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Comparing bass heads


heath_eld

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Hey there,

I'm sure this has been asked and written up before - but perhaps someone could show me to a link

I'm interested in a comparison of the tone of all the different bass amp brands - Not the old "which is better" because that is personal opinion all the way, but a real description of how they differ? If someone says a GK tone, an ampeg tone, a markbass tone, an SWR tone... what does that mean? I've seen basstasters.com but it doesnt seem to cover amps.

I'm talking amps, not cabs.

The reason i ask for this is that i try out lots of different amps and with most of them, i find that in one setting i love them, and the next time i use the same amp, i don't.

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My Eden amp had a clear tone and didn't last long enough. I've heard others complain their Eden went bust on them. My Marshall B450H amp head was a great amp head, but it was heavy and I didn't like the 15 knobs and 5 buttons....litterally! My Carvin head is a dream head and is light, puts out any tone with a minimum of fiddling and my basses never sounded better.

I've had more heads, but the old ones aren't made anymore anyway.

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I like my Mesa Walkabout, but the M-Pulse 600 is smooth and buttery, even when the preamp is overdriven. I wish Mesa made a lightweight head with that same exact sound. The Walkabout is a bit brighter and more modern sounding, even though you can get good grit out of it, IMHO.

I can't find any bass amp comparison sites, but here's a good one with bass compressors.

http://www.ovnilab.com/

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Honestly, you're asking someone to write up a description of the tonal qualities(sound) of a bunch of different amps - I don't see myself doing that... A more productive approach would be to describe what you're trying to accomplish, and maybe we can offer some recommendations...

On a personal note, I currently own a Mesa M-pulse 600, a G-K 700rb-II, and a Genz-Benz Streamliner 600 - the Streamliner does a nice job of sounding and acting like a tube amp, in a 6lb package - with a killer tube driven DI... The 700rb-II does the quick, clean, and clear sound with tons of power, low end, and can warm up nicely... Lastly, the M-pulse 600 can do either, but I tend to make it sound warm like a tube amp, but keep it pretty clean sounding...

I also tend to use cabs with 10s for metal, hard rock and modern rock, and 15s for classic rock, blues, and country/modern country - this keeps me from having to do any radical EQ'ing for the task at hand...


- georgestrings

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Quote Originally Posted by heath_eld View Post
Hey there,

I'm sure this has been asked and written up before - but perhaps someone could show me to a link

I'm interested in a comparison of the tone of all the different bass amp brands - Not the old "which is better" because that is personal opinion all the way, but a real description of how they differ? If someone says a GK tone, an ampeg tone, a markbass tone, an SWR tone... what does that mean? I've seen basstasters.com but it doesnt seem to cover amps.

I'm talking amps, not cabs.

The reason i ask for this is that i try out lots of different amps and with most of them, i find that in one setting i love them, and the next time i use the same amp, i don't.
SWR =hyped hi-fi tone, ex. Marcus Miller
Markbass =warm yet clean tone
Ampeg =cookie cutter rock tone
GK =clean w/grit, clean tone

What else would you like to know?
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SWR sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
Markbass sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
Ampeg sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
GK sounds like {censored}e when I play though it

What else would you like to know?

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Quote Originally Posted by lug View Post
SWR sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
Markbass sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
Ampeg sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
GK sounds like {censored}e when I play though it

What else would you like to know?
Have you tried using your left foot instead of your right one?
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Quote Originally Posted by lug View Post
SWR sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
Markbass sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
Ampeg sounds like {censored}e when I play though it
GK sounds like {censored}e when I play though it

What else would you like to know?

Hmmm... What does a Peavey sound like when you play through it? (he asked knowingly)
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Quote Originally Posted by chunky-b

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Hmmm... What does a Peavey sound like when you play through it? (he asked knowingly)

 

The power amp sounds like {censored}e. The cabs, on the other hand, sound like {censored}e, and the T40, well, sounds like {censored}e when I play it.
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