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Bass amp advice needed..


Steve_Start

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I dont know much about amps, but i need one and can only afford to spend around 600. I want a seperate head and cab. The kind of sound im lookin for is a high end, trebley, punchy sound, (Green Day's Mike Dirnt bass sound is probably the most common band i can think of that would be similar..also Matt Freeman from Rancid) ive heard trace elliot handle this pretty well..? I'll be using it for gig'n/touring etc.

If anyone's selling an amp, has any good webstore links or advice at all it be much appreciated!

Thanks a lot

Steve

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I can't stand Trace Elliot stuff but that's a personal thing and it's important that you get something which you are comfortable using and which you can get the right sound from. Mike Dirnt uses Mesa Boogie MB 2000's but with a slightly unusual speaker configuration and unless you've got his exact setup, it's not gonna be possible to catch his sound.

I suggest going into Bruce Millers/RnB and trying a few things out. Ashdowns, TEs, etc. and seeing what you like, then getting back on the internet and seeing how cheap you can get the setup you'd like.

/x

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I dont know much about amps' date=' but i need one and can only afford to spend around 600. I want a seperate head and cab. The kind of sound im lookin for is a high end, trebley, punchy sound, (Green Day's Mike Dirnt bass sound is probably the most common band i can think of that would be similar..also Matt Freeman from Rancid) ive heard trace elliot handle this pretty well..? I'll be using it for gig'n/touring etc.

If anyone's selling an amp, has any good webstore links or advice at all it be much appreciated!

Thanks a lot

Steve[/quote']

Trace gear is quite guilty of being a one trick pony and producing just one fairly generic sound that "if it were me" I would get very bored of, I would be more inclined to go for ana amp that has a wider variety of sounds, the point of that being your taste in bands and bass sound will change faster than you can wear out an amp.

Go try some, see what you like.

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Trace gear is quite guilty of being a one trick pony and producing just one fairly generic sound that "if it were me" I would get very bored of' date=' I would be more inclined to go for ana amp that has a wider variety of sounds, the point of that being your taste in bands and bass sound will change faster than you can wear out an amp.

Go try some, see what you like.[/quote']

I agree. Just try finding your sound on as many differenet types of amps as possible. In my opinion any kind apart from fender bass amps.

Tom

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bass amps

hay dude, my bass player uses a ashdown head and wat ever cab he can get his hands on. He also goes through a sans amp which you can set aswell to get different tones and punsheness. I think it deppends on what kind o guitar you got aswell. Should take your guitar down when tryin out the different amps, it will give ya a clearer picture as to wat you might need, good luck man.

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I'm in the same boat, but i got a bigger budget ;)

Im toying with the idea of Ampeg SVT 3pro with 4/6x10 but i dunno if 1600+ is really worth it.

I have also been looking at some GK. 1001 something amp with a 4x10 cab but i dunno if a 4x10 cab will be loud enough. Anyone got suggestions.

Also, anyone played/heard that Yammaha btt500 all digital thing? Wondering if its any good coz its quite cheep.

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Guest texjamm
I'm in the same boat' date=' but i got a bigger budget ;)

Im toying with the idea of Ampeg SVT 3pro with 4/6x10 but i dunno if 1600+ is really worth it.

I have also been looking at some GK. 1001 something amp with a 4x10 cab but i dunno if a 4x10 cab will be loud enough. Anyone got suggestions.

Also, anyone played/heard that Yammaha btt500 all digital thing? Wondering if its any good coz its quite cheep.[/quote']

Hi, It depends on what sort of music and venues you are playing. A 4x10 cab will give you a punchy sound that will cut through, however if you are looking for a fuller sound (or are using a 5/6 string bass or detuning) then the addition of a 1x15" sub will help. The Ampeg you are looking at will need one or more cab(s) equalling 4ohms to give you the full 450 watts available from the amp.

If your band has a full range PA (subs and a crossover) or are using in house PA's like Drummonds then you could always just use your amp more as a backline / monitor and send a line out to the PA to help with volume if required. This saves on lugging big bass cabs all over the place........if I am ever reincarnated i am coming back as a triangle player....easier on the back!!

"....i dunno if 1600+ is really worth it......" Ampeg are a good make and a set up like that should last you for years. I currently have a SWR rig which cost me in the region of 2,000, eight years ago. 2000/8 = 250 per year - less than a season ticket, years of use still left in it and I could still get quite a lot of money back if I sold it!!

I've played through both Ampeg and GK amps and cabs and for me the GK has the better, punchier sound. Sound is very subjective so the best way to decide is to take your bass to the shop and try them out. I have heard of some shops letting you take the amp to a gig to try out but usually only after full payment is made and a "you damage it and its yours" agreement made. Depends how friendly you are with the shop owners and how much they need the sale!!! I've not tried the Yammaha BTT500 so I can't comment, sorry.

Hope this helps

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Cheers man, i aint going for the ampeg no more.

I am playing a Yammaha RBXJM6, the old Myung bass (coz the new one is shite.) And i use a fretless 5 for jazz and stuff.

The sound i go for is quite alot of high end with a wee bit of bass going through. Quite ''pingy'' but with not alot of gain. Its hard to describe in writing.

i dont use any effects or nothing.

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Cheers man' date=' i aint going for the ampeg no more.

I am playing a Yammaha RBXJM6, the old Myung bass (coz the new one is shite.) And i use a fretless 5 for jazz and stuff.

The sound i go for is quite alot of high end with a wee bit of bass going through. Quite ''pingy'' but with not alot of gain. Its hard to describe in writing.

i dont use any effects or nothing.[/quote']

Sounds like Trace Elliot territory to me!!! What about a higher spec Warwick head with a 4x10 and 1x15?

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Personally. I would recommend Ashdown over Ampeg. This is my personal preference. I hear nice sounds from Ampegs but Ashdown do a wider range of sounds. I guess for punk the Ampeg compressed fuzz might be what you would prefer but my preference would be for Ashdown.

You should be able to get an nice Ashdown for 600. Make sure you get one with a valve pre amp. The one I have experience with has a dial that you can select the mix between the valve and solid state pre amp.

No point on huge speaker cabinets in my opinion, if it is going to go through a PA. If you put a mic infront of an speaker, it picks up the signal from only one speaker, all speakers have exactly the same signal coming out of it. Few engineers are going to mic up every speaker in your cabinet. I have not seen it been done anywhere.

It is rare that people will play a gig these days where the bass dosen't go through a PA. I would think an Ashdown combo would still be capable of providing all the bass you could want for any venue you could possibly play without a PA.

There are many many other good amps around but Ashdown are my favourite.

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No point on huge speaker cabinets in my opinion' date=' if it is going to go through a PA. If you put a mic infront of an speaker, it picks up the signal from only one speaker, all speakers have exactly the same signal coming out of it. Few engineers are going to mic up every speaker in your cabinet. I have not seen it been done anywhere.

It is rare that people will play a gig these days where the bass dosen't go through a PA. I would think an Ashdown combo would still be capable of providing all the bass you could want for any venue you could possibly play without a PA.

There are many many other good amps around but Ashdown are my favourite.[/quote']

Always have enough power for small to medium size venues, you cant put the bass through a vocal pa.

It is not usual to mic a bass rig, some engineers will mic as well as di the bass but seldom is the bass rig micd only.

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Marshall do a top notch bass amp,the Dynamic Bass System 72115. It's a combo but well worth the dosh like!! 200W and everything from clean and REALLY bright, to overdriven, to well deep. Only question with it is why did they put a dial allowing you to blend valve and solid state? mine has never been on anything other than full valve!! I got one from r and b a few years back and wouldn't change it, well worth a try if there's one about.

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The solid state pre amp is there so you can get a trace elliot style sound. My experience has been that a mixture of both valve and solid state is good.

I have heard some very nice bass tones through marshall valve bass amps. Think of the late Noel Redding of the Jimi Hendrix experience. My understanding is also that there was little difference between the marshall bass and guitar amps until sometime in the late 70s or thereabout.

I have seen a bass amp being mic'ed up in the lemon tree. If a bass speaker isn't mic'ed there is little point on caring about your speaker cabinet more than for your own ears onstage. My point remains that I believe the significance of backline speaker cabinets if highly over-rated.

Obviously, if you play in a pub covers band the likelihood of using only a vocal PA is increased greatly. In which case you ought to think of the volume levels that a backline can produce, otherwise it is simply for shaping your tone. If you plan to send your bass signal through a D.I box before it goes into your amp, you might as well use a keyboard amp.

Also, remember that sound levels are measured in dB and not watts. A 100W valve amp may well be significantly louder than a 200W solidstate amp or this may even be true when comparing two solid state amps.

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