Poll: best amp brand

[Kevin Hailey]

Am I living in a vacuum? Acoustic Image!

 

[Pauly 4001]

Hold on
Since this poll is both too nebulous and too exact at the same time the obvious answer is Fender because they produced this at one point which is certainly the pinnacle of something or other:

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

You need to add Bergantino to the list.

 

[Gruff]

Where's Marshall?

I definitely feel I need a Marshall stack, and that has nothing to do with how it might sound, just seeing rock concerts on TV at an impressionable age!

 

[lbbc]

A lot of great choices for this poll. I've owned and gigged with many but my all-time favorite is Genz Benz. So much so that I own 2.

 

[Jaygetsreal]

42

 

[andruca]

Peavey, for reliability, amount of clean volume, price and not giving in that much to power rating scam wars.

 

[NeonVomit]

Tough to say what's 'best' these days, that's subjective.

I chose Mesa because my D-800 is an absolute tank and the most reliable piece of gear I own.

 

[jvanoort]

Multiple votes were allowed, so I selected all of them, including Other.

There are so many variables to decide what is best that it is an impossible question to answer without mentioning how you came to that choice, lest you be comparing apples to oranges. One of those variables is weight, another is 'do I own it?'.

I use and own a tiny Phil Jones BG120 and a larger and heavier Markbass cab + head. When my back hurts of when I play with a smal jazz combo the Phil Jone is the best, when I play rock with a full band the Markbass is the best.

 

[Acoustic356]

No hand made amps made the list:

• Vanderkley
• Taurus
• Demeter

Boutique amps

• Wayne Jones

British Amps

• Laney

These amps are at the top of any list for me...

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

For bass? Ampeg. Overall? Fender.

 

[kev451]

For Cabs Bergantino hands down without question, for heads Bergantino or DG 900 Alpha Omega

 

[MaidenVT]

GK

 

[JMarkD]

Silly thread. Everyone gets to list their "favorite amp brand" again. I have literally tried or used every amp brand on the list and I can make every single one work for my needs. I have a basement full of amps to prove it too.

So what do I care about? Reliability. The brand I currently choose to use and have used for over ten years has never had a failure in some very extreme conditions (maybe I've just been lucky). So if you are actually interested in why people use what they do, that's the criteria that works for me.

 

[neddyrow]

Acoustic Image.

great clean tone. Excellent controls and built in hpf. Best amp to plug right into.

 

[Egg250]

There is no "best". It depends on your application and whether it works for that situation.

Having said that, there probably is/should be a "worst list".

 

[Nemasis]

Mesa is definitely a good amp, but lately I have been using the Dark Glass 900 V2 head. I like how you can really shape the tone that you want in the mix.

 

[ebo]

Currently playing through Markbass but I can’t in good faith call them the best. I use G&L and Fender basses but won’t say they are the “best” either. I’m not the best. Victor Wooten plays Hartke. Is that the best? Apparently for him. TB knows better? Absolutely. Maybe someday I’ll get the best, until then I just play. Golf forums argue about the best golf balls! Just tee it up and hit the thing.

 

[groooooove]

the word "best" needs to be banned from thread titles

mesa has always been a great sounding, reliable choice.

peavey, particularly some of those heavy old USA made ones... good lord those are nice amps..

my old markbass sounds amazing and it's been the only amp i've ever used professionally - since around 2009 or whenever i got it.

few of us have the same priorities. I've always had certain various (both positive or negative) strong opinions about gear. but, the stuff i do with my basses is certainly not the norm.

Weight in particular can skew things. if weight was no concern we may have different results.

 

[el murdoque]

No need for a poll to answer that. Every TB regular could tell you how it plays out:
At the end, it's gonna be Mesa in #1 and Ampeg in #2, then a considerable gap, then all the others.