brokensmile Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 Been looking to buy a head for a little while now, as my combo just isn't practical enough without transport whilst I'm in uni for gigging. I came across the RB9 whilst doing some research online for what's available in my price range and it seems perfect. It was also suggested to me in my local music store. Just wondered if anyone has an opinion on whether the RB9 will be sufficient. I need something fairly lightweight for transport purposes and affordable, and the RB9 seems to fit the bill. I play in a punk rock band in small-medium venues. Any thoughts? Any help or suggestions would awesome. Cheers. Joe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted September 11, 2008 Share Posted September 11, 2008 Laney make some very good value usable kit, I had a 300w head of theirs quite a few years ago. My Ashdown head was about that price and kicks out about that wattage so I wouldn't say it's too good to be true. Also it's been very reliable and had enough juice for big clubs and a big bike rally in a huuge marquee [with massive PA but the stage sound was loud enough], no reason to assume the Laney can't do a similar job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokensmile Posted September 11, 2008 Author Share Posted September 11, 2008 An Ashdown Mag300 is also a possible contender. I borrowed a Mag400 to do some recording a while ago and was more than happy with the sound I got, but after seeing some mixed reviews on here, I wasn't sure I wanted one of my own. Aesthetically I prefer the Ashdown range, but that's not really the main priority! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhand_mike Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 guess i should do my obligatory ashdown big up yeah the mag 300 is very loud for the money even into just 8ohm's, looks cool (subjective). i used to have a laney combo practice amp and the sound was quite clean compared to the ashdown slightly warmer sound but the mag aint muddy can have alot of bite. best suggestion if you can A/B the pair through the same cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 [quote name='lowhand_mike' post='282649' date='Sep 12 2008, 02:10 PM']guess i should do my obligatory ashdown big up yeah the mag 300 is very loud for the money even into just 8ohm's, looks cool (subjective). i used to have a laney combo practice amp and the sound was quite clean compared to the ashdown slightly warmer sound but the mag aint muddy can have alot of bite. best suggestion if you can A/B the pair through the same cab.[/quote] Mine has been great. It has had very heavy usage but I got the rack version so it's lived in a case since day 1 so not suffered many knocks etc. A slight boost in the upper mids and very slight roll-off of the bass makes it cut through nicely on stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokensmile Posted September 12, 2008 Author Share Posted September 12, 2008 Okay....so it seems after considering the Laney, I've been pushed rather quickly back onto the market for an Ashdown! The general consensus that the Mag300 would be the better option over the Rb9? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 [quote name='brokensmile' post='282686' date='Sep 12 2008, 03:15 PM']Okay....so it seems after considering the Laney, I've been pushed rather quickly back onto the market for an Ashdown! The general consensus that the Mag300 would be the better option over the Rb9?[/quote] ...I wasn't comparing mine to a Laney. just relating my experiences of a similarly-priced head of similar spec. I've not tried any of the newer Laneys so I can't honestly compare them. Try them out if you can, see which works for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brokensmile Posted September 12, 2008 Author Share Posted September 12, 2008 Yeah. Hopefully going to be able to have a go on an RB4 which is essentially the same as the RB9, just the combo version and see where that leaves me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowhand_mike Posted September 12, 2008 Share Posted September 12, 2008 actually when i was in the market i tried the 15 laney 300 watt combo (might be the RB4) before settling on the ashdown. the laney does ahve a slighlty bright cleaner sound, the ashdown was a bit more punchy but then that may be down to the 2x10 that i have compared to the 1x15 laney i tried. like i said A/B them as you may prefer the Laney. but try to try just the heads into the same cab if you can that will give you the best comparison Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duarte Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 My Laney R5 (old version of rb7) is a great little amp. It puts out 300w and is incredibly loud for a 210 - they are top quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tempo Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 The Laney is a good sounding head for the money. and a few nice features. Its more of a modern, clean/bright sound compared with the the mag300 (which is great too). Just a heads up on the Warwick profet though, thomman are knocking 'em out very cheap at the moment. link- [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_profet32_basstopteil.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_profet32_basstopteil.htm[/url] I own and use one of these and they sound very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 [quote name='tempo' post='284776' date='Sep 16 2008, 09:34 AM']The Laney is a good sounding head for the money. and a few nice features. Its more of a modern, clean/bright sound compared with the the mag300 (which is great too). Just a heads up on the Warwick profet though, thomman are knocking 'em out very cheap at the moment. link- [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_profet32_basstopteil.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/warwick_profet32_basstopteil.htm[/url] I own and use one of these and they sound very nice.[/quote] That looks more than decent for the money, especially with compressor etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevB Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 (edited) For a similar amount of money there's also the Behringer BX4500H. Solid and reliable, used to practice with one all the time. [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_bx4500h_ultrabass_basshead.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/behringer_bx4500h...ss_basshead.htm[/url] Edited September 22, 2008 by KevB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sk8 Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 i had an RB1 and a MAG and the LAney was definately brighter. Nearly bought the RB9 myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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