NAD - odyssey

[jumbodbassman]

Had a gig about 2 months ago and my 3 month old  eden head crapped out  first song.  Anl as i am i always have another head in my rack so  3 minutes and my backup in this rack  GK 600 Backline ,  is on and i finish the gig.  My next few gigs i pretty much make do with  a few amps i have around....  

So i go to GC  on a sunday (only place open)  and start my odyssey.  First purchase  - Ampeg PF 500 head  - new class d made in china but great reviews.  
  http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/ampeg-pf-500-portaflex-500w-bass-amp-head/h71373000000000?src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=765395754
 On tuesday thanks to talkbass i find a great deal on a micro Eden head  from Amazon (even thgough the other crapped out ) so i can't resist a deal.. IIRC about $250 dollars versus the 450 normal  
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250930708473&hlp=false


Gig following saturday night third song - Jessica not the heaviest tune .... the new ampeg head starts to cut out as i dug in only  - limiter/ compressor etc...)   as it somehow reached its peak very prematurely    Could n't get it to happen at home next day but....  Fourth  tune i hook up the new micro eden head.  sounds great but the limiter light is coming on and it is clearly undepowered.  (only 264 watts so i didn't expect that much.  We were pretty loud as 6 peices for that gig. Everyone through PA but me....but not a hugh room and the guitarist on my side is way too loud and his brown fender clapton type amp is on a box so right at my ear level.  Few songs later I switch to the GK 600 BAckline amp  and i am fine volume wise for the resyt of the night.

Really like the sound of the new micro Eden ( 3lbs )  and decide it is a keeper for smaller venues and softer groups i gig with.   New Ampeg has to go back.  Off to GC and return it.  Next day GC has a clearance on a Markbass Sd 1200 head.  very expensive head but MB stuff highly rated etc.  The clearance is for $650 on a  $1100 head  so i have to give it a whirl.  Takes GC 3 days to get me one and finally one ships from indiana.  Shows up and it is clearly used head..  Decide to give it a try to see if i like it and it is awesome sounding.  any sound from very vintage tubey to very modern.  really like it.  Give music 123 a try to se if they will match the price of the clearance price. they do so i order it and am very excited.  next day backorder  notice.... WTF.  but i can wait.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/markbass-sd-1200-bass-amp-head


Sunday rolls around and i go back to GC to return the clearance markbass head.  Clearance items are not returnable except if damaged.  Again WTF.  So i start to make a  scene in the store ,  on purpose,  about getting a used item not new.  Manager agrees to give me a credit.  Not really what i want but I go into negotiation mode.  I willtake the credit if and only if you A give me a new markbass sd1200 or B you sell me a ampeg SVT 7 pro for the best price i can get delivered.  He  agrees to the later as the markbass for half off he refuses to do because they don't have in stock and to order to " lose money " he will get in trouble.  not sure i believe him but...  Best price for the Ampeg SVT 7 is 699 tax and delivery included.   so he honors that deal after about 30 minutes of arguing over tax..

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/ampeg-svt7pro-1000w-class-d-bass-amp-head

ampeg shows up on wednesday.  will try out tonight .  


  Thursday at work phone rings - first Eden amp is fixed.   So i have 4 new amps -  time will tell which ones are keepers.  

[jumbodbassman]

Had a gig about 2 months ago and my 3 month old  eden head crapped out  first song.  Anl as i am i always have another head in my rack so  3 minutes and my backup in this rack  GK 600 Backline ,  is on and i finish the gig.  My next few gigs i pretty much make do with  a few amps i have around....  

So i go to GC  on a sunday (only place open)  and start my odyssey.  First purchase  - Ampeg PF 500 head  - new class d made in china but great reviews.  
  http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/ampeg-pf-500-portaflex-500w-bass-amp-head/h71373000000000?src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=765395754
 On tuesday thanks to talkbass i find a great deal on a micro Eden head  from Amazon (even thgough the other crapped out ) so i can't resist a deal.. IIRC about $250 dollars versus the 450 normal  
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250930708473&hlp=false


Gig following saturday night third song - Jessica not the heaviest tune .... the new ampeg head starts to cut out as i dug in only  - limiter/ compressor etc...)   as it somehow reached its peak very prematurely    Could n't get it to happen at home next day but....  Fourth  tune i hook up the new micro eden head.  sounds great but the limiter light is coming on and it is clearly undepowered.  (only 264 watts so i didn't expect that much.  We were pretty loud as 6 peices for that gig. Everyone through PA but me....but not a hugh room and the guitarist on my side is way too loud and his brown fender clapton type amp is on a box so right at my ear level.  Few songs later I switch to the GK 600 BAckline amp  and i am fine volume wise for the resyt of the night.

Really like the sound of the new micro Eden ( 3lbs )  and decide it is a keeper for smaller venues and softer groups i gig with.   New Ampeg has to go back.  Off to GC and return it.  Next day GC has a clearance on a Markbass Sd 1200 head.  very expensive head but KB stuff highly rated etc.  The clearance is for $650 on a  $1100 head  so i have to give it a whirl.  Takesa GC 3 day sto get me one a nd finally one shipps from indiana.  Shows up and it is clearly used head..  Decide to give it a try to see if i like it and it is awesome sounding.  any sound from very vintage tubey to very modern.  really like it.  Give music 123 a try to se if they will match the price of the clearance price. they do so i order it and am very excited.  next day backorder  notice.... WTF.  buti can wait.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/markbass-sd-1200-bass-amp-head


Sunday rolls around and i go back to GC to return the clearance markbass head.  Clearance items are not returnable except if damaged.  Again WTF.  So i start to make a  scene in the store ,  on purpose,  about gettimng a used item not new.  Manager agrees to give me a credit.  Not really what i want but I go into negotiation mode.  I willtake the credit if and only if you A give me a new markbass sd1200 or B you sell me a ampeg SVT 7 pro for the best price i can get delivered.  He  agrees to the later as the markbass for half off he refuses to do because they don't have in stock and to order to " lose money " he will get in trouble.  not sure i believe him but...  Best price for the Ampeg SVT 7 is 699 tax and delivery included.   so he honors that deal after about 30 minutes of arguing over tax..

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/ampeg-svt7pro-1000w-class-d-bass-amp-head

ampeg shows up on wednesday.  will try out tonight . 


  Thursday at work phone rings - first Eden amp is fixed.   So i have 4 new amps -  time will tell which ones are keepers. 

  " the sirens sweetly singing"    one of my fav cream tunes.

[gearHed289]

Sounds like fun! Let us know how that Ampeg is.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

That's a fine testament to the reliability of the new 'highly (shill) reviewed' switching heads.

...and I'll bet some you guys thought I was just paranoid when I said that a few amp makers had paid to have me removed from Talkbass. It's amazing how much less glowing amp reviews become when the reviewer isn't being paid to write them.

[Pilgrim]

My solution would have been Genz-Benz.  Hope the others work for you.

[dadagoboi]

Definitely looking forward to your impressions of all these amps.  I played a Mark Bass and was disappointed but didn't have much time with it.

'Sirens Sweetly Singing' on a JAEbird.
http://soundcloud.com/dadagoboi/brave-ulysses

[rahock]

Wow, I haven't had that many amplifier issues in my life and I'm 59 and been playing since I was 14 .
For a while I was leaning the Markbass direction. I know a lot of people have issues with them but I liked what I was hearing when I tried a few out in the store. I've got to side with Pilgrim on the Genz Benz though. I picked up a Shuttle 6.0 a few months ago and I'm very happy with my decision. A lot of times when you buy an amp you realize its shortcomings after you live with it a while. With the Genz Benz it seems to be just the opposite. Every time I use it or try something new with it I realize what a great piece it is .
Rick

[Aussie Mark]

I've owned (and liked) quite a few micro heads now over the past 7 years (Acoustic Image Focus, Markbass LMII, Markbass LM800, Ampeg SVT7 Pro, Genz Benz Streamliner, Markbass TTE 500), and only had problems with one - am SVT7 Pro that self destructed first time it was fired up out of the box (but the replacement the dealer sent me was trouble free).  If you like the tone of the other Ampeg solid state power amp heads you'll like the SVT7 Pro - it's a pretty good unit.

The better sounding Markbass heads in my experience are those with the analogue power modules - ie. the LMII, LMIII and the TTE 500.  The digital power amps in the 800 watt models are too sterile for my liking.

At the moment I'm digging the TTE 500 and Streamliner in my head arsenal, that also includes a Traynor YBA-300 and an Alembic F1-X/QSC PLX1804 rack rig.

I find that as well as for gigging, the Streamliner is a very useful home practice amp because of the aux input, tuner out and headphone socket

[Spiritbass]

That IS quite an odyssey. I know you're not ready to invest in another amp, but have you ever tried a ThunderFunk?

[SGD Lutherie]

I might point out, if you have two heads crapping out, check the speakers. I was using a vintage 15" EV in a PA cab for a while, and my Trace Elliot head would start to distort and lose volume after a while. I figured it was the head. But it turned out to be the speaker. I'm not sure why, but when I switched to my 4X10 Mesa, the head works fine. It also worked fine with a Hartke cab.  So the culprit was the old 15" speaker.

I would have kept the Markbass myself. Much better quality and tone than Ampeg.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

I would have kept the Markbass myself. Much better quality and tone than Ampeg.

..not hardly. While newer Ampeg quality leave much to be desired, if and when both makes work, the Ampeg has a far superior sound, IMO. As far as reliability, I've seen a LOT more defective Markbass amps than new Ampegs.

[SGD Lutherie]

..not hardly. While newer Ampeg quality leave much to be desired, if and when both makes work, the Ampeg has a far superior sound, IMO.

Well that's personal opinion. I dislike the tone of Ampegs, with the exception of my old B-15n, and that wasn't anything too special. The few Markbass amps I have tried sounded just like the bass I was playing through them. I found them a little on the dry side, but it was at a low volume. I dislike Ampeg preamps and tone stacks. They impart too much coloration for my tastes.

[dadagoboi]

Well that's personal opinion.

 My personal opinion is similar to PBG's.  

[SGD Lutherie]

 My personal opinion is similar to PBG's.  

And thats why you have the Demeter?   

Well everyone has an opinion. I don't like the tone of Ampegs, and I never did. Given the choice between using an Ampeg and doing DI to the FOH, I'd go DI. lol

[Dave W]

Again, just one opinion, but I haven't heard anything from Markbass that I like. Even if they eventually make something I might like, no way I'd buy it because Guitar Center is their US distributor. I stopped shopping there because they didn't want to let me try out a bass unless it was through any of their Markbass amps and cabs. Second time that happened within a month, that was it. Can't try out a bass through gear you're familiar with? Forget it.