nigel on bass Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Hello ! can anyone help me in deciding what amp I should buy for an upright double bass ,thinking of the Markbass ,as it is portable and lightwight ,but now looking at the Ahdown little giant 1000 , it seems to have good comments and it is damn cheap for what it has to offer , is there any down sides to it , or is there another alternative ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
originalfunkbrother Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 [quote name='nigel on bass' post='983914' date='Oct 10 2010, 11:00 PM']Hello ! can anyone help me in deciding what amp I should buy for an upright double bass ,thinking of the Markbass ,as it is portable and lightwight ,but now looking at the Ahdown little giant 1000 , it seems to have good comments and it is damn cheap for what it has to offer , is there any down sides to it , or is there another alternative ? [/quote] I am only venturing into double bass myself so my opinion may count for nothing but I would recommend Markbass. I was at a gig where the bassist was using a Markbass and it sounded sweet. Thats just me but best check with seasoned doublers on here for their valued opinion. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 You can spend a fortune on "double bass" amps like AER but in reality you can get a great sound out of any good amp and cab. I've seen guys using Eden, Orange and Markbass. I'm sure many others would work just as well. But, I would imagine your money will be wasted if don't first get the best pickup you can afford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Depending on how loud you need it, Gallien Krueger MB150 series have been a favourite of DB players for a few years. Great little things, and s/h ones often crop up on eaby etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarky Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 If you go int the Double Bass/EUB part of this forum there were a couple of recent threads about amps for DBs. A number of alternatives are discussed in these. I ended up buying a MarkBass CMD121P for my DB on the advice of several BC'ers and it sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 [quote name='casapete' post='994930' date='Oct 20 2010, 03:20 PM']Depending on how loud you need it, Gallien Krueger MB150 series have been a favourite of DB players for a few years. Great little things, and s/h ones often crop up on eaby etc.[/quote] Try before you buy. I don't think they are very good and that double bass players buy them because they are light not because they sound good. I think they lack any depth at all and do not deliver any real bass response so would avoid. I use my Eden Metro and it sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrenleepoole Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Avoid the Ashdown! While it's good on paper, there is a reason why it's such a low price. Poor build quality, reliability issues and a piss poor input gain to boot! Best avoided to be honest. Bassists have so much choice now for small and powerful yet portable amps, it's simply mind boggling. It's certainly try before you buy. If you've mentioned the Ashdown I'm guessing that something cost effective is the order of the day. Have a search for a used Phil Jones Briefcase. It may not have the volume you need, but the quality is excellent and will also be a good investment. The Mark Bass CMD121P combos are indeed exceptional amps, but getting one at a good price might prove tricky. Genz Benz may prove to be a good choice, but again they don't come cheap. I might I suggest the Ibanez Promethean? I own one, and they seem to be gaining much love on here, and with good reason. A very well built 10" combo with loads of power on tap. The head is detachable (like a Walkabout Scout) so you can pair with any cab if needed. The head will go to 500 watts. There's also a great gig bag option for it, so it's easy to move about etc. They're coming in new at £425 approx, which is incredible value for money for an amp that is equally capable as any Mark bass, PJB, GB amp etc - and at the fraction of the cost. There have been several threads on here discussing the amp, so go do a search and get reading Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 MB150 seems OK enough on the lows but I don't like that mwah you get with piezos unless you kill the middle. I do agree that a lot of its attraction seems to be in its smallness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ukelele Salad Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 +1 on the genzbenz comment. They are great. Best all round DB experience I ever had was through an old SWR Workman combo. It even had wheels and an extendable handle and sounded awesome. But they are discontinued and very rarely crop up. So useless advice really! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbass1 Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 At a reasonable price (used) the 12 inch Hartke kickback kicks back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero9 Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 Depending on what type of pup you use on the double bass, you may or may not need a pre-amp depending on the amp you intend to get/use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 I've had great results with a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0/10T combo. There's something about that little box, and the low freq cut-off that makes it so much more useable than bigger cabs and more powerful heads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
attackbass Posted December 20, 2010 Share Posted December 20, 2010 thought i'd just mention that i'm selling a phil jones briefcase amp.. used it with EUB and it sounded great! It's listed in the for amps for sale section if you are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblin Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 I use a Trace Rig for my double AH250 GP7 head, 300 Watt 15" trace cab and a 2x10 warwick cab. Sounds awesome! 1x15 shifts the air and gives the punch, 2x10 gives the "mwah" sound Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatback Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 [quote name='zero9' post='1064584' date='Dec 20 2010, 01:21 PM']Depending on what type of pup you use on the double bass, you may or may not need a pre-amp depending on the amp you intend to get/use.[/quote] +1 You may also need certain things like a notch filter for controlling feedback. Basically you have a choice between getting those things on a decent standalone preamp like the Fishman pro, or getting the same features on the amp by getting something like an EA Doubler. If you get a good preamp, especially with a good eq, I would say your choice of amp is a lot wider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.