Oli Parken Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Help! I'm new to the forum, and looking for a new rig. There are so many brands out there, I am really not sure what to be looking for. I thought maybe some of the more experienced players who have been using/endorsing their gear for a number of years could give me some advise. I originally looked into the Ampeg stuff. They are renowned as the industry standards for bass amps, and most of the professional players use Ampeg. I also have a friend who owns a small Ampeg rig, and it is to say the least outstanding. Branching out from just Ampeg, there are a huge number of other companies who I am not so familiar with; Eden, EBS, Markbass. From what I've herd these are the more expensive, and possibly more sort after bass amps. I'm also a big fan of Level 42, and so am interested in the Mark King signature MK500 head Mark's been using for a number of years. I mainly do normal fingerstyle bass, and often resort to slapping. I'm looking to spend no more than £2,000 for the rig. I own a Musicman StingRay5 bass, which has been incredible through any amp I have teamed it up with. Best Regards, Oli. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Two grand's a very respectable budget to be going with, dude, and with the Ray you're guaranteed pretty much to find something that gives you a killer sound. You've probably heard this a hundred times, but really the only advice I could give you would be to go hang out in some stores and try out a bunch of stuff. It's gonna be the only way to find a sound that you're really happy with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 With a budget like that you could get a 1980's Trace Elliot PLUS A STATUS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 [quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' post='479238' date='May 4 2009, 08:07 PM']With a budget like that you could get a 1980's Trace Elliot PLUS A STATUS [/quote] The SVT (whch is what most pro Ampeg users will use) isn't the first amp that comes to mind for fingerstyle and slap. Like Max says, for two grand you could get something really good and unlike the old school SVT, there are some good sounding, tonally versatile and portable amps out there. Get out there and have a go! I used to play a Stingray 5 - best bass I ever owned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 (edited) Holy Hannah! £2 grand! You could have pretty much anything you wanted for that - certainly if you consider previously owned. You'll find something of a division of opinion here between those who favour the classic Ampeg 'sound' and lovers of the more 'modern' sounds. Get yourself down to the Bass Gallery in Camden where they've got loads of different amps you can try. Additionally, one critical factor would be transportability. £2k's worth of modern lightweight gear will sound nice and be fairly easy to move around. A similar value in Ampeg will require the services of a touring company, two big blokes, a warehouse forklift and an osteopath. Edited May 4, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Fantastic budget. I agree that you could get anything you want for that money. My recommendation would be for one of the new micro-heads with a few lightweight, high sensitivity 2x10s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayfan Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Hi Oli - are you planning to gig this amp or is it just for home/rehearsals? £2k is a lot of dosh - you could kit yourself out nicely for £500. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassbloke Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 [quote name='Oli Parken' post='479084' date='May 4 2009, 04:23 PM']Help! I'm new to the forum, and looking for a new rig. There are so many brands out there, I am really not sure what to be looking for. I thought maybe some of the more experienced players who have been using/endorsing their gear for a number of years could give me some advise. I originally looked into the Ampeg stuff. They are renowned as the industry standards for bass amps, and most of the professional players use Ampeg. I also have a friend who owns a small Ampeg rig, and it is to say the least outstanding. Branching out from just Ampeg, there are a huge number of other companies who I am not so familiar with; Eden, EBS, Markbass. From what I've herd these are the more expensive, and possibly more sort after bass amps. I'm also a big fan of Level 42, and so am interested in the Mark King signature MK500 head Mark's been using for a number of years. I mainly do normal fingerstyle bass, and often resort to slapping. I'm looking to spend no more than £2,000 for the rig. I own a Musicman StingRay5 bass, which has been incredible through any amp I have teamed it up with. Best Regards, Oli.[/quote] A few questions. How often do you gig? Do you have any road crew or do you do your own loading? What size venues do you play? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.