1st bass rig for rock band - advice?

Hunter_Thompson

Hi Everyone,
Been playin bass guitar in a rock band for a few years now, and the whole time have been borrowing bass rigs or guitar amps for my amplification. I am competing with 2 guitarists with JCM2000 quads for volume and find it very difficult to get a vibe on the bottom end.
Been meaning to buy an amp for all this time but was an independent audio engineer for 8 years; I got paid by musicians - this gives an insight into how poor I have been for a long time!
Even now I am not flush with cash - I am just a 1st level tech support guy in IT. Having a regular income is such a relief though, and I promised myself oner of my first purchases will be a bass head.
I would love to get a phat SVT rig or some massive SWR setup, but this cannot be financed. I am looking at about sub $750. I don't think I want less than 300 watts.
I am looking at two rigs, and was wondering if anybody might provide some insight or advice:

BEHRINGER ULTRABASS BX4500H 450 watt Bass Head
Ebay item=320085408906
WARWICK PROFET 3.2 300 WATT BASS HEAD
Ebay item=190173888643
OK, so as an audio engineer I know Behringer is *Poop*. But I played one of these rigs a week or two ago and was really impressed by the tone and SPL. The "ultrabass" switch or whatever it is called - very cool for some of my simple "trouser moving" lines. 450 Watts is plenty of juice for me. However just about every piece of Behringer gear I have bought in the last 10 years has crapped out with a few months - not completely dead, but scratchy pots, loose jack connectors, hum and buzzes.
But the warranty is 1 year, and I have chatted with a lot of mates who wqork in pro audio retail and they say they rarely get these units returned, and if they do the warranty get actioned pretty quick - most times they give you another unit and don't even take away the old one!
I will have to buy stickers to cover the branding though. Rockin out with Behringer aint got a lot of cred.
The Warwick rig looks sexy, and I played one years ago, but seem to recall having the volume 95% cranked and still not getting enough juice..?
My memory is hazy at best, so I'm asking everyone for some advice / anecdotes / alternative suggestions. Thanks for any advice!
Hunter

Mkuk0 · Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 5:51 am Post subject:

Ashdown do some lovely gear try this link, not sure about price though, you may have to contact em!

http://www.musiclink.com.au/index.php?page=viewStory&title=Ashdown
_________________
Visit http://www.planetrock.co.uk/default.asp You KNOW you want to!

jimhickeymusic · Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:22 pm Post subject:

How about going for a rack system like a new tech 21 preamp into a used poweramp then pick up a used 410 cab and you are on the way...I would shop around the used market for cabs and power then upgrade as needed.

Pilgrim · Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:32 pm Post subject:

I have had the Behringer BX4500H for more than a year. So far it has been rock-solid and dependable. I've discussed it with others in other forums, and the picture that has emerged seems to be that this is a better than average amp for Behringer. From the forums I've read, the head seems to be pretty dependable - even those who are not Behringer lovers due to experiences with other Behringer gear are getting good service from it.

Frankly, I think this particular amp is a contender. Mine cranks out volume and works great - it's LOUD as heck and performs well. I play through a single 15 and my band specializes in surf and classic rock, so I can't claim that I'm using the amp's entire 'tonal spectrum", but it does work very darn well, offers a pretty good range of EQ, and is powerful. I haven't found any use for the Ultrabass function, but if you like it....then that's a point in its favor.

I bought mine new on Ebay for under $145, which was simply a screamin' deal for an amp with that much power. However, I haven't seen any other deals on new amps to match that one. I had to watch for a while.

Full disclosure: I also use a Behringer BDI-21 direct interface and a Behringer DR100 reverb, and both of them have performed well for me. So I can't say that I have any particular problems with that brand.

One other possibility - there's a vendor on Ebay who rebuilds old Peavey amps and sells them with a warranty (60 days, I think). You can easily pick up a Peavey Mark III 300W tube amp that has been reconditioned for around $250 from that vendor. I did a quick check and I don't see any auctions from them at present, but I'm sure they'll show up soon - they seem to specialize in the old Peavey amps.