Best amp head (500W to 1000W) you've ever owned? (Or should definitely avoid!)

[Guest oZZma]

9 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Try an Aguilar DB 751

Should be just as good, but double the weight and price of the M9

Oh wait, does that mean that the Mesa is just as good but half the weight and half the price of the Aggie? 😄 

thanks but Mesa is already expensive enough for me 

[Al Krow]

15 minutes ago, oZZma said:

thanks but Mesa is already expensive enough for me 

Are you getting one / already bought?

The Mesa M6 (which I have and absolutely rate!) is the same amp but with a less granular EQ. Tend to be a bit more common than the M9 and a little cheaper too, from what I have seen. 

[Guest oZZma]

1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

Are you getting one / already bought?

The Mesa M6 (which I have and absolutely rate!) is the same amp but with a less granular EQ. Tend to be a bit more common than the M9 and a little cheaper too, from what I have seen. 

Not yet. The one I tried wasn't updated and I have been afraid of the risk so I didn't buy it.

I'm looking for an updated one now.

[Al Krow]

53 minutes ago, oZZma said:

Not yet. The one I tried wasn't updated and I have been afraid of the risk so I didn't buy it.

I'm looking for an updated one now.

In which case, I'd very much recommend keeping your eyes open for mint M6 as a potential alternative to the M9 to widen your chances of landing one. 

[Soledad]

Acquired a mint used GB Streamliner 900 recently. I reckon it's up there with the best hybrid class Ds (valve pre, D main). I'd have liked a bit more EQ shaping - it has a 3 frequency mid sweep and I'd have liked 2 parametrics, but the core sound is very good anyway so I just tend to bump the lowish mids a little.

Had an Aguilar Tone Hammer for a while - also really good but mid EQ limiting again.

On EQ, I've never found anything better than the old Trace 7 band graphic. They picked the frequencies well and it gives you good mids control.

Generally I find many good heads are limited by the shortage of mid eq flexibility. But the GB is a right good 'un - recommended used around 350 - 400... it's a lot of high-quality head (and it lights up luvvly).

[stewblack]

Eden Nemesis 650. Power and versatility. 

Orange Terror 1k. Extraordinary volume. 

Bugera Veyron. Best bang for your buck. 

 

[Kevin Dean]

i was using Ashdown ABM400 (digital version of a ABM500) but I'm now using a Ashdown RM500 & I'm really happy with it .

[fretmeister]

After a couple of weeks with it I think I can add my Markbass Marcus Limited to the "awesome" list.

 

Took me a while to get the hand of the VERY powerful EQ. Even tiny little movements can drastically adjust the sound. It's also very sensitive to different basses. P with flats needs a completely different EQ than my 'Berg with steel rounds. The differences in different basses comes through very clearly.

 

It is the punchiest class D amp I've ever heard. Very dynamic indeed. I usually use my Helix and a pair of studio monitors in the house but I've left this amp set up for easy use.

 

I like it!

[Al Krow]

5 hours ago, stewblack said:

Eden Nemesis 650. Power and versatility. 

Orange Terror 1k. Extraordinary volume. 

Bugera Veyron. Best bang for your buck. 

Shame that the 1k is no longer being made? And they don't seem to come up for sale that often. 

26 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

After a couple of weeks with it I think I can add my Markbass Marcus Limited to the "awesome" list.

Took me a while to get the hand of the VERY powerful EQ. Even tiny little movements can drastically adjust the sound. It's also very sensitive to different basses. P with flats needs a completely different EQ than my 'Berg with steel rounds. The differences in different basses comes through very clearly.

It is the punchiest class D amp I've ever heard. Very dynamic indeed... 

Yeh, yeh, yeh... all very well bringing out the nuances of bass tone of your different basses, having a brilliant EQ and generally making you sound great on stage. No one is interested in that guff... what we really need to know is does it look pretty? 😄 

[Dan Dare]

3 hours ago, Al Krow said:

what we really need to know is does it look pretty? 😄 

In the eye of the beholder, etc.

[fretmeister]

If I'm looking at the crowd I don't have to care what it looks like!

 

Last night I put rounds on my P bass for the first time in years, just to experiment with the MB. I liked it a lot. Might leave them on for a while until I can get back in a band setting.

[bjelkeman]

On 27/01/2019 at 03:36, bassfan said:

We then tried his Mesa M6 Carbine. Wow.  What different beast it was. 

 

I stupidly sold my M6. Should have kept it. 

Edited August 6, 2019 by bjelkeman

[Guest oZZma]

Anyone tried both the M9 and the M3? Is the voicing the same? Do they have the same punch? I don't really need 900 Watts (or even 600) and there is a huge difference in price.

Edited August 6, 2019 by oZZma

[Low End Bee]

Orange Terror 500. I loved that beefy sound. It was the best I've come across at sitting in the mix with a noisy trio. I didn't and still don't need a versatile amp.

I only got rid of it as it was an early hot DI model that no amount of frigging around with xlr attenuators could satisfactorily sort. I was playing 95% DI'd gigs at the time. I might have to get one of the new ones if the DI is fit for purpose now. I'm very happy with my current TC Classic but it hasn't quite got the 'in yer face' of the OTB.

[Al Krow]

14 minutes ago, oZZma said:

Anyone tried both the M9 and the M3? Is the voicing the same? Do they have the same punch? I don't really need 900 Watts (or even 600) and there is a huge difference in price.

First off, the M9 isn't 900W. It's 600W at 4 ohms or 320W at 8 ohms i.e. the same as the M6. The main differences between the M9 and M6 are (i) the 9 band EQ and (ii) built in compressor neither of which are available on the M6.

The M3 has a cut down version of the power module i.e. 300W at 4 ohms / 160W at 8 ohms and doesn't have the active 5 voice mid-voice switch which is available on both the M6 and M9. This provides quite a nice additional 'instant' piece of tone shaping. 

The EQ centre points on the amps should otherwise be the same (will be clear from the manuals - I've only really delved into the M6 manual as that's the one I have, but a quick look at the manual of the other two seems to confirm this).

[Guest oZZma]

29 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

First off, the M9 isn't 900W. It's 600W at 4 ohms or 320W at 8 ohms i.e. the same as the M6. The main differences between the M9 and M6 are (i) the 9 band EQ and (ii) built in compressor neither of which are available on the M6.

The M3 has a cut down version of the power module i.e. 300W at 4 ohms / 160W at 8 ohms and doesn't have the active 5 voice mid-voice switch which is available on both the M6 and M9. This provides quite a nice additional 'instant' piece of tone shaping. 

The EQ centre points on the amps should otherwise be the same (will be clear from the manuals - I've only really delved into the M6 manual as that's the one I have, but a quick look at the manual of the other two seems to confirm this).

Which one of the 5 default voice shaping options would you say is more similar to the M3 voicing?

I don't care for the compressor (I didn't engage It at all when I tried the M9)

And I was thinking that after all I can use a pedal if I want a graphic EQ (I do, actually)

The M9 I found costs 4 times the M3 and those additional options are not worth It IMO. I only care for the punch and the low end and the voicing. If it's the same the M3 Will be fine for me

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by oZZma

[Al Krow]

Never played an M3 (or an M9!). @agedhorsewill will be able to answer your query next time he's on this forum. 

But in the meantime, I'm guessing the mid point 3 / flat setting of the 5 point selector dial.

[bjelkeman]

I really like the voicing option on the M6 and the M9. The compressor on the M9 is rather good. I think @Al Krow is right, I think the M3 is like the flat setting on the voicing. I have played on an an M3, briefly, and it felt like a Carbine.

[Guest oZZma]

38 minutes ago, bjelkeman said:

I really like the voicing option on the M6 and the M9. The compressor on the M9 is rather good. I think @Al Krow is right, I think the M3 is like the flat setting on the voicing. I have played on an an M3, briefly, and it felt like a Carbine.

Thanks!

[jb90]

My Handbox R400. Great  hybrid power (3x12ax7 tubes on preamp, mosfet on poweramp, 400w, 10kg). Absolutely great. Only important things, easy James' eq, flat and full 20-20k response and beautiful clean sound which you can set to your own preferences. Just plug and play set flat and sounds like a dream. Definitely check it out! It's handmade in Poland, EU. 

[danbowskill]

28 minutes ago, jb90 said:

My Handbox R400. Great  hybrid power (3x12ax7 tubes on preamp, mosfet on poweramp, 400w, 10kg). Absolutely great. Only important things, easy James' eq, flat and full 20-20k response and beautiful clean sound which you can set to your own preferences. Just plug and play set flat and sounds like a dream. Definitely check it out! It's handmade in Poland, EU. 

Mine has completely stopped any amp gas for a while.love it

[agedhorse]

On 06/08/2019 at 10:42, Al Krow said:

Never played an M3 (or an M9!). @agedhorsewill will be able to answer your query next time he's on this forum. 

But in the meantime, I'm guessing the mid point 3 / flat setting of the 5 point selector dial.

I've tried already on "the other" forum. The voicing is done differently on the M3, it's different from the M6 & M9.

[Guest oZZma]

4 hours ago, agedhorse said:

I've tried already on "the other" forum.

thank for the advice but I get the feeling that I will like it in any case more than any other amp I have tried these days 

I know that demos are not 100% to be trusted but seems promising and definitely worth trying for the price (even if it's different from the M9). 

Edited August 9, 2019 by oZZma

[Al Krow]

3 hours ago, agedhorse said:

I've tried already on "the other" forum. The voicing is done differently on the M3, it's different from the M6 & M9.

Thanks very much agedhorse and I, for one, wasn't aware of that.

Are you able to provide a high level of summary of how the voicing differs (or simply point me to the relevant bit of thread on TB, if easier)? 

[agedhorse]

18 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Thanks very much agedhorse and I, for one, wasn't aware of that.

Are you able to provide a high level of summary of how the voicing differs (or simply point me to the relevant bit of thread on TB, if easier)? 

The circuitry that's used within the deep voicing, the entire voicing circuitry and compression are done very differently between the M3 and the M6/M9 (and there are differences between the M6 and M9 too)