Super-Clean, Powerful Head Poll: There Can Be Only One

[Obese Chess]

Of those listed, I'd go Trickfish. Otherwise Bergantino.

 

[2112]

Crown XLS 2502

Loud. Clean. Will drive lots of cabinets. Adjustable input sensitivity. Adjustable HPF.

The Noble and this Crown were the first heads I thought of. Kings indeed. I use a SansAmp BDDI to drive the Crown in my practice space and use the "Input-Y" feature to crossover the output into a pair of old-school Trace cabs... a 410 and a 118. Couldn't be happier.

 

[frankie5string]

Invalid Link Removed

Lol! That company is defunct. Gary says he'll do some repair work, but I bet it will be a long wait if something goes wrong and you don't have a qualified amp repair person to work on that.

 

[dhagopian]

I voted other - Glockenklang Bass Art Classic.

 

[rogerbmiller]

I've had many GKs over the years and only had issues with 2. One of them came with problems (vintage and abused 800RB) and it was fixed easily and for a reasonable price, the other (1001RB) I sold to a friend and then he had some issues, but it was fine for me for years, so user error perhaps? We lost touch, but last I remember, he had it fixed reasonably too.

But the MB2-500 head I had was incredible. Tiny, tons of power, clear as a bell. I got it used here, played it for almost a decade, then only sold it because I wasn't playing out with that rig anymore. My buddy @rogerbmiller owns it now and is taking it to an out-of-town gig in a little while, as a matter of fact.
My need for that head was essentially replaced by the GK MB210-II combo I still have, which I bought used a decade ago, and is incredibly loud, reliable, and clean.

They seem to know their way around class D amps. And when I need that kind of power again, I'll be buying another GK product, no doubt.

Best. Amps. Ever.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Long post alert!

Right, so after a whole massive bunch of gigs, tours and what have you, I've gotten an evolved idea of what I'm after, and streamlining my gear. I play mostly power/progressive metal and grindcore/thrash. For some projects, I use a few pedals to give myself a pretty driven but tight sound (Boss GT1B and Darkglass B3K) and I use effects like chorus or reverb at some points. For other projects, I might use a touch of drive or grit from a SansAmp BDDI and that's basically it.

I have a Darkglass MT500v2, which I really like, but has been way too temperamental for me, with weird volume cuts, buzzing fan sounds coming out the speakers etc. Credit to the dealer who has had it back and fixed it a couple of times, but I'm at the point where I'm not confident taking it out on the road anymore. I can almost replicate the sound with my B3K pedal into any clean amp, so I'll be using it for rehearsals or something, or selling it for very cheap (I'd be upfront about it's repeated issues to any prospective buyers and price it accordingly)

My Mesa D-800 is an absolute tank, and has never failed me. It's my go-to touring amp. However, I'm after something a little more hi-fi and less old-school sounding (I will keep ahold of it of course, for projects needing that kind of sound)

I have a Phil Jones Bass BP-200 which is excellent - I got it for studio work and smaller rehearsals, and it's the amp which has my favourite sound. It has a super natural, clean tone and takes pedals extremely well. However, the 200w are really not going to cut it in terms of volume for the types of shows I play.

I've been considering either getting its big brother, the BP800, or one of the other really good hi-fi sounding amps out there these days. Sadly where I am, it's almost impossible to find them to try them out. Logic would dictate me picking up the BP800 (since I already like the small version, I SHOULD like the big version, correct?) but I want to see what y'all experiences with it and/or other heads of similar specs/aims are. I've liked what I've heard of Trickfish in reviews and videos, the new Trace Elliot TE1200 looks sweet and I always liked Trace amps back in the day, the Ashdown 12-band looks fascinating (if a bit heavier), GK are great with clear, crisp sounds and I once had a 700RB which I did like, etc.

I'm after reliability, super clear natural tone, and compactness for travelling by air (which I do a lot), and something that can handle being tossed onto any house/promoter provided 4x10 or 8x10 for medium stages. I'm not super keen on loads of extra features/bells & whistles, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. Budget is up to $1.5k US/1.3k Euro but can push it a bit more for something really good.

Thanks for reading all this and apologies for the rambling!

Mesa D800+?

Quilter Bass Block 800 Bass Amplifier Head (800 Watts)

Have you thought of using the pre amp out of the Phil Jones (if it has one) into the power amp section of another amp, like the Mesa?

 

[moon-bass]

"Other" - Either Quilter BB800 or GR Bass 800 or 1400. Outstanding amp heads and very clean.

 

[zyxwfish]

Clean and powerful? I like to use a pa poweramp and an Eden WTDI preamp pedal. Find some really nice clear high wattage bass speakers and a bass cab setup you want. Get a PA power amp that will power them properly and finally get an Eden WTDI preamp pedal.

 

[masoncole]

EBS 802

 

[wpt1982]

Big Epifani fan here. I currently have an old UL902c that I use for larger shows and a UL501 for less large (I really need to find a used Piccolo for small shows). The UL901 that’s currently on the market is essentially the next generation of the UL501. $1300 direct from Epifani.

No affiliation with the company. I just really like their products. I met Nick at NAMM in 2019 as well. He’s a great guy.

 

[57pbass]

Take a look at The Arkham Beast. 1200 watts. James Tonestack. Simple as you can find.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Take a look at The Arkham Beast. 1200 watts. James Tonestack. Simple as you can find.

But kinda old school sounding?

Sounds like he wants more modern and clean.

 

[Core Creek]

I’m continually told my sound is very “hi-fI”… I use a Carvin BX700 I got used in a trade last year. It’s one of the later generations with a red face.

Many have had reliability issues but I currently own 3 Carvin bass amps (and 4 guitar amps) and have never had a problem. Rumor has it though that the ribben connections inside can slowly work their way out and pushing them back in solves most problems. The guy I traded to get the BX700 said his tech soldered those connections so they’ll never come loose. All I know is I’ve had no problems and love the versatility of the amp. I tend to like a clean amp with no effects.

Here’s the amp at a recent gig:

 

[marchone]

Long post alert!

Right, so after a whole massive bunch of gigs, tours and what have you, I've gotten an evolved idea of what I'm after, and streamlining my gear. I play mostly power/progressive metal and grindcore/thrash. For some projects, I use a few pedals to give myself a pretty driven but tight sound (Boss GT1B and Darkglass B3K) and I use effects like chorus or reverb at some points. For other projects, I might use a touch of drive or grit from a SansAmp BDDI and that's basically it.

I have a Darkglass MT500v2, which I really like, but has been way too temperamental for me, with weird volume cuts, buzzing fan sounds coming out the speakers etc. Credit to the dealer who has had it back and fixed it a couple of times, but I'm at the point where I'm not confident taking it out on the road anymore. I can almost replicate the sound with my B3K pedal into any clean amp, so I'll be using it for rehearsals or something, or selling it for very cheap (I'd be upfront about it's repeated issues to any prospective buyers and price it accordingly)

My Mesa D-800 is an absolute tank, and has never failed me. It's my go-to touring amp. However, I'm after something a little more hi-fi and less old-school sounding (I will keep ahold of it of course, for projects needing that kind of sound)

I have a Phil Jones Bass BP-200 which is excellent - I got it for studio work and smaller rehearsals, and it's the amp which has my favourite sound. It has a super natural, clean tone and takes pedals extremely well. However, the 200w are really not going to cut it in terms of volume for the types of shows I play.

I've been considering either getting its big brother, the BP800, or one of the other really good hi-fi sounding amps out there these days. Sadly where I am, it's almost impossible to find them to try them out. Logic would dictate me picking up the BP800 (since I already like the small version, I SHOULD like the big version, correct?) but I want to see what y'all experiences with it and/or other heads of similar specs/aims are. I've liked what I've heard of Trickfish in reviews and videos, the new Trace Elliot TE1200 looks sweet and I always liked Trace amps back in the day, the Ashdown 12-band looks fascinating (if a bit heavier), GK are great with clear, crisp sounds and I once had a 700RB which I did like, etc.

I'm after reliability, super clear natural tone, and compactness for travelling by air (which I do a lot), and something that can handle being tossed onto any house/promoter provided 4x10 or 8x10 for medium stages. I'm not super keen on loads of extra features/bells & whistles, but it wouldn't be a deal breaker. Budget is up to $1.5k US/1.3k Euro but can push it a bit more for something really good.

Thanks for reading all this and apologies for the rambling!

You should cross post this in the Phil Jones Bass mega thread.

Wayne Jones Audio is another option. There may be rig still available in the Amp Classifieds.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I’m continually told my sound is very “hi-fI”… I use a Carvin BX700 I got used in a trade last year. It’s one of the later generations with a red face.

Many have had reliability issues but I currently own 3 Carvin bass amps (and 4 guitar amps) and have never had a problem. Rumor has it though that the ribben connections inside can slowly work their way out and pushing them back in solves most problems. The guy I traded to get the BX700 said his tech soldered those connections so they’ll never come loose. All I know is I’ve had no problems and love the versatility of the amp. I tend to like a clean amp with no effects.

Here’s the amp at a recent gig:

I still have a BX 1500 that still works even with the known cable issue. A little cleaning and it's good to go. It is loud and clean and modern sounding to me.

Matter of fact, I have run my Mesa WD 800 out into the BX 1500 in bi-amp mode into a 118 and 112 cabinets

 

[ryco]

I just bought a GK Fusion 800 210 combo (which weighs in at 40 lbs) to replace my GK 1001RB 210 combo (which weights 80 lbs!!). The 1001 combo is clean, LOUD, and powerful, but after 20 years started having issues. I went with the Fusion combo because it can do anything the Legacy head can do as far as being run strictly solid state for the "modern" GK hi-fi sound -- or if I want to do a more rack/soul/R&B fuzzy grit vibe can click over to the tube channel. Just more options out of one rig.
The Fusion 800 is MONSTER LOUD if need be. If working a louder gig in a bigger venue I also run an old GK MBE 410 Neo extension cab (which weighs in at 35 lbs). Was looking at the NEO IV 410 to pair with the new combo, but it weighs in at 65 lbs and I'm not looking to roll around more weight. Having a 410 cab also allows the option of stacking or a lot of times I'll run the extension over to the other side of the stage.

Was at first considering just buying the Fusion head, but the light weight of the combo led me to go that route. Such a versatile rig situation = either just use the combo for bar gigs or take the extension for larger halls. Can pretty much grab a unit in each hand, gig bag on my back = 1 trip.

 

[bherman]

I am impressed with the GR line. Perhaps a no-nonsense Pure Amp 800 from GR is what you are after. But if you also want tone-shaping in the amp, their GR One 800 I found to be very true sounding. Available in a 1400 watt version as well.

I'd second this - I just picked up a used One 800 and its a real beast, very compact, transparent amp.

 

[ZedLepp]

I would hunt down a TC Elec RH750. I have the RH450 and it does the job for me but if you need more power.

 

[Gizmot]

Invalid Link Removed

I’ve played through a couple of EA’s - and I own an iAmp 600 and you simply can’t beat them. The amp section is clean, solid and dynamic and the preamp is super-flexible thanks to the 4-band fully parametric EQ and the contour switches. My iAmp and a Hammond B3 and Leslie’s are the only gear that I’ve ever owned that were perfectly satisfying over a long time

 

[Snert]

Harley Benton Block 800B, a simple clean preamp with a clean IcePower AS700 poweramp stage.