ZenX

Yes, tried it out at the seller's place using an Orange OB-500. I don't tend to scoop my mids . Never have, when playing guitar or bass. Thanks for mentioning. Had a quick look at your for-sale post and I'm afraid it's a bit too rich for my blood. Since everyone keeps mentioning the HA 3500, I am definitely considering it. I'd certainly feel more comfortable running the cab within it's rated capacity (I know, I know, it won't hurt it if I don't crank it and I only spent £50 on the cab, but I'm just a big baby when it comes to risking gear), which puts me off the LH-500. I'm still determined to try the TC BG250-208 when it's back in stock at Andertons, and I'll probably compare it to a Peavey MiniMax, to see how much I feel the extra 200 watts (at trying-out-in-a-shop volume, possibly not). I just have a good feeling about having a small combo that I can poke into a cab and get decent low end out of, but isn't as much of a pain to cart as the old Ashdown combo I used to have. Budget at the moment is around £300. Really appreciate everyone's feedback.

@chris_b this is the one. Cheap and cheerful.

Thanks for the replies, how advisable is it to run the LH500 into a cab with 250 watt power handling? I know it'll technically be fine if I don't push it too hard but I am paranoid about user error. Is the general consensus that more speakers beats more watts in terms of volume? That seems to be the advice I've found in a number of other places. I fully intend to try out what I can, but part of me is very drawn to the TC combo as a lightweight practice amp that I can extend with a cab for gigs. Cheers for the feedback so far.

Hi All, I recently bought a second-hand 15" cab with 250 watts power handling at 8 ohms. Now considering an amp to go with it. I play in a metal/hard rock band that is just getting going, and have been using pedals to get some grit in my tone. We have one guitarist and a drummer who I would say plays 'reasonably loud'. For rehearsals I am using a Peavey Firebass head and 4x10 cab and that keeps up quite nicely, but I have limited space at home and in my car so something of that stature is probably out of the question. I have no expectations of playing big outdoor stages with a 15" cab, I am mainly looking for good tone and stage volume. At the moment I have three possibilities in my head (no pun intended): Markbass Blackline Little Mark 250 TC Electronic BG250-208 - (I thought having a an extra pair of speakers in a compact package would help with volume more than extra watts) Hartke HA3500 - (Should give me maximum power out of 8 ohms (rated at 240 Watts) but I know watts aren't everything) The advantage of the TC and Markbass is that they are stocked at Andertons so I can try them without too much trouble (well, the TC is back in stock at the end of the month). I am wondering if any of you fine folks had any experiences (good or bad) with these amps? Previous bass amp experience was an Ashdown MAG 250 combo, which was fine, but I didn't exactly gig it a lot back then. Any other suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

Just bought a 15" Marshall cab off of @bigjimmyc. Very pleasant guy to deal with, very responsive to messages, and was happy to let me try out the item for sale. He even helped me carry it to my car! 5/5, would get confused trying to find his house again.

Thought I'd introduce myself. Played bass for a few years in my college days, and then had a long hiatus including a spell as a guitarist (I know...). Picked up bass again and looking forward to blowing the cobwebs off. Current project is metal, but into loads of styles of playing; funk, jazz, rock etcetera. It's a pleasure to be here.