T_Gobbs
SS.org Regular
B7k into the cheapest SS head you can find.
I need a bass rig!
- Thread starter FILTHnFEAR
- Start date
wheresthefbomb
SS.org Regular
Peavey definitely, not sure about GK, I haven't used them but know folks who swear by them.
HeHasTheJazzHands
SS.org Regular
The RB series for sure does. The 800RB was a staple in touring rigs for years for "only" being 300w (not counting the biamp 100w no one used lol)
If anything worries me it's Hartke amps. They seem to have overrated power sections that don't punch as hard as they should.
Last edited:
wheresthefbomb
SS.org Regular
The last band I was in, bassist had an older 500w Hartke head that sounded good and was built pretty solid but couldn't keep up when I started cranking 100w+ toob amps.
HeHasTheJazzHands
SS.org Regular
Yeah that was a common complaint I read on the Talkbass forums. The Hartkes seems like they over-rated their amp's power. That or the voicing is just too clean and sterile to go against loud drummers and heavily-distorted guitars. That seems to be why Peaveys, SWER, Ampeg, and GKs are so good, since they have a bit of growl and punch to their sound.
boltzthrower
SS.org Regular
What’s the tuning? If you’re tuning down below C or so, then a solid state bass amp needs to be around 1000 watts RMS to not fart out at drummer volumes. Standard tuning, might be able to get away with 400-500w? The need for headroom as it relates to tuning is more relevant with bass than with guitar.
beerandbeards
All things must pass
Not knowing your budget, but knowing it’s just for fun, I d go with the Fender Rumble series, Ampeg BA series, or Acoustic amps. They all sound good and get whatever you can afford, then get a pedal if you need to color your sound. I know metal players love Darkglass stuff. I love more traditional jazz tones so I use Aguilar Tone Hammer (they make a pedal but I use the head and cab).
TL;DR: Hartke's sometimes are not eq'd properly causing them to feel underpowered and are a great pedal platform. They shine with Darkglass stuff and you don't have to have a djent tone.
I had the opposite experience from years of running SWR (Bass 350,750x) and an Ampeg (SVT 350H) compared to Hartke.
SWR always felt underpowered no matter what kind of cab or how many I used. Headroom was always an issue as well: great tone? Not loud enough. Want volume? Tone sucked.
The Ampeg SVT350H was okay volume wise but just barely. I'm not always a fan of Ampeg tone for me, sounds fine for everyone else lol
I think with Hartke (LH500 specifically) the issue is proper eqing. Running the knobs at noon is not flat eq and will make it feel wimpy. Mids have to be higher than you'd think. From there highs and lows are adjusted to taste.
It's super clean and sounds decent on it's own, but shines with pedals. Sounded best for me with a B7K Ultra, a Boss LMB3 and another overdrive for boosting/extra distortion/etc. It worked well for me for loud full band rehearsals and lots of 4 hour gigs where I was making good money or gigs where I made no money.
HeHasTheJazzHands
SS.org Regular
I've also seen that the non-PRO solid state SVTs aren't really that good. But the SVT4, 5, 6, and 7 are, as well as the Portaflex line. I had a PF500 and dug it a lot.
Main issue is that the solid state Ampegs are apparently made of paper mache and die just by looking at them funny lol.
Main issue is that the solid state Ampegs are apparently made of paper mache and die just by looking at them funny lol.
