mewsie Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 well, i've had a good look round the forum (was hoping to answer my own question to save me asking) and read tons of stuff, and still need some pointers! i do hope this isn't horribly repetitive a question! i'm about to acquire a beautiful new bass (MM Sterling) and refuse to use my embarrassingly poop amp i bought many years ago. this bass deserves to be plugged into something decent (how exciting!) so here i need your help! this side of things is all very new to me. what would you recommend? i will mainly be playing at home (with my guitarist brothers), but i would like something that could withstand small gigs when i get to that stage. i also would like something that is going to last me well and make the most of the quality of the bass. second hand works for me, as i suspect i'll get something 'better' for my money that way. i am not sure what to expect in terms of price, but i have, say £2-300 available immediately. i was going to post this in the wanted section, but decided id hold off until i knew what i was actually looking for! thanks in advance... x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 (edited) Hi mewsie, sounds like a lovely bass you are getting. Just a quick heads up. casapete on this forum is selling a Peavey TVX 4X10" speaker cab, 350 watts power handling at 4 ohms, which means you will get the full output of an amp through this, for only £115 and he's in Yorkshire. That would leave you £175 for an amp and you could get a Hartke HA3500, 350 watts at 4 ohms for this price, second hand and in good nick. The two would be perfect together as I've owned both makes I can vouche for their brilliant power and sound for the money. With a setup like this you will probably knock any shelves down in a bedroom, so it will be plenty loud for most gigs. Good luck. Steve. Edited March 4, 2008 by steve-soar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acidbass Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 If you are prepared to save for a while and spend a little more than your suggested budget, I think a lot of people on here would recommend Mark Bass amps as the perfect companion for your MM bass. The two of them just seem to mix together really well, although I've not tried the combination myself. Although they can be quite expensive, the cabinets and heads are small and light enough to be used both in your house or in a live gig situation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mewsie Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 thanks for the heads up steve!! acidbass, what would you recommend, and how much more am i looking? (i'm terrible at saving and can see being a member of this forum is probably going to make my bank account even more horrible to look at!) x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Both of the above suggestions have merit. The TVX 4x10 and HA3500 is quite a good call IMHO, although you might find the cab a bit on the large side to begin with. You can pick up quite a decent Markbass amp for £220 ish secondhand e.g: - [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Markbass-Little-Mark-250-Bass-Amplifier-Head_W0QQitemZ230226724486QQihZ013QQcategoryZ58719QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Markbass-Little-Mark...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] which is not a bad price. The Markbass would be again, IMHO an improvement on the HA3500 but with slightly less power and slightly over budget. Having said that, I don't think you would be disappointed with the HA3500. Have some tea and cake and think about it Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 (edited) [quote name='Hamster' post='150965' date='Mar 4 2008, 11:32 AM']Both of the above suggestions have merit. The TVX 4x10 and HA3500 is quite a good call IMHO, although you might find the cab a bit on the large side to begin with. You can pick up quite a decent Markbass amp for £220 ish secondhand e.g: - [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Markbass-Little-Mark-250-Bass-Amplifier-Head_W0QQitemZ230226724486QQihZ013QQcategoryZ58719QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Markbass-Little-Mark...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] which is not a bad price. The Markbass would be again, IMHO an improvement on the HA3500 but with slightly less power and slightly over budget. Having said that, I don't think you would be disappointed with the HA3500. Have some tea and cake and think about it Hamster[/quote]I like my tea strong, with a piece of lemon drizzle or walnut cake. The cab is large and loud. I played through one that I hired for £1.00, yes £1.00 (Vulcan Rehearsal Studios Liverpool, WE LOVE YOU!) last night at rehearsals, as I couldn't get my cabs over to Liverpool, we only had one car last night to transport the gear. It must be at least 10 years old and half the bassists in Mersyside must have ragged it nearly every night for the last ten years. The speakers sound like the needed retiring and the tweeter was dead but it still made a good sound and filled the room and kept up with a drummer who isn't exactly gentle with his touch, unless he is using his brushes. Any way, £115 for a 4 ohm Peavey cab, smashing. Edited March 4, 2008 by steve-soar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted March 6, 2008 Share Posted March 6, 2008 See if you can get a small Gallien-Krueger Microbass Combo secondhand. Great little amps and cheaper than the SWR Baby Blue or the Mesa Walkabout. You might just be able to get one within your budget. Congrats on the Sterling - they look awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted March 26, 2008 Share Posted March 26, 2008 (edited) Hi Mewsie, Seconding the Funk, it depends on what sort of music you're doing, and what your drummer is going to be like. A loud amp / cab thing is a bit excessive for me at home although essential for me when I play out . Much prefer a nice combo when in the comfort and privacy. It keeps the windows frames in place. The downside is my front room doesn't look like a guitar shop There are some lovely sounding, if not quite so loud combos out there for your budget. Edited March 26, 2008 by bigjohn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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