Best lightweight sold state bass head?

[kuras]

Hi

 

I am looking to replace my back up amp (a Peavey T Max) with something a little more compact. Any Suggestions?

 

I like a vintage tone, my main head is a Bassman 135 which I run into a Barefaced Two10 or a JBL K140 loaded 2x15. I use a Jack Casady with flat wounds or a Nash P bass with rounds for something a little more aggressive. No slapping or soloing going on, just a deep bottom end with a nice presence/treble so it's not all mud a la Carole Kaye.

 

Cheers

Tom

[Lozz196]

If a Class D amp is acceptable then I’d recommend the Ashdown RM500, it’s the heftiest Class D amp that I’ve used, nice & light/portable, great sound, 5 band eq, plenty of power and onboard drive & compression. 

[MacDaddy]

TecAmp Puma 500 (or 900). Set the EQ to the centre and use the 'taste' control to dial in the vintage tone

[grandad]

My preference would be a TCE BH head. I have the BH250 but if you want more power then a BH550 or BH800 are there. With a built in tuner & toneprint options they are very much a no-fuss piece of kit. 

 

I like a so called vintage tone and I think I get it by dipping the mid's a tad and with  a touch of Spectracomp into one or two BF One10s.

 

A light-weight, no-faff, solution was my goal & I got it right for me after trying out and moving on a number of other makes of head & cabs. Lots of options out there now. How about taking your cab along to a dealer & trying a few heads out. 

 

Hope you find something you like. 

  

[BassAdder60]

Another vote for the Ashdown RM500

[Paul S]

1 hour ago, MacDaddy said:

TecAmp Puma 500 (or 900). Set the EQ to the centre and use the 'taste' control to dial in the vintage tone

 

'Best' is so subjective but this would get my vote, too.  I tried most of what was on the market and settled on this, before I chucked it all and went down the FRFR route.  Stupidly small and lightweight, too.

[Phil Starr]

Do you have a budget in mind?  If it is a back up only you have quite a few options. Tiny size, Cheap or a real second amp would be my first decision.

 

I bought a Peavey Minimax as my first choice backup. It is way nicer sounding than my Mark Bass Tube IMO so it became my gigging amp. It was cheap at the time but the Bugera and the cheaper TC amps are still avaialble around that price.

 

I then bought a Warwick Gnome to use for acoustic gigs. With efficient speakers it's more than loud enough for a stage monitor in an emergency and the DI out is good so putting something through the PA is simple. It fits in my gig bag or a (large) pocket. That's my backup to carry to every gig as it takes no space.

 

If you are going for some of the full fat options suggested then you might as well choose the one which will give you the sound you like best. The output stages are all very similar so you are really looking at the tone options which suit you best. 

[Happy Jack]

I'm well impressed at the people suggesting that the OP use an £850 head as a "backup amp".

 

I'd prolly be inclined to buy something rather cheaper.

 

For £219 you can buy a brand-new Trace Elf, which will not only do everything you are likely to need in an emergency, but is also easily small enough to fit in the front pocket of your gigbag. 

 

Job done.

 

[uk_lefty]

18 hours ago, BassAdder27 said:

Another vote for the Ashdown RM500

These are fantastic and cost peanuts secondhand. I have changed my basses a lot in the last five years and this amp works with all of them, it's very versatile.

[Dan Dare]

Takes me back. I had a Bassman 135 with the 2x15 cab many years ago. I replaced the crappy stock drivers with Peavey Black Widows and it was a pretty great sounding rig. I'd agree with suggestions to look at Ashdown if you want that old school sound. I'd also look, if you fancy trying alternatives and don't mind spending a bit, at Aguilar Tone Hammers. Have fun.

[police squad]

another call for the Ashdowm RM500. I have the EVO II which weighs 2.5kg. It's awesome

 

[ezbass]

I was quite fond of my old Markbass Little Mark ll. I'm sure whatever the equivalent is now will be just as lightweight and portable.

[BassAdder60]

In addition to the Ashdown RM500 another great amp is the Orange Little Bass Thing head 500w clean amp and very tube like sounding. Simple EQ and loud !!

[Shaggy]

As has been said frequently on this forum; for sheer portability and sublime tone I reckon it’s impossible to beat the Mesa Walkabout (a hybrid I know, rather than all SS).  I’ve tried so many others, and keep coming back to it.   Like you my main gigging amp used to be a Fender 135 (acquired for a princely £50....), also been through Ampeg SVTII, Orange 100W valve, Trace Twin Valve, and Mesa D180 (which I still have).  Try the Walkabout, and I think you’d find the 135 would become the backup - it’ll drive your cabs with ease.

 

if I didn’t already have 3 Mesa’s I’d be pulling the trigger on this; 

 

[FinnDave]

53 minutes ago, BassAdder27 said:

In addition to the Ashdown RM500 another great amp is the Orange Little Bass Thing head 500w clean amp and very tube like sounding. Simple EQ and loud !!

I was using a pair of RM 800s (one as a back-up) until a year or so ago, now have a Little Bass Thing with a TE Elf as back-up, less to carry and just as useful.

[Horizontalste]

On 04/04/2022 at 16:21, ezbass said:

I was quite fond of my old Markbass Little Mark ll. I'm sure whatever the equivalent is now will be just as lightweight and portable.

I really liked the one I had too but in the end I sold the LMii & kept my Genz Shuttle 9.2, I think the valve in the pre is a really useful addition.