Simplest no-frill Bass Amp. Does one exist?

[MGR]

Hi, sorry if this question has been asked and answered a million times before.

I am in the market for a new bass amp. I need something that will cut thru your average size rock band volume level, but I am looking for something small, lightweight and with as few controls as possible. When I say as few controls as possible, I am talking about the potential for just a plug and play....no drive, compression, eq. Just basically in and out to a speaker cab.

If this doesn't exist, what would get me close? Not worried about price at the moment, cheap or expensive. I'm just curious to mine the knowledge of this forum to see what my options are.

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[CL400Peavey]

Genz Benz ShuttleMax 12.2.


Seriously though you could just use something like an ART Tube MP and a power amp.

 

[MGR]

Lol. Yes, that shuttlemax is exactly what I need, thanks! NOT!!!!

Anyhow, yes I suppose I could do an Art mp and a power amp, but I want to keep it simple with one small box. Not two pieces of gear.

Anybody else? ; )

 

[jim777]

Hartke LH1000 is as straightforward as you are going to get I believe, and its a great amp with lots of power to cut through the mix.

 

[strictlybass_ic]

The Kustom KXB500 seems to be a distilled down bass amp. Small, usable power, basic EQ, done. I've read reviews/comments on here from owners who said they liked them. Might be worth checking out.

 

[monsterthompson]

Puma 900. Small. Light. Powerfull. Gain, master , four band EQ and a taste knob. You can dial in most of the sound with the taste knob and leave the EQ alone.

 

[monsterthompson]

http://www.demeteramps.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=96

Demeter's most recent head.
...edit, forgot about the switches, but they can probably be ignored.

 

[MGR]

Wow! Thanks for those quick and helpful replies!! I will start looking into those suggestions.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Kustom.

 

[Tanner5382]

Tube-wise, an Orange AD200B. It's not lightweight, but not as heavy as some other tube amps.

 

[FunkHead]

Hows the Budget??? LH1000 is good bang/buck ratio. Big +1 on the Orange if you can swing the $$.

 

[static0verdrive]

You want small, light, and can cut through an average rock band's volume? I think your best bet is to think modular, and get yourself a 200-500 Watt class D and an 8ohm cab. At some point in the future if you need more volume, you can simply add a second 8ohm cab.

Look at the Fender rumble series, Traynor small block, GK etc. They are quite simple, very light, etc. There are also combos but they aren't as easy to expand on if you want to / need to later.

 

[chaosMK]

D180

 

[Interceptor]

Lots of happy users of the Gallien Krueger MB series.

 

[leroy diamond]

Having been through a variety of Markbass heads, together with the Tonehammer 500 and the Puma 900, I have no hesitation in recommending the Kustom KXB500. IME this is THE micro amp slayer no question. Works right out of the box with a simple but effective EQ.
Price wise it will not break the bank. Terrific piece of kit and highly recommended.

 

[MGR]

OP here. Thanks for the great replies. My budget is between 500 and a grand, so most of the suggestions work well within that budget.

The Orange AD is a little too much money, and I think the new ob1's will be cheaper, lighter and a simpler circuit. I really want to pick up one of those, but so far no US street price or availability announced.

I will check out the Kustom.

Hartke LH looked to be exactly what I am looking for.

The Rumbles sound great no doubt, but as simple as they indeed are, I am looking for something even simpler, which is why the Hartke is attractive. As few knobs and options as possible is what I want. I'll get the tone from my fingers, bass and effect pedals.

 

[drpepper]

I don't really know details about this and didn't follow when it was released, but I just remembered hearing about this amp:

Rack size, but it's a power amp with variable input gain (I believe you can plug a bass straight in), so with no front end, you have two knobs, "pre" and "volume."

http://www.vividamps.com/vr2700-rack-amp/

 

[azureblue]

GK MB212. Set the tone controls straight up, adjust the Drive to get the "color" you want. I set mine then taped them all in place....
500 watts (and they mean it), 2 twelves and 38lbs. About $700.

 

[MGR]

GK MB212. Set the tone controls straight up, adjust the Drive to get the "color" you want. I set mine then taped them all in place....
500 watts (and they mean it), 2 twelves and 38lbs. About $700.

Thanks for the suggestion. I tend to not like the way GK amps color up the tone, so I tend to overlook their offerings. I will check out this amp though since I have not used on yet.

 

[EastCoastThump]

When I say as few controls as possible, I am talking about the potential for just a plug and play....no drive, compression, eq. Just basically in and out to a speaker cab.

Why? Is this an aesthetic goal or do you just have a thing about controls?

Just about any head that's capable of decent tone is capable of plug-and-play. Just dial in the amp's gain, volume, and eq until you like the sound, and then leave the controls there.

In practice, eq and gain controls are handy tools. Your tone from night to night will seem altered by stage design, your amp placement, Fletcher-Munson effects, frequency masking from the way your bandmates have dialed in their gear, PA spill, etc. Even if your rig is only for stage monitoring, it's sometimes a gig-saver to be able to dial in some extra mid-range intelligibility, dial out some low-end mud, or just adjust to the apparent boost in bass when you play at higher volumes..