looking to buy a new bass amp

[mick_jagger]

somewhere between $100-$250 and from 60 watts up. i want it to be pretty decent quality too. any suggestions? by the way, my bass is a squier p-bass with ernie ball extra slinky strings and basslines spb-3 quarter-pound pickups. any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. thanks.

[alex.parent]

Honestly, from my (small amount of) bass gear knowledge, but experience with guitar stuff, I'd say save up a little more money if you really want something of "decent quality." But that's just me, and I don't know much about bass gear so I may be way off track.

[mick_jagger]

Honestly, from my (small amount of) bass gear knowledge, but experience with guitar stuff, I'd say save up a little more money if you really want something of "decent quality." But that's just me, and I don't know much about bass gear so I may be way off track.

k, maybe i'll just do this. i'm looking for like a combo amp that i can use to practice with but would still be ok for a house show if we ever land one.

[ReadyForAction]

k, maybe i'll just do this. i'm looking for like a combo amp that i can use to practice with but would still be ok for a house show if we ever land one.
You really shoulny have to pay more then 300 for a quality amp

[mick_jagger]

You really shoulny have to pay more then 300 for a quality amp

good to know. i need to take in all these cans and bottles for some extra cash, save up, and then see if my parents can pay for the rest.

[Sal]

Hartke or Behringer will probably give you more for your dollar.

I would shop around Craigslist first. Nothing wrong with used equipment.

[mick_jagger]

Hartke or Behringer will probably give you more for your dollar.

I would shop around Craigslist first. Nothing wrong with used equipment.

so true. and i've heard bad things about behringer amps. but you never know.

[porttheman]

check out this site,it might help you out

http://http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=510214&highlight=need+lightweight+combo

[Sal]

so true. and i've heard bad things about behringer amps. but you never know.

I've played their guitar heads and they suck, so I guess bass wouldn't be much better.

I've been in bands with bass players that had Hartke setups and they sounded good.

They had this Head (http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_2500%20Bass%20Amplifier%20H ead_-1_10052_10002_-49990080_cmCategorySA181088) and this cab (http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_VX410%204x10%20Bass%20Speak er%20Cabinet_-1_10052_10002_-49961486_cmCategorySA181088)

you could maybe find that for 300-350ish used

[mick_jagger]

I've played their guitar heads and they suck, so I guess bass wouldn't be much better.

I've been in bands with bass players that had Hartke setups and they sounded good.

They had this Head (http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_2500%20Bass%20Amplifier%20H ead_-1_10052_10002_-49990080_cmCategorySA181088) and this cab (http://www.samash.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_VX410%204x10%20Bass%20Speak er%20Cabinet_-1_10052_10002_-49961486_cmCategorySA181088)

you could maybe find that for 300-350ish used

i'll consider this. and is that for both used? because that sounds like a pretty good deal.

[theguy77]

i wish they sold marshall's bass-state series in america. the 150 watt combo would cost only like 300 dollars in an american market, and a friend has recorded with it, you can get really punchy tones out of it and theres a lot of flexibility, especially given you have "deep" and "bright" switches plus on-board compression and a tube/solid-state blender knob to go along with the parametric EQ. that would be the bass combo i'd buy when i decided to pick up my own bass sometime.

[Sal]

it 550 for both new.

I'm just saying since it's not a top bass brand, the re-sale value will go down a lot, and you could probably find it for 350ish...head and cab.

[mick_jagger]

i wish they sold marshall's bass-state series in america. the 150 watt combo would cost only like 300 dollars in an american market, and a friend has recorded with it, you can get really punchy tones out of it and theres a lot of flexibility, especially given you have "deep" and "bright" switches plus on-board compression and a tube/solid-state blender knob to go along with the parametric EQ. that would be the bass combo i'd buy when i decided to pick up my own bass sometime.

that sounds pretty sick.

it 550 for both new.

I'm just saying since it's not a top bass brand, the re-sale value will go down a lot, and you could probably find it for 350ish...head and cab.

cool. i'll look into this. i probably won't actually get it until a few months because my b-day is next month and i want a new video camera because i want to become a director. but i'll try to save up and see how much my parents will put in too.

[splitsecond]

there are some late 90s peavey combo bass amps that sound superb. and they are CHEAP.

[xmicxcorex]

there are some late 90s peavey combo bass amps that sound superb. and they are CHEAP.

QFT. Im not sure the model name of my Peavey combo, but its a 1x15 from the mid-late 90s. I picked it up off a guy my dad worked with for 250 I think. It had a broken knob, but the little deal the knob pops onto was still there, and works. I would really suggest shopping craigslist and ebay for a solid 90s era Peavey combo. Theyre inexpensive, and sound supreme.

Note: this is coming from a guy who hates marshall, and will only play Peavey and ENGL. Plus, im a guitarist who plays bass on the side.

[zrac99]

Don't go beringhner. Hartke's are nice, i have one. Also try to avoid the lower model gallien krugers. GK makes nice stuff, but a lot of their low end stuff is crap.

[mick_jagger]

there's a 140 watt combo amp on craigslits for $175. is it a good deal? if it is i'll try and save up and see if it's still there when i have the money.

[The Boathouse]

It depends on what type of amp it is, if it sounds good, if it WORKS...Low price & high wattage does not always mean it's a good deal. It's not like a gallon of water, which for ninety nine cents is a way better deal than a much smaller poland spring bottle that costs $1.50. This isn't "more watts per dollar is always better" persay...Be careful. Don't buy something just because it's cheap and high wattage.

[xmicxcorex]

i suggest you go to a local guitar store (mom and pop style, not like Guitar Center) and see what they have to offer you. Theyre more likely to be the most honest and willing to cut you a break on price by even a little bit.

[mick_jagger]

i suggest you go to a local guitar store (mom and pop style, not like Guitar Center) and see what they have to offer you. Theyre more likely to be the most honest and willing to cut you a break on price by even a little bit.

Actually the local music store in my city is C.J.'s Music, and all they sell are over-priced fake brands, really.

[xmicxcorex]

Actually the local music store in my city is C.J.'s Music, and all they sell are over-priced fake brands, really.



that sucks hugely....but surely you live near another town? can you travel a tiny bit...i drive anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours to go to the right store for the right gear.


edit: yes, i realize youre 14, but surely one of your parents would take you up to a shop...

[mick_jagger]

that sucks hugely....but surely you live near another town? can you travel a tiny bit...i drive anywhere from 20 minutes to 3 hours to go to the right store for the right gear.


edit: yes, i realize youre 14, but surely one of your parents would take you up to a shop...

Actually, yeah, I was going to mention that there's Redlands music, which is like 20 minutes away. That's where my dad took my bass to get fixed because the pot broke (it's a Squier) and the neck was warped. He also bought me a new cable, shop brand, and it's still holding up pretty well.

[xmicxcorex]

dude, shop brand cables are the best. I personally use a Fender California that I had re-plated with gold tips by a guy I know here in my hometown for my instrument to amp. But for pretty much everything else I use shop cables from Uhlik Music in Wichita, KS. (I know this is no help to the bass amp situation, but just a fun fact) On all of them I unscrewed the casing right behind the tips and slid about 3 inch pieces of heat shrink down on each. I did this because that's the area that bends with the most force most often and I don't really care for straight-90 or all 90 cables. I've been using that Fender cable for nearly 10 years now and it has never failed me.
As far as the bass amp, I'd suggest doing some definite shopping around and ask a lot of questions before you do, both things you seem to be doing well on so far...let us know how the hunt ends! Hopefully it's soon!

[mick_jagger]

Ok, so I need to make up $100 and my dad has he'd match that $100 dollar for dollar. So basically I have a $200 limit. I'm definitely going to check local shops, but I need a good brand with pretty high wattage for around this price. Any more suggestions?

[patrickhowell]

Check craigslist, there's a lot of things around that price right now:

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/msg/1112156446.html
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/msg/1112259933.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/msg/1112319602.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/msg/1111822481.html

these are just a cabs, but a 410 would be great if you could swing it:
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/msg/1103201252.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/1112507000.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/msg/1112068681.html

here's a 160w head, that's selling for best offer:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/1112108412.html

[mick_jagger]

Check craigslist, there's a lot of things around that price right now:

http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/msg/1112156446.html
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/msg/1112259933.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/msg/1112319602.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/msg/1111822481.html

these are just a cabs, but a 410 would be great if you could swing it:
http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/msg/1103201252.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/1112507000.html
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/msg/1112068681.html

here's a 160w head, that's selling for best offer:
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/msg/1112108412.html

Thanks. Last time I checked craigslist there wasn't that much. The 410 looks nice, and it's in the range, but as for the head, I doubt he'd take $50 for it. The Hartke might work too, but I might as well buy the 410 if that's the direction I'm going. My friend said you can use a 25 watt combo amp as a head, but I don't actually own a 25 watt amp and I'm a little skeptical about if that would actually work well.