anyone had any dealings with Ampeg B200R Rocketbass?

[monoBEAR]

these
http://www.guitarcenter.com/Ampeg-B200R ... 1145699.gc

they look badass and they have a tube preamp. how do you think they sound? i'm really considering one.

[deblase4001]

I have the B100R and I highly recommend it. Vintage sound and look. Also very loud for 100W. It's a bit heavy but it does have built-in casters. I have had no problems at all with it.

[sloop_john_b]

I've got a B200R. After heavy use for a year the speaker started to rattle badly. I have a feeling this may be because the tube was dying out and I was pushing the amp/speaker too hard, but I haven't swapped out the tube yet to see if it makes any difference.

If you're not gonna be gigging three nights a week, five hours a night with the thing, it'd certainly be great - it sounds wonderful. But I don't know if it can really hold up to rigorous gigging.

[marc61]

A little bit more money but...Markbass...

lighter, louder, stronger....

[chefothefuture]

I love my B200R.
But it does require an occasional tightening of the chassis screws.
It has great tone, but don't expect the tightness of an SVT.
The single 15 is warm but can get airy. It would be way cool
if Ampeg would do one of these in a 4x10 config.
I think as far as bang for the buck, it rates high in both looks
and sound.

[loendmaestro]

I have the B100R and I highly recommend it. Vintage sound and look. Also very loud for 100W. It's a bit heavy but it does have built-in casters. I have had no problems at all with it.

174882.jpg

+1

I've heard more complaints regarding the B200R than the B100R. I love my B100R....& Ricks sound exceptionally good through them!

[gray]

I'm with some other people on this. I have a B100R, and although it's a great amp for a hundred watts, when it comes to double that amount in a chassis that's not a whole lot larger than the 100, I'd have to recommend a Markbass over the Ampeg, too. I think it would sound better and you'd encounter fewer problems. And it would be WAY lighter.

[squirefan01]

I have a B200R, that has been for home use only but will soon be used with a band. I love the sound. I had to replace the tube once. Luckily, mine is built in the USA. Stay away from Chinese models!!! They have had all kinds of issues. Probably the biggest is a ground short that cuts the speaker out permanently if you flip the horn bypass switch on the back of the unit. USA models do not have this problem.

I have also looked at upgrading the Markbass, as I love the ligher weight and increased power. That's a lot more money though.

Good luck!

[loendmaestro]

See, now I messed with some MarkBass stuff at GC & left unimpressed. Granted, it wasn't a full blown comprehensive test...

Maybe I need to try them again.

[mikeylc]

I have a b200-r and had a B100. The B200 sounds better, has more power. Mine has held up to gigging every weekend. Still sounds great. Have recently upgraded to a Mesa Boogie Walkabout because I got a good deal.

[brycycle]

can anyone recommend a good on-line dealer (in N/A) for Markbass?

[squirefan01]

I think Guitar Center has exclusive rights to sell Markbass in North America...at least the USA. Not sure about Canada. I have never seen anybody selling Markbass except GC.

Bass Player mag had a review of the Markbass Classic 300 all-tube head this month. I have never seen a release date for that one but it seems really nice. I think it's about $2500 though.

[jps]

Steve Wood has a Markbass LMK; he is in Canada so checking with him would be a good idea.

[86kubicki]

I'm in Canada? Let me check - hey I am!
Bryce - I got my Markbass LMK from The Twelth Fret in Toronto, but I would suggest contacting Dave at Club Bass (also in Toronto - http://www.clubbass.ca ). He's a Markbass dealer and very good to deal with. He hooked me up with a Bergantino 2X10 cab which sounds incredible with the Markbass head!

[jps]

Steve, you won't need to bring your LMK to RIO!!!, I will have both my LM II through my EV B-110 and Minimark there.