jmchich Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 I'm a little way away from buying anything giggable yet, I just have a practice amp. But I'd really appreciate some suggestions on amp heads that I can buy (2nd hand is fine) for £500 or less. I'd be looking for something that can handle everything from reggae to punk, via metal, blues and fingerstyle funk. I'm currently looking at a Barefaced Compact as it would allow me to add another cab for bigger gigs, while being a good all-rounder on a budget. Any ideas? For a newb, the vast choice out there is overwhelming. All I really know right now is want a big bottom end (don't we all ). A bigger, heavier amp is not a big problem as the light barefaced cabs would cancel that out to some degree. Thanks in advance, John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 I'll say it first, then - Markbass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 For a good versatile amp, I`d look at TC Electronics. Due to the Tubetone and Spectracomp features, they can go from downright Lemmy-filth, to super clean funk slap sounds. The RH450 has an in-built tuner, and 3 pre-sets so with the on-board gain, compression, and tuner, cuts down on the need for extra pedals. New the RH450 is £600ish, so second hand on here would be within budget. That said, my usual advice is go and see bands, and when you hear bassists whose tone you like, have a look at their gear. For me, it was Markbass - whenever I saw (make that heard) a bassist whose sound I loved, inevitably they were using Markbass. So written recommendations are fine, but your ears have to be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmchich Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 Looking at MarkBass' website, Robbie Shakespeare uses them. That's a recommendation right there. Only issue I can see is that it says "Minimum ohm load for all Markbass heads is 4 ohms." Does that mean you can't use an 8 ohm cab, or have I got myself mixed up? I get a bit confused how the ohm ratings work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregBass Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 If the minimum ohm load is 4 ohms, you can use any combination of cabs that gives a total impedance of 4 ohms or more. One 8 ohm cab is fine - in fact you could put two in parallel to give you the 4 ohms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmchich Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 The RH450 is actually up on ebay, shipped from the US, for less than £400 (brand new). Now that's a steal. The psu is auto-switching, so no issues with power either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 [quote name='jmchich' timestamp='1369922441' post='2094496'] The RH450 is actually up on ebay, shipped from the US, for less than £400 (brand new). Now that's a steal. The psu is auto-switching, so no issues with power either. [/quote] Shipped from US means VAT, duty and fees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmchich Posted May 30, 2013 Author Share Posted May 30, 2013 Hmm, good point. I hadn't thought it through too much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
afterimage Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Exchange rates are low. To costly to import Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 £500 should get a tasty head, I picked up an as new Genz ShuttleMax 9.2 head with carry case and multi foot switch for £530 on ebay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 GK? Any of the RB II heads would be below budget either new or second hand. The micros second hand too, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmachine2112 Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 hiho you can get an orange bass terror head for under 500 easily I paid £379 brand new for mine Runs 4 or 8 ohm at 500 watt if you want to turn it up full if you can nice and compact,lightweight and a funky li"ll bag for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted May 30, 2013 Share Posted May 30, 2013 Pretty much what others have said. Oh and Aguilar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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.