ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Mar 11, 2021 5:01 pm

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 10:44 am
I'm brainstorming on a similar line- I've recently come into a couple of Steinberger basses, and want to explore the possibilities of the sub-$500 bass amp range.

I'm a huge fan of 'that 90s GK' sound, so I've been lurking around after something like that, but I'm not sure if I can keep it under the budget for as loud as I want- I'm thinking 200W minimum.

Bloke in one of my hero bands in the 90s local scene had a GK MicroBass 200 watt combo that only had a 12" speaker, but it would punch you in the gut- even on large club stages. I'm hoping to approximate the tonez and balls from my memories of those shows.
I use a 400RB. Love it. As a concession to my old man-ness I use it with a 4 ohm Schroeder 15”/horn that weighs like 35 pounds.

Only tried one of their Class D heads and was not sold.

Peavey is sorta cool now. The Carvin recommendation is solid. Carvin will probably never be cool.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Mar 11, 2021 5:18 pm

jthomas wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 4:56 pm
I have considered getting one of these, but have not seen one in the "flesh." Anybody every try one?

https://reverb.com/item/6340578-trace-e ... ollup=true
It’s ok. Sounds best clean-ish to me. The onboard compression is meh.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by jthomas » Thu Mar 11, 2021 6:02 pm

marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 5:18 pm
jthomas wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 4:56 pm
I have considered getting one of these, but have not seen one in the "flesh." Anybody every try one?

https://reverb.com/item/6340578-trace-e ... ollup=true
It’s ok. Sounds best clean-ish to me. The onboard compression is meh.
Is something like this loud enough to gig with (small to mid-size bar)?

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by marqueemoon » Thu Mar 11, 2021 6:05 pm

jthomas wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 6:02 pm
marqueemoon wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 5:18 pm
jthomas wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 4:56 pm
I have considered getting one of these, but have not seen one in the "flesh." Anybody every try one?

https://reverb.com/item/6340578-trace-e ... ollup=true
It’s ok. Sounds best clean-ish to me. The onboard compression is meh.
Is something like this loud enough to gig with (small to mid-size bar)?
I would think so, yeah.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by s_mcsleazy » Thu Mar 11, 2021 9:45 pm

jthomas wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 4:56 pm
I have considered getting one of these, but have not seen one in the "flesh." Anybody ever try one?

https://reverb.com/item/6340578-trace-e ... ollup=true
actually i've tried one..... it could handle my mustang bass tuned down to C standard. sounded ok with my jazz bass too.
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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by redchapterjubilee » Mon Mar 15, 2021 7:06 am

Turns out the guy that plays bass in the band I play drums in was sitting on an SWR Triad cabinet he wanted to let go of for super cheap so I got that from him yesterday and ordered a TC BAM200 today. Sub $200 bass rig achieved. 70 lb. cabinet, 1 lb. amp.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by Jonesie » Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:15 am

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 1:03 pm
I've got a couple here locally that I'm going to go check out (same dood is selling both of them):

Fender Rumble 200 for $280

Ampeg BA115V2 for $300- this one pricks my interest most, but even the seller admits it's HEAVY and a beast to move.
I had a BA115 in high school, and even then I thought it was a piece of shit. Super woofy sounding.

Another vote for an older Peavey Mark head.

EDIT: Just saw that you bought something. Congrats!

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by northern_dirt » Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:27 am

Jonesie wrote:
Mon Mar 15, 2021 9:15 am

Another vote for an older Peavey Mark head.
Dont tell everyone.. not before I buy 4 more mark IVs at least..

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by burpgun » Mon Mar 15, 2021 11:06 am

SignoftheDragon wrote:
Thu Mar 11, 2021 1:03 pm
I've got a couple here locally that I'm going to go check out (same dood is selling both of them):

Fender Rumble 200 for $280

Ampeg BA115V2 for $300- this one pricks my interest most, but even the seller admits it's HEAVY and a beast to move.
I have a Rumble 500 bought used for around $400 and an Ampeg BA115. I'd go for the Rumble in a heart beat. Not sure what control options are on the 200, but the 500 has lots of sound shaping and very useful dirt, is louder than god passing wind, and super light. The Ampeg is heavy and honestly, doesn't sound that great without some pedals putting some life in the signal. I've been playing since the late 80s, was without a bass amp for a long time, and I have to say, coming back in with this Class D stuff, it's a radical change. My Rumble is louder and sounds better than the old Hartke 3000/Sunn 610 rig I used to gig, and is a fraction of the weight and size.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by Sauerkraut » Tue Mar 16, 2021 2:41 am

I like my Rumble 500 a lot too. I'd be afraid the 200 isn't loud enough at "140 W at 8 ohm (built-in speaker)". I had a Rumble 100 for a little while but it just was nowhere near loud enough. You need a lot more output with even a moderately loud drummer, and the 500 has plenty.

Those Peavey Mark heads sound interesting too though, never tried one myself.

Edit: TC BAM200. Good score, I think. Looks super practical. I hope you have a 4 ohm cab, so you can squeeze out all 200 watts (rather than 130 at 8 ohm).

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by redchapterjubilee » Tue Mar 16, 2021 4:32 pm

The SWR Triad cabinet I picked up for $50 is 4 ohms. Runs a 15, a 10, and a horn for 400w. But the stock 15 has been traded out for an EV and it makes me wonder if perhaps the cabinet could take more wattage than 400w now. I need to take the back off this weekend and have a closer look.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by marqueemoon » Tue Mar 16, 2021 6:08 pm

redchapterjubilee wrote:
Mon Mar 15, 2021 7:06 am
Sub $200 bass rig achieved. 70 lb. cabinet, 1 lb. amp.
Sounds about right.

My bandmate has a 90’s Carvin 4x10. Other than the weight/awkwardness I really don’t have anything bad to say about it.

It’s nice to have the option of a horn even if you end up leaving it almost all the way down.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by Powdered Toast Man » Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:16 pm

The bassist in my band has a Rumble 200 and it's so good that I sold my old Traynor stack and bought a 200 as well. It's plenty loud enough. He gigs with it all the time. One time we played an outdoor gig where he'd need more volume and he just rented an extension cab and it was thumpin. Plus it's only 35 lbs so yeeeeah!

The 500 is exactly the same as the 200 in terms of control layout and size. Only difference is the power rating and the speakers - 115 vs 210.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by redchapterjubilee » Mon Mar 29, 2021 6:41 am

Quick update: The tiny TC BAM200 at 4 ohms into that massive SWR Triad cabinet is plenty loud. My bass player had plenty of volume and enough ability to tweak a good tone. My friend I bought that cabinet from also has a Hartke 350w HA2000 (I think that's the model number) that has problems that he is giving me (he wants it out of the house) but I'm not entirely sure I want to spend the money/time to fix it or need to. That little TC punches pretty high for something smaller than an old EHX pedal.

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Re: ISO Advice on Sleeper/Budget Loud Bass Amps

Post by burpgun » Mon Mar 29, 2021 7:12 am

The evolution of bass amps has been something to behold. I didn't realize it, but it turns out I was on the Class D ride from nearly the beginning. Back around 1990 or so I was in a band with an extremely loud guitar player and I had a Peavey Combo 300. It was not loud enough. Sometime around that period Peavey launched the Databass, which they billed as a "digital amp." It was small and super loud for its size, and I believe it was one, if not the first, class D amps you could get.

My time with the Databass was not good. The amp was too powerful for the speaker, I blew three or four of them while under warranty from normal usage and was told I was being cut off from further repairs. The amp died during a gig, like the volume was slowly turned down. Role the tape forward 30 years and my Rumble 500 is basically everything that Peavey tried to be, with much better tone shaping controls and usable grit. I'm sure doing an Al Cisneros five SVT rigs at a time thing is a trip, but it's wild how powerful and good sounding an amp can be fit in such a small package now. I haven't played with a real drummer in years, but I can't imagine the Rumble not being able to handle any situation.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to sell my Ampeg BA and can't find a buyer, even at a low price!

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