sPiKi

Thanks guys. So far, very impressed but the true test will be out with the band this weekend.

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Have a nice little surprise awaiting me yesterday. Finished early at work and just as I got home, the FedEx van was in the driveway. Cabs were ordered from GAK a few weeks ago and came into stock on Tuesday and were delivered on Wednesday.[/font][/color]
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I set up the 112 first of all and was very impressed with the tone, although had to keep it down as doors, keys, furniture & teeth were beginning to rattle...[/font][/color]
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Next came the big brother, the 115. I was surprised at how sturdy and initially, I thought, fairly weighty it felt. The tone was solid, clean and balanced. The clairty from the rig sounded almost as if I had new strings.[/font][/color]
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Side view, gives you an idea of the depth of these puppies...[/font][/color]
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New speakons and just kept the tweeter at 12 o'clock, which sounded great.[/font][/color]
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The full rig and family. Initial impressions are that I prefer the tone from the Jazz; was really easy to dial in a cracking tone. Really like the rock settings as suggested in the D800 manual. The Dirnt P is taking a bit more time and a bit less low mid. I know I'll get there with some tweaking but the Jazz sounds sweet.[/font][/color]
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112 goes vert:[/font][/color]
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This rig just oozes quality. Build, finish and tone are first class. Can't wait for this weekend, when I have two gigs. Friday's is going to be interesting, playing on a docked barge near the Titanic area in Belfast. Might have rocked it off it's moorings come the end of the night ! Maybe get a wee gig report up over the weekend.[/font][/color]

Great amp and easy to dial in a great tone. Bought mine on here a few weeks ago. Love gigging it and so light, it's a joy to transport. No more back ache! GLWTS.

I'm very impressed with my Mesa Subway D800. Major drop in weight compared to my V4BH and no loss in tone. Nice balanced sound, easy to get a good, thick tone and makes me smile packing this in my gig bag. Playing through a 610 HLF but eagerly awaiting the arrival of a Subway 115 and 112 next week, all being well.

Can I ask why you are selling?

That's how tolex should be! Nice job. GLWTS.

Is the head still available? What price on its own? Thanks

I did miss that, Frank, my apologies. If I can find the time (FT job and gigging every week), I'll drop you a line and many thanks for the offer. A very decent community on here. Gratitude.

Hard to find a decent review or clip on YT that demonstrates bass amps played in a rock style...nothing but noodling...why??!!

Cheers Japhet. Not familiar with Tech SS but will have a look.

Thanks for all the responses. As much as I like the Ampeg tone, I'm not absolutely commtted to it. I rarely used the gain for a bit of dirt, preferring a clean sound for most of our stuff. I quite fancy a change & hopefully will find the right set up which is smaller, flexible and more portable & gives me big, clean and punchy.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1442322483' post='2866019']
Refresh the memory..what cab are you planning to use...?

The OTB is regarded as a 1 trick pony, IMV...and it depends if you like that trick.
Some do...but it didn't work for you?

Aguilar can do a modern take on Ampeg, but if you are considering the PF800...I'd stick on the Ampeg trail.

I don't like the SVT3 but that might be another option.

Very popular around here, for some reason.... and S/H prices should be helpful.

If you were going to change out your cabs, I'd suggest a PF800 with TKS 2xS112's as that combo works great with a
PF500. Best of both worlds...light AND ceramic

I'd also suggest that CN Bergs and SL12's...which are NEO and light, work pretty well too.

But I say this as they are combos I've researched and know work...IMO.

The trick is trying these things to avoid another OBT situation.
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It was the OB1 not the OBT, JTUK. I tried it through my Ampeg 610 Classic cabinet.

Initially I thought I might have tried a PF500 or 800 but after doing some research, the frequency of problems with the 500, no matter how long ago, has put me off. I was also considering the SVT 7 Pro but even with the current revision of that amp (H? perhaps) there are still reported problems with cutting out. Not ideal when performing.

Think I'm going to wait and see what the feedback on the Mesa is when it arrives. The only other strong contender is the TH500. Not sure about which cab(s) to consider. Still trying to get my head around the large output from the small cabs that seem so popular today (is 115 or 112 or 212 really loud enough for gigging?). Again would really like to downsize and go modular, but have very limited opportunities to try stuff out locally and haven't an unlimited budget, probably £7-800 for cabs.

So, I received my OB1 500 today and have just returned from a quick workout with our guitarist and drummer.

What a disappointment! Hated the tone. Mids way too prominent and to my ears, just all 'honk' which I couldn't eliminate. In spite of the marketing of an active EQ, we found the range from the clean section of the amp to be pretty limited. I played through with my P and J basses, with no effects at all.

It does the distorted thing great when the gain is cranked but I could never see me using that in our set. Enjoyed a quick run through Ace of Spades for old time's sake

The unit itself feels very sturdy and weighty and it isn't going to budge from your cab; thought the knobs though were a bit cheap feeling.

For comparison, we alternated heads to contrast with the V4 and I must say, in my opnion, that has a much more rounded, fuller tone which is not harsh unlike this one. I still have the problem of not enough power with my V4, so considering possibly PF800 + cabs, TH500 or wait for reviews on the Mesa Subway. Any thoughts or advice would be really welcome.

Saw that the other day...cracking photo

Delivery delayed! Typical. Will def. do a review though once I have given it a workout.

Yeah, looking at getting the OB1. That video from Andertons sounds good through headphones; be interested to test it in a band situation. Just pricing around now for best delivery to NI - some UK retailers charge international delivery rates!

So, I ordered the OB1500 this morning, with free delivery from Gear4music. Good returns policy too in case I don't like it. Won't get to try it out until Thursday but will report back once II have. Can't wait.

Would an OB1 500 be a good match for my cab, do you reckon? I know it sort of contradicts where I started with the aim of downsizing, but the more I read about gear the more confused I get.

If only there was a bit more headroom with it, that's part of what I'm looking for.

I'm now thinking of going with an OB1 500 to start with and try with my 610. I may go for an OBC212 or 410 although I understand the latter is seriously heavy and I don't think Orange do casters.

Thanks for all the replies...last couple of days I've been looking at the Orange OB1. Like the sound of that big clean sound with the option of blending a bit of grit if need be. With the price of Orange gear, it will have to be amp first and then cabs.

Iain, any experience of Mark Bass speakers or a good match with one of their heads?

Chevy, what did you think of the GK rig?

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1440842968' post='2854247']
It's very easy to find a rig that [i]cuts through[/i] better than Ampeg, but you're going to loose that "Ampeg" sound in the process. You cut through by using power and volume from a big rig or by adding more mids from a smaller rig that has clarity and definition.

What's your budget?

To keep you in the "Ampeg sound" ballpark, a modular Ampeg rig would be a 2 ohm amp pushing a 4 ohm 410 and an 8 ohm 210. That's 3 rigs right there.

I'd went for a 2 ohm Thunderfunk pushing a 4 ohm 212 and an 8 ohm 112. Both Bergantino.

If you're in the UK (I see you put up the same post on Talkbass), there's a Barefaced Big Twin in the classifieds at the moment. You could cover most of the ground you need to cover with one of those and a good 800 watt amp.
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Yes Chris, I did post this on TB just to get some feedback. I am in the UK, N. Ireland. We have very few good local music shops. Most carry the entry level budget stuff, although I noticed earlier today that one shop has some of the TC heads which I can try out.

Thanks everyone for the replies... so much to think about.

I usually alternate between a US standard jazz and MD Roadworn P. Set up is pretty straightforward with a VT bass pedal (always on), Boss chorus (couple of songs) & tuner.
I usually have my EQ set pretty much flat, tweaking the low end and mids depending on the room.

Regarding the Ampeg sound, I've been fortunate to have had Ampeg for nearly all of my 20 years of playing, first with an SVT 200T and 810, then a 410 HLF and then the current rig. I know it's widely regarded as 'the' bass sound for rock, but sometimes I find its just a bit too muddy and the lows boomy. When it sings though I really like that tight low end and almost clang or snap of the high end...is this making sense? Any thought on a more powerful Ampeg amp with this cab?

Would the PF800 be a good match and give me what I;m looking for? Are the TC and GK systems better suited to slap/funk etc (which I do very little of in our set).

I have a budget of around £1200 for head and 2 cabs.

Thanks again everyone.

I am currently using an Ampeg V4BH 100W head with an Ampeg 610 Classic cab. This is a great rig, as you would expect but I am considering downsizing to something more flexible to meet my gigging needs, something smaller and lighter.

I'm out gigging every weekend in pubs and clubs playing rock and pop covers but also, increasingly, weddings. Some of these can be in quite large rooms with maybe up to 300 guests, while others more intimate with maybe 50 or so. In these cases, a smaller rig would be more suitable.

At larger gigs I have also found that I can struggle to be heard against our one guitarist and a hard hitting drummer.

So what I have been looking at is downsizing to possibly a small micro amp with two 212 or 210 cabs or a variation on that. I'd like to be able to stack these vertically if necessary and also, the new rig would have to be louder and cut through better than the Ampeg.

I have looked at the GK MB800 head with two Neo 212 cabs as well as the TC BH800 and matching K212 or 210. Problem is, I have no local dealers where I can try this stuff out.

I'd really welcome any advice and guidance you could give me. Many thanks in advance.