which bass amp to buy

[popoahi]

I'd like some suggestions on purchasing a bass amp....
budget is $300 to $500 ....
solid state, 12", 18" or 4-10" spkrs, must be new..
purchased a used fender and it wud cut out when warmed up don't want to deal with that again.
use is for small gigs, home studio...
tried my fender FM65 and as U wud guess U can't get any volume out of it, ok for quiet practice only.


thanx,,popoahi@gmail.com

[Mick Bailey]

A consideration is whether you want to stick to a 'traditional' bass amp or go down the Class D route. Some of those amps are throwaway or have restrictive spares and repair arrangements and/or circuit information (thought they're light enough to ship). I've just been working on a TC BH250 and it's pretty much an SMPS with a soundcard. Very light and convenient, and pretty good sound as well but not something a lot of people would want to work on. Same with Markbass. Try getting any parts from them.

Depends if you're choosing an amp from the perspective of a consumer or repairman.

[popoahi]

hey Mick,

just want a amp thats not expensive and sounds decent.....(doesn't everyone)..... I'm just trying to equip my home studio (800sq ft)
got everything except a bass amp...of course I don't want one that'll be hard to repair but I've seen some cheaper amps in the sweetwater catalog that if I get a few yrs out of the amp I cud just buy another...just a nice sound thats not muddy...
I don't know what a TC BH250 is so that tells you alot?? I'm a drummer,,,, no bass player,,, just when I record something myself or if a jam sessions starts unexpectedly..
thought I cud play it thru my twin reverb but obviously found that I cudn't...
some recommendations wud be grealy appreciated!
aloha*

[Jazz P Bass]

The Hartke Kickback 12 is one awesome amp.

Hartke ? Kickback 12

[Tone Meister]

The Hartke Kickback 12 is one awesome amp.

Hartke ? Kickback 12

Yep, and a used Eden N12 is great as well. Mine handles my 5 string with ease. Here's one on Reverb for $230 in the door: Eden N12

I sure wouldn't sell mine for that.

[eschertron]

I've owned and used the Hartke 110 model (10" spkr, 100W, discontinued now? but looks just like the model 12 above), had it for over 10 years, no problems. used mostly at home and church; there were a couple jam sessions with some guys who brought their B52/PV/whatever Marshall clones and cranked 'em way up. I could keep up, with the volume on the Hartke maxed it still sounded good and clean. So I +1 to the Kickback suggestion.

edit: and yes, it handles the low B-string without complaint!

[popoahi]

thanx for the suggestions...... probably the hartke 12" will do me fine..
can someone tell me why my twin reverb cant handle the low bass frequencies??? or my AC-15, FM65 for that matter???

[J M Fahey]

Hint:

G E E T A R A M P S

[Jazz P Bass]

thanx for the suggestions...... probably the hartke 12" will do me fine..
can someone tell me why my twin reverb cant handle the low bass frequencies??? or my AC-15, FM65 for that matter???

For what it is worth, I have found that tube amps don't cut it for very low frequencies
(output transformer would be huge?)

Even the Fender Bassman lacks a decent low E output sign wave.
They don't 'come on' until 60 Hz.
Forget drop anything tuning.

[pdf64]

'can someone tell me why my twin reverb cant handle the low bass frequencies??? or my AC-15, FM65 for that matter'
I find that BF type 6L6 Fenders, eg TR, sounds great for bass.
But not when used with an open back cab.
Beyond a certain wavelength, the output from the back of the cone will cancel out that from the front.

[Justin Thomas]

I don't like all those "very low frequencies" everyone uses anymore... it's all fundamental. Blech.

I bet the TR would work just fine WITH THE RIGHT SPEAKER CABINET. And that does NOT mean some new uberpower plastic&rubber speaker "bass" cab. I bet an old Showman 2x15" would be great <IF> that's your idea of bass sound. It is me. The AC-15 & FM65 are designed to be run crunchy, so they probably have a lot of bass scooped out. I find GEETAR amps that were NOT intended to be crunchy make passable to spectacular bass amps IF paired with the right speaker. My friend uses a Showman Reverb through an OLD Ampeg 4x10 with a 5string. Sounds friggin awesome.
I'd go for a SF Bassman head - 50 or 100.

IMHO, YMMV.

Justin

[Chuck H]

Peavey has always made reliable, affordable generic stage amps like the old TKO series that stuck around and morphed for decades. Loud and effective for bass, keyboards, mic'd instruments, etc. I'd surely look into their current offerings before finalizing a purchase.

[Leo_Gnardo]

can someone tell me why my twin reverb cant handle the low bass frequencies??? or my AC-15, FM65 for that matter???

Open back cabs "throw away" bass. The idea was to get more mid/hi projection. Bass cabs better be closed-back, and you can choose ported/vented or totally enclosed as you wish.

Funny enough, Fender Showman amps very similar to your Fender Twin are a good choice for bass amp. Played through a couple of EV or JBL 15's, that can sound terrific for small & medium gigs.

Playing indoors, the room contains the bass wave, unless it's a huge room you can get a pretty good sound from any competent amp & bass cab. Outdoors, the sound goes out & it don't come back, you need a lot more power & speakers.

[tedmich]

old weak thumpers really seem to appreciate the Fender Rumble 500 at only 36 lbs...of course if one arm is already longer than the other

[patlaw]

How are Hartke's to service? Are schematics readily available? I've been a guitar sort-of player for 45 years. Since that never really panned out, maybe I should try bass.