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(Very general) amp advice


Dankology

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Over the last year or so I've gone from being a guitar player who always had a bass at home for demos and to muck about with to being the bassist in an increasingly active originals band.

At home I gave a Laney Richter 2×10 thing that is fine for home use but can't really cut it live even when reinforced through the PA. Our rehearsal room has an old Trace 15" combo which I love and have borrowed a couple of times - but this isn't a long term option.

My question is this: do I just pick up something similar to the TE and take the hit on the weight and whatever other issues come with 20 year old gear or is there something modern, light and similar in price that will do the trick?

I have neither the time nor robustness of ego to haul myself round shops trying amps out in person so I'm just going to defer to the Basschat panel's opinion...

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Thanks for the replies. 

Budget is probably  £300 - £400 absolute tops so secondhand TE gear is attractive from that point of view too.

I gave up looking at Ashdown when I got too confused by all Mag/Evo/etc variations. I do keep scanning around for a Rumble but was worried it might be less bang for buck than the Trace. 

 

Would one of those really dinky heads I keep seeing be a bit of a letdown? 

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I very recently went from dinky little heads to a big Trace AH600. Heavy but a doable two handed lift. Pair it with one or two lightweight cabs. Sounds absolutely amazing. Can’t see myself going back to class D anytime soon.

Dont worry too much about the age - they are built to last, but get an amp tech to check it over when you get it just to be sure. 

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+1 for a s/h Fender Rumble 500 V3. You may just get lucky in your price range, but they don't come up that often (for good reason!).

If you do decide to go heavy, there are some great Trace Elliot bargains to be had if you do a bit of digging. For example these two heads -

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-bass-amplifiers/trace-elliot-ah250/1299245893

https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-bass-amplifiers/trace-elliot-ah350x-350w-bass-amp-head.-used-and-in-good-cosmetic-and-working-order./1294505807

Would leave a fair amount of your budget for a suitable cab too :D

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Budget?

You can look at older equipment but IMO the gear being made today is as good and in many cases better.

I'd be looking the Basschat Classifieds for good gear at good prices. There are Mesa Boogie amps and cabs, Bergantino cabs, a couple of Genz Benz amps. Some TC, GK, Ampeg, Ashdown and TC. You'll sound good with any of these and IMO separate amp and cabs are better for upgrading and adding cabs. For live work you'll need a 500 watt amp for a full clear sound and enough speakers to carry your sound throughout the room. You might need to project your sound on some gigs even if you have use of FOH on others.

Hartke Hydrive and Fender Rumbles are good to start off with. So are GK, Ashdown and Markbass. You can spend more on great amps and cabs like the Quilter BB800, Mesa Boogie and EBS. You will not have any problems sounding like a million dollars with Barefaced, Aguilar or Bergantino.

These are my opinions and none of this is set in stone. There are guys using boutique gear who sound average and guys using cash converter junk who sound good, but it's easier to sound good with better gear. We can tell you what we think but you'll have to put in the time to try gear out or see what suites you. Check out local bands and see what gear they are using. Hear someone making a sound you like and ask them about their sound. Most bass players will be happy to talk gear on a gig.

 

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How many watts is your Laney? The Laney Richter 2x10, that's on their website, is 300 watts and has an extension cab output in the back. This means that if you connected another cab to your combo, you'd get significantly more volume out of your amp. That may be all you need. You could get a decent cab for £300/£400.

Spoiler

 

Edited by gjones
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36 minutes ago, gjones said:

How many watts is your Laney? The Laney Richter 2x10, that's on their website, is 300 watts and has an extension cab output in the back. This means that if you connected another cab to your combo, you'd get significantly more volume out of your amp. That may be all you need. You could get a decent cab for £300/£400.

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I had one. Decent amp but it's rated at 4R and the internal speakers are only 8 so it's only around150-200W with just the internal speakers. A matching Laney 4x10" to sit underneath it wold probably make it a decent gigging rig.

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3 hours ago, gjones said:

How many watts is your Laney? The Laney Richter 2x10, that's on their website, is 300 watts and has an extension cab output in the back. This means that if you connected another cab to your combo, you'd get significantly more volume out of your amp. That may be all you need. You could get a decent cab for £300/£400.

  Hide contents

 

Now there's an interesting thought... I might borrow a cab and see how things sound.

Thank you all for your opinions. I strongly suspect that I'll be going the Trace route, if only because its what we use in rehearsals and I know I can get it to sound exactly as I want. Will just have to invest in one of those fold-up trolleys too.

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3 hours ago, Dankology said:

Now there's an interesting thought... I might borrow a cab and see how things sound.

Thank you all for your opinions. I strongly suspect that I'll be going the Trace route, if only because its what we use in rehearsals and I know I can get it to sound exactly as I want. Will just have to invest in one of those fold-up trolleys too.

Definitely try the additional cab first, just in case.

However, if the Trace gets the sound exactly as you want, I think the answer is there. 

Please do let us know how it pans out.

Geoff

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I used to have a Markbass 2x10 combo which blew my Trace 4x10 combo out the water Weighed about 1/4 of the TE, was significantly louder & sounded better too (YMMV).  You could probably pick one up around the £500 mark.

Now, I have a 4x10 cab & a big valve amp that wieghs about the same as your average car.  Sack trolley FTW!

£25 from B&Q, will hold a decent amount of kit & has decent wheels for getting over things (including band disputes).
 

Edited by xgsjx
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On 5/25/2018 at 15:35, Dankology said:

Now there's an interesting thought... I might borrow a cab and see how things sound.

Thank you all for your opinions. I strongly suspect that I'll be going the Trace route, if only because its what we use in rehearsals and I know I can get it to sound exactly as I want. Will just have to invest in one of those fold-up trolleys too.

I have a Laney 4 x 10 sitting around doing very little..where are ye based?

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Have just picked up a GP12 SMX 15" combo from a fine chap in Harogate.

Already love it, although going beyond 2.5 on the main volume seems to be threatening the integrity of the house. As long as the roof doesn't come down this might be the best £200 I've spent for a good while.

Thanks once again for all the comments and advice. 

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5 hours ago, Dankology said:

Have just picked up a GP12 SMX 15" combo from a fine chap in Harogate.

Already love it, although going beyond 2.5 on the main volume seems to be threatening the integrity of the house. As long as the roof doesn't come down this might be the best £200 I've spent for a good while.

Thanks once again for all the comments and advice. 

Jolly good choice. Enjoy muchly 😎🎸

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