You are correct.
The whole point of all those pesky knobs is not just to adjust to a particular tone (which you can do with your hands if you want) but to adjust to the room and the stage. That's why they are there.
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Simplest no-frill Bass Amp. Does one exist?
- Thread starter MGR
- Start date
You are correct.
The whole point of all those pesky knobs is not just to adjust to a particular tone (which you can do with your hands if you want) but to adjust to the room and the stage. That's why they are there.
i wouldn't consider drive or compression to be standard on amps...
i'll throw in the vote for markbass because i've used their stuff in rock bands many times. they have a nice little EQ layout, but it's always been a "plug and play" amp for me..
im sure others have said this but, you also don't need to use any of the controls if you don't want to, so you may just search for other factors that matter to you; type of sound, amount of headroom, how heavy is 'too heavy' for you, ext.
i'll throw in the vote for markbass because i've used their stuff in rock bands many times. they have a nice little EQ layout, but it's always been a "plug and play" amp for me..
im sure others have said this but, you also don't need to use any of the controls if you don't want to, so you may just search for other factors that matter to you; type of sound, amount of headroom, how heavy is 'too heavy' for you, ext.
Aguilar TH500. Can't say enough good things. This one's for life.
Way too much tone shaping for the OP. Not even close to what he's looking for. But I love the amp!
Agreed with the gk color being too much. Aguilar Tonehammer 500. Small, powerful, warm, simple. I LOOOVE mine.
i find aguilar stuff to at least offer good cleanish volume with a small amount of colour, but GK on the other hand i always run into the grind. it's a good useable tone but not what i always want. funny i still have a GK head, but the aguilar is long gone.
i regularly use two traynor amps, and both offer clean power all the way up. nothing baked in IMHO. i have little real world experience with the newer microbass heads or the new combos. dynabass300 head or combo might work for op... but there's some knobs.
Yah, just you - the rest of us either like them or passionately hate 'em
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OP has stated several times that he does not like the 'GK sound'....but the suggestions keep rolling in..read then reply approach may help reduce this
Why can't I find anything wrong with that statement? It seemed too simple to make sense.
OP here. Awesome thread guys. Thanks so much. I checked out some of the other suggestions and it's down to the LH500 (I don't want or need 1000 watts) or the Ashdown mentioned here. Two very different amps, yet both fit the bill. Minimal knobs, killer tone. I love the tight, clean power of the Hartke, but I love the aggressiveness of the Ashdown. Gonna be a tough choice.
Neat to read this--I used this exact setup for a couple of years. There is still coloration from the MP filters, but I set it to neutral and it sounded great and clean through my Peavey cabs. It was a bigger tool for me, though, as I used it for recording acoustic pickup-ed instruments as well. Less clutter in the closet.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, this discussion is also taking place: http://www.talkbass.com/threads/heres-your-chance-to-get-a-new-small-form-factor-power-amp-made-for-you.1133326/
I'm just afraid that OP is missing out on some great amps because of features you can just not use.
If you only want one piece of gear, you are probably gonna be stuck with features you don't need. If you're willing to do something like the one I posted, you'll have a lot of choices. FWIW, it's what I did except instead of the behringer I use a BBE Bmax. It and the amp take up three rack spaces in my shallow skb 4 space rack and the rack is half of the weight. They are very light and small. But if you're looking for something really small, any of the class D 500 watt + amps out there will fit the bill for you. Just don't use their features.
OP here. Thanks. So how's this for progress. I've made a decision.........LH500
Reasons:
1) Simplest front panel layout of any of the offerings
2) Enough power for all my needs.
3) Fairly neutral loud, clean tone (I can get my grit and tone coloring from pedals)
4) Not too heavy
5) Affordable price.
To the poster who suggested the Behringer with power amp, I do see your point and it does seem to fit my original request, but I've since come to realize that a small eq section is probably better to have. Plus, carrying around that small pre and a power amp and a speaker is a little overkill. I'd rather have it all in one head.
I decided against the Ashdown mainly because it seemed to have a little too much of a baked in sound, and the distortion knob is ultimately useless for me.
I hope the discussion continues, but i am very appreciative of all the non-judgemental and mature and reasoned responses. I mentioned before i am a former drummer turned bassist, and the difference between this forum and any typical drum forum is night and day. Nothing but little kids on the drum forums. Thanks!!!
Reasons:
1) Simplest front panel layout of any of the offerings
2) Enough power for all my needs.
3) Fairly neutral loud, clean tone (I can get my grit and tone coloring from pedals)
4) Not too heavy
5) Affordable price.
To the poster who suggested the Behringer with power amp, I do see your point and it does seem to fit my original request, but I've since come to realize that a small eq section is probably better to have. Plus, carrying around that small pre and a power amp and a speaker is a little overkill. I'd rather have it all in one head.
I decided against the Ashdown mainly because it seemed to have a little too much of a baked in sound, and the distortion knob is ultimately useless for me.
I hope the discussion continues, but i am very appreciative of all the non-judgemental and mature and reasoned responses. I mentioned before i am a former drummer turned bassist, and the difference between this forum and any typical drum forum is night and day. Nothing but little kids on the drum forums. Thanks!!!
Just read the entire thread. There is something not quite right about this whole thing. I can't put my finger on it, though.
I'll throw this out, though: The "less electronics affecting the sound" argument is one made by hi-fi junkies and "money is no object" audiophiles, but for bass amplification it is, for all intents and purposes, irrelevant - unless the electronics are crappy or intentionally throw "tone" into their sound.
I'll throw this out, though: The "less electronics affecting the sound" argument is one made by hi-fi junkies and "money is no object" audiophiles, but for bass amplification it is, for all intents and purposes, irrelevant - unless the electronics are crappy or intentionally throw "tone" into their sound.
OMG! I think you're the first OP in forever that's asked a question, made a decision and replied to the thread. Sweet!
(Nothing against you. Congrats on the soon to be new amp.)
(Nothing against you. Congrats on the soon to be new amp.)
