Spaz91

Tru dat, Aguilar and Eden to some surprisingly cheap things too. I'll work on those later.

When its finished I'll rewrite it with more objectivity but seriously, **** Laney and their shitty shit.

__________________

Tostitos

The Tonehammer 350 right? I thought Eden discontinued the Nemesis line and left "affordable" behind.

__________________

Spaz91

They discontinued it? Balls, I was going to get one. Tone Hammer it is.

__________________

dark Mass

Eden does have the WTX-264 and WTX-500 heads which I've heard they're not great amps reliability wise.

Mainly cheap pots and sending units out with burnt out power transformers.

__________________
Tanks Used
KV-1/KV-2/SU-85

seljer

Even if its discontinued, they're probably still going to lay about shops and warehouses for another year or so, possibly marked down

No idea about the pots on my Nemesis, they seem to work fine, but they've used the most horrible plastic knobs possibly available as far as aesthetics are concerned

ScottB.

If you're considering the Hartke LH500 don't let the EQ put you off. It's very different from an active EQ but once you know how to use it the amp comes into its own. I start off with the knobs set give a flat EQ (which is definitely not 12 o'clock) and adjust from there to accommodate for the way the room sounds.

__________________

Ibanez ATK300 ◈ Sansamp VT Bass ◈ EHX Nano Small Stone ◈ Hartke LH500 ◈ Ashdown/Celestion 115

Ziphoblat

The Genz Benz lower range stuff could be considered for this thread (as a higher end budget consideration). The Shuttle 3.0 + a 1x10 tweeter cab will set you back £550 and probably kicks out sufficient volume to keep up, and will be completely fine if you have PA support which nearly any music venue you play is going to these days does (at least around here). It probably has plenty of killer tone too, unlike certain other amps on a budget. There's also a 1x15 combo which you can currently get for £449 from bassdirect (and a £499 2x10). Both look like good amps for the money, though I've no direct experience with their stuff. Genz Benz also have some stellar customer service which is always a big plus. One of my favourite companies out there at the moment.

I can give a big plus one to Hartke too. A year or so ago I played a gig at a music venue that was really pushy about us using their backline (can't stand that shit) and wouldn't let me bring my own amp on stage. The amp was an Ampeg B-2 (which I've played through before and didn't get along with) but I've just dug up some photos and the Hartke cab it was running into appears to be a VX410. My only experience of gigging Hartke stuff but I can definitely recommend it. Would still rather have used my own amp but for the price that was a solid sounding cab. Definitely beats Ashdown who seem to be the standard for bass equipment around that pricepoint... can't get along with their stuff at all, too muddy and lacking in clarity. The high-end stuff might be alright, never tried it, but don't like the cheaper stuff (I'm not exactly biased either, I've tried a lot of it a lot of times, and actually have one of their pedals on my board which I love).

When it comes to Laney, their new stuff is utter crap, probably still beats Behringer but it's not great. However, I gigged for several years with an old Laney DP set-up from the early 90's my dad had lying around in the basement from his gigging days (he's a guitarist, but his bassist didn't have space for the amp when they stopped playing together) until I could afford my own amp. That amp was shit-hot for the money (I see them go frequently for less than £50). It was rated at 150 watts into 4Ω and 75 watts into 8Ω, but even running it with a single cab at 75 watts it could easily shut up a drummer. It was seriously loud. I actually bumped into a 300 watt version in a dodgy pre-owned music shop about a year ago which was going for about £70. I used to use this with an old nameless PA cab, so can't comment on the cabs, but the DP series amps are simply awesome budget buys for the money. Built like a tank too, never gave me any trouble in over a hundred gigs. It's along the same vein as all the Trace Elliot gear from the same sort of era, which also tends to pop up pretty cheap second hand. Looking second hand for 80's/early 90's gear is probably a great way to go, that stuff will sound quite good and go seriously loud, and be pretty damn cheap. The only downside is carrying the stuff about, weighs a ton (my amp & cab & bass all together way as much as my old Laney head did).

__________________

Save a Cow,
Eat a Vegan.

consecutive e

E series Eden stuff is the "budget" line these days. Marshall did away with Nemisis stuff.

__________________
Basses:
Fender Precision Bass
Fender Jazz Bass
Warwick Star Bass

Amps: Mesa and MarkBass

J3G2

Woah, never seen so much Laney hate haha! I love their stuff personally. I use either a Laney RB9 or Laney B1(1500 watts! Valve preamp) through two 15inch PA speakers. The B1 is probably my favourite amp at the moment and this is after playing through a £2000 Trace setup and various valve rigs(that ampeg tone is immense!).

Laney is very transparent sounding imo, so it works for heavy fx use....but then again I don't use any effects apart from a bit of drive.

Really good thread too!

badcoconuts

I have the Ashdown t15 250s, which is basically the same as the MAG series, it is actually thomann's own edition of the amplifier, no big differences. I've had it for like almost a year now, and I've been satisfyed with the sound and everything so far, no flauds have come up and if u buy an extra cabinet for it, u can get 500 watt's out of it!

__________________
BadCoconuts

craigsilva

Definitely they would cost more but talking about reliability than no doubt..they are the best to go with!!

__________________
Office phone systems

ldyjl

Thoughts on these?

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/ampeg-pf-35...-amp-head/45206

http://www.gak.co.uk/en/tc-electron...CFSTKtAodDVcAwA

Spaz91

They're both brilliant bass heads. For the price, I'd go with the Ampeg for the £/w but remember the TC is more versatile with its effects built in.

(When I finally get around to arranging a half stack for pub gigs, I'm definitely going with one of these two or an Aguilar TH 350.)

Tostitos

Maybe it's just me, but I was not impressed with the Ampeg PF's in the slightest. Could just be some bum heads that I tried, maybe a little bias in regards to "Ampeg" and the "Ampeg sound."

I really want to give that TC head a go sometime, I'll have to look for one when I'm back in town in December. Still, I think the Aggie TH's are awesome. I'd probably be playing one today if I didn't have my Markbass.

__________________

Sudaka

I found Ampeg portaflex series kinda underwhelming... The EQ is poor, and if you want to use the ultro lo or ultra hi buttons, you'll find the go too far away... there's nothing in the middle. Also, the overdrive is a fart machine, which kills definition (unlike my Tech 21 VT bass, so it's not that any overdrive kills definition)... I basically think it overall sucks, and i tried with portaflex cabs and with my bass (well, the VM Jazz that used to be my bass back then)

__________________

Not mine, his!

Sterling SUB 5
Hartke Ha3500 head - Gallien Krueger 212MBE cab
Tech 21 VT Bass
Zoom b2

Ziphoblat

Contrary to everyone else here my one experience with an Ampeg Portaflex head was a positive one. I played a gig at an academy a year or two ago who insisted upon their backline being used and had an Ampeg Portaflex head into a Hartke HX410 Hydrive cab. I didn't expect much, but it actually sounded quite pleasing & cut through well. Of course, I can't be sure how much of that was the cab or the venue or whatever having never played through that cab or at that venue before, so it's hardly a hugely informed assessment, but I did like what I heard... was one of the rare few times I actually enjoyed the live sound coming out of the Stingray which I was using back then.

__________________

Save a Cow,
Eat a Vegan.

Sliide90027

Now that they are discontinued and aged the Genz Benz Neox 400 112T and 210 Combos should be in the cheapish range. External cab to get it from 300w range up to the 425 might be cost prohibitive.

Likewise, the GBE 400 Amp Head by GB should be in the cheapish reach as well

primusfan

i've been renting a traynor DB300H since august and running it through my old behringer cab. there was some rattling in the cab somewhere but it stopped. i don't invest a lot of time in EQing or anything and it works well for me. pretty simple. just bass, low mid, hi mid and treble. works for me.

__________________

christianonbass

Old guy who's out of touch with new combo brands and technology could use some advice. I have battled addiction and --very recently--an awful bout with Psoriatic Arthritis. I have lost my equipment several times--as well as wore out my welcome in certain bands . I have managed to maintain my talent, and I have bounced back to the point that I play my bass better than ever. I will increase my endurance when I start jamming with others again--and I will see how helpful my Carpal Tunnel surgeries really were.
I have amplification concerns. Back in the good ole days, Mom bought me a Peavey Combo with a BW 15. It had 130W, a parametric EQ that I never understood and a single handle on top making it a PAIN to carry. It was so loud that I often wouldn't get ran through the PA, which was difficult for live recordings. I could play along with 2 guitars and a loud drummer while still cutting through no problem. When I had it cranked for outside gigs that sucker was downright MEAN sounding! Mom bought it for me in 82 for 500 bucks. Twelve years later I pawned it and never got it back, one of many regrets.
I was reading a different forum the other day and was shocked. The topic was "With PA system amplification why have an amp" (for bass). WTH? I was taught that you get your "Sound" with your amp, and that is your monitor. Hopefully that sound is replicated somewhat in the PA (with that combo amp I was loud enough to not need the PA if playing in a grange or hall)! Sorry for reminiscing. That is my story. My current situation is that I have 400 bucks to spend on an amp. I am thinking of getting a Peavey TNT perhaps. I have looked at many options, and the reviews scare me. I can't afford to make a mistake on this. Are Ampeg BAs OK? Acoustic combo? Fender Rumble? With Peavey I know what I am getting...unless they have went downhill since the Reagan years. I felt that I needed to share some of my history. I used to think being a druggie was so "Rock Star". I became a Heroin junkie. Kids, don't go there please. I see some of the young talent nowadays (like on You tube, wow) and it warms my heart seeing a Teen rocking on Rush or Zeppelin. I want you to have fun and succeed!