good bass amps???

Question

i have just purchased a Squier MB-4 skull and crossbones bass(special edition) and am looking for a amp. i want some advice on what type of amp to buy or what are best,etc. i need the advice A.S.A.P. please reply with USEFUL advice!

thankyou for the advice! i have had a bit of a look on the internet but the cheapest so far has been £178 - that was a fender.....
anyone else wanna help me out? i will make sure the person to give the most info and advice the 10pts!

woud a digital amp be any better?

Answer 1

Depends on the kind of music you play and the kind of sound you want.

For a clean clinical sound in the studio, transistor amps such as Trace Elliot used to be popular, and I've known Jazz Bass players who swear by them, if this is the kind of sound you want look for an amp with "MOS-FET" transistors as these are a lot less likely to "fry" if you push it to hard (they just shut off).

But Valve (tube) amps are in general much more robust and won't get hot and shut down under stage lighting, something I've seen many transistor amps do.

One thing to bear in mind with valve amps is that the majority are based on valve manufacturers data sheets so it is possible to find a "no-name" that is almost identical
internally to, for example a Marshall.
Avoid ones that have the valve bases (holders) mounted directly on to the circuit board (PCB) the heat from the valves damages the PCB over time.

Good ones come from the obvious sources Fender, etc. with the Ampeg SVT standing at the top of the pile.

Answer 2

A bass amp and guitar amp of equal power will not be equal in loudness. Bass amps require significantly more power to push those low frequencies through the air. You guys should be fine. If you're both cranked all the way, he'll probably be louder than you, but there's no good reason to play that loud all the time. If you play at a reasonable volume where everyone can hear each other clearly, you'll be fine.

Answer 3

I'm guessing from the bass you purchased you're not looking to drop a ton of cash on the amp. Behringer amps are pretty inexpensive for what you get. Stay away from real cheap, like Crate, Rouge, ect. I prefer Ampeg myself. A 1x10 or 1x12 combo (BA110, BA112) are a good amp for the money. Fender amps aren't bad. If that's the cheapest amp you can find that can do what you want, then go for it. Get something to get you by with and start saving. I use a Ampeg stack, and while it sucks to move, I won't give it up until I have to. But that's about $1800 (American) worth of amp.

Answer 4

For rock, IMHO - Ampeg. Also, David Eden, SWR, Ashdown. Check the Harmony Central website for reviews. The good news is that there are a lot of really good bass amps available these days, so look around and you are bound to find something you like.
Bergantino makes some nice cabinets for the amps too. You might want to get a copy of "Bass Player" magazine's annual equipment review and see what they say. Good luck!