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Class D advice please


andysg42

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I’m interested in purchasing a lightweight Head . Class D s all new to me ? Opinions welcome on the best . Reliably,power , build quality . To be used with a. Vanderkley 410 cab . Like an open sound , headroom maybe dial in a bit of simulated tube warmth . Basschatters  opinions gratefully welcome . Thanks 🙏:drinks:

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+1 for what Pete said the Genzler Magellan is a very flexible amp with two switchable channels. If you want a broad range of tones from modern to olde school the Mesa Subway D800 fits the bill and if you'v got a few more pennies to spare the Mesa Subway D800 + adds variable HPF and great mid control. If you prefer home grown amps the Ashdown RM 500 or RM 800 gets lots of love around here!

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+1 for the GM 800. NO ONE seems to have a bad word to say about them! Here's a link to @Osiris's excellent review on this and the GM 350

I've actually also got a VK; a 210 rather than a 410 (although the 410 is certainly very tempting). I pair mine with a DG M900, which seems to be a very good match. Here's a link to a thread where I posted a review of that (which also has other views both positive and negative):

 

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I don't know of any D class amps currently on the market that are unreliable or less than well designed.

My minimum is 500 watts and my current go-to amp is 700 watts. Lots of headroom is always a good thing. I've used Aguilar TH500 and AG700 amps for a few years now and would replace them if they were stolen.

I know a player who uses a Markbass 800 watt amp with an EBS Valve Drive. Sounds as warm as a warm thing!

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Another option might be the Quilter Bass Block 800.

I'd say it's definitely lightweight and well-built, and it sounds open and warm and has bags and bags of headroom, plus you can dial in some vintage-ish squash.

I have one and am impressed so far.

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@andysg42 As has been said a few times already, the Genzler Magellan sounds like it ought to be on your shortlist, if not at the top of it!

Please check out my review as linked by @Al Krow a couple of posts up. As an update since the review, I've been gigging mine for a year now and cannot fault it. The simple but effective tone stack allows me to EQ to any difficult room in seconds. You mentioned in your original post about "a bit of simulated tube warmth" and the Magellan absolutely nails it, IMO. It's a subtle drive with bags of those critical mids that you need for an effective drive sound in the mix. It's silky smooth too, neither gritty, fizzy or with a bloated low end mush. I cannot fault the amp in any way even though our honeymoon period has long since passed B|

Edited by Osiris
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21 hours ago, andysg42 said:

Bit of everything really . A lot of covers across the board . Have been using ebs stuff for years amps and cabs , which I loved but due to a slipped disc going light weight.😬😳

Since you're already familiar with EBS, how about the EBS Reidmar 750.  These are excellent amps, at a good price.

The compression and drive knobs add a lot to the sound which can go from clean and bright to fairly overdriven.  They are VERY LOUD too. :)

Frank.

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21 hours ago, andysg42 said:

Bit of everything really . A lot of covers across the board . Have been using ebs stuff for years amps and cabs , which I loved but due to a slipped disc going light weight.😬😳

If you are used to EBS and have been happy with the sound go and try the big Reidmar head. I had one for a couple of years and it sadly got stolen. I had the lower powered head they made originally and it was massively loud and kicked like a mule, I never had to push it with my EBS 410.

I replaced it with a Aguilar Tonehammer just because I fancied a change, and that has been an incredibly solid and reliable head. You can give it a vintage vibe or go super clean with it, it’s a great head and very light. 

If you have a good chunk to spend I would take look at the Vanderkley Spartan too.

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No love for the Darkglass Microtubes 5/900? Lots of tonal options, especially with the VMT and B3K circuits built in! Don't be fooled though. The clean channel is great too. The 900 is an insanely loud amp, has plenty of adjustability, plus vintage overdrive to brutal distortion built in if you need it - although I can't remember the last time I used the distortion on mine! It's still worth having even if you won't use that part of it, in my opinion.

Edited by Higgie
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12 hours ago, Higgie said:

No love for the Darkglass Microtubes 5/900? Lots of tonal options, especially with the VMT and B3K circuits built in! Don't be fooled though. The clean channel is great too. The 900 is an insanely loud amp, has plenty of adjustability, plus vintage overdrive to brutal distortion built in if you need it - although I can't remember the last time I used the distortion on mine! It's still worth having even if you won't use that part of it, in my opinion.

The thing that puts me off Darkglass is the price. I have no doubt they are good but are they as good as the price?

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6 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

The thing that puts me off Darkglass is the price. I have no doubt they are good but are they as good as the price?

Yup agreed that the DG stuff doesn't come cheap. But then which of the higher-end quality brands does? I think comparable quality D class amps (e.g. Mesa 800+; Aguilar AG700) will be in a similar price bracket. The one that seems to stand out in terms of value for money new, is the Genzler GM800.

I was fortunate to get my DG M900 second hand (in near mint condition) from the FS section; things start to become a lot more affordable / value retaining then. Second hand it was actually less than half the price of a new Trickfish Bullhead 1K (which never come up second hand - please PM me if anyone is looking to move theirs on!), but I'm looking forward to maybe getting one day when our band wins the lottery :) 

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GK MB800 fits the bill IMO. Small and very light, 800watt (not sure how loud that really is), and not quite as coloured as i thought it would be before getting it. Probable not as warm  compared to some, but through my Vanderkely 1x15 it has a very clear, tight  low end.

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I think GK may rate their amps conservatively . that is :800 watts into 4 ohms. RMS ,continu us . But I have the regular 700w amp and built a wooden box and painted it blue. I would only save around 20 pounds. Still, I will go digital sooner or later . I have 2 Superfly amps . They are pretty and sound like about 200 watts into 2 cabinets ( 4 ohm cabinets )

I mean 100 watts on one channel and 100 watts on the other side. They have a nice pre-amp.

Edited by grenadilla
I like Ashdown more than any GK
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  • 1 month later...

Thanks for all the advice Bass  chatters.Tried an Aguilar AG700 for a few gigs which was really nice .But went for a Vanderkley Spartan head in the end . Great amp .Recommended . With one or two Vanderkley 410s ,Really moves the air:drinks:

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I had a Magellan for a good while, and it was the best Class D head I've used (out of, IIRC, at least a dozen). The newer Class D amps have the newer power module which is a big improvement on the earlier generation.

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I'd say you've got to try them. At the recent South West bass bash Ashdown loaned us some of their latest offerings. Stevie and Chienmortbb were very impressed and I think Stevie bought an Ashdown. On the other hand one of the other guys there hoovered up every lightweight that wasn't nailed down to try with his own rig, at the end of the day his favourite was my Mark Bass Tube 500. As someone has already said class D amps are getting pretty sorted so there aren't any bad ones out there, it's just about finding the one that suits your needs, style and sound. 

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