The recently released Carvin bass amp BX500 is one of the best bass amps I have experienced. It offers many more features than my beloved Markbass Little Mark 2 and it comes in at a sale price of around $400. That is insane for an amp this good.

There are certain features that I like to have in a bass amp. Sometimes they are hard to come by but this amp has everything. Number one on my list is I like having a 12AX7 tube and a drive knob to control it. This Carvin amp has it. That helps get me the grit sound I like on occasion for rock songs.

It is important to me to have a ground lift and a DI level control too because some places I play have bad wiring and some house soundboards need more DI signal. I was pleasantly surprised this amp has both those features.

I like have a mute button so when I am tuning it is not going through the speakers. In addition, I like a headphones jack for practicing quietly in my house or hotel room. This amp comes with a tuner output and headphone jack all in one on the back panel.

I find it helpful to have a protect LED light so I can gauge if I am driving the amp too hard. Carvin provides that in this bass amp as well. In fact, the protection circuit will kick in and cut the signal for 5 seconds. By switching the amp off for ten seconds, the amp resets itself. This is better than blowing the amp up which I have done in the past with older amps that did not have this feature.

A little feature that I am seeing more and more nowadays is Speakon sockets with ¼” jack inputs in the center of them. I love this feature just because it simplifies the design.

Another option I like to have in a bass amp, which this amp supports, is the capacity to run bass cabinets at 8, 4 or 2 ohms. Because I have all sorts of configurations of bass speakers, I need a flexible amp that can handle all those loads.

I am normally not a big fan of too many knobs but I found in this case that it was easy to get many good sounds out of this amp quickly. This amp has three separate tone shaping sections and I found them easy to work. Besides, they actually did change the sound a lot. On many amplifiers I have tried, it seems like no matter how much you turn the knobs the change in sound was slight or too radical. I can get lost in complex parametric EQs and sliders. That is not the case with this Carvin bass amp. Using the simple parametric EQ and graphic EQ to fine-tune the sound, I could get the thick rock sound I like to use most. However, I was able to get a killer slap tone, reggae tone and finger-funk tone as well. I have not tried a pick with it yet but I am sure I can get a good sound with that too. This amp is intuitive even with all the knobs.

Having a compressor is great. I do not use them a lot but in some situations, they are nice to have. This Carvin bass amplifier has one built in so I do not have to carry an extra piece of gear. And it works well with its 3:1 ratio so this feature is great bonus.

I found the amp to be plenty loud enough for most of my situations too. At 300 watts for 8 ohms and 500 watts at 4 and 2 ohms that delivers as much as my Markbass Little Mark 2 and that has always been plenty too.

I would say the only thing I wanted more of was tube presence. When I turned up the tube I definitely got grit and grind but I think the tube that is being using in the amp is probably a crappy one. I will replace that with something other than the Electro Harmonix tube I suspect is in there and probably get a lot better sound out of it.

I also am a little concerned about the knobs getting broken off. Especially the graphic EQ sliders because I have had that happen on other pieces of gear. I am carrying the amp in a padded laptop bag but I am making a piece of foam to fit over the front of the amp so the knobs and sliders are protected. I could put it in a rack and Carvin does make a rack mount for the BX500 bass amp but I do not want to carry another rack.

In conclusion if you are looking for a bass amp that is versatile and offers many features that really work, the Carvin bass amp BX500 is an excellent find. At $400 I do not think you will find a better bass amp than this one.

You will not find Carvin gear here unless you can find something used.  However, you will find the Markbass Little Mark 3, which I recommend you compare with the Carvin BX500.

Guitar Center is also one of few places that carries D’Addario Bass Strings, Chromes.  These are flatwounds which I recently tried and I felt really great sounding for rock.  I got the regular light gauge set 45-132,  5-String long scale for around $50.  These are a lot cheaper and just as good as more expensive string brands.

(The Max 115 by comparison would make a nice little first amp or practice amp.  I doubt it could be played with a band before you would get drowned out.  They are pretty inexpensive however which is why they are so popular.)

MAX 115 bass combo amp

Since then, I have owned many pieces of Peavey gear but not another bass amp.  However, that might change soon since they have been making a cool and well-reviewed tube bass amp called the VB-3.

The major appeal to me about this amp is its weight of only 37 lbs.  I find tube amps particularity good sounding to my ear and they perform the tone I am looking for.  However, I cannot handle the weight of the normal bass tube amp.  The Ampeg SVT Classic that I had was 80 lbs.  It got tiring lugging this monster through the tight kitchen backdoor of my house.  I loved how it sounded but the physical depends eventually became too much.  With the Peavey VB-3 bass amplifier, the weight is half!

The reason the amp can weigh less is because of its unusual switch-mode power supply.  I do not understand these processes well enough explain it but the result is there is not the need for the traditional big heavy transformers.  This type of power is new for a tube bass amp.

This amp has the same power of 300 watts at 4 and 2 ohms the Ampeg had.  However, this amp will also handle an 8-ohm load at the same power as well.  Tube power is documented as less in its watt ratings than many solid-state amplifiers.  However, the power feels different.  I have found that a 300-watt tube amp is roughly as loud as a 500 – 600 watt solid-state amp.  Most people will not need to get that loud so this 300 watts of tube power is more than enough.
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The Peavey VB-3 comes loaded with 3x12AX7 and 2x12AT7 preamp tubes with 8xEL34 power tubes as opposed to the Ampeg Classic, which has 2x12AX7 preamp tubes, 1x12AX7, 2x12AU7 driver tubes, and 6×6550 power tubes.  The Peavey has more tubes and I wonder a little about the EL34 tubes.  I have heard they might burn out sooner.  The 6550 tubes are known to last longer than other power tubes.  I will have to look into this further but I have made a resent connection that would enable me to get tubes replaced cheaper and faster so may not be a problem.

This amp has a few extras the Ampeg does not have.  There is a 9-band EQ, a four-band midrange selector EQ, an optical compressor, and an overdrive.

By using the vintage three band EQ with the 9-band EQ and midrange selector switch which highlights 200, 450, 600 or 800Hz, a bass player can get any EQ curve he wants.  For me this is a lot to deal with because I am not big on amplifiers with many knobs and buttons.  However, I am coming to grips with the idea more and now have a better understanding of setting EQ properly.  It is a system of taking away rather than adding.  I find this idea to work well.

The compressor is handy for thickening your sound.  It can help produce many different compression levels.  This is a fairly rare feature for a tube bass amplifier as it is more common on solid-state amps.

This bass amp also has dual channels which the Ampeg Classic does not.  There is a clean channel and an overdrive channel.  Each channel can be control somewhat individually.  There is an independent volume for the clean channel and the overdrive channel is contained by a gain control.  This helps you get the maximum grit into your sound without suffering a total loss of clarity.

Another thing that I find appealing about this amp is the Resonance and Presence controls.  I like to switch cabinets all the time for different gigs.  For big outdoor gigs I like a 610 bass cabinet and for some small little club gigs I like a 210 or single 1×10 bass cab.  To get a sound I like out of such different cabinets I need flexibility with producing a tight sound or a wider floppy sound.  These two Peavey patented controls enable me to do this.

Last on the list of concerns is price.  The Ampeg runs around $1699 and is only $100 cheaper than the VB-3.  With all the added features, less weight, and tonal flexibility, this Peavey bass amp works out to be an excellent a deal.  Save Up to 75% with Hot Price Drops at Music123.com ( I always check here because sometimes I am surprised by the deals they give.  Sometimes it is average but every once in a while they give good deals.  They will match the advertised price from anywhere else too which is worth calling them on.  Could save you up to a couple hundred bucks if you can find an amp or item advertised for less.)

(I always check here at Guitar Center too.  I bought an Ampeg SVT-3PRO bass amp here a while back for under $700.  That’s $300 under what they normally go for.  I just made an offer and they went for it.)

Tube amplifiers cost more, weigh more, and tend to be more fragile.   They need more maintenance in the way of tube replacement and bias setting, and put out less rated power on paper.  Tube amps produce a sonic tone that is warmer, thicker, and I describe as juicy.  When they are overdriven or pushed to their power limits, they sound good to the human ear.  Electricity in a tube amp is put through vacuum tubes.  This means the electricity travels through a vacuum to become amplified.

Solid state bass amps by contrast cost much less, are lighter weight, are often indestructible. They need no maintenance and put out a ton of power.  When a solid state amp distorts, it may not sound as pleasing to the ear even though these amps can copy tube amps well.  The electricity flowing through a solid state amp is traveling through solid electrical components called resistors rather than vacuum tubes.

The differences in tone between the two types are created by the influence the tubes or resistors have on the signal.  Tubes tend react more slowly and smoothly as they are pushed to the point of clipping or distorting because the amp cannot handle any more.  This behavior is typical of analog devices.  Tubes create a distinct sonic signature, which influences the bass tone.  Solid-state amps are more modern and digital in design.  When their signal breaks up, it does it abruptly.  They influence the sonic signature of bass tone as well but it is different sounding.

In the end, it just depends on what you like to hear.  I have played both for years as you will see below and I like both.  I prefer tubes but often cannot afford them nor am I willing to lift them.

The two distinct amp types have led to what nowadays is a cross between the two.  In this amp, a tube or several are put into the bass preamp section of the amplifier.  The tubes warm up the tone but the power comes from a solid state source.  The power amp can be built into the amp box like the Ashdown ABM EVO 500 bass amps or like the new Markbass Little Mark 3s with tube preamp.  Alternatively, you can use a separate bass preamp like a Demeter or Alembic and separate power amp.  Separated components are usually more expensive but they might sound better to you too.  It is good to know what is what before you buy a new bass amp.

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My first experience with a bass tube amp was in 1977.  I had just begun learning to play the electric bass guitar the previous year and I knew nothing about amps.  For me it was just something I needed to plug into to hear my bass.  I had been using a little Peavey TNT combo bass amp that was solid state but needed to move to bigger amp because I was being drowned out by the rest of the band.  An acquaintance of mine had a Classic ’70s Ampeg SVT and he said it was the only bass amplifier out there besides the Acoustic 370 that was worth looking at.  He always sounded amazing and was a much more experienced player than I was.  However, I ended not getting an SVT because I was concerned over their reliability and weight.  Another bass player friend of mine said he had to have two SVTs in case one broke down.  His bass rig sounded incredible too.  However,  I went with the Acoustic 370 solid state amp which was much lighter and more reliable.  However, I still did not have the warm thick fuzzy sound I wanted.

For many years, I continued to stay with solid state amps but then started to buy bass preamps with tube sections in them.  These were light and sounded good and warm.  I had a Demeter VTBP-201S bass preamplifier that I used for five years that I powered with a Peavey DPC 1000 power amp and later a QSC PLX.  I used this with a 1988 SWR Goliath 410 bass cabinet that Eden made before he started his own company.  This was an unbelievably good sounding bass rig.  It sounded warm and thick. Anytime I tried something else, they would pale in comparison.  I am convinced the tubes in that preamp made all the difference even though tone-wise this was the cleanest amp I think I have ever played.

In 2002, I bought an Ampeg SVT Classic and could not believe I never bought one before.  The tone was to die for.  I felt like kicking myself for not buying one sooner.  Every note was full and gritty sounding when I wanted it to be that way.  The power was rated at 300 watts at 4 ohms, which did not seem like much.  However, tube power is more than solid state.  At least it sounds like it is.  That 300-watt tube amp was as loud as 500 watts of solid state.  Reliability issues had been ironed out by Ampeg over the years because I never had any problems.

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After two years, I started getting fatigued on carrying it through the kitchen door at the back of my house at 3:00 a.m.  I almost died a couple times lifting its 80 lbs through a tight kitchen counter to door ratio.  In addition, I did not want to deal with replacing the tubes.  It can be expensive at roughly $120 to retube once a year, which is how much I was going to have to do it because of how much I gigged.  Therefore, I sold the amp and essentially traded the luscious tone for portability.

While now I mainly use a Markbass Little Mark 2 solid state bass amp which is around 7 lbs and I carry in a laptop case.  I am still trying to find a hybrid amp that weighs less than 10 lbs.  I think the Genz Henz shuttle series is worth looking at with their tube preamp sections.  Or I will try another Markbass with a tube since I like them quite a bit.

If I were still in my 20s and playing many places, I would definitely get another bass tube amp.  I think, the tone is just too good to pass on.  If I had, $2000 I would probably buy an Aguilar DB751.  These are catching many bass player’s ears.   I just played a gig with 2 bass players and the other guy had an Aguilar DB-750.  I will be doing a review of it shortly.  It was very fat and juicy sounding.

I learned more detail about vaccum tubes and how they work at Vacuum Tubes – The Basics.  Read through their description if you would like to learn more.

(I always check here too.  I bought an Ampeg SVT-3PRO bass amp here a while back for under $700.  That’s $300 under what they normally go for.  I just made an offer and they went for it.)

Update:  1-22-11.  Okay, now I have had a problem.  It sill would not stop me from buying another Ashdown bass amp or from using my current Ashdown amp.  See below for the new details.  I still think they sound phat and round!

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These amps originated in England and some of the models, like the Mark King MK500 I have and the Klystron series, are still made there. Most are made in China now but some of the cabinets are made in the USA. I am not afraid of the Chinese made amps because I think Ashdown quality control is good. Besides, almost every cheap bass guitar amp is made in China these days. That is why these items remain affordable.


The Ashdown bass amp is characterized by its VU meter, which helps you set your instrument’s gain or as they call it, “Input level.” (Not all their amps have this feature but most do.) Overall, the amps put out accurate power as stated by their individual watt rating. This is uncommon among bass amps. Most amps deliver less than their stated values. Ashdown makes an array of solid-state and tube bass amps. Several of the solid-state amps come with tube driven preamps for a warmer sound. These amps are fast becoming the standard for touring bands in the UK and Europe. I see the ABM 900 EVO III and the ABM 500 EVO III blue bass heads being used by bass players in U2, KT Tunstall, Lenny Kravitz, Katy Perry, and the Foo Fighters in concert videos. These are thick and warm sounding bass amps much like the Ampeg SVT classic. However, they weigh a lot less which is helpful.

Here is a quick outline of the three Ashdown bass amps I owned.

Ashdown bass amp – MK500

I use an Ashdown bass amp – Mark King MK500  right now for several gigs. This is a professional bass amp designed with the help of Level 42 bassist Mark King. This amp gives me some good tone shaping choices with simple controls. Most of the features are standard on the more high-end bass amps. It has a balanced direct line out, effects send and return, mute switch for tuning, input gain, and output level (master volume) control. Controls that are not as common are the 12 band graphic equalizer and Harmonic Emphasis control. The 12-band eq is sensitive and takes a little practice to work. I find it better to cut frequencies than add too much to them. This is especially true at the low-end and high-end of the eq. If you are not careful with these two parts of the eq range, you can blow your speakers up or at the very least create God-awful tone.

Another unique feature is the harmonic emphasis control. This control helps you bring a little more zip to your treble by giving your strings that “new string” sound. I find it to be an interesting feature I have never experienced before on any other bass amplifier. This takes some experimentation too. I run my control around 12:00 or less.

This is a 575-watt bass amp at 4 ohms. It weighs about 14 lbs and is solid-state. However, the tone is reminiscent of a tube amp. I would actually describe the tone as “woody” sounding. I played the amp out of an Ampeg 610 bass cabinet at a gig recently and thought the sound was excellent. I am finding this is a better sounding bass rig out of nonboutique bass cabs. The reason I say this because I do not care for the sound of this amp as much through a neo loaded Schroeder 410 bass cab as much as the Ampeg. The Schroeder in my opinion is too focused on midrange for the Ashdown. The amp does not thicken up well out of it. It needs more of the color certain cabs give. At least for rock music I feel this is the case.

I recommend this bass amp if you are a professional bass player seeking a thick old school sound but want more tone shaping ability than you get with an Ampeg.

Another Ashdown bass amp combo I had was the Ashdown MAG C210T-300 Bass Combo
. I thought this little amp was great for my church gig and I should have kept it. This 35 lbs 2 x 10” speaker cab put out 307 watts at a minimum of 4 ohms. I never turned it up that loud but I thought it had a good warm sound even though it did not have a tube preamp. This is a basic bass amp with the usual Ashdown VU meter, input, output, bass, mid, and treble controls. In addition, there were two boost and cut controls at 340Hz and 1.6 KHz frequencies which helped tone shaping in different rooms. However, the amp also came with compression control used for thickening and equaling out some frequencies. This is not a common control for cheaper amps so it was a nice surprise. However, the even bigger surprise was the Sub-Harmonics control. This control when turned on would produce a note below the one you were playing much as an octave pedal does. You could adjust this lower octave in relation to the straight bass sound for a thickening effect. I thought it worked well.

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If you are looking for a bass amp to do little gigs, churches, weddings and the like, I recommend looking at this amp. It was well worth the cheap price I thought.

Ashdown bass amp – Five Fifteen bass combo

The last Ashdown bass amp I owned is the Ashdown Five Fifteen, which was named after John Entwistle. The amp got its name because of John’s bass solo in the Who’s song, 5:15. This is a little 100-watt practice bass amp with 1 x 15” speaker that I used for quiet rehearsals. It is not a lightweight amp in tone or real weight. It weighed almost 27 lbs, which I thought heavy. However, the tone was superb. For such a small box, this was perfect for small rehearsals. I again wish I had not sold this amp either. I could have been using it now for small restaurant gigs I have been playing lately. The cool thing about this amp that is so critical to learning songs and practicing is it has a headphone jack and a line in input for hooking up a CD or mp3 player. With this feature, you are able to practice and learn songs quietly using headphones. This feature alone helps me practice late at night and never upset my family and neighbors by keeping them up at night. You can also add an 8-ohm extension speaker to this amp for a little added sound but I never had to myself.

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If you are looking for a good solid bass amplifier, I feel that Ashdown is a good brand to check. The pricing on them is reasonable and I felt I got a lot for my dollar. They can be hard to find sometimes. I am not sure the reason for this. Some dealers do not stock them as they once did. These dealers would rather carry Gallien Krueger bass amps instead, which I have never felt sounded good. (However, now, they just released some new models that might be worth checking.) I do recommend you search out an Ashdown bass amp before you buy something else.

Update:  1-22-11.

I had a problem with my Ashdown Mark King MK500.  On a gig, it started to cut in and out.  Then it started to buzz loudly.  This Ashdown bass amp does not have tubes so it was not a bad tube problem.  I took it to a local bass amp repair shop here in Southern California.  GPS Electronics at 13045 Tom White Way, suite 1 in Norwalk, Ca.  I like these guys.  The problem was first thought to be the transformer had gone bad.  Therefore, they replaced it and I took the amp to another gig.  About the end of the 4th set it started to do the same thing again.  I took it back to GPS Electronics and the problem was diagnosed to be bad “caps” or capacitors.  I have never experienced that before.  After doing some research on the Internet, we found there was a bad batch of capacitors that went out to many different electronics.  These capacitors are probably from that time.

Anyway, I knew nothing about caps but the guys at GPS told me they should not make noise when you shake them.  These did so they must have dried up inside.

The bass amp sounds good as new now.  Again, this would not sway me from buying another great sounding Mk500 or Ashdown bass amp.

Below are a series of questions you should ask yourself to determine a bass amp that best suits your tastes, needs, and experience level.  To give you some ideas and examples of how someone would answer these questions, I will answer them for me.

Q:  What is your experience level on the bass guitar?  Beginner?  Intermediate?  Professional?
A:  I am a professional with over 30+ years’ experience-playing bass live.  Because of this fact, I am not looking at combos.  Meaning, I do not want an amplifier with a speaker built into it.  I buy separate pieces so I have more versatility with the different places I play.

Q:  How much money do you have to put toward a new bass amplifier?
A:  I wish to spend under $1000 on a professional bass amplifier with a minimum of 500 watts of power.  Right now, I have my eye on a Genz Benz ShuttleMax 12.0
that I am hoping to score for around $900.

Q:  How are you going to use the bass amp?
A:  I will use the amp for live performance at Disneyland, corporate events, weddings, and occasionally bars filled with drunken dancing people.  Yes, that is whom I play for sometimes.

Q:  Will you use the amp strictly for practice?
A:  No.  I use a Phil Jones BassBuddy for practice, which I hook-up to my computer.  This is a bass preamp designed mainly for headphone use and it sounds amazing for this application.  I rarely practice with a speaker into the open-air of my house but instead use headphones.  This way I never disturb anyone and can practice late at night if I wish.

Q:  Is the bass amp for studio recording or session work?
A:  Neither.  In the studio, I go straight into the board usually through a tube direct box like an A-Designs REDDI Tube di or a nontube di like an Avalon U5.

Q:  Will you need to move it around a lot?  Does having a lightweight amp matter to you or not?
A:  I do have to move it around often.  I do not want to lift heavy bass gear anymore so big tube amplifiers are not for me.  I love how they sound but I cannot carry them through the backdoor of my house at 3:00 a.m. anymore.  I recently almost killed myself trying to do so.

Q:  Are you playing with a loud band and need a lot of power to push through several speakers?
A:  I do mostly play with bigger bands.  Often as many as six members or more and I need a lot of power in most of those instances.  A bass amp that could be powerful enough to drive a 6×10 Ampeg cabinet is perfect.  If the amp can also drive a 1×10 cabinet and be small and light enough to carry into a small restaurant, that would be a plus too.

Q:  What instrument do you use?
A:  Fender and Musicman basses are my bass of choice.  I am looking to create the classic tones those basses make but by using more modern bass equipment.

Q:  Are you an acoustic or electric bassist?
A:  I play strictly electric.  If I played an acoustic bass and I needed an amp, I would look at the Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0-12T which has 375 watts and comes with a small separate 12″ bass speaker cabinet.  Friends of mine who do play acoustic bass like that amp.

Q:  Do you play a four-string or five?
A:  I play both so I need an amp that can deliver the lows of the B string and a speaker that can handle it without breaking up.

Q:  Do you play with your fingers or a pick?
A:  I play bass with my fingers.  I have never been able to feel the bass when I have played with a pick.  Therefore, I look for an amp that can reproduce a warm thick finger tone and not an edgy sounding tone.  I am happy if I can get a thick 70s disco and rock sound for my bass guitar.

Q:  Do you use the slap technique a lot?
A:  I use slap rarely.  It just is not my thing.  I feel it sounds thin and needs a special equalization to be potent.  Most of my friends that do play a lot of slap technique like more Hi Fi sounding amps.  They choose Eden World Tour or SWR bass amps.  Neither of these brands sounds right to my ear or taste but my slapping and jazz playing friends love them.  However, my same friends like the Markbass Little Mark II.  I totally agree with them on this.  This is another amp I own and love.  It is versatile and might be the best contender for the all around best bass amp.  (Note: Markbass now makes the Markbass Little Mark III, which you can get with a tube preamp section.  This could be the best amp for bass on the market.)     Save Up to 75% with Hot Price Drops at Music123.com

Q:  Do you do much of the bass tapping technique?
A:  I never do this so I do not need an amp that can communicate the overtones this technique produces.  Eden and SWR bass amplifiers are good choices for players of this technique.

Q:  What style of music do you mostly play?  Metal?  Funk?  Rock?  R&B? Jazz?  Pop?   Or several of these?
A:  Most of these styles are in my repertoire because I play cover music.  If I could, I would play all my gigs with an Ampeg SVT Classic bass amp.   I love this sound.  However, this amp is heavy at 80 lbs and cumbersome to move about.  It also needs to have the power tubes replaced at certain intervals.  This depends on how much you play.  The cost can be around $200 to replace.  As much as I play, that is replacing once a year.  That is too much hassle for me.

For sound, I also consider the Aguilar DB750 and the new Aguilar DB 751
to be excellent bass amps.  They have the right warm thick tone and are half the weight of the Ampeg SVT-CL.  However, they run around $2200 and that is outside my budget.  In addition, at 42 lbs I am still not thrilled about moving one around much.  Therefore, I chiefly want a warm rock amp sound that I can play all types of music with but it must be lightweight.  I do not want to lug another heavy bass power amp around.  I have been using the Markbass Little Mark II, which is a solid-state bass amp, but it sounds warmer.  This unit only weighs 6.5 lbs and fits in a laptop case.  The Ashdown Mark King MK500 has also been sounding warm and woody but again is solid-state.  This amp has a 12-band equalization control that is a pain for me to use but at 14.5 lbs it is reasonable to tote around.  Its 575 watts of power sounds especially good cranked up loud out of an Ampeg 610 box.  Some “slappers” like this bass amp too.  I have also been using a Demeter VTBP-201 bass preamp with a Peavey DPC 750 as my main bass system for many years.  It has always sounded amazing but is heavier and more gear than I want to gig with.  Also, I have had some issues with shorts in the Demeter because it is old and needs to be repaired.  However, it still sounds superb and has been my sound for many years.

Q:  Do you like a warm tube sound or prefer a solid-state sound?
A:  I like and want the warmth of tubes but the clean power and lightweight of new solid-state technology.  Solid-state technology for bass is getting warmer all the time.  One reason the Genz Benz is in my sights is that it is a two-channel amp in a small package.  One channel uses a tube preamp and the other channel is FET solid-state.  By blending the two, I can get the grit and warmth of the tube but the clarity of the solid-state.  I would like to put that theory to the test.

Q:  Can you tell the difference between the tube amp sound and the solid-state sound?
A:  If I were a beginning bass player, I would probably not be able to tell the difference between a tube amp and a solid-state amp.  And for the beginner it does not really matter.  However, after much experience and after owning many different amps, I do hear the difference.  Therefore, it is a question of finding the best lightweight, inexpensive, most powerful, warm sounding bass amplifier I can get.

Q:  What kind of speaker cabinet do you plan to play through?
A:  The reason I do not buy combo bass amps anymore is because I need versatility.  One night I am at a rehearsal.  The next night I am playing a small restaurant where the manager judges you as soon as he sees how big your speakers are.  Then the next day I am playing on a football field in front of 1000 people.  Therefore, the best bass amp for me is one that can handle all those situations.  That means I need a powerful amp that sound good loud or soft.  In addition, it means I need to be able to run a 6×10, 4×10, 1×15, or 1×10 bass speaker cab with no problems. Save Up to 75% with Hot Price Drops at Music123.com

If I were just beginning or I did not play so many different situations, I would look at combo amps.  I like Ashdown and Markbass for combos.  The new Acoustic Amplification amps sound good and are dirt cheap.  I do not like the sound of Gallien-Krueger, Hartke, Ampeg, or SWR combos because I do not feel these amps cut a live band mix well.  They could be fine for practice or rehearsal.

(I always check here too.  I bought an Ampeg SVT-3PRO bass amp here a while back for under $700.  That’s $300 under what they normally go for.  I just made an offer and they went for it.)