Which amp should i choose?

[m0cka]

Hi, I am kinda new to this. Has only played bass for half a year. Until now I have played on a guitar amp (20w) and I feel that it gives so tiny and bad sound.

So, I am about to buy a new amp, I was thinking of a 100w.

What brand, and eventually what model do you recommend?
(quality of sound is important)

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

If you ever intend to play in a band you'll need at least 300w in my experience.

After years of trying out amps the LMII and Carvin B1500 or BX series are my favourites. YMMV.

 

[theshadow2001]

yes indeed 300 watts would be a decent starting off point.

As for what to get, well if you look at everyones profile everyone has some different setup. So it's up to you. It depends on your budget the sound your going for etc. etc. Just try stuff out and see what you like.

Be aware of stuff like minimum impedances and what watts versus more speakers will do for volume. Do a search around.

 

[whitespike]

If you ever intend to play in a band you'll need at least 300w in my experience.

After years of trying out amps the LMII and Carvin B1500 or BX series are my favourites. YMMV.

I disagree. "Play in a band" is such a relative term. Some bands are loud. Some bands are not.

I play in a very loud band and I use a 235 watt amp most of the time. If you're talking tube, many people here get by on 100 watts.

The Ampeg B200R is pretty awesome to my ears.

Ashdown has some good medium watt, medium price gear too:
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[theshadow2001]

I disagree. "Play in a band" is such a relative term. Some bands are loud. Some bands are not.

I play in a very loud band and I use a 235 watt amp most of the time. If you're talking tube, many people here get by on 100 watts.

The Ampeg B200R is pretty awesome to my ears.

Ashdown has some good medium watt, medium price gear too:
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The difference that + or - 65 watts will make to a system is very much minimal.

It's always better to be looking at extra watts than looking for them. Same goes for speakers.

I would always rather have to much amp than too little.

 

[m0cka]

hi thanks for many good answers! I already play in a band (we are not so good yet though). i would say that we play loud.

I will look out the models mentioned above, but I've also heard that Crate has good amps, is this true or only a rumor?

 

[GreyBeard]

I'd say a 1x15 or 2x10 combo would really kick things up for you. Line6 makes LD combos have a lot features that young players really like. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/navi...e-gear-bass-amplifiers?N=100001+338527+201010
I bought the LD 175 for my HS band to use and the kids love it. It has a built in tuner, amp modeling, and effects.

 

[ksandvik]

Yes, I like my LD150, as well, it's only 150W, but I think that should be plenty, and if bands have decent PAs, it's much better to route the bass signal over the PA system, anyway.

The LowDown series from Line 6 are interesting, as you could experiment with various amp models, and the way to key in your sound has so many options with the amp simulation + preamp gain + mid/low mid high, the compressor and so on... --Kent

 

[SwamiRob]

There's not much point in line6's if you have 1 particular kind of tone you want to get though. I dunno about the more expensive Line 6 but I've heard more then enough awful sounding ones. Seems to be best to steer clear of built in effects because the amps themselves seem to be alot cheaper as a result alot of the time.

A nice high powered 1x15 or 2x10 is a good place to start, like someone has mentioned Ashdown make some decent combos, also worth checking out Laney and Old Trace stuff too (the newer stuff is very expensive from what I've seen).

What kind of stuff do you play and how much are you looking to spend?

 

[ksandvik]

There's not much point in line6's if you have 1 particular kind of tone you want to get though. I dunno about the more expensive Line 6 but I've heard more then enough awful sounding ones. Seems to be best to steer clear of built in effects because the amps themselves seem to be alot cheaper as a result alot of the time.

Yes, that's true. But I would think most bass players like to experiment now and then and try out various sounds, so that way a Line 6 LD is more versatile than a classical amp. I don't know how you could get out nasty sounds, maybe if you included the built-in synth that I don't like myself...

--Kent

 

[GreyBeard]

There's not much point in line6's if you have 1 particular kind of tone you want to get though. I dunno about the more expensive Line 6 but I've heard more then enough awful sounding ones. Seems to be best to steer clear of built in effects because the amps themselves seem to be alot cheaper as a result alot of the time.

A nice high powered 1x15 or 2x10 is a good place to start, like someone has mentioned Ashdown make some decent combos, also worth checking out Laney and Old Trace stuff too (the newer stuff is very expensive from what I've seen).

What kind of stuff do you play and how much are you looking to spend?

The fact that he has only been playing for 6 months through a 20 watt amp pretty much tells us that he probably doesn't know much about the sound he wants to develop yet. My ears are tuned to some pretty descent gear as you can see from my profile. The LD175 that I recommended doesn't have the tone of an F1-X->QSC->Whappo jr. Nor does it have the tone of yba200->115XL. But, it can produce a full loud and clear tone. The ROCK setting gives it a nice SVT'ish sort of sound and the BLUES setting is pretty old school. It has a built in DI and tuner as well. I used it outside with a marching band to re-enforce the Sousa line and it held up very against 3 Sousaphones.

 

[SERPENT865]

Check out G-K Backline stuff maybe a 600head with a 4-10 cab.

 

[portaflexer]

I'm assuming you're looking for a combo amp.

If you're looking for a lot of bang for the buck, take a look at the Link Removed, the Link Removed, the Link Removed, or the Link Removed.

For a little more cash you could grab a head/cab combo and have a lot more versatility. Make sure you check the TB classifieds as well.

 

[SwamiRob]

The fact that he has only been playing for 6 months through a 20 watt amp pretty much tells us that he probably doesn't know much about the sound he wants to develop yet. My ears are tuned to some pretty descent gear as you can see from my profile. The LD175 that I recommended doesn't have the tone of an F1-X->QSC->Whappo jr. Nor does it have the tone of yba200->115XL. But, it can produce a full loud and clear tone. The ROCK setting gives it a nice SVT'ish sort of sound and the BLUES setting is pretty old school. It has a built in DI and tuner as well. I used it outside with a marching band to re-enforce the Sousa line and it held up very against 3 Sousaphones.

I've just had some very nasty experiences with Line 6's and modelling amps in general that's all, they seem to do alot but nothing particularly well when I've used or heard them. Heard alot more guitar Line 6s then bass ones, but other Bass modelling amps I've had to use at times have been awful.

Obviously he's not gonna know exactly what he wants to go for though, but I reckon if he tells us what kind of stuff his band plays, we might be able to recommend some brands/amps he can try out. If he wants to keep himself really open then a modelling amp would be best though like you said.

 

[m0cka]

Thank you for many good answers.

We're mostly playing metal and rock. My budget is around 500 dollars.


Is there other brands than Line6 that could be recommended, since there is a lot of differend meanings about Line6.

 

[portaflexer]

In that price range, you might want to stick with the suggestions above. You might also want to look at the [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] combos.

If you can up your price range to around $575 (+ shipping), I'd suggest a GK Link Removed and an Avatar 210 cab. No contest!