Simplest no-frill Bass Amp. Does one exist?

[MGR]

Cool. Thanks. I was wondering what the purpose of that was. Makes sense, although it seems like a very conspicuous place to put something so easliy torn, broken or prone to disintegration.

 

[quilanthegreat]

The Orange Terror Bass series would probably be just what the doctor ordered for you. They are priced high for the market, but quality equipment nonetheless. Look into them. Best of luck!

 

[onosson]

OP here. Tried out an LH500 today and was blown away. Thanks for all the suggestions. Decision made. Money being saved......

Great choice. I sold mine only because I wanted a head with dual inputs and individual gain controls.

 

[Chef]

here's two pretty simple ones.

 

[Crash 56]

I currently own both the Hartke LH500, and the Orange terror 500. I like em both, but the Hartke has a less colored sound, the terror has slight overdriven sound at almost any setting...

 

[Sav'nBass]

You cannot go wrong with the KustomKXB500. It is clean and very simple. Small enough to fit in a gig bag ... comfortably.. and it isn't too pricey.

 

[ToneMonkey]

This amp does have a Drive control, but I just turn it off. The only reason I mention it is that it sounds incredible with any bass or cab set dead flat: Aguilar ToneHammer 500.

Clearly Aguilar and I have the same idea about good bass tone is. I never monkey with it (other than to adjust the gain to suit the bass I am using). It just sounds great every time, all the time. 500w is plenty of juice for me anyway. 5lb weight is easy on the back. I wouldn't even think of selling mine for any reason. I wish I'd bought it 5 amps ago, it would've saved me major coinage.

Another bang for the buck recommendation on cabs is the Ampeg SVT-210AV. Those are fantastic sounding cabs, and very easy to transport. Unbelievable value for $300 new street.

Your mileage may vary.

 

[Paul LF]

I (nervously) use a single 15" 300w 8 ohm cab. As long as i keep her under 12 o clock the cab should last?!? (I have another 2x10 but stacking them seems excessive for the venues I play)

I might get another 18" down the road so I can run two of them, if I change out that 4 0hm speaker. It will be my sort of tribute to 1965 era Bill Wyman, when he had a Vox Foundation rig with two 18"s. Except, I'll be running 1000 watts instead of 100. There's a shop in the US that makes licensed reproductions of those Vox Foundation cabs, but with modern speakers. I didn't have the money for it, though. I thought that would have looked cool with the Terror Bass. Maybe someday.

 

[noahw1]

Bob Weston from Shellac's bass amp.

 

[WarriorJoe7]

Could you go straight into a power amp with an onboard eq in your bass?

 

[bftbassman]

Ampeg pf

 

[El Raro]

Hartke LH1000 comes to mind. Lots of power on tap and barely anything going on at the front of the amp.

 

[B-string]

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!!!!

For the reading impaired

 

[londonbasshead]

Aguilar Tone Hammer (either the 350 or 500) - compact, extremely simple to use, fantastic sound and build quality to back it up.

 

[gjbassist]

For the reading impaired

But the Ampeg PF500 only has eight knobs and four switches!

 

[pudgychef]

Congrats to the OP on making a purchase - that LH500 is a perfect fit (imho) for what you were looking for.

 

[jmbjandfam]

I currently own both the Hartke LH500, and the Orange terror 500. I like em both, but the Hartke has a less colored sound, the terror has slight overdriven sound at almost any setting...

Agreed...I have the Hartke LH1000 and my son uses the Orange TB500 and your assessment is spot on.

 

[Feral Feline]

You might find one of these used, Focus SA.
Link Removed

Unlikely you'll find one of these at all — Garnet Slave, Pro (pictured) or BTO.

The pics Chef posted looked yummy.

 

[Skasteadyb]

Love my gk mb500. Pretty straight forward. And weighs 4 lbs!!

 

[SteveV74]

Yes, Fender P bass