Bass Amp - Any Advice?

[abstamaria]

Good looking amp, Iain. And good reviews too.

i saw Anna, who plays bass guitar in our musical company, use a Mark amp that looked like that at a gig she had with her all-girl band some months ago. They have an equipment rental company they work with regularly who brings all the amps, mics, and drums they need, even lights. Her band just shows up with their guitars and everything is set up for them. I had not heard of a Mark bass until our discussions here and was quite surprised to see one on stage when she played.

It sounded good, and that was at a large party in a large venue. I'm not sure if they DI'd it to the PA system.

Andy

[MMStingray54]

If you want a lightweight rig, try a Markbass Little Mark 3 amp (weighs 5lbs or so) with either a standard 210 HF cab or a 210P Traveller cab - both of these cabs can be either 4 ohm or 8 ohm (the amp is 300 watts through one 8 ohm cab and 500 watts through one 4 ohm or two 8 ohm cabs) - they can be lifted with one hand owing to neodimium speaker magnets, but have a nice full sound. The Genz Benz is also good.

I use the Markbass set up with Quiff and the Shades and it keeps up easily with 2 AC 30s, the drums and PA in small venues, with no PA assistance.

I use an Ashdown ABM500 rig for larger venues (or the Markbass with two cabs) - the Ashdown stuff has a more vintage sound but is much heavier - a trolley's essential unless you've got muscles like Popeye (mind you no heavier than an AC30!!)

Ampeg do a really good 500 watt class D lightweight (like the Markbass) and neo speaker range - however, my experience of Ampegs is they colour the sound a little - these new amps sound like an old fashioned SVT but at a fraction of the weight and cost. An Ampeg SVT weighs a ton (figuratively speaking!)

Have fun choosing - it's worth going somewhere to try them out.

[Gatwick1946]

Hi All,

Slightly off topic, but I recently tried my Burns Marvin 6 string through a Boss delay pedal, into my Ampeg PF350 Bass Head and Ampeg PF-115HE 1 x 15 Bass Cab. I was very pleased with the resulting sound after a few twiddles with the nobs.

Kindest regards,

Christopher

[MMStingray54]

The Ampeg PF series is the one I was referring to - excellent value for money - they do a PF500, which is 300 watts into one cabinet. Glad it works for you.

[Martyn]

I use a Hartke Kickback 12 or 15 at our club and am pleased with their sounds, both being 120w amps, just different speaker sizes. They produce excellent tones from my Jaguar short scale bass and I've previously used Jazz,Precision, Burns and Hofner Violin basses through them to similarly good effect. They're plenty loud enough for live club playing in our band sessions.
I should add this is the only time I play bass, my experience of alternative bass amps is minimal so I bow to the more experienced players here who may feel the Hartkes aren't suited to your needs. Still like their sounds, though.

Cheers,
Martyn

[abstamaria]

Anna keeps her guitars and bass amps in my garage/studio, I just bought a new pocket camera, and so this morning …

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That’s a Fender Bassman TV with a 15” speaker. For a vintage look, very few other amps can match it. And it sounds good, too, more prominent than the Ampeg Anna has been using, but sweet. But it may be too large and a bit heavy for regular gigs, even though it comes with casters.

No a bad for a handheld shot on auto indoors, I think. It seems a good camera, this Sony RX100.

Andy

[Iain Purdon]

The Hartke Kickbacks are good. A little pricey but they work well. I did a small venue gig with a borrowed Hartke and was pleased with the result. I found it very bright, which is good for cutting through the mix although not a feature you would use for Shadows numbers in the main.

[Martyn]

The Hartke Kickbacks are good. A little pricey but they work well. I did a small venue gig with a borrowed Hartke and was pleased with the result. I found it very bright, which is good for cutting through the mix although not a feature you would use for Shadows numbers in the main.

I find it tricky getting the balance right between punch and mellow oomph without rattling the furniture and/or muffling the other instruments. The Hartkes aren't the lightest and, as you say, are quite expensive, so I'm also looking for alternative lighter options - this thread has proved most useful.

[jimbojet]

I bought one of the new fender amps last year namely the "Fender Rumble 75" and I am very pleased with it, enough power to be heard i.e. not drowned out by the drums, and although a good size easily carried with one hand via the strap handle on top. You can angle it as it has two sitting positions and it has some nice quirky but effective buttons for changing sounds depending on the number, like the "punch" button that gives a more defined sound on stuff like F.B.I. and "scoop" for a more defined bass line, and my favourite the "overdrive" button for a more pronounced bass line or for more bass sound on finger usage on tunes like "sleepwalk" as opposed to picked tunes. The shiny metal parts give it a good retro look too I feel, and It doesnt break the bank to get one either....

[NatJag]

I've been looking to get a new bass amp.
The only problem I have is what fits in my boot, its not that deep approx 14 1/2 inches
I've been looking at the Ampeg PF range and wonder how powerful they are in a real world situation.
Someone else had told me that the baffle on the Mass Bass cabs, soon break as they are only made from a light wood like balsa wood. Which with constant moving about from putting in a boot etc soon weakens it. Any long term users of Mark Bass out there can advise?