Bass Amp - Any Advice?

[Gatwick1946]

I am in need of a bass amp. I been a using a small Vox Valvetronic just for home use, but need something bigger to use in small to medium venues.

I would like it to have a retro look if poss, as the modern stacks look like they belong in Dr Who's Tardis. Weight is also a factor, as I used to use 4x12 cabs which were pretty heavy, and I am not as young as I used to be. Combo's seem to be popular, but those I have tried seem to be heavy. I am thinking of a head unit to which 1 or 2 small cabs could be added as needed.

Fender advertise one of their Rumble range cabs as weighing only 24lbs. They recommend the Rumble head with 1X12 cab + 2X8 cab.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Regards
Christopher

[Jay Bass]

Hi
There is a lot of choice out there for Bass players these days.
you dont realy need large heavy cabs anymore.
my advice for a starting point would be to look for a amp head min 300w into 4ohms
a 1x15" bass cab 8ohm & possibly if needed for larger gigs a 2 x10" 8ohm bass cab
you can buy some quite compact cabs nowadays.
if the weight /size issue is more important i would recomend the
Orange bass terror amp & a 2X12 sp12 orange Bass cab, these are very small and light but extremly powerful
but not cheap.
let me know if you get to try the Fender rumble cabs i would be interested what they are like.
There are also some realy compact combos, Roland cube, ibanez promethian, mark Bass,Phil jones etc
it realy depends on you own personel opinions .
There is a very usefull site for anything Bass related at
www.basschat.co.uk

Regards
Jay

[Didier]

There is a bass player, now turned professional, who used to come to our Shadows' meetings with a Behringer BX1800 combo, and was quite happy with it : http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/BX1800.aspx
Not so light though (55.35 lbs), but very affordable (of course built in China).

Mark Griffith has been using for years an AER Bass Cube, it's very compact, but not much lighter, and extremly expensive.

Didier

[abstamaria]

I was at a music store the other week and just noticed the new Fender Bassman bass amps. They are tweed and look very period. I am not sure how they sound or if they will be too heavy for you. They come in several models.

[dave robinson]

For sheer quality in sound, ease of transport and lightness in weight, two words - MARK BASS ! Check it out, as used by Alan Jones and many more of us on the road.

[Gatwick1946]

Thanks for your advice chaps.

I was in GAK Music, Brighton today and they recommended Mark Bass. Sounded good and I also tried a Fender Bassman TV 10 combo - looks good, sounds good and the weight is reasonable, so the Fender is tops so far.

Regards
Christopher

[dave robinson]

Our bass player bought the TV front Fender Bassman with two 10" speakers last year but quickly Px'd it, as it didn't come anywhere near his Mark Bass rig on stage. Sounded good in the shop though. He traded it for a second Mark Bass.

[Iain Purdon]

I'm going through a need to scale down. I want to retain plenty of guts but reduce the overall weight a lot!

Mark Bass are terrific, no question. The CMD 102P is a 500w combo and will take an external cab too
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frFc0XWP2Xk

Similar qualities in the slightly cheaper Ampeg BA600 115, a 600w combo with no extension cab output but it has two input channels (I'm thinking one for the Fender, one for the Burns!) I've seen two of these in action in a Shads context
Http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=620qSBsA-2g

They're both light. Can't make up my mind!

Iain

[bassboogie]

Hi,

I always say try before you buy, take your pride and joy to a good music shop and try various amps. I have had a Ampeg BA600 for a while now and for me it's a lovely amp. It has vintage and modern voicing, is very powerful and reasonably light. However as Jay said you have a massive choice and it's best to try them first. TC Electronics make a top notch range of bass amps as well. The new Fender Rumble amps have lightweight heads and speaker cabs, tried one yesterday, albeit in a shop, but was rather impressed, so there's plenty out there.

Good luck, Luigi

[Gatwick1946]

Thanks for all your advice chaps.

I was most impressed by the Mark Bass range. But (a) the cost was approx £1400,(b) I am not a professional musician. If I were a pro playing several gigs a week I would have gone for the Mark Bass.

I liked the look and sound of the Fender Bassman combos, but the smallest was probably too small and as they got bigger they became too heavy.

I finally settled on:- Ampeg PF-350 Portaflex Bass Amp Head
Ampeg PF-115HE Portaflex 1 x 15 Bass Cab

I am very pleased with the result. The cab weighs 28k and has wheels and can be lifted into the boot of my hatchback. The cost was £650. The suppliers were Andertons in Guildford. They were very helpfull and carry a large range of equipment. My logic is that I can add an extra cab if needed.

PS I have noticed other musicions using fold up trolleys to move their heavy gear. Why did I not think of that? Simples!

Kindest regards

Christopher