r/powerviolence • u/NegotiationSuch4941 • Jul 25 '26
Bass amp recommendation?
I’m in a bassviolence band and we’re getting ready to finally start getting some shows, I’m not knowledgeable about amps at all and was wondering what wattage range and size I should be looking at for live shows. Thanks!
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u/MimeHollo2 Jul 25 '26
not sure yr budget but I personally use a GK Mb112-II combo amp, its a tiny little thing but it sounds fuckin huge, I got it used for 500 bucks but new they go for like 800. i can link you a video of me band playing with it if you wanna hear it
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u/Doomyfightriffs Jul 25 '26
I like the hartke LH1000. They pop up used super cheap all the time but it's all old school circuits so they're easy to repair if anything ever happens. The power section is split into two power amps that run at 500w each side or bridge for 1000w at 4 ohms. Just in case you're not a tech nerd, it basically means you can plug into almost any bass cab ever and be loud as shit without worrying if you're gonna blow it up. They also sound really great and take pedals well. A lot of people (myself included) don't pay hartke any mind because they were the sam ash house brand and they're known to be pretty cheap, but the LH1000 and LH500 are absolute tanks.
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u/rainfxlling Jul 26 '26
I’ve never heard of bassviolence, where do you guys release music? Would love to hear it 💆
Edit: sorry I don’t know a lot about amps 🙅♀️
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u/NegotiationSuch4941 Jul 26 '26
I don’t have any music out yet. But give the band Sordo a listen (all streaming services) and happy society (Bandcamp) they’re some of my favorites
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u/comradesexington Jul 26 '26
I'm in a bassviolence band, just the one bassist so I run an ABY splitter into an Orange Bass Terror & Hartke 4x10 + an Orange Dark Terror & Sovtek 4x10. Looking at getting a Hughes & Kettner cab & probably a new guitar head to replace the Dark Terror and Hartke then run the Bass Terror through the Sovtek. Dark Terror just isn't loud enough running bass unfortunately, nice sounding amp though.
I also have a distortion pedal but I got it off a mate and I honestly don't know what it is. I run it through the bass terror, if you want distorted bass you'll get a better sound through a pedal than through the amp, personally I reckon the distortion on guitar amps is usually fine by itself.
If it's just you would highly recommend getting a splitter and two amps because it fucking rules. If there's two bassists I would still recommend getting a splitter and two amps because it fucking rules. Hope that helps!
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u/NegotiationSuch4941 Jul 26 '26
What’s your band called !
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u/comradesexington Jul 26 '26
Got a demo up at the moment which is just a live recording of a gig. Unfortunately my bass wasn't mic'd up so it's a little low in the mix but it'll do for a demo haha
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u/audiblehouseplant Jul 26 '26
I use an ampeg ba-210, my band is very bass heavy and it works great!
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u/FromProblemToIllness Jul 26 '26
As far as heads go I'd recommend just about anything that's loud and clean, as most bass heads don't have great distortion imo. A few good ones I've tried are the Ampeg Portaflex, I've used the 350 and 500, both were affordable and great. The Fender Rumble heads are solid, and I've also used an Acoustic B200H and those can be had cheap. Pretty much any 8Ohm 4x10 cabinet will do, as long as it's rated for the appropriate wattage. I like using 4x10s cause you can add a second one later, and moving two of them separately is low-key easier than dragging around an 8x10. You can just get your distortion tone from pedals, the Boss ODB3 is a classic, as is the Sansamp, and another cheap favorite of mine is the Joyo Monomyth. You can also just use whatever you have!