argle Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 First post here, and unsurprisingly it's asking for help choosing a bass amp rig... Essentially what I'm looking for is the opposite of what a lot of people on these boards seem to like: I [b]don't[/b] want an uncoloured, hi-fi sound a la Markbass, I want a slightly gritty lo-fi rock sound. If I've understood these things correctly, this is the typical Ampeg-type sound, but a proper valve Ampeg is a bit out of my price range. Other names I've seen mentioned in the same context would be Gallien Krueger, about which I know nothing, and Trace Elliott, which I have played in the past and found a bit too nasal for my liking. A further complication is that I have an unusual bass, which is a Fender Mustang short-scale. Normally these sound pretty unimpressive, but I've replaced the pickup with one from Aero, and that's really improved the bass response. It can still sound a bit woolly at the low-end, though, presumably just by virtue of it being short-scale. So, any ideas? Just some sort of guide as to what brands to keep an eye on would be good. I play with a pick, and in a three-piece (guitar/bass/drums) so I don't need to worry [b]too[/b] much about having to cut through the mix. I've no preference for combo vs head/cab, though it'd be nice to have something that isn't too difficult to move around. I'm only likely to be playing small-to-medium size gigs for the forseeable future, and I'd prefer not to spend more than £400-ish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 Sansamp will sort you. If you like shortscale, get a SG bass EB3 or whatever it is, sound awesome into an Ampeg. Amp don't matter so much once you have a Sansamp, matched pair of 4x10s should sort you, one for not so loud, both for being awesome. Don't be tempted by a 15 under a 4x10 though, beause that can suck your brain out through your colon and into the ill placed porting, or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I do like Gallien-Krueger heads. Not sure which cabs would be right for your sound though. A good short-cut to that all-out valve overdrive sound is a DHA Dual pedal of some kind. My one sounds immense with both valves cranked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I'd try some overdrive pedals and then you can use almost any rig. The Fulltone BassDrive is excellent yet is somewhat out of fashion amongst FX aficonados so you can probably pick one of them up cheap. Avoid tweeters on the cab. Those classic grindy shortscale tones don't have much extension in the lows so a surprisingly tiny rig will do the job. P'p'p'pick up a Peavey? Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ase_one23 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 yeah, as one who faced this issue earlier in my playing life, i would suggest a 2nd hand peavey such as [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peavey-Mk-VI-XP-series-402-bass-amp-head_W0QQitemZ200389189818QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL?hash=item2ea82060ba&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]this[/url], you can pick em up for peanuts, plus a 4x10 cab and a decent overdrive pedal. for the pedal it depends what you're after, a bit of grit or actual overdrive - for grit i'd go for the tech21 VT bass pedal, it's a modern classic and is designed to replicate that ampeg growl you're after. you can easily get these 3 items for withing £400 and would have a great basic rock bass rig. don't underestimate peavey amps, they're cheap and sound great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 +1 for the Sansamp VT It can add anything from a kind of tubey warmth to full on grind. I use one with a MarkBass LM2 and get exactly the sound I want. I personally wouldn't describe the LM2 as 'hi-fi', I think it is quite a dark amp, but it does lack grit. I wouldn't discount Trace gear, they only sound 'nasal' if that is how they are EQ'd. I happily used Trace for 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 [quote name='Mr.T' post='618289' date='Oct 6 2009, 10:28 AM']I personally wouldn't describe the LM2 as 'hi-fi', I think it is quite a dark amp, but it does lack grit.[/quote] If you're using to amps that have an in-built boost in the highs then it might sound dark in comparison, but really it's just near flat across the board. Similarly my Avalon U5 sounds dark compared to my old SWR Grand Prix - but play a CD through it into some studio monitors and you realise that what comes out equals what goes in. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Alex, That's a good point. Eden amps sound quite 'hi-fi' to my ears, but they are said to have a built in mid-scoop. Have you tested the response of the LM2? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 [quote name='Mr.T' post='618390' date='Oct 6 2009, 11:28 AM']Have you tested the response of the LM2?[/quote] I haven't yet but I've seen plots taken by others. However come next week I should have a whole library of amp measurements! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argle Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Thanks guys - looks like a sansamp + cheapish head + 4x10 is the sort-of consensus. Any reason for specifically looking at Peavey stuff: just because they're cheap, or do they have a particularly pedal-friendly sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 How about a Trace 4x10 combo? ... Or an Ashdown ABM500 4x10 combo? Either could be picked up for not a lot of money on this forum..... (Unpopular due to their weight?). and would do the job nicely with a Sansamp VT pedal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 [quote name='argle' post='618469' date='Oct 6 2009, 12:50 PM']Any reason for specifically looking at Peavey stuff: just because they're cheap[/quote] Cheap, loud, reliable and quite gnarly sounding when you push them. I wouldn't be surprised if a TNT115 does a great job! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etienne Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Ashdown ABM heads are pretty easy to get hold of, and sound great with a Sansamp bass driver DI in front- with the Ashdown's own tube mixed in you can get some wicked grind, yet still have lots of fatness! I personally don't dig Ashdown's speakers though- I don't think they do the heads justice at all IMO, but you may think differently! Trace 4x10s sound great to me though- you can pick those up for very little at the moment! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argle Posted October 6, 2009 Author Share Posted October 6, 2009 Thinking in terms of portability for a moment, how much would I sacrifice if I went for a 2x10 instead of a 4x10? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 If you're going for a typical old rock sound then you won't want much depth to the lows and you don't need the sound to be clean so a 2x10" should be fine. However that does assume your guitarist is willing to leave you some sonic space. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 [quote name='argle' post='617964' date='Oct 5 2009, 04:07 PM']It can still sound a bit woolly at the low-end, though, presumably just by virtue of it being short-scale.[/quote] I build my own basses, and over the years transitioned to a 30" scale, as I have small hands and it's more comfortable. There's virtually no difference in the tone of my basses with 30", 32" and 34" scales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ase_one23 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 tho ur mentioning portability, here's a cracker from our own site if you're anywhere near guilford: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=55356"]link[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
argle Posted October 7, 2009 Author Share Posted October 7, 2009 Some really helpful ideas there people—thanks for the suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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