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Why did you choose your amp?

#41
Tone - had to sound great
Power - enough to handle most situations
Options - headphone jack, AUX-in, XLR, effect loop, tuner out etc
Portable - easy to get from A to B by myself in my car
Flexible - small footprint for jams and small gigs, ability to add another cab for bigger, louder needs
Affordable - didn't want to break the bank
Reliable - reviews on TB had to be good
Looks - didn't matter but ended up with something I like the look of anyway

Answer?

Ampeg PF800 w/ 2 115 HE's
I have the Head attached to the cab for easy portability for small stuff
Bring the second cab for loudness
My ears, back, bank account, eyes and wife are happy

I hope this helps
Jason
 
#42
Well, let's see.

Eden WT550 - Great punch, fast response, right range of power. I love the tone, and will probably hang on to this one for good. I like the pre in the studio.

Aguilar db750 - Good sound, and GOBS of power. No matter how hard you hit it, there's always more in the tank. At the time, I was doing some power rock stuff on big stages. Now, it's a 50lb doorstop, unfortunately. I just don't use it. It's up for sale.

Aguilar TH500 - Wanted a compact, powerful amp for theatre and jazz gigs. It's light, tiny, and kicks butt. The drive circuit rocks. It also never gets used any more, and something has to go, so it's up for sale too.

AER Amp 3 Combo - Compact, amazing tone, lots of power. Whatever I play on my bass, every little nuance, comes out loud and clear. It's only 35 lbs. I use it all the time.

I have a new Demeter pre/amp on order. I'm impressed by the size to power ratio, and I know it'll drive my two cabs for bigger gigs. The pre will probably get a lot of studio use, too.

When the Aggies are gone, I'll have three different amps, with three different sounds.
 
#46
My taste changes constantly and I suffer from severe gas. For these reasons I went with seperate pre amp / amplifier. I chose a crown xls1000 since I've used crowns for years and it was class d (super light). I rotate between my SansAmp RBI, Yamaha pb-1 and Demeter vtbp-201s preamps. That said, if I had to choose a head, it would be a gk 1001rb. I've played gk amps for years and just picked up a 1001rb from a TBer to use for rehearsal. Great amp.
 
#47
I was struggling for a while myself. I had my mind on something GB. Played around with others... but still came back and bought a GenzBenz STM 900. It's really sad what has been done to GB. But my choice was because the amp has the power needed for about anything I do... it has tub preamp/solid state power so I don't have to worry about tube power but get the sweetness of the tub sound. But what I really liked was what Ed Friedland http://www.edfriedland.com/ said to me. He said what he likes about the GB stuff was that they are "transparent" amps. They don't much 'flavor' or color the sound of coming though the amp as much as simply "amplifying" your instruments sound. If you listen to Ampeg of GK... you will notice what is meant by the coloring of your sound. They 'color' more so then simply amplify. But again... GB was crushed by the corp monster (shelved)! Looks like I will be following the engineer over to Mesa for next purchase... and that's not such a bad thing! :) GOOD LUCK! :bassist:
 
#48
I got my GB Shuttle purely because it was so compact. I've kept it because it works well for both bass guitar and upright, and the valve side of the preamp sounds a lot better than I expected it to.

Having a compact rig is important to me because I double on upright too, I have bulky gear to lug around.

Prior to the GB I had a Hartke LH500 and honestly I thought that was a great bass guitar head, but it didn't work so well for upright.
 
#50
Every time I heard one , it sounded better than anything else I had heard.Once I got one , I knew I was right. It's the sound I always wanted and enough power to be heard over anything I have ever come up against. It can be turned down pretty low and still sound great. No need to worry about a volume war ( I won't play with an idiot that wants to have one for long anyway) but if some poor slob wants to play the game , he looses. If the subs go out on our PA ,I turn it up to 4 instead of 3 and don't worry about it.(This actually happened once.) If we play an outdoor venue and there is no PA support , I bring the second cab. (Haven't needed it as of yet.) It's big , heavy and well worth every ache and pain I have ever incurred moving it.) I have never heard a tone that I like better and am no longer willing to compromise. I'm too old to be hauling this beast around. Tough rocks , it sounds too good not to. I like having a master and a gain to use to get a great sound at any volume. Ampeg SVT CL & two 8 10e cabs.
 
#51
I use Ashdown amps.
ABM 500 and CL-410 Cab

AMB-Tube pre-amp, drive channel, good eq, sub octave. Foot switchable.
Cab- Neo eminence speakers

I chose the brand because I heard great things about them. I was just getting tired of the ampeg sound. I went and sold my whole ampeg rig to buy my ashdown. It was honestly one of the best gear decisions I have ever made. The tone is unbelievable. I used to never get complements on my bass tone but I now do almost every time I play.
 
#52
TC Electronic RH450 through an RS212 (I actually have two but only use one for now).

I went back and forth on everything from an Orange Terror, a Markbass, etc... And I know these have fallen out of favor, but there's three bass players (besides myself) around here that use them and their tone always blew me away. So I got one and I don't regret it for one minute. I love the clean tone, the two 12s, the tuner, the ability to save settings, the portability, everything.
 
#53
After much research and playing everything I could get my hands on, I decided to go with the Genz Benz Streamliner 900. I also went with the Uber 410 cab and freaking love this rig. I sometimes pair it with a GK 212 Neo and love it. Tone was my number one priority and this amp gives me the tone I need. I couldn't be happier with the Uber 410 very articulate cab with a ton of volume.
 
#54
I was trying out a new bass & the shop let me try a marshall mbh350 or something. Ended up getting the head as I liked the tone. Did some research in the marshall department. After awhile I sold my spare head(ampeg b2) & got a vba400. That served me well for awhile untill I found a jcm800 bass series. Then I found a superbass & now Im in love with that. Thats the short version of why I have the amp I have today.
 
#56
After playing a Genz Benz 6.0 with 2x12t cabs I had finally found a amp that
Did not have more knobs then I know what to do with
That I can run the eq pretty flat so what you and I hear is my basses
That it sounds like what I've heard in my head
That I've never had to run it over 3
That I can carry both pieces at the same time.
And the quality of the build
And have stopped looking:-D
 
#57
Decades ago I realized that I just liked the way an SVT sounded, and when an acquaintance that was in a tight spot financially offered to sell me his 76 SVT and flatback 8x10 cabinet for an absolute steal I jumped at the chance.

The flatback was a pain to move and was soon sold for more than I paid for it, but the SVT has been my go-to amp ever since. I chose it because it sounds exactly how I want it to sound and has more power than I’ll ever need. It would be nice if it was 50lbs lighter, but moving it is a great workout.

My needs haven't changed yet, so neither has my amp!
 
#59
Tubes, tone, output power same at 8, 4, and it does 2Ω. Mesa 400+ with sliced up smaller Diesel cabs for transport and/ or requisite volume needs. Once tamed is a Fender Bassman on steroids. So much thump in those EV's it doubles as it's own bass drum. Vintage/ Modern please. Nostalgia. Does funk, dirt, honk, hork, and clean pristine goo. Also can suck real easily. I have a volatile relationship in an upswing at the moment so I am filled with praise.
 
#60
pica said:
I'm having a hard time choosing an amp. I've been reading all the threads on different amps and researching amps on line. Truth is there is just way too many amps out there. So I'm curious what made you choose the amp you bought. Was it power, size, portability, special features, etc.
Click to expand...

My advice to you: first, search within your budget. The advantage to having so many choices these days is that there should be very good candidates in your price range (assuming it's not too tiny). Second, prioritize the attributes most important to you: weight, power, features, tone. Then when you ask here on TB, you can describe what you want, and your budget, and get relevant suggestions.


Me, I look for an amp rig that can get reasonably close to the sound of a vintage SVT, but without the bulk and weight. I also have a fairly hefty power requirement because my rock band plays too loud. :hmm: FWIW I wound up going with a rack rig with either a tube preamp or a SansAmp preamp, but those are complicated compared to amp heads so I don't recommend them to beginners (I'm an old phart who's been playing for decades).
 

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