Hi everyone,
I seem to have acquired that Vigier that Chappells had in its clearance sale, and I really need a bass amp to put it through.
I really have no clue about bass gear- I've played electric guitar for years, but know nothing about bass.
It's a pretty good bass guitar so I'd want something which will at least do it justice- assuming that's possible without totally breaking the bank. I'd have a budget of ~£500, but that's flexible by a couple of hundred pounds if something is a bit over budget which is far better.
I also wouldn't be averse to going a fair bit cheaper than that, assuming something at that price would do the job and wouldn't need to be upgraded inside a couple of months.
What I really don't want to end up doing (and I know from experience with guitar amps is definitely possible at this kind of budget) is buying something which is basically a glorified practice amp for an amount of money which would buy you genuinely pro level kit if you had made a more informed decision.
Versatility would be handy as I'm not really sure what type of bass tones I like best. As far as guitar goes, I play a range of stuff from vintage to modern tones, so I'm guessing I'd play a similar range of stuff on bass.
There seem to be some good prices at the moment on Genz Benz stuff (and I know their guitar stuff is quite good, but obviously that doesn't mean their bass stuff is, though I think they were a bass company first) which I'm liking the look of- the Streamliner and Shuttle 2 series along with the Focus LT cabs would be *just about* doable if they're worth the extra- and I've also come across the Hartke Hydrive combos. I suspect they're total overkill (and more compact is probably better, unfortunately
), but hey, it's never stopped me before
)
But as I said, I know nothing about this and you bass players will know way better than me what I need and what's good quality and good value kit. So, basically, any recommendations, thoughts or ideas will be gratefully received. Thanks in advance for your help.
TL;DNR Summary:
Bass amp
Budget: ~£500 (but flexible by ~£200 if it's worth the extra)
Versatility would be useful.
Compact is a bonus if it doesn't adversely affect the tone too much.
If I'm spending close to the top of the budget I'd want it to be pro level (or near enough) kit; if that's not possible, I'd rather spend (a good bit) less.
Thanks!
Comments
They do a variety of sizes (volumes?), but I've only tried the 30 watt: http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/Fender-Rumble
Ashdown and Trace Elliot have always had good reputations too, worth checking those out.
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
I'll go through the posts
@Shark_Eyes : Thanks, I'll check out those Fenders
@Paul_C : Thanks. Yeah I've come across the Markbass stuff- most of it seemed pretty dear (but those deals on Chappell that fretmeister spotted might work). Not too familiar with the TC stuff (not that I'm familiar with any of it, obviously, but I haven't come across the TC stuff at all ) ). I'll check it out.
@fretmeister : Yep, those are the ones I've been looking at. From what little I've seen, the streamliners seem to be more vintage-voiced, while the shuttles are more modern, correct? I'm probably veering towards the streamliner, since they seem more simple to use (and also they have the lower wattage streamliner which is cheaper- the shuttle is £100 more, and then the footswitch is another £50 on top of that ))
I saw bass direct also had some of the genz benz combos in stock for around £300- any idea what they're like?
Also I checked Chappell's stock of bass amps when I bought the Vigier and didn't notice that deal on the Markbass stuff. Or maybe at that point I wasn't meaning to spend so much ) I'll definitely bear that one in mind, thanks for the heads-up.
@ICBM : Yeah I know what you mean about the Peavey stuff. ) That seemed to be the impression I was getting on other forums, too- not terribly exciting, but it just works. I'll definitely keep it in mind.
@guitarfishbay : Thanks. Yeah the weight and the size are the things. I'm aware that, much like with guitar gear, it'll probably have to be a certain size and weight to sound decent, but I'd prefer it to be smaller and lighter if at all possible.
@IanSavage : Awesome, thanks
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Last time I checked I was about 12.5 stone. I'm just a wuss. )
EDIT: I think I'm veering towards either the Genz Benz or Mark Bass stuff currently- they're a bit more than I'd like to pay ideally, but at the same time I'm not sure I can pass those deals and be happy with something which is (I presume) not half as good for only slightly less money.
Any thoughts? I like how the MarkBass stuff is really light, fairly compact and (I think) made in Italy, but the Genz Benz stuff is tube (the preamp, anyway) and also looks pretty great. )
By the way, how do the 10" and 15" speakers differ? Similar to guitar i.e. 10" is tighter and punchier, 15" is deeper-sounding and not quite as quick to react?
And how important are valves for bass? Much less so than for guitar, I'm guessing, but since I like valves for guitar it does make me wonder if I'd prefer them for bass too )
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
https://soundcertified.com/speaker-ohms-calculator/
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I'll ask a general question here that I've been wondering about (fretmeister's post touched on it) and then go through your posts
I was just wondering about speaker cabs (and speakers). You know the way guitarists use about 3 different speaker types from major manufacturers, regardless of the manufacturer of the amp or cabinet? Bass doesn't seem to do that (right?). I was just wondering, if I were to go with the Genz Benz, seeing as how it's discontinued, if I ever wanted to add a second cabinet to it in the future, would I be screwed since most manufacturers seem to use their own speakers etc.?
@ThePrettyDamned : Thanks for the offer, I appreciate it, but I'd really prefer to go new (not knowing much about bass kit for one thing), plus being in Northern Ireland the postage would likely be prohibitive, anyway.
@ICBM : Thanks. I don't really need any power at all, but the only all-valve bass amps available at a half-sensible budget seem to be very low wattage indeed (even by guitar amp standards, and for the reasons you said). And if I were going to that kind of money, I'd really prefer something which I knew could be gigged with, too, I think. If that makes sense?
The Genz Benzes have valve or hybrid preamps I think (apart from the combos) and the MarkBass is solid state, as far as I'm aware. From listening to clips (I realise that's far from ideal) they both sound pretty good. )
In response to your more recent post about cab design, do you know much about Genz Benz cabs? I think they're well-regarded (for guitar anyway), and I'm guessing they're decent, but I really don't know )
@fretmeister : Thanks Big problem is there aren't that many great stores here in NI, especially for bass.It's bad enough for guitar. Plus I can't even play bass to try the things out without looking like a tool )
And yeah neo wouldn't be a problem from the weight point of view (but as I said, the cheaper GB cabs seem to be ceramic). If most bass players don't care I'm willing to take their word for it.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I'll check out those barefaced audio cabs. EDIT: They look great but they're way over budget, the cabs alone are more than I'd ideally want to spend on the entire rig. ) Don't get me wrong, I'm sure they're awesome (and I've bookmarked them for future reference, so thanks for the heads-up ), but yeah. The stuff I'm already looking at is overkill, and those would be really overkill, I think.
I don't really need any volume ) Just I figured when I lucked into such a good deal on such a nice bass, I might as well put it through something that does it justice. Embarrassing related question- you can turn these amps down, right, like you can with guitar amps? I don't need to hit whisper volume as I don't share any walls with neighbours, but I don't want to kill myself every time I turn the amp on, either ) I normally practise at around 85-95dB or so, so somewhere around there in terms of volume.
I've come across the MarkBass Little Mark Tube heads... they're pushing it in terms of price, really, though I suppose it might be just about doable if it were worth the extra (either over the SS MarkBass combos which are on offer or the tube Genz Benzes, which are a fair bit less).
No worries about the Genz Benz cabs.
I reckon (could be wrong) I'll struggle to beat either the MarkBass combos or Genz Benz stuff which is on offer- at least without spending a lot more money )
Thanks again for your help.
Edit:this could be a right giggle. Might or might not be utter shite, but it'll make you grin with volume. http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&id=111211291005