• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Rock amp - hard choice (Orange/Ampeg/Ashdown)

#41
MetroBass said:
IMO: The rest of that stuff you're listing is junk. You will not be happy with the Terror stuff based on your feedback here. Stay away from GB, MB, Ash, GK stuff

Mesa 400+, Walkabout, M3, M6, M9 (if you have the NADS)
Ampeg PF, CL, VR, Pro3 or 7

This is a list of rock and roll amps!
Click to expand...

Pretty strong opinions there, Hoss :) Of the four brands you listed to 'stay away from', I've owned all of 'em, and enjoyed them a great deal. Thousands of working pros with great tone swear by GK amps...they're light, usually last forever and most bass players love the sound. I still have an Ashdown ABM 500 and it's awesome...the ONLY reason I'd steer clear of them is because techs hate working on them. Genz Benz make incredible amps and have some of the highest ratings in customer service/support in our industry. My main amp is a GB ShuttleMax 12.0...eq options for days, 1200 watts and weighs under 7lbs! The ONLY reason I don't recommend it is they are way above the price point the OP listed...for a 'rock' sound (whatever that could possibly mean), I would recommend GB Streamliners in a heartbeat.

Of all the amps you recommend...I'm with you for sure on the Mesa 400+...great amp...the M9? Naw...top end is just too brittle when I tried them...not a huge fan of their stuff. Of the Ampegs you listed...CL and VR are AWESOME amplifiers, but very heavy and very expensive. From what I've heard, the Pro7 is a great amp...been wanting to hear one for sure...the 3Pro? Have you ever used one? I had one for a minute...piece of junk if you ask me.

I guess my rather long winded point is...there's no 'best amp for rock,' except the one you're happy with for your own goals.
 
#42
I've owned lots of basses before I started building... but I haven't changed too many amps.

What I owned (more or less):

Hartke HA3500+Ampeg Classic 4x8"

Demeter+QSC+Markbass STD104 and 112

Markbass Littlemark I+Swr Triad

Markbass Littlemark II+custom 2x12"

SFX preamp+power amp+Ashdown MAG414 and, after a while, a huge PA cab

EBS 2x10" combo

Ashdown LG1000+custom cabs

Ashdown EB180

Hartke HA3500+XL4.5 (for a few days)

I'm forgetting some, for sure.

And the ones I only tried (heads): Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 (very nice), G&K 1001Rb (but didn't mess with the eq.), Markbass SA450 (both version, I and II) and a few others I forgot about. This without counting the cabs.

The main problem is that I always used pretty clean sounding amps so I'm completely ignorant about the (excuse me for the cliché) "Rock oriented" stuff :p like Ampeg, Ashdown ABM, Orange etc.
I have no decent store here, the closest one is at 100km and of course has only a part of the amps in the list.
I was considering a good external preamp/drive like the Darkglass or the AMT bass crunch but with the same money, selling the MB200, I could get a new PF500, HA3500, LH500, Spyder550. So I really don't know what I should do.
 
#43
That's a drag for sure, brother...obviously, all we can do is tell you what we've tried and liked, then you can, if you choose add up the statistical stuff and go that route, but really...you'll which amp is best for you when you hear it for yourself, with your basses and your hands.

Best of luck! I'm sure you'll find something soon.
 
#45
Hey dudeorock! The SVT 2 non-pro, is definitely my favourite amp, alongside my VR. It's nice and grindy while the VR is just ballsy and huge. I really dig Ampeg stuff and my vote'd be for the PF series.

I think the Mesa WalkAbout would be good, but as mentioned it doesn't quite get dirty enough, you'll need a dirt pedal. It's the sweet spot in the Mesa line-up in terms of weight, size, power and tone. Out of the Mesa stuff, I'd recommend going towards the Big Block side of the spectrum, but it might get too dirty for you. The Carbine side tends to be snappy.

In terms of dirt pedals, good choices include EBS stuff, Fulltone stuff (lots of people like the OCD), and many many boutique pedals out there. The SansAmp BDDI/VT Bass (and clones) are preamp pedals that give dirt rather than a straight dirt pedal.
 
#46
If I were to move away from my Ampeg SVT rig, I would probably lean towards a GK 700/1001RB head and a VT pedal, based upon reviews around here. As for certain companies and their reliability, I've yet to own any amp that didn't break down in some way. This list includes (but not limited to) Ampeg, Fender, GK, and Peavey.

Good luck!
 
#47
I guess I've been lucky... never had a problem with an amp. But I'm not touring so who knows?
I've seen a few Ampeg B2R in the used market. If I have a chance to, I'd like to get an amp with the graphic eq. as it's far more versatile than the fixed setting controls.
 
#48
Tried a few amps today with my MB200:

1) G&K Backline 600

2) G&K Goldline 500

3) Epifani 800w (UL?)

4) Ampeg SVT3Pro

5) Ampeg Micro VR

6) Peavey Tour 450

All of them on an SWR Henry 8x8"... very nice cab, tempted to get it! :hiding:
Anyway, I was disapponted by the Ampegs. They don't get dirty as I want but they're not 100% clean... don't know, not my sound. Didn't like the Tour as the preamp IMHO sounds cheap but definitely has headroom. Nice the Epifani, not too far from Markbass for tone, but didn't try to shape the sound. The VR has much volume for the declared wattage but again, not my sound.
The Goldline had a strange roar, a sort of subtle drive always present in the tone... but not in a positive way IMHO. The "winner" imho was the Backline... surprisingly organic tone for a €300 amp! Much better than my MB200 (for my ears). I should have got back home with the Backline and the Henry but decided to take some time trying to sell a few of my actual cabs. The head is, anyway, a real winner. Shame this store doesn't carry Ashdown stuff. It looks like I'm definitely an old school player who needs a heavy amp :D
 
#49
dukeorock said:
Pretty strong opinions there, Hoss :) Of the four brands you listed to 'stay away from', I've owned all of 'em, and enjoyed them a great deal. Thousands of working pros with great tone swear by GK amps...they're light, usually last forever and most bass players love the sound. I still have an Ashdown ABM 500 and it's awesome...the ONLY reason I'd steer clear of them is because techs hate working on them. Genz Benz make incredible amps and have some of the highest ratings in customer service/support in our industry. My main amp is a GB ShuttleMax 12.0...eq options for days, 1200 watts and weighs under 7lbs! The ONLY reason I don't recommend it is they are way above the price point the OP listed...for a 'rock' sound (whatever that could possibly mean), I would recommend GB Streamliners in a heartbeat.

Of all the amps you recommend...I'm with you for sure on the Mesa 400+...great amp...the M9? Naw...top end is just too brittle when I tried them...not a huge fan of their stuff. Of the Ampegs you listed...CL and VR are AWESOME amplifiers, but very heavy and very expensive. From what I've heard, the Pro7 is a great amp...been wanting to hear one for sure...the 3Pro? Have you ever used one? I had one for a minute...piece of junk if you ask me.

I guess my rather long winded point is...there's no 'best amp for rock,' except the one you're happy with for your own goals.
Click to expand...

Yes, opinions - the OP said ROCK Amps, not jazz, country, mellow rock, pop, or classical. GB, Ashdown and GK may fit into those categories better. Ampeg=rock.
 
#51
My Genz Benz Streamliner 600 works great in any kind of music I play including ROCK music. Any amp will work in any situation. I suggest the OP check out Ed Friedland's Streamliner video on youtube. It will give you some good information on that particular amp.
 
#52
MetroBass said:
Yes, opinions - the OP said ROCK Amps, not jazz, country, mellow rock, pop, or classical. GB, Ashdown and GK may fit into those categories better. Ampeg=rock.
Click to expand...

Missed my point, bro :) I've played punk rock on GK's and played country on SVT's...it just aint that simple.
 
#53
TC.65 said:
My Genz Benz Streamliner 600 works great in any kind of music I play including ROCK music. Any amp will work in any situation. I suggest the OP check out Ed Friedland's Streamliner video on youtube. It will give you some good information on that particular amp.
Click to expand...

Wonderful amps...my next purchase will most likely be a Streamliner...Got the ShuttleMax 12.0 and LOVE it for every gig I do...I play upright in a VERY loud aggressive 'psychoblly' kinda band...also play in an acoustic band, do a couple counrty gigs and have a little punk/art/noise thing on the side...I use the same amp for every gig...works a treat :)
 
#54
dukeorock said:
Wonderful amps...my next purchase will most likely be a Streamliner...Got the ShuttleMax 12.0 and LOVE it for every gig I do...I play upright in a VERY loud aggressive 'psychoblly' kinda band...also play in an acoustic band, do a couple counrty gigs and have a little punk/art/noise thing on the side...I use the same amp for every gig...works a treat :)
Click to expand...

Yes I love my Streamliner 600 It's much more versatile than most people think. You just have to learn how the pre gain and the pre vol. controls interact with the eq.
 
#55
TC.65 said:
Yes I love my Streamliner 600 It's much more versatile than most people think. You just have to learn how the pre gain and the pre vol. controls interact with the eq.
Click to expand...

Very true...in fact...the more I mess with the gain structure at gigs, the less I find myself needing tons of eq or filtering.
 
#56
Triad said:
I guess I've been lucky... never had a problem with an amp. But I'm not touring so who knows?
I've seen a few Ampeg B2R in the used market. If I have a chance to, I'd like to get an amp with the graphic eq. as it's far more versatile than the fixed setting controls.
Click to expand...

Well, it did take several short tours to demolish a 400RB, and a ton of gigs to make the SVT to crap out. In other words, I can accept their failure/service ratio to be very good.

The Fender was a silverface Bassman 100, and it's previous owner didn't know anything about maintaining a tube amp.

Peaveys are either bulletproof, or a fire hazard. Several instances of PV stuff just giving up the ghost has made me avoid their amps, period.

Personally, I would avoid anything Ampeg B-series, for the PV syndrome they seem to have.

Just IME, IMO, YMMV.
 
#59
After thinking about every possible solution, I thought that buying a "clean" amp would have been my best choice as I can always use an external preamp to make the sound "dirty"... but can't clean a dirty sounding amp :D
So I got what I've been used for weeks in the rehearsals room: a first series Markbass S450 - in mint conditions. Sounds perfect on my 3 ways Parsek/Markbass cab. I'm very happy. :bassist:
I'll keep my eyes open for an external unit able to give me some different tone, though. ;)
 
#60
Sorry for the 2nd reply... I checked the prices of some of the most interesting outboard preamp/distorsion units and... wel, they're almost as expensive as an amp. :ninja:
Keeping the Markbass, also got an extra cab (VS212) but still looking for a head.
I'm considering the SVT2Pro but the weight really bothers me. And of course it's not cheap, I'm trying to understand if the tube power amp is worth the effort and the extra money.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back