Reliable solid state heads with plenty of power

[Medicine Man]

Reliable would be anything that's not rack mounted and says Ampeg on it lol

Likewise not putting heads into bouncing rattle bucket trailers when touring.

Transport in foam lined cases or at least on some foam in the van or actual tow vehicle.

I'd literally buy a pair of any known reliable cheap lead sleds. One for stage ,one for back up.

I gigged a single svt 4 for 10 years, and never did more than replace the preamp tubes, including dropping the rack case (gator) literally down a flight of cement stairs. So for me it was reliable. Eventually I replaced it with a CL. Now I play D minis.

 

[brianrost]

I'd put anything from GK's RB series on the top of the list. Traynor also gets my vote, I gigged two of their amps heavily for years.

As far as the Ampeg SVT4, I will say I did a festival gig where it was the backline amp rental and one channel of the amp was blown. Not the best first impression on reliability.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Here's another vote for the GK 1001RB.

 

[ThinCrappyTone]

Mesa D800+ might be one to consider: Reliable, powerful, flexible, great di, lots of tone shaping, top notch cs, goes down to 2ohms.

 

[Jack]

Given those criteria above you're looking at the (already much-recommended) GK 1001ii or the very-underrated Peavey Tour 700.

 

[groovaholic]

I think the 700RB is the “sweet spot” in the GK line; enough power for just about any gig, but not running as hot as the 1001RB.

And the Speakon connectors are mandatory (to me).

My most recent used 700RB cost me $300.

I can’t think of a better deal in bass gear...

 

[willsellout]

I had not one, not two, but three 1001’s fail on me within a month of me receiving them. This was a while ago and there was apparently a design flaw in the initial runs that has since been corrected but I’d never own one of those again.

 

[fhm555]

You don't hear much about Peavey's amp heads other than the Mini-Mega, which means that they're often available for great under-the-radar prices used. That said, I love my Peavey Headliner amp. I use the Headliner as my main amp and carry an Ampeg PF-800 as a backup. Haven't had to use the Ampeg yet.

I had a Headliner amp and loved it. The only drawback was a noisy fan that ran all the time and was loud enough to be a distraction at lower volumes. I got it new and at first thought it was defective so i took it back and swapped it for another one. When it did the same thing i just figured it was normal and used it only when i would need it turned up.

 

[Artman]

Depends upon your budget. There are a lot of great answers above. The Hartke LH heads are a great value new, while you might consider a handful of HA3500s which are much louder than their 350 watt rating would have you believe, are still in production, and although not lightweight they can be had used for about $150.

 

[-Stingray]

A used Mesa D800 or GK 1001RB II. Both are newer models with parts still widely available. Both punch like mofos, and both can be found on the used market for $400 -$550.

I've owned both, and they both offer a LOT of bang for the buck.

 

[Ewo]

I'd point you toward the Mesa Subway WD 800.

 

[MyMusic]

Aguilar, Bergantino, Genzler and Mesa Boogie are what I would consider nowadays. But I am partial to Mesa Boogie.(Subway Series)

 

[burgerdj]

Should be able to find a used Eden WT that fits the bill nicely!

 

[redwingxix]

another vote for Mesa D800.

 

[Kukulkan61]

I would personnaly avoid GK class D amps. I tried them once and it was hissing a bit too much and the seller told me, he had to deal with lots of fried amps. He was thinking about stopping selling them.

Hard to believe, GK is pretty damn reliable, I gigged a 400RB for more than 15 years with not one issue, it even had the factory fuse in it when I sold it..

 

[JohnnyBottom]

Something about the Quilter radiates reliability. Havent heard of a failure yet, built like
a little tank. Can probably pass a drop test, and really has a lot of power, and you can get 2.
I love! my Mesa, but I wouldn't drop it

 

[cloudermilk]

Has the GK700 rbII fallen out of favor? I bought mine new a few years a go for $525, and don't ever hear of any issues with that model.

I found one on Craigslist for $300 in the 210 format. Took it out, cleaned it up, bought a cover for it, and now it's my go to.

 

[baxter_x]

Hard to believe, GK is pretty damn reliable, I gigged a 400RB for more than 15 years with not one issue, it even had the factory fuse in it when I sold it..

The seller was talking about their class D amps, not the RB series.

 

[Resonance129]

I've had nothing but good experiences with my GK MB500. Not the most powerful head in the world, especially in comparison to some of these other suggestions, but it powers TWO TC Elec K212s on its own. And handles the load well. Plenty of power for any venues I'll ever play in, super lightweight and sturdy, and it's got a really clear/punchy powerful sound. What's not to like?

 

[Tommyc]

Acoustic Image Clarus IV, 532 watts into 4 ohms, will drive 2 ohm loads, adjustable HPF, 2.4 lbs., 5 year warranty but Rick is known to fix pieces bought on Ebay.