Upgrading my amp - modestly, Advice?

bottom4 · Post by **bottom4** » Sat Apr 17, 2004 12:12 pm

I just picked-up a "New" Mesa Boogie 210 Powerhouse cab for $270.00 at GC. Great deals on Mesa cabs run on over to the GC nearest you!

cheers

mikeylc · Post by **mikeylc** » Sat Apr 17, 2004 1:26 pm

I have an Ampeg B100r and an SWR Redhead. The Ampeg sounds good, nice size and price however I liked the BA115 over it and the BA210 series. Biggest reason was bottom end. The 210 lacks bottom and the 100r just doesn't have the SVT-like frequency switch. As for the Redhead - It's a nice amp, good sound and lots of bottom for a 2x10 box. The Eden speakers that are in it are nice. It's big drawback is it's heavy. I only do small clubs but this is the amp I haul around because of the sound. As for Behringer, I have a ton of their PA gear. It's cheap and sounds as good as my DBX stuff. It seems to hold up well and was cheaper than DBX however if it breaks I'll probably just toss it and buy a new one.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Sat Apr 17, 2004 1:53 pm

Better "Boogie" on down to GC!!!

geraldee · Post by **geraldee** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 5:53 am

Wow. Lots of great advice and much to think about. I'm glad I came here to ask. I have learned so much about Rics from you guys and now I am getting a lot on amps. Of course, with the vast array of tastes on this forum you haven't exactly made the choice any easier!

If it helps narrow down the selection I can tell you we play mostly folk rock and rock. We like to cover Joe Jackson (early), Elvis Costello, Beatles, the Jayhawks, Cracker, Byrds, Petty for starters and just about any idea that someone brings with them.

You have me leaning toward the Ampegs for that classic tone and reliability but I will be checking into all of these ideas. I'm even going to try out the used Redhead later next week. It's on consignment at a local guitar shop. The guy wants 700 for the Redhead and another 150 for an EVO 15" extension cab. I asked the shop to find out if he would take 700 for the lot.

Thanks so much for the advice and if anyone else has any more ideas keep 'em coming. I'll be watching.

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Sun Apr 18, 2004 1:38 pm

For what its worth, I've never found a combo that has suited my taste. It seems that you can either get plenty of power, but have to settle for a ****** preamp, or you have to go with what the factory decides is the best cabinet configuration, but really isnt what you want. I've got a friend that builds pro sound gear that is building me a protoytype cab to my specs that I can drop any 2-space amp in that I want. It should be done this month, pics to follow.

rickfan63 · Post by **rickfan63** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 4:17 am

I have a Hartke HA4000 400wt head that has fine power, but the preamp is total ****! I use a Tech21 Sans Amp to get the tone I want and use the Hartke as a power amp only. I also use a 600wt Carvin cab with a 15" speaker that works nicely.

geraldee · Post by **geraldee** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 4:23 am

Scott, that sounds very interesting. I saw your post about this on another thread and I will be interested in the outcome. I agree that most combos are compromises but budgets tend to force that issue.

I think that is what I found intriguing about the Ashdown. It allows the add on of the 15" cab to the 210 combo and still fits in the budget. But, as Philco points out, there is no track record on these. And I take his point to heart about quality being its own warranty.

The Ampeg combos are very tempting but are limited to just what you get in the combo. I am leaning toward the BA115HP in this area. Anyone have any experience with that one? And Bob Young, I am also following some ebay auctions on the V4B heads and 410 cabs.

Some of you have said glowing things about the GK 700RB but as I noted above, no used ones in my area. Several new ones though. Those who have them must be satisfied with them and not letting them go.

geraldee · Post by **geraldee** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 4:29 am

One more thing Scott, would your friend be willing to share the plans for the cabinet? I do a lot of woodworking and could make my own if I went that route.

Randy brings up another way to go. I could just get a decent power amp for now and maybe add a Bass Pod or similar later?

anndra · Post by **anndra** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 7:21 am

Hi Jeff.

As a UK resident, I've seen, heard and played Ashdown bass heads and combo's very often indeed.

I love the sound of them. So much so that I'd like to replace my Hartke 3500 head with an Ashdown. Getting access to the wonderful sub-harmoniser would be a distinct advantage of the switch.

However, my music-shop pals continually flag up reliability issues. Indeed, my last trip to Glasgow to try one in a shop confirmed it's sonic desirablility, then a trip to another shop on the same afternoon - to haggle about prices - saw me witness an Ashdown user returning his bass-head for repair. It powered up as expected, but no sound was being produced.

A call to a pal in an Ashdown dealership revealed that this wasn't uncommon, but that Ashdown had made great strides recently with regard to reliability. Here in the UK they offer a full 3 year warranty.

Hope this helps.

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon Apr 19, 2004 11:20 am

I had an all tube Ampeg SVT head (weight about 40 kilos or 85 lbs.) fall from the top of an SVT cab (4 ft. or 1.25 M) onto a concrete sidewalk, all it did was put a little dent in one of the metal corners. And a big hole in the concrete. I wrote it before someonce else did, haha!

geraldee · Post by **geraldee** » Sun May 02, 2004 7:06 am

Well, I took the plunge. I honestly didn't get to do a lot of comparison before I bought. I succombed to 'bird in hand' syndrome. I called a local Ampeg dealer just to get a price on one of the combos and he happened to have one in stock. He then proceeded to knock off an additional 60 bucks under the internet price if I liked it.

I grabbed my bass and headed over to try it out. Compared to what I have been playing for the past 20 years - well, there really was no comparison. It was like I have been eating McDonalds apple turnovers all these years and someone gave me a slice of Grandma's apple pie! (Picture Jeff Bridges in Starman, mouth hanging open)

It is the BA115HP combo rated at 220watts. The tone is wonderful. It may not be better than some of your other suggestions but it was there, it was cool, it was affordable and it's an Ampeg. My bandmates agreed. The sound is terrific.

Thanks to all for your suggestions. Anyone have any experience or observations about this combo?