Bassists: Amp Search

I've got a nice gig rig. Hartke 7000 head and a Boogie 2x10 cabinet. Kickass sound and enough balls for any club I'm likely to play. That said, it sucks to transport, and in practice I only turn it up to about 0.5 to not be blowing the other guys away, who all play acoustic.

Complicating things somewhat is that I would like something that is good for bass guitar or upright bass. I played the upright for the first time this weekend with the band and it's just too quiet without an amp.

So, cheap combo that is easy to transport, sounds decent, and will be friendly for both a bass guitar and a standup bass with a piezio pickup. Go!

Again, lots of local guys are gaga over the Oranges. They pack a lotta punch into those little things...or really anything Ampeg in my experience. I'm guessing anything with a single 12" speaker would work for you. Peaveys seem to go cheap. My $.02

I use an old Hartke "Kickback" 15. It's a wedge shape, so you can use it as a monitor. It also has an XLR output, which sound guys like. It puts out a LOT of sound when you want to (aluminum-reinforced spearker cone), but it's quiet enough I can use it as a practice amp in my townhouse.

I also have an old Fender Bassman 25 that is GREAT for playing with acoustic guys. I used that amp a lot with the jazz band I had back when I was in school.

My band does not play that loud. That being said I've blown up a Hartke kickback 15 combo and a Peavy 115 combo. The Hartke is DEAD dead, and the Peavey gets static-y over half volume, so it's a practice amp now. My main gigging amp is an Ampeg B-100R. It sounds great and has lasted quite a bit longer than the other two, and it's still going strong. I did add casters to it though.

My old bass player swears by Ampegs... but he plays a Ric and runs his bass through a fuzz box 100% of the time, so I'm not sure that's much help.

Weird, that must be a somewhat popular combo. I play a fake Ric (though without effects), and we played a show with a band from Florida who's bass player used an almost identical rig, except his Ric was real.

Good stuff. Thanks.

Also, just cuz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DJriEsxUWAE

In reply to DILYSI Dave:

That was pretty cool. Anybody you know?

Look for a used SWR combo, I think it will offer just the tone you're after. Unfortunately I don't remember any specific models for that long ago.

I have a late 90's Fender BXR60, 60 watt 1x12 combo. It sucks for tone, weighs a E36 M3 ton, and gets fuzzy when it's loud.

so, yeah, avoid those.

I used to like the SWR Workingman's 15 combo. A friend had one, and while small, it cranked and had great sound.

A smaller Ampeg would also be a good choice.

I'd recommend the combo amp I have, a Peavey Combo 115, but it weighs over 100lbs and is not easily transportable. It is quite the beast and has treated me well for the past 5 years.

1988RedT2 wrote: In reply to DILYSI Dave: That was pretty cool. Anybody you know?

That's me on the standup with some folks I met on CL over the last couple of months. We don't have a name yet. It's a cover of a Trampled by Turtles song.

petegossett wrote: Look for a used SWR combo, I think it will offer just the tone you're after. Unfortunately I don't remember any specific models for that long ago.

I had forgotten about them, but you're right - I have played a 1x10 SWR combo that was a ballsy little SOB.

EDIT - saw a couple of subsequent posts about a 1x15 combo. No dice. Ideally it fits in the trunk of a Mustang. My Boogie 2x10 doesn't do that, so no way a 1x15 does.

I have a Behringer. It's OK but I don't think I would buy another.

In reply to 16vCorey:

My friend has been playing a Ric for about 20 years now. We got because it looked cool, but it turned out to be a relatively rare "Black Star" model that was (IIRC) a signature model for the Smithereens' bassist. He's practically worn the finish off it.

He's gone through a couple of Ampegs. He's using a head right now through various cabinets. His current band is called Ghosts in the Valley.

16vCorey wrote: My band does not play that loud. That being said I've blown up a Hartke kickback 15 combo and a Peavy 115 combo. The Hartke is DEAD dead, and the Peavey gets static-y over half volume, so it's a practice amp now. My main gigging amp is an Ampeg B-100R. It sounds great and has lasted quite a bit longer than the other two, and it's still going strong. I did add casters to it though.

How the hell did you manage to blow up that Hartke? I've got active pickups on my bass and have never even managed to distort the thing.

Sky_Render wrote: How the hell did you manage to blow up that Hartke? I've got active pickups on my bass and have never even managed to distort the thing.

No idea, but at a gig, half way through a song, playing at mid volume (or so) it just started making a hellaciously loud buzz sound. I ran over and turned it off. I unplugged everything and turned it back on, and the speaker cone sucked in immediately and all it did was buzz. Our drummer's brother (who's a bad ass bass player and instrument builder) removed the amp, cut the case down, and turned it into a small monitor for Quinn (the drummer) to use.

Totally unrelated:

The singer/bassist from Order of the Owl apparently used to gig with TWO of these white orange cabs stacked on top of each other.

In reply to poopshovel:

I used to play bass thru a Mashall JCM 1000 through a HiWatt 4x12 AND a custom-built 4x10 powered by a Mesa Boogie 800 watt bass head.

Is it any wonder I have tinnitus????

I just picked up an Ampeg Portaflex PF-350. I use it with my 2x15, but you can get the matching 1x15 cab. The head is only 8lbs and sounds rad. Not as good as my B-15, but pretty darn close. It also has DI, so you can use PA support.

Under $300 new for the head.

Plus the look is pretty classic:

DILYSI Dave wrote: EDIT - saw a couple of subsequent posts about a 1x15 combo. No dice. Ideally it fits in the trunk of a Mustang. My Boogie 2x10 doesn't do that, so no way a 1x15 does.

Is the Mustang trunk THAT small? Not sure about the rest of them, but the Ampeg combo amp I posted is only 19 x 21 x 14.

The Fender 1x12 I have fits in the trunk of my 05 Mustang....but only barely. Big trunk, small opening.

ultraclyde wrote: The Fender 1x12 I have fits in the trunk of my 05 Mustang....but only barely. Big trunk, small opening.

This. It would hold the 2x10 fine IF I could get it in there. I can't, which means the bass rides in the back seat, the cabinet rides shotgun, and the head rides in the trunk. The entire car is taken up by a pretty small rig. It ain't no 89 Civic...

DILYSI Dave wrote:

ultraclyde wrote: The Fender 1x12 I have fits in the trunk of my 05 Mustang....but only barely. Big trunk, small opening.

This. It would hold the 2x10 fine IF I could get it in there. I can't, which means the bass rides in the back seat, the cabinet rides shotgun, and the head rides in the trunk. The entire car is taken up by a pretty small rig. It ain't no 89 Civic...

Yuurp. I put down the back seats in the integra this morning and loaded my 4X12 cab. Then I realized there was no need to put the seats down.