps and combos from three different manufacturers and all three are in the list. So I voted ...


... Other. I have a preference for one overall favorite amp, but there are still lots of times when I find one of the others to be preferred. So, even for me personally, I can't say I have a "best".

I agree with many that already chimed in saying there is no best. There are amps with different design goals and at different price points. Pick the one that best fits your requirements without focusing on a "best" overall. Maybe it's fun to debate which one is THE best but, in reality, there is no one best.

 

[TinIndian]

I voted GK because I love the way sound and work for me. I own 4 different heads, 400RBII, 700RBII, MB200 and a Legacy 500. The MB200 comes with me all the time as a backup. I use all of these all the time.

But I also have other amplifiers that I love too, my Genz Benz Streamliner 900, 1980 Musicman HD150, 1968 Oliver P502 and my little Ampeg RB112. I love and use all of them so I don't really think it's possible to say which one is best. Way too subjective.

 

[groovepump]

No Kustom?

I used to have a Kustom 250B with the tuck-n-roll upholstery. Black.
Very cool! Blue illuminated buttons.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

“Best” will vary according to a person’s tone-goals. And a person’s budget as well.


Two of my main amp rigs consist of rack mounted preamps, (Demeter and Tech 21 Sansamp), and I use stereo power amps (Crest Audio and Yamaha).

For my needs, I like Aguilar amplifiers and cabinets, Mesa Powerhouse cabinets and Bergantino cabinets. And although I no longer own any of their amps, I very much like the GK RB Series heads. Which reminds me, I really need to try a couple of GK’s latest amps. I love GK’s eq system.

And I’m looking forward to add an Ampeg SVT-CL and Ampeg 810E to my arsenal in the future.

 

[coyote1]

I’ve had a few different bass amps. Peavey, GK, Crate, Sunn. And I’ve played plenty of others. I put the Hartke, at least the older ones, above all of them. They just have more ooomph, more headroom, and more tonal flexibility than anything else I’ve owned or used. If you want an amp that “has its own character”, those Hartkes are not it. But if you want something that can do just about anything, they’re quite good.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

For me, in today's market, for my tone goals and other expectations, Mesa tends to be the best brand to satisfy me.

That said, I own other brands which I like very much and really like some brands I have played but don't currently own. "Best" IMO needs to be qualified (tone, features, reliability, warranty, value, price, etc. and/or some combination). Additionally, for my playing needs in multiple bands, that definition of "best" is often situational.

Al, excellent post!

Very much “situational” for me too. My Bergantino cabinets, as an example. They’re the old “HT” series cabinets. IMO they work really well for less aggressive styles of music. For more aggressive styles of music, they’re a bit too “Polite” sounding IMHO.
This being said, I’ve only used my Demeter HBP-1 preamp or my Jack Read Purity tube preamp into my Crest CA9 power amp to power them. Both of these preamps are very much geared towards a clean tone.

I wish I still owned my GK1001RB head. I have a hunch that the more aggressive signature GK sound into those Bergantino cabinets might make me change my opinion of their “Polite” tone.