Cheap Used Bass amp recommendation.

[mathman]

Scrounging around to find a bass amp.  Looking used and cheap.

Years ago I had a Peavey Mark III bass amp with a Peavey 1810 cabinet.  Awesome low budget house rumbler.

I'm not looking for something that size but more mid range/ small area gig size. 

 

What should I look for in the cheap used category?

 

Thanks

[unfun75]

Combo amp or head/cab? Don't sleep on a Tech 21 DI pedal through a power amp, either.

[Jeff R]

I can't say enough good about the little Ampeg BA300 2x10 combo I keep in my shop. All the real bass guys coming through with "real" rigs compliment its sound for its size. I've never used it live but I'd guess it has the stage volume to keep up with a band easily, and it has onboard line outs. I bought mine used in mint condition for around $300 a few years ago. They had one with a 15 I could have picked up for the same price but the 2x10 simply sounded better.

[mathman]

Well, price is the main concern.  Head and cab or combo.  I guess a Head would allow for future upgrades in some ways.  Not really going to be playing out a lot but while it is fun playing my guitar through my amp sims with my studio monitors... playing bass even with my subwoofer just isn't the same.

 

Jeff,  that is something I can look for.

Thanks all.

[mrjamiam]

I hear good things about the 90's or so SWR stuff like the Redhead.  I was sort of looking for one for reasons similar to yours a couple or three years ago, and ended up with an Eden head for which I bought a cabinet.  Both of those were well-regarded in the places I was looking for guidance.

[tbonesullivan]

Used Carvin stuff can be found pretty inexpensively.

[carfish7]

Line 6 DL150 works for me, as does an Eden Nemesis combo. Both cheap and both sound pretty good!

[mathman]

The Eden looks interesting.  So does the Carvins.  Thanks, I can know what to be on the lookout for.  Hope to make a run through Tampa in a few weeks to look around.

[Carl.B]

Just got done playing around on this nothing fancy but sounded really good.

Tech 21 Bass Power Wedge 

[serial]

Used Trace stuff is cheap and good too.

[anotherfreak]

I have an amped 210 fliptop cab with their 500w class d head and it does all I ever need. I have seen them go SUPER CHEEP used, 

[killerteddybear]

Fender BXR300 combo.
300watts, 15" speaker, damned good sound.

[tomteriffic]

Eden Nemesis, particularly the 2 x 10, first generation if you can find one.  I had a SWR Basic Black that I loved but needed something smaller/more portable.  Wound up with a Carvin MB210 and the extension cab.  All the bells and whistles and a very flexible direct out.  The gigs I've done with it I haven't needed the extension.  Doesn't flinch with a 5 string or an acoustic.

But if you aren't going to move it much, An SWR Basic Black is definitely one to look for.  It's not particularly heavy, it's dimensions are just a little awkward.  A couple of serious pro bassist friends wouldn't part with theirs for anything.

Cheaper?  Used Ampeg BA's or the gray Fender Bassmans. Mu little tilt-back Bassman 25 has been doing yeoman duty down in Buzzard Gulch for a decade or better.

[mathman]

Thanks again.   This is going to be a summer search.  I'm making a list. 

[JohnnyB]

I'm with Tom Terrific about the Eden Nemesis 2x10 combo. I had that first generation version, the RS210. I think of it as the poor man's Red Head, as they're both fairly high-powered 2x10s and were designed by the same guy, Mark Eden. My Nemesis made about 380 watts pushing two high-excursion 10" drivers in a fairly large cabinet with a front-facing slot port that was right at floor level for maximum reinforcement. It could give you the fundamental on a 5-string's low B.

That RS210 is something else, especially when you can find a used one. It has lots of power, clarity, definition, and yet a very musical tone that provides foundation while blending well too. It's quick as well, if you're into slapping and thumb-popping, yet is equally adept at providing a large, full sound for mid-tempo classic rock. It is a very honest rig; it will readily reveal changes in settings, string types, gauges, pickup or polepiece height, etc. It also has a great set of I/Os that make it very versatile for recording and feeding the house PA via an XLR jack, which I did for a gig at a large venue for our band. 

For a lot less money, consider a Yorkville 1x15 combo. I bought a NOS Yorkville 100B combo bass amp at a pawn shop for about $99 a few years ago. It's 100w and 1x15. Nice sound, well made, gig worthy with sturdy cabinetry and a metal mesh grill protecting the speaker. It has a very nice sound and should be enough for club audiences up to 200 or so. 

[hamerhead]

The SWR WorkingPro 400 I got off Reverb for the house jams (under $250) is a great sounding head with good power and a lot of options. Even running it through the crappy cabinet we use - an old fuzzy Quantum(?) guitar cab with 4 cheap 10-inch subs replacing the guitar speakers - has gotten the thumbs-up from the various real bass players that have used it. A real bass cabinet would make the thing shine.

[Steve Haynie]

Peavey TNT 150 combos are plentiful and reliable.  They are a bit large to carry, so adding wheels is a good idea.  A set of wheels runs up the price. 

A Hartke Kickback with the aluminum cone speaker is an ideal combo if you are playing through a PA.  It is angled like a monitor, sounds good, and is easy to carry. 

 

Find either one of those used and you have a winner. 

[killerteddybear]

+1 on the Hartke Kickback. I had one for years.
It has a Shape control that can put out a lot of unique tonalities.

[Jakeboy]

+1 to a Tech 21 character pedal or the CatalinBread SVT pedal into a power amp. I use  a Tech 21 Tri AC through a BadCat Unleash.bthebTRi AC has some cool bass presets.

If I didn't have a Blonde Bassman clone, I'd be using the Cbread SVT pedal for bass.

[mathman]

So I was in Daytona for a couple of days and did a pawnshop run with my son.  Not much for bass amps.  Saw a nice looking Acoustic B200.

But the price didn't look so good.

 

Saw a Fender Sidekick 35 that sounded pretty good.  Had a nice ring to it but of course not much bottom end.  Only $99.

 

It was tempting but this is the beginning not the end of the search.  There was an even better look Sidekick 50 at this store in Ormond Beach.  But it was being held.

http://www.guitarattic.com

This was a great looking store. All the guitars looked great and everything was well taken care of.  So much better than most of the shoppes I went to where the stuff was stacked or piled together.

 

Needless to say, none of his amps still had this sticker on it.

 

The search continues.  Thanks again for the ideas.