[dream-thief]

This has probably been asked a hundred times before.

The situation is that we have a 5 string bass, but no decent amp.

So i'm looking for reccomendations for a strict budget Bass amp that can deal with the xtra low easily. I'm a guitarist myself so I'm not an expert here.

We play ProgPower music. (Evergrey, Iced Earth, etc.) and I'll be running on an ENGL powerball probably by the time we need the bass amp for practices and such.

The main issue for the bass amp is price though. Bassist has no cash at all. Tosser.

[OwlsHaveEyes]

Well through experience and lack of cash....Behringer makes pretty decent equipment...the 450 head is awesome, and the 410 cab is alright...its definately good if you are on a tight budget....also the tone is pretty good...punchy yet thick

[Crucified]

old peavey mark stuff. you can usually fins used mark III or mark IV stuff for ultra cheap. and they sound good too! scour craigslist and buy and sells and such

[thedonutman]

Originally Posted by Crucified

old peavey mark stuff. you can usually fins used mark III or mark IV stuff for ultra cheap. and they sound good too! scour craigslist and buy and sells and such

The old Peavey USA stuff is great



I got that head for £100, which is incredibly cheap considering the Behringer stuff is over £200, and the Peavey is far better quality. The older Mark stuff is also USA made, and also very good. Peavey cabs are also pretty good, but they are very heavy.

If you look hard enough, you can get a decent 300+w head, and a 410 cab (probably a Peavey, Ashdown or Trace elliot), used on ebay for no more than £250ish.

I seen a few peavey 4x10s go for around £100 on ebay, but they were collection only, weighed about 40kg, and they were all down south.

[dream-thief]

Thanks. I'll have a look for the peavey.

I'd go for behringer, But i've bought so much stuff from them in the past that's been faulty or stopped working so quickly I'm never touching any of their stuff again.

[thedonutman]

Originally Posted by dream-thief

Thanks. I'll have a look for the peavey.

I'd go for behringer, But i've bought so much stuff from them in the past that's been faulty or stopped working so quickly I'm never touching any of their stuff again.

You're in luck, I just saw a few on the bay

PEAVEY NITROBASS 400W Professional Bass Amplifier on eBay, also Bass, Amplifiers, Pro Audio Equipment, Musical Instruments (end time 18-May-08 12:06:40 BST)

Peavey MAX700 Bass Amplifier on eBay, also Bass, Amplifiers, Pro Audio Equipment, Musical Instruments (end time 17-May-08 13:21:02 BST)
(The bigger 700w version)

Peavey Firebass 700 Bass Amp on eBay, also Bass, Amplifiers, Pro Audio Equipment, Musical Instruments (end time 17-May-08 19:00:00 BST)
Also the 700w one

Peavey Mark 6 Bass amp & 15" Cab on eBay, also Bass, Amplifiers, Pro Audio Equipment, Musical Instruments (end time 17-May-08 20:27:29 BST)
Mark 6

[swayman]

Unfortunately, with Bass more than any other instrument I've had anything to do with, there are no real shortcuts, you pay for what you get.

In an ideal situation, every Bass player would have an Ampeg Pro 2 with a classic 8x10 cabinet. This is not an ideal world though.

As somebody who's played many different bass rigs in the last 15 or so years, I've not encountered a piece of Peavey bass equipment I like, nor Behringer. But as you are saying, your bassist has no cash therefore needs something CHEAP.

Don't be too concerned with Watts RMS, you want true volume. EG, an Ampeg Pro 2 which is 300 watts is way louder than any 1000 Watt mosfet head I've heard. Get your bassist to plug into it and play it, sounds pretty obvious, but you wanna see how loud you can crank it before it shits itself.

If you're in a rehearsal situation, you wanna be sure that you're going to at least be able to feel the bass sitting under the guitars, not neccesarily competing for volume.

As far as a live situation is concerned, 30 watt combo amps can be miked the same as any amp, your bassist won't hear it through the cabinets too much, if at all, he'll just have to listen to the foldbacks.

I hope you score a bargain, buying gear when on a budget sucks, but 99% of us are in that boat.