How are marshall bass amps? Help me pick out a new amp...

[-=Squid=-]

Well... I definitely need a new bass amp considering my 12" peavey simply isnt very good, or cutting it for our shows, much like any peavey. Before you recommend hartke or ampeg, dont. I already know thats what I should get but my music shop is on very good grounds with my dad, and I could get a marshal on payments AND get to take it home. So, how are marshal bass amps?

And in case your wondering, im wanting a halfstack/head, but im unsure; also considering a 2 x 10 combo with a 15" cab. Any suggestions here?

Feel free to show me anything else that is good/recommended. 350 watts or higher only, and there is no way I will go over 1000 bucks right now, and would like to go lower in fact.

Nick
Polymer Paintball

EDIT: Cant find any marshall bass amps online My music shop says he can get them though... Incite?

[Mister Sinister]

Yeah marshall has a current line of bass amps. Try http://www.marshallamps.com thats their official website they should have the info you need. But if Iam not mistaken only their VBA line comes in a head cabinet formation. The amps rock but they arent cheap either as they are all tube amps. The have a more affordable Basstate that is all solid state but they are only available in combo format. My rig I have a Mesa/Boogie 400+ which i use with either an ampeg cab that is a 2x10,2x15 or with a Mesa powerhouse cab which is a 1x15 4x10 cab. Though for what you talking about though i would recomend looking into either Trace Elliots stuff or the SWR stuff. Both have full lines where you can get a head and cab pretty reasonable. Not sure what sound your going for but both of those are they more modern punch you in the chest sound. As opposed to a warmer rounder vintage sound. One set up that i tried that i really like was a SWR 4004 head with a 8x8 cab. Dont let the 8 inch speakers fool yah they sound killer. They dont get flubby in the lows like a 15 can. The rig was pretty portable and loud enough for anything short of Castle Donnington. You can get the 4004's for 400-500 used sometimes less. Cabs are about the same. I would rather have a head and cab setup versus a combo. Combos can get real heavy and are a pain to move. With a head and cab set up you have the option of mixing and matching speaker sizes for different tones. That and most bass combos dont have enough space around the speaker to get a really good sound. They also tend to be less reliable as the amps take alot more vibration cause they are in the same case as the speakers. Hopes this helps a little.

[-=Squid=-]

Helped a bunch... Id much rather have a head/cab, heck, if money wasnt an issue this thread wouldnt exist

Sadly... money IS an issue...

[-=Squid=-]

I looked at SWR; pretty intriguing.

The 8x8's sounds like something I would want to look into; short of the fact that I will go well beyond 1000 to get that setup. What about the 4004 halfstack/head they have?

Any other good brands to look at? Im really not to knowledgable in the field of amps; all I know is that my dad wants me to get a hartke or ampeg... but like I said, I cant get hartke in the size/wattage I want, and ampeg is slightly out of my price range. Although they do have a halfstack/head for 1050...

Anybody familliar with musiciansfriend payment system? How does it work exactly? Please be detailed, as payments will be my only option to get a decent amp right now.

[Mister Sinister]

Yeah I've never really like the sound of Hartke's stuff. What sort of sound are you looking for? You might want to look at the Trace Elliot line I like alot of their stuff. I know there are some brands that Iam just not thinking of at this moment. I actually leave for rehearsal here in about half an hour. I will talk to with my bass player there (I play bass and guitar) The other guitar player with us I know has bought stuff on payments from Muscians Friend and American Musical Supply. I will pick his brain too and have the info for you later tonight. I have some more info for you sorry i just dont have the time to type it all out right now. I will post it later though.

[-=Squid=-]

Thanks a lot; looking forward to it.

Im considering the ampeg halfstack/head (350 watt) for 1050.

Im going for, well, a more distinct sound. As you call it a "punch in the stomach" sound, that is not quite what im looking for. Clean, for more intricate pieces. Think Tool. Thats about the best I can describe it... If your unsure of what I mean, I will try again.

[jpdgas]

I dont know much about Marshall bass amps, but I do know about Carvin. I have the RC210 with a RL115 cab underneath and I love it. It has great range and a lot of nice features (it has a great eq and crossover) and it seems to be in your price range. Check em out here: http://www.carvin.com/products/group.php?CID=BA

[ratmonkey]

my friend got a higher end ampeg rackmount head unit, a marshall 2x10 cab, and a crate 1x15 cab for under 500 bux used. look into used equipment at your local music and pawn shops.

oh yeah, it wasn't even cosmetically damaged equipment.

[-=Squid=-]

my friend got a higher end ampeg rackmount head unit, a marshall 2x10 cab, and a crate 1x15 cab for under 500 bux used. look into used equipment at your local music and pawn shops.

oh yeah, it wasn't even cosmetically damaged equipment.

Thing is, I have to do payments AND be able to take it home.

Hence the reason its either new from musicians friend, or used from talberts (my dad goes far back with the owner, so he can get something like this setup)

Talberts deals marshal, peavey, and yamaha, so used is the only way to go there.

[jdev]

mesa boogie makes some excellent bass amps.

head:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Bass_Amps/bigblock/bigblock.htm

cabs:

http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Bass_Cabs/Printable/PrintableB-Cabs.htm

i recommend the 2x15 powerhouse for stage performance stuff. you can pick though anything else for every other purpose.

[gamarada717]

Last time I checked, aren't mesa's like thousands of dollars?

I would go with the 1050 ampeg, it's probably your best bet if your going for a stack/head. Our bassist has the ampeg that's like 500 dollars, it's a single. It works well for shows and practicing, and I love it because it's not super big and I can fit it in the back of my camaro. The only thing that I dislike about it, is how the back part is cut so it can lean back and work like a moniter, because we always have it facing towards the audience, and one time he bumped up against it when we were juming around, and it's too heavy to lift with your foot and play at the same time, so we had to finish with it facing towards the ceiling.

[-=Squid=-]

I take it its a combo?

Wattage?
Size?
Link?

[gamarada717]

This is it I believe....there is another for like 100 more I think that comes with effects.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/srs7/sid=040816223014067064014014996195/g=home/search/detail/base_pid/481777/

[Mister Sinister]

Ok this is the info that i have on the muscians friend payment system. They run your credit through their own credit company and come back with wether or approved or denied and tell you how much of a credit line you have with them... Then you have 12 months to pay off the balance with no interest. If you go past your 12 months or you dont make your min payment for 2 months in a row they start to charge you interest which my friend said was like 22 percent How American Musical Supply does theirs is they will break it up into 5 payments but put them on your credit card. They say no interest too... but being its going to your credit card your gonna get hit with it there... As far as which one to get going off of whats offered by musicans friend I would vote for the SWR 4004 with the 4x10 cab.... Its actually a little less than the ampeg. Last night I messed around with my bassists 4004 but he has "Henry" the 8x8 cab and its a nice amp. Very good detail and articulation. For the price I dont think it really can be beat. Side note gamarad is right the boogie head is much more than Squid is looking to spend for a head and cab. When I bought my Powerhouse cab it was 999 that was 5 years ago.