All, right, I'm looking to (finally) upgrade from my 50 watt crate, and get something somewhat good. (at least compared to my current amp) I play mosly punk/ pop-punk/alt rock, with some old rock thrown in for fun. I want an amp with a lot of high end to get definition, so I'm thinking I probably need a tweeter (?) . ANy other suggestions are appreciated, as well as comments from those that have used the amps.
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Which amp?
- Thread starter Secondhandloser
- Start date
If you're looking to upgrade only "a little bit" and not get a pro powered stack, I would avoid combos. If you get a seperate head/cab setup, you can upgrade as you get the money.
On that note, buy used. GK 400RB's and 800RB's can be had for about the price of a Backline head.
On that note, buy used. GK 400RB's and 800RB's can be had for about the price of a Backline head.
tplyons said:
But you forget about the new Backline 600 head (300 watts, $300 street at music123.com with $400 list).
Classic GK sound (more or less) with their Distortion channel (in my limited experience, not my cup of tea).I hope to try one out soon. I'd bet it would make at least for a great backup head that will rarely break down (assuming it's like every other GK product).
But I refuse to vote until you give us the information lowphatbass asked for, and even then, I may not vote on one of those options.
illidian... as much as I love GK products, I will not stand behind the Backline series as a while. The quality is not the same as the Artist series of heads and are made from lower quality components in order to be appealing to a market of semi-beginning players. That, and the distortion channel IMO is garbage on the Backlines.
There's a reason I paid $400 new for my 400RB-III rated at 240W instead of $300 for the Backline 600 at 300W. Tells you something about quality there.
There's a reason I paid $400 new for my 400RB-III rated at 240W instead of $300 for the Backline 600 at 300W. Tells you something about quality there.
tplyons said:
You're absolutely right - the Backline series offer a cheap way to get (at least) decent tone. No different than all other amps in the price range, no?
Of course the quality is not the same as the Artist series. That's like saying an Ampeg B2-RE is of the same quality as the SVT. They are both made for a different target audience.
I also feel that the distortion channel is garbage. But I believe it's supposed to be the same as the one on the 2001RB-II head. I'd never touch it, but some may.
I don't blame you for paying for quality. After all, this is what we all want to do. But you also have to consider than the Backline 600 has been designed with possibly better technology that can greatly reduce the price, without bringing down quality by too much (there is a point where you have to keep quality, however).
tplyons said:
That depends. IMO the Backline series won't quite be what the Artist series is, but it comes with a pricetag more affordable (and more appealing) to a wide variety of players. And this guy may be one of those guys.
The Backline 600 and Ashdown MAG 300 are both for that audience, both perhaps great units (for the price, of course), but for different people.
Not everyone can afford a ~$1,000 rig, and sometimes we can all forget that around here. I think that for ~$600, a Backline 600 and Avatar cabs would be great for a BRAND NEW rig, and that is certainly appealing to people.
Agreed. I was simply stating the fact that I've witnessed people purchasing Backline gear solely because of the Gallien-Krueger logo and have been nothing but unimpressed with the sound and build quality that they expected from the professional models.illidian said:
tplyons said:
You can't expect sound and quality from a logo. That's like you want a Ford Taurus to go fast because the new (old) Ford GT does. Sound comes from first-hand experience, and good quality will be backed up by a good warranty (in hopes that you will never have to use it).
Will the sound be as good as the artist series? No. The Ashdown MAG is the same way - they use cheaper components yet try to keep as much of their signature sound in that amp as possible while reducing the cost little by little.
As with any manufacturer, you can expect better quality as the price tag increases. So the opposite must also be true - bringing the price tag down must mean the quality is decreasing (if not much else is).
If there's an apple dealer, and he sells some apples for $0.05, and others for $0.35, you should know the more expensive ones will be better. However, that doesn't mean that the other apple dealer that sells his apples for $0.75 are better than the other dealers' apples. Different people will price things differently. What one man may charge ten dollars for, another may charge twenty. Yet within one man, or company, prices and quality should be consistant.
Right now, not much, but I'm getting paid soon, so I'll have around $800... I don't mind spending more time saving up, but I don't know that I want to spend all my money on a monster bass amp until I find a more serious band. As for how loud I need to go, the biggest shows I play are in a 1000 seat auditoriom in a school that we are renting, but I can mike the amp or run a line out... and outdoor shows up to maybe 200...lowphatbass said:
You might want to consider:
$499 Groove Bass 1200 (800 watts @ 4 ohms, 1200 watts @ 2 ohms)
$279 Avatar B212
$780 for a BRAND NEW, killer rig that works for you now, and later.
SOLD!
$499 Groove Bass 1200 (800 watts @ 4 ohms, 1200 watts @ 2 ohms)
$279 Avatar B212
$780 for a BRAND NEW, killer rig that works for you now, and later.
SOLD!
I just looked at the reviews on the avatars at harmony central, and they don't look too hot... but maybe it's just the price range... where would I buy an Avatar from, I've never heard of them before?
Lots of TB'ers have 'em... my 410 and 210 NEO's will be here in May. Do a search in the Amps section for Avatar. Tons of tone for the money!
You order them direct from www.avatarspeakers.com
You order them direct from www.avatarspeakers.com
I'd get the B212 from Avatar ($279) with the Ashdown Mag head ($278)
$557+$42 shipping for a pretty killer rig.
$557+$42 shipping for a pretty killer rig.
hmmm...another good head choice...with $$ left over !!(always nice)
Guess I was looking at him saying he played in 1000 seat venues and figured he already budgeted $800 so why not get 4x the wattage for $200 more? (@ 2 ohms, of course, 2 1/2 x @ 4 ohms, I believe).
Guess I was looking at him saying he played in 1000 seat venues and figured he already budgeted $800 so why not get 4x the wattage for $200 more? (@ 2 ohms, of course, 2 1/2 x @ 4 ohms, I believe).
Quadzilla
Supporting Member
A BIG +1 on the Kustom and Avatar rig! By far, the best and biggest bang for the buck. You can't get more power and tone for the money PERIOD!
