The best 500w bass amp?

[relentless]

I have just recently purchased an Warwick profet 3.2 and I seem to be having serious clipping issues!!!
I want to upgrade to a 500w bass amp but are unsure on what's the best value for money, I have around £500 to spend, I was wondering if any of you guys could help me out ?

 

[David Jayne]

The standard answer is usually "Markbass LM II or III." I can't really disagree with that thought. Though there are many choices.

 

[smgleitch]

Good luck with this one. You will hear a lot of opinions and a lot of people telling you to go try stuff out and use your ears. I get where you are coming from and I can tell you this. I have tried a lot of amps and owned more than my fair share as well. If I were looking in that price range and for those watts I would seriously look into MarkBass.

I have owned a LMII and currently own a F1. I love there stuff. It is small and light weight and you get a good amount of volume from them. With that said there is a tremendous list of stuff you can choose from in this area and there is truly no best of the group, but the MarkBass stuff sounds good and has been very reliable for me. If they seem a little out of the price don't be afraid to look used.

Good luck to you.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

With a higher wattage amp, you'll now be in danger of damaging your speakers.

I presume the clipping is on the output stage, not the input stage? Big difference.

 

[Josh Pelican]

Trick question. There is no best.

The Aguilar Tone Hammer head is 500 watts. I haven't used it personally, but I'll assume it's pretty swell.

 

[gjbassist]

Ampeg PF-500
Carvin BX500
GK MB500
Those are just off the top of my head. There are many good choices in the 500 watt amp range.

 

[Echovox]

I have an Orange Terror Bass 500 and it kicks serious ass!

 

[scottfeldstein]

I am really diggin' my GK MB500.

 

[tdub0199]

GK 700RB II

 

[DWBass]

I have not tried all of the micro amps but I do own a Markbass LMIII and a GB Shuttle 6.0. The Markbass can get insanely loud. I've yet to crank it past 10 o'clock!

I know the GK amps are pretty loud as well. GK700RB (not quite 500w but close enough not to make a difference).

 

[Rockin Mike]

Eden WT550
Excellent natural sound and very versatile EQ section to adjust for personal taste.

 

[Russell L]

My Little Mark II with two cabs running at 4 ohms and 500w is LOUD!!! And sounds GOOD!! Little Mark III goes for $600 new.

 

[T. Alan Smith]

FWIW, I own a LMII and while I love it, the GK's offer a bit more bang for the buck. The WT550, TerrorBass & ToneHammer & Ampeg heads are all nice as well, but it depends on your tone goals whether you want to squeeze a hair more. That said, your obviously gigging if your in the market, so I wouldn't fret it- any one of these will pay for themselves in no time.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

Tell us about your sound...

 

[BassmanPaul]

You failed to complete your profile. This helps everybody to know where you are in the world to give reasonable suggestions.

How are you clipping the Warwick??? Before you go and throw money at a problem let's find out what exactly that problem is.

What speakers are you using and how many???

 

[raymondl3]

For me it was the Eden Wt-500 for 15 years...replaced recently by Little Mark-Tube, mostly because of the size and weight differences.

 

[somegeezer]

£500? Fellow Englishman eh? I'd reccomend Gallien-Krueger 700RB-II. Little bit over £500 new [£520 I think I saw it for cheapest brand new]. Brand new is definitely worth buying it for too, for the warranty on the thing. It's also a little under 500 watts, but as someone mentioned, not enough to notice any difference. I've had my 1001RB-II for over a year now and it's just been everything I wanted in an amp. Only £100 more than the 700RB-II.

 

[57pbass]

Eden WT550
Excellent natural sound and very versatile EQ section to adjust for personal taste.

+ 1

Plus you can find great deals on used Eden product.

Also look for used GK 800RB..it's only 300 watts at 4 ohm but it cranks and you can get them used for very reasonable prices 300 400 dollars.

 

[Rockin Mike]

Eden WT550 and GK 800RB are two different animals to my ear, and I've owned both.
The Eden is warmer, growlier, more vintagey sounding.
The GK is more modern, chunky, techno-sounding.

The Eden is my favorite head that I've ever owned though I have a new Genz-Benz Streamliner 600. The Streamliner's advantage is in size and weight (6 lbs, fits in a backpack) but for tone the Eden remains champion.

These are personal impressions, though I've heard others say the same thing.
Your Mileage May Vary.

 

[RickenBoogie]

You failed to complete your profile. This helps everybody to know where you are in the world to give reasonable suggestions.

How are you clipping the Warwick??? Before you go and throw money at a problem let's find out what exactly that problem is.

What speakers are you using and how many???

THIS right chere. Speakers are so important, and not mentioned.