I really don't like those Trace elliot amps, they always seem to sound a bit Twangy.. a guy I used to play with referred to that particular sound as "teenage bass sound" as used by people trying to play greenday covers etc. In the past I've used an ashdown head (mag 300) which sounded good but Broke ALL THE TIME.. literally in and out of the repair shop.. v poor quality, an ashdown 130 watt combo, (electric blue one) which was actualy really nice.. but too quiet for what you're after I think, an ampeg B15t solid state combo (best amp in terms of sound but again too quiet), a marshall solid state 200 watt head (blah for bass.. good for guitar!), and (to get to the point) most recently a warwick 300 watt rack mountable solid state head.. which I'd recommend in a sec' for portability and the massive cheapness (less than £200 over here which probably equates to $200 in the US since everything seems bloody cheap. in fact http://cgi.ebay.com/Warwick-Pro-Fet-IV- ... dZViewItem there's one).. This was for a noisy dinosaur JR type band, but the guy who owns it plays in a VERY loud stoner/ kraut/ rock band.. perhaps couple that with one of those ashdown small format cab's and you've got a nice compact loud setup. If you have more BUCKS to spend then the nicest sound I've got recently, again for a kind of distorted chordy dinosaur/ sebadoh type rock thing, was with an SWR head like this http://cgi.ebay.com/SWR-350-Professiona ... dZViewItem through a big peavey 4x10... lot's of headroom and quite good for growly type sounds (sounded a bit lame clean though).

If you're serious about the bass, the real deal all tube SVT is unbeatable. Your bass will sound like a bass should sound.
And a 4x10 cab should be plenty big for most venues. You can get the SVT Classic head and 4x10hlf cab for under $2000 new; it's still a pain in the ass, but not as heavy or pricey as the 8x10. I haven't regretted it for a second, and I haul the thing around constantly. In fact, I'll volunteer it whever a backline's needed b/c I'd rather carry it than play through somethin else.
Next best is an old bassman through an ampeg 4x10; not as loud, but probably loud enough.

ianscanlon wrote:I really don't like those Trace elliot amps, they always seem to sound a bit Twangy.. a guy I used to play with referred to that particular sound as "teenage bass sound" as used by people trying to play greenday covers etc. In the past I've used an ashdown head (mag 300) which sounded good but Broke ALL THE TIME.. literally in and out of the repair shop.. v poor quality, an ashdown 130 watt combo, (electric blue one) which was actualy really nice.. but too quiet for what you're after I think, an ampeg B15t solid state combo (best amp in terms of sound but again too quiet), a marshall solid state 200 watt head (blah for bass.. good for guitar!), and (to get to the point) most recently a warwick 300 watt rack mountable solid state head.. which I'd recommend in a sec' for portability and the massive cheapness (less than £200 over here which probably equates to $200 in the US since everything seems bloody cheap. in fact http://cgi.ebay.com/Warwick-Pro-Fet-IV- ... dZViewItem there's one).. This was for a noisy dinosaur JR type band, but the guy who owns it plays in a VERY loud stoner/ kraut/ rock band.. perhaps couple that with one of those ashdown small format cab's and you've got a nice compact loud setup. If you have more BUCKS to spend then the nicest sound I've got recently, again for a kind of distorted chordy dinosaur/ sebadoh type rock thing, was with an SWR head like this http://cgi.ebay.com/SWR-350-Professiona ... dZViewItem through a big peavey 4x10... lot's of headroom and quite good for growly type sounds (sounded a bit lame clean though).

yeah I have the mag 300h too, but I haven't had one problem with it at all. I bought it on ebay for 200 bucks, haven't had one problem. It's has a low serial number (like 360 or so ) and it's one of the made in china ones. Most everyone I know who has had one liked it. I think it's the best bang for buck amp. I like my friends gallien krueger 700rb (II)? a lot too.

Everyone has listed some great amps here, but I think my question still applies.
Budget?
How transportable/how much space in your van?
What sound are you looking for?

A Honda Accord is one of the best cars on the road, but it's not suited to haul a load of topsoil, you know?

-A

alex maiolo wrote:Everyone has listed some great amps here, but I think my question still applies.
Budget?
How transportable/how much space in your van?
What sound are you looking for?

A Honda Accord is one of the best cars on the road, but it's not suited to haul a load of topsoil, you know?

-A

You forgot the most significant, and least malleable, "do you have physical issues with your back/legs/etc".

Reading your post, Alex, has made me come to a startling conclusion. I'm such a serious tone snob at this point, that I don't think your questions matter. Save a little extra money. Make a little extra space in your can. The only question that *really* matters at the end of the day is what sound are you looking for.

I would say that I'm aware of two bass amps that do a bang-up job of getting the "good" bass sound/sounds. One of them is the SVT. And then there's the one the SVT was designed to compete with. Other than those two amps, I think everything else falls into the "too bad it's not one of those two amps" category. That's what a tone snob I am at this point.

For bass, if it isn't at least 300W, it's not enough amp, for me. One of my bassists is doing alright with a YBA-3, but we tried it stock (EL34's) and with a few different cabs, and it wasn't enough. With a quad of 6L6GC's and an 8x10 cab, it's doing alright now.

As far as I'm concerned, you need a shitloaf of power and speaker surface area to be able to produce true low-frequency information with any kinda presence. End of story. The End.

The End.

selling a sunn coliseum 300, if yer still looking. $275+s/h.

300w into two ohms. crazy loud. super flexible and has a ton of good sounds in it.

I have GK 400RB III. It's great for the "heavy sound", though I play it through an old fender 2x15" cab and with fender precision.

A short story relating to bass amps and such.

I have a lovely A.M.P (pre-Eden/SWR/Thunderfunk) bass head (BH 260). Sounds great, if you can find one then it'll be great value and almost unkillable.

I would recommend one, if you can find one.

Clearly the Amplified Music Products company (long defunct, hence Eden/SWR/THunderfunk) didn't envisage the dawn of the internet era. And certainly not Google.

Searching for used A.M.P bass amps is the ultimate Google challenge, for obvious reasons.

scott wrote:

alex maiolo wrote:Everyone has listed some great amps here, but I think my question still applies.
Budget?
How transportable/how much space in your van?
What sound are you looking for?

A Honda Accord is one of the best cars on the road, but it's not suited to haul a load of topsoil, you know?

-A

You forgot the most significant, and least malleable, "do you have physical issues with your back/legs/etc".

Reading your post, Alex, has made me come to a startling conclusion. I'm such a serious tone snob at this point, that I don't think your questions matter.

I know what you're saying, but I think my questions matter quite a lot.
A G-K is a great bass amp. SVTs rule. They are ENTIRELY different amps.

I agree with you that bass amp buying on the cheap is a bad idea, which is why I asked about the budget. That's the difference between buying a 400RB and an 800RB. A single cabinet or two.

The sound question is regarding 10's or 15's. Solid state or tube.

"What's a good bass amp" is an impossible question to answer.
I suppose Trace Elliot is "good" but I think they sound like shit. SWR is good, but can be expensive. Ampeg is my favorite, but if I wanted to sound like David Simms, I'd get a G-K, you know?

As far as I'm concerned, you need a shitloaf of power and speaker surface area to be able to produce true low-frequency information with any kinda presence.

Starting now "shit loaf" is in my personal lexicon. Thanks Scott.

-A

the sunn i'm unloading does that clean, overdrive on the bright side sound like on "down" really well.

fyi.