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Recommendations Needed!

lea56

lea56

Guest
Nov 1, 2015
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#1
So, I'm looking to buy a combo amp for practices and small gigs that is portable yet still has great tones. I'm looking to spend under $500 and I prefer to have more than 150 watts. I play a lot of Blues, so-called "Classic Rock" (such as The Band and the Stones), as well as Country Rock (Gram Parsons). I also mainly play a '51 Reissue Fender Precision.

Does anybody have any recommendations for me?!
 
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#2
Carvin MB series are nice amps in your range. You can get the MB15 with 15" ext cab if needed pretty close to your price range. The combo alone is 250 watts with the ext cab, 200 without. Only weighs about 30 lbs also. I think the combo alone is about 350.00. Great little amp. You can get it in 2/10 configuration also. Another one to consider is the new Fender Rumbles, either the 200 or 500.
 
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#3
This!!

I dont have experience with the Carvin's but they seem to be held in high esteem here on TB. The fender rumbles are a great budget option, I owned the 200 watt combo and that was plenty loud and lightweight enough for bar gigs (and if you got the 115 extension cab it could hold its own in a larger venue as well).

Both brands are great performance and value, and both can be made into even more capable rigs with their matching extension cabs, pull the trigger!
 
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#4
Lots to choose from in that price range and power level, but you'll have to define "great tones" to get more useful answers.

Do you prefer your combo to have a warm, thumpy sound or a more transparent, punchy amplification of how the bass sounds unplugged with a bright midrange? What kind of features do you want in your combo? Just straight amplification, or do you want to be able to dial in distortion? Is a headphone jack important?
 
#5
swamp_bass said:
Lots to choose from in that price range and power level, but you'll have to define "great tones" to get more useful answers.

Do you prefer your combo to have a warm, thumpy sound or a more transparent, punchy amplification of how the bass sounds unplugged with a bright midrange? What kind of features do you want in your combo? Just straight amplification, or do you want to be able to dial in distortion? Is a headphone jack important?
Click to expand...

Great point! I'm looking for something more warm and thumpy. No need for distortion really.
 
#6
lea56 said:
Great point! I'm looking for something more warm and thumpy. No need for distortion really.
Click to expand...
The Rumbles have a warm baked in tone. The Carvin has a clean flat uncolored tone. I use a zoom m60b on mine. Usually run an amp simulation like the svt or bassman, or sansamp sim to color up my tone. Plus the Carvin has a real nice parametric eq that will color your tone nicely if you choose not to run effects.
 
#7
1stnamebassist said:
The Rumbles have a warm baked in tone. The Carvin has a clean flat uncolored tone. I use a zoom m60b on mine. Usually run an amp simulation like the svt or bassman, or sansamp sim to color up my tone. Plus the Carvin has a real nice parametric eq that will color your tone nicely if you choose not to run effects.
Click to expand...

So with the Carvin, the amp is basically "neutral" in that what you hear is more the instrument?
 
#9
If you can get Traynor gear where you are, check out some of their stuff. I've got a SB200H paired with a DNBX112 cab, and for what it is (light and portable) it sounds fantastic.

That said, Traynor gear tends to be very mid forward, perfect for rock. It's not to everyone's taste, but it sure works for me...
 
#10
lea56 said:
So, I'm looking to buy a combo amp for practices and small gigs that is portable yet still has great tones. I'm looking to spend under $500 and I prefer to have more than 150 watts... Does anybody have any recommendations for me?!
Click to expand...

I use an Ampeg B3 for home practice. It does weigh around 70 lbs, though, so I put wheels on mine to make it more portable.
 
#13
lea56 said:
So, I'm looking to buy a combo amp for practices and small gigs that is portable yet still has great tones. I'm looking to spend under $500 and I prefer to have more than 150 watts. I play a lot of Blues, so-called "Classic Rock" (such as The Band and the Stones), as well as Country Rock (Gram Parsons). I also mainly play a '51 Reissue Fender Precision.

Does anybody have any recommendations for me?!
Click to expand...
I would suggest you audition a Fender Rumble 200, and 500. They most surely give you that classic rock and blues tone straight out of the box. Plus they are very versatile and rock solid performers. A/B them against anything in their price and wattage class and pick the amp you like best.
 

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