Combo amp to keep up with drummer

[Crusher]

Looking for an inexpensive ($300-$500) bass combo amp that sounds good and will be loud enough to be heard over a drummer and hang with the guitar players in a jam/practice session setting. I'm leaning towards the Ampeg B100R but if there are any other suggestions, that would be cool. Thanks

[markD]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

i got a peavey TNT 115 combo for 125.00 and it works great. my band rehearses at my house so this combo is what the bass player uses. it has NO problem keeping up with the drummer and me. it has good usesable tone, is heavy as hell and has the volume to push the low end. check one out. it was an incredible bang for the buck (paid less than a dollar a watt!!)

[Dolan]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

SWR Basic Black. Hartke has a few good combos as well.

[horns666]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

hmmmmm...this is a very sticky situation...because I have been though this soooooooo many times..

for me combos do NOT work over a drummer...Nope nope nope..

not for metal and especially if your drummer pounds the crap outta his shit..

I used an SWR ...a Peavy Combo with 1 15 and 2 10s..no matter what combo I used...I always had the same prob...I had to push the amp beyond it's comfort level until the damn thing flubs out..

If your drummer doesn't pound his shit like a Gorilla you may just get by..I recommend getting a 15 or 18 extension cab...at least you can break it down..and move alot more air..

BTW Carvins are THE shit imo opinion...I'm buying my fourth full 1 18 / 4 10 red eye stack ver soon...they are THE BEST IMO...and I did about 100 gigs with those bastards...everyone was blown away by those amps..

I can't stand Hartke's man...I bought two brand new XL cabs about 15 years ago...they sound great in my bedroom...but the wattage handling is lame and pop , fart and flub when pushed at moderate volume levels...

Carvins will EAT those pieces of crap , believe me...and that is not my opion...this is tried and true , put to ultimate the test comparison...GIGGING!

I highly recommend getting a Carvin red eye combo..they are bi-ampable and their speakers are bullet proof and sound tight and prestine no matter how hard you push em...I mean that!

I believe they make a 1 18 / 20 version...that would be the one to go with..or the 1 15 / 2 10 ...that is cool too..I truly swear by them,,

that is why I will buy NOTHING else..Carvin Bass amps are the shit ...for any money IMO...and they are VERY reasonable...best bang for the buck..


I been playing bass for over 25 years...amps ...I had em all..I wouldn't waste my hard earned dough on nothing esle man..

Carvin should friggin' pay me for promoting their bass amps so much..

[Newc]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

The Peavey KB-300 has always been a reliable and loud bass amp. 300 watts with a 15 and a horn, though it may take some creative cabinet arrangement to be heard over a loud drummer (if your drummer is too loud - some of them can't get a good sound out of their crappy kits unless they're beating the hell out of them [img]/images/graemlins/poke.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] )

[horns666]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

I love loud , hard hittin' drummers..

BTW ...if you do a gig...remember your amp is the whole bands (and yours) stage monitor most of the time..due to that alot of club's sound gear and or sound dudes plain suck..

I had a Carvin 1000 wt. biamped full blown stack with 1 - 18" cab and a 4 - 10" cab. I had those things fairly cranked just to be at a decent level at times...a combo would never have cut that ... [img]/images/graemlins/refuse.gif[/img]

I'm very fussy about my bass tone , as I am with my guitar tone...I need alot of headroom ..I need a very crisp clean sound..

the carvin has a excellent noise gate...a adjustable compressor , a awesome varibale crossover..with tweakable horn..a parametric and all kinds of eq..and a footswitch to bypass the eq / a lead boost..If you need to be louder here and there.

I swear..this is the only amp that punches you in the chest..and I had old and new SVTs of all sorts with the 8 10" cabs...I hated carrying that bullshit.. [img]/images/graemlins/eviltongue.gif[/img]

But the biggest bastard I ever owned..was a early 80's Peavey "Max" bass head..it came in a flight case and was based on their most powerful poweramp at that time ..a CS 800...The cabinet was ridiculous..they were model # 3620...Two 18's with two tens..I had two of those bastards...Rudy Sarzo used them during Metal Health ..Tony Franklin during Radioactive...those were monster bass amps..but the tweakability was a bit lame ..I bought those in late '84 and sold them in '88 to get the Hartke XLs..a 1 15 and 4 10 ..and a GK 800RB for a head...it sounded great ..crisp and clean as hell until I cranked them ..then they farted like an old jewish woman in line at the bank ..

If I had to buy a combo..I'd go with the Carvin stuff...it never failed me and I never heard a better amp....I like some ampeg stuff too..but they are too expensive for what they are IMO [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]

[Dolan]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

Oops.....forgot Carvin. Theres so many out there.

[Crusher]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

Thanks guys! Hey Horns, how are the Carvin basses themselves? I'm looking for a good sounding bass amp that doesn't have dot inlays. Right now I'm leaning towards the Fender Geddy Lee Jazz bass or a Spector.

[Niccolai]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

I have a Carvin r1000 Redeye 8x10 full stack (1200$) and a hartke vx3500 350 watt halfstack combo (600$)

The hartke is no where near as good as the carvin, but I like them alot more than horns does. The redeye combo probably is much better though and is close to the same price range.


I used to have a carvin 4... sold that, my USA BCRich and a warwick for my ESP.
The Carvin was better than the rich, but the warwick is lightyears ahead.

[Newc]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

In a live situation, a 50w guitar amp is probably plenty as long as it's crankable, but a bass amp will really need over 1000 watts to be heard as more than a low rumble, or a fartbox as Bill stated.

Just because the knobs go to 10 doesn't mean that's where you should keep them. You don't watch your TV at full volume, or listen to your stereo on Max all the time, and you certainly don't drive your car at 120MPH everywhere you go, so to run an amp on all 10s constantly to be heard means you need more power.
Think about it.

[horns666]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

"you certainly don't drive your car at 120MPH everywhere you go"...

yes i do... [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/toast.gif[/img]

[mwm70]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

Check out avatar . They had some good deals on heads/cabs combos that will allow some upgrade possibilities. My experience with Ampegs lower end stuff is that they are horribly under powered. I am using a Behringer head (BX3000t) that I bought used which has really suprised me. It's loud and clean and keeps up with my guitarist's Mesa 50 caliber/4x12. The head new is 200 bills and is 300 watts at 4ohms. I am running mine with a 210 and 115 and it sounds good. I would stay away from combos, they are no where near as versitile. JMHO.

[horns666]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

oops Crusher dude,

Oh yeah , the Cravin basses appear better tahn waht they used to be..

a friend bought one new about 15 years ago or so...and the neck on that thing was like rubber and the action changed on a daily basis...it was horrible..

that was the only Carvin bass I ever played...so maybe someone else can chime in on that..I'm sure they gotten better...I hope!

[Crusher]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

Thanks guys! I had a Peavey TNT130 for a while but it was old and beat and didn't sound that good. I'll keep my eyes peeled for any deals

[horns666]

Re: Combo amp to keep up with drummer

No ...a Peavey TNT 130 will sound like ass...they sounded like ass back then...and they sound even worse now...

that is a amp you buy when you are on welfare.. [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]