scruff
July 1st, 2011, 10:19 AM
I've been playing in this band for about two months now, and I've been borrowing one of the other guys' bass rig. It's a Kasino 100-watt head and 2/15 cab. I have no idea its vintage; my guess is some time in the 1970s. It sounds awesome, really. But it's hard to lug this thing around. Plus, old as it is, it seems kinda valuable these days to be dragging it to some of these biker bars and whatnot. So I've been looking for my own gear (of course, it's always better to have one's own gear anyways than to borrow someone else's).
So after extensive research, examining the functionality, portability and price (especially the price) of every bass amp and cab I could find, I narrowed my search down to two targets: the Hartke VX3500 combo, and my own combination of Ampeg's PF500 head with Fender's 410 cabinet from their Rumble series. I posted something here a while back, looking for y'all's input on that particular combo.
Let me give you a little background. My band (Outlaw Lynn and Who's Drivin¿) is a blues/rock/country outfit based primarily in the feel of a classic, Southern rock band. We do a lot of Allman Brothers, ZZ Top and Skynyrd. One thing about us, we play loud. And we don't pipe the bass at all, we just set the bass amp on stage and turn it up while everything else is going through the PA. So I need some power to my rig, if ya know what I mean. My Fender BXR-100, while strong enough for rehearsals, wasn't going to cut it on stage.
OK so back to the gear. The Hartke looks good to me, and I know Hartke is known for quality bass amps. The price is about right, still high for my poor butt, but it looks like a fair number (we're talking between $700 and $800). Thing is, I never got a chance to hear it and I've never played a Hartke myself. At 350 watts, it should have enough power; I just don't know how it sounds.
I know Ampeg, though. My first rig, back in the day, was an Ampeg (man, I wish I'd kept that thing). In fact, it was similar to this one: An Ibanez Soundgear bass, run through an Ampeg SVT rig. Right now for some reason I can't find pics of a similar amp, but it was a big, mean combo amp with a 15" speaker. Anyway, if I got the Ampeg/Fender combo, I figured it would run about $700, and would produce a steady 500 watts of a tone that I already know. So that's the direction I went, and that's where the fun begins.
I ordered the Ampeg PF500 head and the Fender Rumble 410 cabinet from American Musical Supply (AMS). My first order from them. The total came to about $700 ($400 for the amp and $300 for the cab).
They shipped it via UPS (shudder) in two separate packages on 6/24. I recieved the first (the amp) in perfect condition on 6/29. When the first package arrived at my door here in Houston, the second was in Mesquite, about 250 miles away. How that works, I have no idea.
Then it happened. The cabinet arrived on 6/30 (yesterday). The cardboard box was destroyed. It (the box) had been run through with a forklift and had water damage along the bottom. It had been torn open in several places and taped back together with clear packing tape (the tape was pressed against the actual cabinet in places). When we tried to open it, the caordboard box literally fell apart on the floor. The cabinet itself has a 1" gouge, about 1/2" deep, in one edge and a smaller dent just below that, and then there are smaller cosmetic damages (dents, little cuts in the tolex or whatever it is) all along the edges.
I called AMS and told them about it. Fortunately, my buddy who recieved the shipment for me had the forethought to take a buttload of pictures of the box in the condition it arrived in, and we got some really clear shots of the damage. AMS said to email them the pics and they'll either work a discount or a refund if I ship back the cab. We agreed that I'd test it and if it worked, I wouldn't mind keeping it, but there's have to be some kind of renumeration for the damage. While the details have yet to be worked out, I can say that AMS have been perfectly supportive and helpful. Seems like they could have packed it better, but this is UPS's fault. AGAIN (similar problem when I recieved my Ibanez guitar a few months back). So far, I like how AMS is handling the issue. By the way, AMS also said I can request they ship stuff via FedEx in the future. For whatever reason, I've always had severe issues with UPS.
Getting back to the amp: I tested it last night and everything appears to be working just fine. As I'd anticipated, the combination of Ampeg amp and Fender cab produces a clear, growling, bassy (bass-y) tone that I just love. I believe it'll be loud enough to gig with, but I'm not entirely sure; it doesn't seem as loud as the Kasino, but I like the tone even better than the Kasino's tone. It's a classic bass sound, though, perfect for our kind of music and my style of play. Kinda has a Led Zeppelin bass feel, if that makes sense. I'm looking forward to exploring it further, and will keep you posted here.
Anyhaw, here's a link to my blog post. Basically the same write-up as I've posted here, but with a few pics:
http://tenguhouse.typepad.com/long_colt/2011/07/my-new-bass-rig.html
So after extensive research, examining the functionality, portability and price (especially the price) of every bass amp and cab I could find, I narrowed my search down to two targets: the Hartke VX3500 combo, and my own combination of Ampeg's PF500 head with Fender's 410 cabinet from their Rumble series. I posted something here a while back, looking for y'all's input on that particular combo.
Let me give you a little background. My band (Outlaw Lynn and Who's Drivin¿) is a blues/rock/country outfit based primarily in the feel of a classic, Southern rock band. We do a lot of Allman Brothers, ZZ Top and Skynyrd. One thing about us, we play loud. And we don't pipe the bass at all, we just set the bass amp on stage and turn it up while everything else is going through the PA. So I need some power to my rig, if ya know what I mean. My Fender BXR-100, while strong enough for rehearsals, wasn't going to cut it on stage.
OK so back to the gear. The Hartke looks good to me, and I know Hartke is known for quality bass amps. The price is about right, still high for my poor butt, but it looks like a fair number (we're talking between $700 and $800). Thing is, I never got a chance to hear it and I've never played a Hartke myself. At 350 watts, it should have enough power; I just don't know how it sounds.
I know Ampeg, though. My first rig, back in the day, was an Ampeg (man, I wish I'd kept that thing). In fact, it was similar to this one: An Ibanez Soundgear bass, run through an Ampeg SVT rig. Right now for some reason I can't find pics of a similar amp, but it was a big, mean combo amp with a 15" speaker. Anyway, if I got the Ampeg/Fender combo, I figured it would run about $700, and would produce a steady 500 watts of a tone that I already know. So that's the direction I went, and that's where the fun begins.
I ordered the Ampeg PF500 head and the Fender Rumble 410 cabinet from American Musical Supply (AMS). My first order from them. The total came to about $700 ($400 for the amp and $300 for the cab).
They shipped it via UPS (shudder) in two separate packages on 6/24. I recieved the first (the amp) in perfect condition on 6/29. When the first package arrived at my door here in Houston, the second was in Mesquite, about 250 miles away. How that works, I have no idea.
Then it happened. The cabinet arrived on 6/30 (yesterday). The cardboard box was destroyed. It (the box) had been run through with a forklift and had water damage along the bottom. It had been torn open in several places and taped back together with clear packing tape (the tape was pressed against the actual cabinet in places). When we tried to open it, the caordboard box literally fell apart on the floor. The cabinet itself has a 1" gouge, about 1/2" deep, in one edge and a smaller dent just below that, and then there are smaller cosmetic damages (dents, little cuts in the tolex or whatever it is) all along the edges.
I called AMS and told them about it. Fortunately, my buddy who recieved the shipment for me had the forethought to take a buttload of pictures of the box in the condition it arrived in, and we got some really clear shots of the damage. AMS said to email them the pics and they'll either work a discount or a refund if I ship back the cab. We agreed that I'd test it and if it worked, I wouldn't mind keeping it, but there's have to be some kind of renumeration for the damage. While the details have yet to be worked out, I can say that AMS have been perfectly supportive and helpful. Seems like they could have packed it better, but this is UPS's fault. AGAIN (similar problem when I recieved my Ibanez guitar a few months back). So far, I like how AMS is handling the issue. By the way, AMS also said I can request they ship stuff via FedEx in the future. For whatever reason, I've always had severe issues with UPS.
Getting back to the amp: I tested it last night and everything appears to be working just fine. As I'd anticipated, the combination of Ampeg amp and Fender cab produces a clear, growling, bassy (bass-y) tone that I just love. I believe it'll be loud enough to gig with, but I'm not entirely sure; it doesn't seem as loud as the Kasino, but I like the tone even better than the Kasino's tone. It's a classic bass sound, though, perfect for our kind of music and my style of play. Kinda has a Led Zeppelin bass feel, if that makes sense. I'm looking forward to exploring it further, and will keep you posted here.
Anyhaw, here's a link to my blog post. Basically the same write-up as I've posted here, but with a few pics:
http://tenguhouse.typepad.com/long_colt/2011/07/my-new-bass-rig.html