Recommendations for budget gear

[crankypants]

Peavey. Used.

 

[NortyFiner]

"Budget" is relative. What's your budget?

 

[elgranluis]

40w is the same as 25w. What is your budget ?

 

[PeterBarea]

I have a Gallien Krueger MB 115 for home practice. Is 200w, and the 15" speaker is quite powerful, so the amp can be used to small and medium venues, had been used it often. The most I like in this combo is the clean of the sound, have a good 4 band EQ, and is lightweight (around 15 kg).

 

[kodiakblair]

If you've £4-500 budget a Full range/Flat Response active speaker with a preamp pedal is a pretty good option.

Mackie not so good. Alto pretty decent. Yamaha Top Notch

The Alto TS315 is around £270. 1000 watts RMS. 19Kg.

That £270 leaves a lot of change for a preamp.

 

[SwitchGear]

Ampeg PF350/500 heads used go for dirt cheap. Pair up with a 1x15 or 2x10 cab

 

[Kmonk]

I tried Fender Rumble amps and didn't like them. To me, they sounded very muddy and lacking in clarity. Hartke would be a good choice. Reasonably priced with a full and punchy sound.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

I always liked the GK MB115. 200 watts out of a single 15. Light weight and easy to transport. A good used one should go for around $350-400. Also of worthy mention is the GKMB112. 200 watts out of a single 12. Compact and light weight as well.

 

[lyonaudio]

A Fender Rumble 100 is $300. IS that budget enough?

Sounds good and weighs 22 lbs.

 

[jallenbass]

What kind of band and will you have a PA that you can run a line/DI out to?

 

[bassliner50]

Look no furthar. Just get a Fender Rumble 100. Even the Rumble 40 would be a close 2nd.

 

[CallMeAl]

I'll use it for small and medium-scale gigs, but predominantly rehearsals and practice.

Unless I missed it, a big and very important question: how loud is your band? How many members? What's the style?

A blues or jazz trio will need a different amp than a 2-guitar Metal band or a 8-10 piece band with horns, etc...

 

[Jscriv]

I would get a 210 and ~350w @8ohms. Sure, you can get by with less, but that's a pretty good All-purpose starting point.

head/cab is more flexible, and arguably the long-term option. But combos are cheaper, convenient and always perfectly matched (more "idiot proof." ) I've done the majority of my gigging on combos, but i think most of TB will tell you to go head/cab. So that's up to you...

IMHO a Fender Rumble 500 combo fits the bill perfectly. Cheap light and loud. And sounds great (but that's totally subjective and debatable)

If you're not into the warm/vintage vibe the Rumble offers, and want a cleaner sound- Id look at a similar rig by Peavey, TC electronics, or GK.

happy hunting!

This really covers it. And 350 8ohm (usually also capable of 4ohm) and a cabinet leaves you lots of options. An ampeg portaflex head is pretty cheap and an acoustic cab could all be had for 500 bucks or so. Or any cab used from GC really. I'm a big fan of 410s. But the rumble 500 combos are SO NICE. You can lose either way. My vote is always for a head and cab. Just for expansion and changing up purposes.

 

[RickyRocknRoll]

Traynor SB112 is 200 watts and light weight. I have the head version and find it very usable.

This, or any of the Small Block heads from Traynor. They are cheap, indestructible and often - pretty much all the time - overlooked. Great amps for the money. They are a joke on the used market. Highly recommended.

 

[SwitchGear]

I tried Fender Rumble amps and didn't like them. To me, they sounded very muddy and lacking in clarity. Hartke would be a good choice. Reasonably priced with a full and punchy sound.

Again, the tone stack on the Rumble series with the EQ knobs all set at noon produces a smiley face tone. Back off the lows and highs to flatten the EQ

 

[CallMeAl]

Again, the tone stack on the Rumble series with the EQ knobs all set at noon produces a smiley face tone. Back off the lows and highs to flatten the EQ

My Rumble settings:

sure puts a Smiley on my Face!

 

[Kmonk]

Again, the tone stack on the Rumble series with the EQ knobs all set at noon produces a smiley face tone. Back off the lows and highs to flatten the EQ

When I had my Rumble, I spent many hours trying to dial in a good sound, pretty much every eq combination possible. I had the same issue with an Ashdown combo that I owned for a few months. I was never able to get a good sound. I've never had a problem with Ampeg, GK or Hartke.

 

[CallMeAl]

When I had my Rumble, I spent many hours trying to dial in a good sound, pretty much every eq combination possible. I had the same issue with an Ashdown combo that I owned for a few months. I was never able to get a good sound. I've never had a problem with Ampeg, GK or Hartke.

I'll admit the Rumble line took me a while to find a setting I liked on it, at least for gigging. Other amps I have owned/currently own I play much closer to flat. I think the more extreme "baked in" character leads to their "love it, hate it" reputation, and is worth noting. (Not saying YOU necessarily hate it )

I think for the OP, Focus should be deciding on specs and features first, then specific budget and brand second.

 

[jallenbass]

I'll admit the Rumble line took me a while to find a setting I liked on it, at least for gigging. Other amps I have owned/currently own I play much closer to flat. I think the more extreme "baked in" character leads to their "love it, hate it" reputation, and is worth noting. (Not saying YOU necessarily hate it )

We shouldn't be afraid to turn the knobs on the Rumbles. The sounds that you need may not be the "noon" settings.

 

[CallMeAl]

We shouldn't be afraid to turn the knobs on the Rumbles. The sounds that you need may not be the "noon" settings.

I've settled on 10/2/2/10 as a starting point, and tweak from there

EDIT I agree with you, and that's kinda what I was getting at. I like to share those settings with prospective Rumble buyers.