Musicman20 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) Small, fairly lightweight, compact, loud, solid state or ‘hybrid’ Bass Amp Required – Please recommend Budget: Approx £500-£600 MAX! (Mid price range) Hello everyone! Really need some advice on a head that fits the small/lightweight ish/loud category! I already have a full Orange Tube setup, so I need a backup head, and for times when I simply don’t see the need for my full rig. We have gigs where sometimes we are ALL packed into one estate car, and I don’t like putting my Orange Head in the boot, to get it there to find the cab is absolute crap. For a start, I prefer the Orange to be transported properly, not crammed in a small space, and there seems no point taking my dream amp to some DIY setup sometimes. I did use my amazing old Trace, but I sold it on to a fellow tbasser. I would have kept it, but I cant just keep guying amps and keeping them, hahahah! So….my quest is now for a backup. I want a head that will growl! Plenty of punch, plenty of watts (if its ss), and reliable. I like quite bright, yet distinctive and punchy bass. I will be using Fender P, MM Stingrays, and hopefully a Fender J soon. I have decided that the amps that would suit my styles of music I like (anything from hardcore punk, to rock, to funk) and my current band would be perhaps another Orange (Bass Terror), Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0, a GK (if they make a decent head for this range) or I might even stretch to an SVT-3 Pro...but they ain't light! So maybe thats a daft idea. I’m considering waiting for the Orange Bass Terror (500 Watts, and possible even a 1000 Watts version due out very soon). Gallien Kruger seem to produce good bass amps, but I’ve heard problems with reliability. Cab wise, I’ve got an Ampeg 810e (for bigger shows) and the two Orange OBC cabs (1x15 and a 4x10 with horn). So, im pretty much going down the rock rig category! The heads needs to be able to work pretty well with those cabs and most others! As a lot of the time I am using house cabs! 4 Ohms minimum is fine. I think the prices of Mark Bass are out of my budget, and not the tone I’m after. What other manufacturers should I check out? I think the Genz benz looks awesome. Can the 6.0 give me some real grit? I mean, it wont grit like the Orange, but just a nice amount? Is it worth me waiting for the new Shuttle 6.0 max? Or is that just a two channel version? I don't know a lot about new lightweight bass gear. It needs to sound good with tradtional cabs. Im all about tradional heavy cabs. A lightweight head will help on my tour thats coming up. Is Bass Direct the best place to go? They seem very helpful on the phone. He taught me a lot in 30secs! Nice guys! Thanks Edited April 17, 2009 by Musicman20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted April 17, 2009 Author Share Posted April 17, 2009 I just realised the Shuttle 6.0 Max has a fair bit extra...I think....any views? What about a Mark Bass LMII? Not sure about Mark Bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 (edited) Hartke LH500. Portable enough in a 2U rack, cheap, loud, sounds great. Transparent sound, you get out what you put in, so if your sound is good to begin with it will do the job. Downside: Three-band tone stack EQ and that's it. But again, if your basses sound good it won't be a big issue. Edited April 18, 2009 by thisnameistaken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KASH Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 [quote name='Musicman20' post='465543' date='Apr 17 2009, 09:17 PM']Small, fairly lightweight, compact, loud, solid state or ‘hybrid’ Bass Amp Required – Please recommend Budget: Approx £500-£600 MAX! (Mid price range) Hello everyone! Really need some advice on a head that fits the small/lightweight ish/loud category![/quote] You can't go wrong with this baby [url="http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products_artist_hd_1001.html"]http://www.gallien-krueger.com/products_artist_hd_1001.html[/url] I have one and man...it does it all and also meets all your criteria...the price has gone up now I believe, they're in the £650 region, but with some research you might get one in the £600ish region or secondhand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raggy Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 You wont go wrong with the GK or Hartke heads mentioned above, and Mark at Bass Direct is a fantastic bloke to deal with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted April 19, 2009 Author Share Posted April 19, 2009 Does anyone know what a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 vs a GK 1001 would be like? Im guessing the Shuttle wins hands down on weight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claf Posted April 19, 2009 Share Posted April 19, 2009 And what about a Genz-Benz Neo-Pak ? Tube preamp, 8.5 lbs. I'm selling mine because I want a heavier head with an other sound, but it's a very good head, especially on my 4x10" Ashdown cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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