Best Bass Amp for any Punk Rock Gig

Gear
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Greetings my fellow bass bois,

Little bit of info about me and my current gear:

  • Plays fingerstyle bass in a Skate Punk/Ska Punk/Pop Punk band

  • Inspired by bassists such as Matt Freeman, Mike Dirnt, Karl Alvarez, Mark Hoppus, Fat Mike, Duff McKagan, Geezer Butler, etc.

  • Has a P Bass with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder pickups and TBX Tone Control

I’m already preparing for the fact that gigs might happen next year, so I’m saving up money to have a budget around €1000,-

What would be the best options to choose from? I’ve already seen the Fender Rumble 800, which I’m curious about to try soon, but I’m more curious about fellow low-end punks and rockers’ choices.

Thanks in advance for letting me know!

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Seu nome e espanhol y tambien es portugues

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I used to live in Brazil for about a year. My former stepmom + my girlfriend come from Brazil.

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I would not choose a Fender Rumble for punk, to be honest. Fenders have a classic scooped tone and are good rock amps but lack the mids and highs you’ll want for the more aggressive sound.

I would recommend looking at Ampeg and Gallien-Kruger amps. Grab a listen on youtube.

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I was thinking Ampeg as well. GK is hard to find here in Europe :person_shrugging:t3:
I would go 4x10 and look what amp I could get for the money that’s left :sweat_smile:

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I see what you mean. Even though I play with fingers (like Karl Alvarez) I still want those mids and highs you see with bassists such as Matt Freeman (even though he uses Fender Bassman iirc).

I will take a look into Ampeg and GK.

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So far Dutch music store Bax Music sells GK bass amps, but they are way above my budget (not including an amp head).

Might sound like a dumb question, but are there also worthy combo amps around the same price range? (also asking @howard)

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I really don’t know that much about combo amps. Most advertise max. Watt ratings with an additional cabinet connected… so much for the marketing part :sweat_smile:

If you find one that sounds alright to you, that has a DI out and you know that you will play through a PA, you should be OK. Otherwise, be sure to get another cab for the full benefits.

Maybe the Hartke HD500 could be an option. I have no experience with it and you might want to add a distortion pedal to get more grit.

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Obviously the best amp for punk rock is something from a pawn shop.

Or that you got from a friend in exchange for weed.

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I saw a video yesterday where the guy has an amp profiler. As I understand an amp profiler allows you to select different amp profiles to play through the speaker. From tube amp sounds, to digital amp sounds and with effects to different manufacturers. He spent a decent amount of money on the speaker. He gets the amp profiler through an ap. It was the first I heard of this concept and it is all I know. If i was in the market for a amp I would be looking further into amp profilers. If you were interested I could send you the video I watched last night.

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Sadly the pawn shops here (Netherlands) charge too much, let alone the 21% VAT. The Dutch site Marktplaats (Marketplace) has some good deals, but I never trust those for some reason. Had some bad luck purchases back then.

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Would be nice to send me that video. In case of a good combo amp: I guess that’s not worth it for what I want. Might need to save more money.

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I had this one in mind actually. My bass teacher has a Hartke (don’t know which one, but an older one at least) and he is more than satisfied with it. Plus, I don’t mean to sell out the biggest venues in New York yet, so this might be the perfect AMP to start doing some gigs around some pubs, clubs, youth centres, etc.

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I have the Hartke 500 for our jazz/rock/fusion band and love it! Plenty of power and punch when needed plus clarity and control for smaller venues. Maybe your instructor will sell you his so he can get a newer one. :thinking:

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Heheheheh well he has bad luck then. Gonna get that new one! :slight_smile:

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I’d just get the Katana 110 or 210 it has 4 band EQ and built in effects as well as amp modeling. It’s expandable via Bluetooth as well as foot switch, can be control via iPhones (phone) or iPads on stage. Very flexible options and tone for less than half of your budget.

It can be the grungiest and dirtiest on one song and at a flick of a switch it’s the most civilized vintage tone. Check it out.

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@ElGatoVermelho - if @Al1885 says so, this is the solution! :slight_smile:

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Here is the video link https://youtu.be/Vq3meVBkeLY
The video is guitar specific. I understand that you should not play a bass through a guitar amp but you can play a guitar through a bass amp,

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Gonna check that one out for real :slight_smile:

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Oh wow. I need to learn the capabilities of my Kanata. I just plug in and I have been happy…

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