Bass Amp suggestions

[Daddylouc]

Hartke hydrive 2x hd112, each 300w.

Good suggestion. I could always buy the 600W head and one 300W cabinet now and get the other later, right? That would put me in the $800 price range and it's very compact and lightweight which is what I'm after. Thanks

 

[bassliner50]

Please don't consider anything heavy. Learn now or later.

 

[dwellers]

I just picked up a used Phil Jones Bass C4 cabinet and I have to say it's amazing. Any of their combos with either the 5" or 7" speakers must sound great. Or, you can do like I did and pick up a TINY TC BAM200 head and enjoy the sweetest little rig you'll ever want to hear. Here's a picture of the two together. Not sure you can sense the scale but I leaned a P bass on it so that might help. I can carry the amp in my bass bag and carry the cab and bass without any issue. I'm no spring chicken so weight certainly matters to me!

Otherwise, there are THOUSANDS of choices out there and I would venture to say that in your price range, most are pretty good. Good luck!

--David
View attachment 4060476

 

[bherman]

I'm not a big fan of the Hartke gear, used a 115 combo for a while at a practice space. I like the Rumble series and the GK combos.

 

[Daddylouc]

Welcome to the jungle (aka TalkBass)

I’m not a Markbass ‘fanboi’... but could be accused of such things... I do, however, love their equip (been using since 2009)! If you catch a sale (actually going on right now) might I recommend a CMD151P. I had one, for quite awhile, but have settled in on the 121P (w/ext. cab)- plenty enough (for me) for band settings!

Here is the CMD151P- over a NY 151P (left)... CMD121P- under an 801 combo... for comparison purposes

View attachment 4060419

Thanks. I really liked the Markbass best when I sampled them at the store. I really liked the Traveler 102p (2X10) and the Little Mark head, but it would have run me about $1400 for the two units. I didn't try out the combo unit but I guess I'll go back to check it out.

 

[Daddylouc]

Please don't consider anything heavy. Learn now or later.

Yes!!! I'm no spring chicken. Thanks

 

[Claymore]

As others have said, the Fender Rumble 500 is the best bang for your buck. I own one and I wholeheartedly agree with that. However... I also agree that it has a "baked in" sound and either you are going to like it or you won't. My take is that it's sometimes difficult to get clarity out of that combo but the sound that does come out is rich and complex. Try before you buy. Draw your own conclusions.

 

[Daddylouc]

As others have said, the Fender Rumble 500 is the best bang for your buck. I own one and I wholeheartedly agree with that. However... I also agree that it has a "baked in" sound and either you are going to like it or you won't. My take is that it's sometimes difficult to get clarity out of that combo but the sound that does come out is rich and complex. Try before you buy. Draw your own conclusions.

Thanks! I am going to check it out.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Thanks for the welcome!
We're playing quite a variety of tunes: Stone Temple Pilots, Tom Petty, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bob Seger, Grand Funk Railroad, Beatles, Santana, and others. Some rock from the 70s, 80's, 90s. We also just do some Blues jamming where we take turns playing a lead progression.

I played a lot of that same type of mix though my group was two guitars, keys, drums and me. I'd suggest getting separate head and cabs so you can upgrade as needed without having to re-buy another full combo to get either better speakers or a more powerful amp.

First things first, a single 115 combo is NOT going to cut it for what you are describing. Been there, done that, was totally buried!

If you're going to look at combos, don't look at any that are rated below 500-watts or you'll end up finding yourself looking at the 500-watt ones soon after you've already bought the 200 or 300-watt ones because you'll need it for the larger venues. Most (not all) combos have internal speakers that are rated at 8 ohms and amps that have a minimum ohm load of 4 ohms. At 8 ohms, those amps put out half or slightly more than half of what they put out at 4 ohms.

For example the Fender Rumble 500 is rated at 500-watts rms into 4 ohms. But it doesn't deliver 500-watts as-is. It's 210 speaker configuration is 8 ohms. Instead of getting 500-watts out of that your are getting 300-watts rms into its internal speakers. That's actually pretty good, some combos would put out 250 to 275 watts into 8 ohms. Depending on how loud your guitarists are, that 300 watts is usually enough for small and medium-sized venues. But to get all 500-watts from that amp in the combo, you have to add another Rumble 8 ohm 210 cab to it. And that's not a bad set-up. If you are running 500-watts into a 410 configuration (two 210 cabs) you should be able to play most venues without FOH support.

There's a saying that goes around TB, which is a bit of a classic and very true, "High Power, Lightweight, inexpensive - choose any two." Unless you find some really crazy deals on used gear, you are not going to get all of that between $500 and $800. By the time you add the second cabinet to that Rumble, you will have much more than 35-lbs all together. The combo is 36½-lbs by itself and the second cabinet is another 39-lbs. That's really not bad though because the combo will work by itself for small and most medium-sized clubs though you will definitely want the extra power and speakers for the larger medium-sized and all the large venues.

As far as weight goes, the amps themselves are not the problem. With class D amps, you can get 800-watt amps such as the DNA-800 (I am a DNA Endorsing Artist), that weigh under 5-lbs. DNA-800 is 4.8-lbs. Most of the major Bass brands also have 800-watt Class D amps and like the DNA one, most of those are ~$799 new (always cheeper for used gear of course). But the weight of the speakers is going to add a lot of weight. It takes a big magnet to produce those low bass frequencies and a very solidly built cabinet to keep from shaking apart in a few years from all that vibration.

There's also a very nice 500-watt Eden Class D amp, the TN501, that weighs 5.3-lbs. I have its younger brother the TN226 which is a 226-watt amp. I specifically use it for a small venue that we used to play a lot. I pair that with a single Eden EX-112 cab and it was enough for that venue. I use my big Eden amp with my other cabs for other venues...wish I had purchased the TN501 instead of the TN226, but bought it used from a friend and got a good price on it.

It has the same warm Eden sound that my big Eden hybrid amp has even though it doesn't have a hybrid preamp. If I'd expected to use it more places, I would have bought the 500-watt version and 8 ohm speakers instead of 4 ohm. I bought the 4 ohm because I was only going to use it at that one place but the first night I played through it, I liked it so much I bought a second one. I used the two EX-112 cabs with my big Eden amp for medium-sized venues for about a year until I bought my DNS-210.

I personally use a DNS-210 cab (by DNA) for ALL of my indoor venues now and reserve my DNS-410 for outdoor and festival venues. But my DNS-210 cab is pretty unusual. It handles 700-watts rms, both thermally and mechanically, and it will produce a maximum SPL of 134db. That's beyond the threshold of pain and causes immediate hearing damage though, so you wouldn't want to be anywhere near it at those levels. And the older Eden WT500/800 amp I have bridges into 8 ohms at 800-watts. So if I run my amp bridged at 800-watts into it most of the way up, I could hit that level if I needed to. But I rarely run my master on my 800-watt amp above 10 o'clock. I don't want to be anywhere near that amp/speaker set up with it hitting 134db.

That DNS-210 weighs 52-lbs which isn't as heavy as the Eden 210 cabs that David designed, but it's still not very light, and it's also not very cheap. Street price runs around $900 - $969 new although you can sometimes find used around $600. A DNA-800 amp and DNS-210 cab together would weigh just under 57-lbs and handles all my indoor venues - small, medium, and large. It would also run you around $1,700 new. You might be able to put them together a used set for a little over $1100 or $1200 but that's more than a little bit over your budget.

So realistically for the near future, I'd suggest you look at class D amps of 500-watts or more along with a 210 cabinet. Add either a 210 cabinet or a 410 cabinet down the road. That way a 210 cab will cover your small and medium venues, the 410 cabinet with your 500-watt amp will cover the large venues. If you start playing outdoor venues or festivals, then you'll probably need to go up to an 800-watt amp, but with both a 210 and a 410 cab making a defacto 610 speaker system with an 800-watt amp driving it, you should be fine.

 

[staurosjohn]

Thanks. I really liked the Markbass best when I sampled them at the store. I really liked the Traveler 102p (2X10) and the Little Mark head, but it would have run me about $1400 for the two units. I didn't try out the combo unit but I guess I'll go back to check it out.

GC (as with other sellers) will have 15% off- by the end of next week... shld find a nice deal- on whatever you choose!

 

[droo46]

Thanks! The Ampeg is a bit too heavy (50) for me to lug into and out of the practice area. I was hoping I could one-trip it into our practice sessions. The Ashdown is a consideration though. I found one video on it. Just wondering if anyone here might have experience with it?

I'm with you. I prefer to have a one trip load-in. I carry my pedalboard in one hand, the Rumble in the other, and gig bag on my back. Seems to work pretty well, even if I have to walk a couple blocks.

 

[Daddylouc]

I played a lot of that same type of mix though my group was two guitars, keys, drums and me. I'd suggest getting separate head and cabs so you can upgrade as needed without having to re-buy another full combo to get either better speakers or a more powerful amp.

First things first, a single 115 combo is NOT going to cut it for what you are describing. Been there, done that, was totally buried!

If you're going to look at combos, don't look at any that are rated below 500-watts or you'll end up finding yourself looking at the 500-watt ones soon after you've already bought the 200 or 300-watt ones because you'll need it for the larger venues. Most (not all) combos have internal speakers that are rated at 8 ohms and amps that have a minimum ohm load of 4 ohms. At 8 ohms, those amps put out half or slightly more than half of what they put out at 4 ohms.

For example the Fender Rumble 500 is rated at 500-watts rms into 4 ohms. But it doesn't deliver 500-watts as-is. It's 210 speaker configuration is 8 ohms. Instead of getting 500-watts out of that your are getting 300-watts rms into its internal speakers. That's actually pretty good, some combos would put out 250 to 275 watts into 8 ohms. Depending on how loud your guitarists are, that 300 watts is usually enough for small and medium-sized venues. But to get all 500-watts from that amp in the combo, you have to add another Rumble 8 ohm 210 cab to it. And that's not a bad set-up. If you are running 500-watts into a 410 configuration (two 210 cabs) you should be able to play most venues without FOH support.

There's a saying that goes around TB, which is a bit of a classic and very true, "High Power, Lightweight, inexpensive - choose any two." Unless you find some really crazy deals on used gear, you are not going to get all of that between $500 and $800. By the time you add the second cabinet to that Rumble, you will have much more than 35-lbs all together. The combo is 36½-lbs by itself and the second cabinet is another 39-lbs. That's really not bad though because the combo will work by itself for small and most medium-sized clubs though you will definitely want the extra power and speakers for the larger medium-sized and all the large venues.

As far as weight goes, the amps themselves are not the problem. With class D amps, you can get 800-watt amps such as the DNA-800 (I am a DNA Endorsing Artist), that weigh under 5-lbs. DNA-800 is 4.8-lbs. Most of the major Bass brands also have 800-watt Class D amps and like the DNA one, most of those are ~$799 new (always cheeper for used gear of course). But the weight of the speakers is going to add a lot of weight. It takes a big magnet to produce those low bass frequencies and a very solidly built cabinet to keep from shaking apart in a few years from all that vibration.

There's also a very nice 500-watt Eden Class D amp, the TN501, that weighs 5.3-lbs. I have its younger brother the TN226 which is a 226-watt amp. I specifically use it for a small venue that we used to play a lot. I pair that with a single Eden EX-112 cab and it was enough for that venue. I use my big Eden amp with my other cabs for other venues...wish I had purchased the TN501 instead of the TN226, but bought it used from a friend and got a good price on it.

It has the same warm Eden sound that my big Eden hybrid amp has even though it doesn't have a hybrid preamp. If I'd expected to use it more places, I would have bought the 500-watt version and 8 ohm speakers instead of 4 ohm. I bought the 4 ohm because I was only going to use it at that one place but the first night I played through it, I liked it so much I bought a second one. I used the two EX-112 cabs with my big Eden amp for medium-sized venues for about a year until I bought my DNS-210.

I personally use a DNS-210 cab (by DNA) for ALL of my indoor venues now and reserve my DNS-410 for outdoor and festival venues. But my DNS-210 cab is pretty unusual. It handles 700-watts rms, both thermally and mechanically, and it will produce a maximum SPL of 134db. That's beyond the threshold of pain and causes immediate hearing damage though, so you wouldn't want to be anywhere near it at those levels. And the older Eden WT500/800 amp I have bridges into 8 ohms at 800-watts. So if I run my amp bridged at 800-watts into it most of the way up, I could hit that level if I needed to. But I rarely run my master on my 800-watt amp above 10 o'clock. I don't want to be anywhere near that amp/speaker set up with it hitting 134db.

That DNS-210 weighs 52-lbs which isn't as heavy as the Eden 210 cabs that David designed, but it's still not very light, and it's also not very cheap. Street price runs around $900 - $969 new although you can sometimes find used around $600. A DNA-800 amp and DNS-210 cab together would weigh just under 57-lbs and handles all my indoor venues - small, medium, and large. It would also run you around $1,700 new. You might be able to put them together a used set for a little over $1100 or $1200 but that's more than a little bit over your budget.

So realistically for the near future, I'd suggest you look at class D amps of 500-watts or more along with a 210 cabinet. Add either a 210 cabinet or a 410 cabinet down the road. That way a 210 cab will cover your small and medium venues, the 410 cabinet with your 500-watt amp will cover the large venues. If you start playing outdoor venues or festivals, then you'll probably need to go up to an 800-watt amp, but with both a 210 and a 410 cab making a defacto 610 speaker system with an 800-watt amp driving it, you should be fine.

Thanks for the advice. I read through it a couple of times and appreciate sharing your experience! "High Power, Lightweight, inexpensive - choose any two.".. haven't heard that, being a newbie. I think you're right - it's sort of like pay me now or pay me later. I think I'd choose lightweight and high power (and dish out the extra cash). The idea of separate units vs. a combo make sense too. I'll check out the Eden heads you referred to, but the cabinets you suggested are way too heavy for this old fart.

 

[CallMeAl]

Welcome!

So, 3 guitars is a lot. I don’t like volume wars, and y’all are gonna have to talk about your EQ. But still, I’d want some “comfort zone” behind me when things hit the fan.

I wouldn’t buy a large combo amp without an extension out. Speakers give you volume, watts give you tone. Something expandable will give you freedom to add volume easily if needed, without starting over.

That’s a pretty tight budget. Shop used if you can. Based on weight concerns, Rumble 500 sounds perfect. I’d throw Peavey minimax 600 + Headliner 210 cab in the mix, though the cabs are a little heavy...

Basically a 500w head and 210 is a great starting point, either in a combo (with extension) or as separates.

Thanks! I'll check out the Rumble. I kind of blew it off when I was at Guitar Center because it was bigger than the Markbass amp I was enamored with. I'll give it a second look.

I have a Rumble for a rehearsal amp and a Markbass for my gig rig. They sound different, but frankly I love them both. If I hadn’t found a smoking deal on my Markbass (like 1/2 of GC New prices) I wouldn’t have them. I wouldn’t consider them worth the new prices.

Good luck!

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Thanks for the advice. I read through it a couple of times and appreciate sharing your experience! "High Power, Lightweight, inexpensive - choose any two.".. haven't heard that, being a newbie. I think you're right - it's sort of like pay me now or pay me later. I think I'd choose lightweight and high power (and dish out the extra cash). The idea of separate units vs. a combo make sense too. I'll check out the Eden heads you referred to, but the cabinets you suggested are way too heavy for this old fart.

I'm an old fart too. Just turned 70...

 

[burgerdj]

Run, don’t walk, and get yourself a GK MB210 combo. It’s all you’ll need and is pretty much bulletproof. I don’t own one, but have been genuinely impressed!when I’ve used them.

 

[Daddylouc]

I just picked up a used Phil Jones Bass C4 cabinet and I have to say it's amazing. Any of their combos with either the 5" or 7" speakers must sound great. Or, you can do like I did and pick up a TINY TC BAM200 head and enjoy the sweetest little rig you'll ever want to hear. Here's a picture of the two together. Not sure you can sense the scale but I leaned a P bass on it so that might help. I can carry the amp in my bass bag and carry the cab and bass without any issue. I'm no spring chicken so weight certainly matters to me!

Otherwise, there are THOUSANDS of choices out there and I would venture to say that in your price range, most are pretty good. Good luck!

--David
View attachment 4060476

Wow. I like the Phil Jones suggestion. Do you see any drawbacks with 5" speakers though? We did a couple of shows outside. Just wondering how the 4 x 5 set would hold up.

 

[Daddylouc]

I recently spent a whole fortnight looking and testing combo amps. All were brand new and had extension speaker capabilities. 1st choice was the Ampeg 210 combo. This combo stood out as it was in your price range, very easy to load and unload. Nice tones and good volume level. It had a compressor too with a good eq section. Some stores rate this combo at 450watts but that's only achievable with an extension cab... so it remains just over 200 watts. I see you have already mentioned it's to heavy for your needs. Bummer...
I could have walked out with it for $650 AUS. Even cheaper second hand.

Markbass 210 combo wedge (Ninja?) was my other choice but this was thrice the price of the Ampeg and blew it away with volume.
It should do because it was rated at 350-400 watts and it delivered too. So a second hand item may be the best solution in this case.
It was very tight and punchy, crisp and articulate. Although it performed better than the Ampeg, I found I was always fiddling with the dials to get close to a sound I liked... this has always been my experience with MB amps... and may not be something you experience. Still getting up there in weight though.

Fender Rumble Combos never really did it for me. Like the MB, I was never able to find a tone I liked or found usable without fighting the eq section.

The new David Eden range are quite inexpensive too. They sounded nice although there's a difference in build quality and styling too from years gone by. I did not have to struggle finding tones with the 210 and 12" combos. Very easy to move and very capable little combos.

Next to the David Eden section was the Ibanez Prometheus which really stunned me with it's performance. It was a 210 vertical cab. With extension cab abilities. About the same price as the Ampeg too.

Perhaps my tone was hampered by my finger technique and YMMV.

In summary, I still lean towards the Ampeg 102 combo as value for $$, lightweight, portability, user friendly and I think Yamaha has been an improvement for them.

Hope this helps.

Thanks!

 

[CallMeAl]

Run, don’t walk, and get yourself a GK MB210 combo. It’s all you’ll need and is pretty much bulletproof. I don’t own one, but have been genuinely impressed!when I’ve used them.

+1 on this. I was sooo close to getting this, before I stumbled onto a deal on my Markbass amp

 

[BaltBass5]

Thanks! The Ampeg is a bit too heavy (50) for me to lug into and out of the practice area. I was hoping I could one-trip it into our practice sessions. The Ashdown is a consideration though. I found one video on it. Just wondering if anyone here might have experience with it?

move been an Ashdown player for about 15 years. You can’t go wrong with their stuff! (Nate Mendel, Jeff Ament, Guy Pratt, Pino Palladino, Geezer Butler...etc...Etc...)

 

[Daddylouc]

Welcome!

So, 3 guitars is a lot. I don’t like volume wars, and y’all are gonna have to talk about your EQ. But still, I’d want some “comfort zone” behind me when things hit the fan.

I wouldn’t buy a large combo amp without an extension out. Speakers give you volume, watts give you tone. Something expandable will give you freedom to add volume easily if needed, without starting over.

That’s a pretty tight budget. Shop used if you can. Based on weight concerns, Rumble 500 sounds perfect. I’d throw Peavey minimax 600 + Headliner 210 cab in the mix, though the cabs are a little heavy...

Basically a 500w head and 210 is a great starting point, either in a combo (with extension) or as separates.

I have a Rumble for a rehearsal amp and a Markbass for my gig rig. They sound different, but frankly I love them both. If I hadn’t found a smoking deal on my Markbass (like 1/2 of GC New prices) I wouldn’t have them. I wouldn’t consider them worth the new prices.

Good luck!

What do you have in your Markbass gig rig?