I figured this might be of use to someone...I've probably forgotten a load but here's what what I thought of a few popular amps:
Ampeg BA115 and BA115HP
I can see why people gravitate towards these - it's the brand we see behind most famous bassists and these combos look really stylish but these thoroughly disappointed me. The 15" speaker is woofy sounding and the EQ is not very effective and for recording purposes a three band EQ is woefully inadequate, especially when you're used to having a three band onboard preamp. I didn't like the positioning of the mid control, and boosting the treble sounded unpleasant with the tweeter on the lower powered model. Maybe the speaker on these needs a period of breaking in to sound its best but it sounded to me somewhat muffled as if I'd thrown a blanket over the amp - bearing in mind I was testing it with a Fender Jazz lack of clarity wasn't what I expected. The "style" control on these is a pre-shaped EQ, useful perhaps to quickly change tone or for those who don't really know what they want from EQ but I found it crude and would have preferred to have a couple more bands instead. At £270 for the 100W version and a totally ridiculous £425 for the 220W version (GAK prices) there are definitely better alternatives. I haven't tried the version with the preamp tube but if it has the same speaker I can't imagine it makes much difference and is worth the extra £80.
Crate BT220
I wasn't expecting to be impressed by this amp, but actually it does have its own charm. It warms up nicely with a touch of bass added and the speaker moves some air without sounding too woofy which is my usual problem with 115s. The tone section is adequate with four band EQ but I'd still prefer more. The low mid band in particular is sensibly positioned (to my ears) to give a bit extra grunt if need be. Unlike most onboard distortion effects the Crate has tone and level controls on the distortion channel, leading me to think they've simply build in an effect pedal, but they are useful extra controls to have so it's a shame the distortion sounds like a guitar pedal. I fiddled with it for a few minutes trying to get a tone I liked but didn't really get anything decent out of it. Back on the clean channel, the octave is a nice feature but after having been spoiled with a level control for the distortion the lack of one for the octave is quite apparent, especially when you start playing and realise it makes you sound out of tune in the lowest octave of range (I was using a standard tuned 4 string Fender) but it is effective higher up the register. I now regret not having tested out the distortion with the octave, since you may be able to get a Tool-esque sound out of it if they work well together. I can't help thinking a compressor would have been more useful than either effect they chose to build in to this, and that in my hands at least both would see very little use, but it is a solid amp if perhaps overpriced at around £220 street.
Peavey TNT115
This was the best sounding 115 combo I tried and it also had the best tone section - a 7-band EQ showing both centre frequencies and +/- dB ratings rather than some arbitrary 0-10 scale appealed to me and it was pretty easy to find a tone I liked. While not as good looking as the Ampegs it undoubtedly is better specced with a DI out, footswitch bypassable effects loop and speaker-protecting limiter (also bypassable). I'm always happiest with a button to bypass the EQ, and there's also bass and treble dials for wider adjustment than the sliders. The input gain control can add a touch of overdrive grit but you wouldn't use it if you had a half-decent pedal instead. There's also a pre-shaped EQ "contour" button which I guess saves you having to dial in the smiliey face EQ that beginners love and experienced players loath. I'll admit I almost bought this amp - the sheer flexibility of the tone controls and the general sound of the amp (somewhere between transparent and warm when the EQ is bypassed) make this a great all-rounder. Price (in Sound Control) was around £275.
Warwick CCL Neodyne
I tried a number of basses through this, including a MIM Jazz V that I absolutely loved and a Corvette 5 that I wanted to like but just couldn't get on with the neck. Anyway, the amp is another 115 combo, 250W. I didn't get a good impression of this amp because it didn't have the warmth I want even with some EQ tweaking - it just sounded too sterile to my ears. Boosting the bass on the Corvette preamp sounded better for fingerstyle, and the combo sounded decent enough for a bit of slap but it couldn't get near the sound I want from a bass amp - maybe it would benefit from two 10" speakers rather than a 15" and horn combination. I didn't get as long as would have liked to fiddle with the controls (the presence of an impatient woman is always a hindrance when shopping for amps) but I never felt the urge to go back and try it again, even having been offered a big discount on it. Maybe if you're into a more hi-fi sound than me you might like this, but I prefer vintage tones and this didn't contain any. Thomann price: £430.
Ashdown ABM 210 combo
What is there to say really - a fantastically good amp. Tried this with an Ibanez SR500 and I could get every sound I wanted from it. If there's a better sounding amp out there at the price these are I have yet to hear it. I don't need to write a lot here because I just can't fault it though I would take the 10" speakers over the 15" - the Ashdown 15s don't sound that great and to my ears this amp really benefits from the 10s. Anything bad to say about it? Well I'm not convinced about the pale blue control panel with the royal blue speaker cones, but my ears couldn't be happier when I'm playing through an ABM. I tried out the Morley Dual Bass Wah through this too and (despite the many flaws with the wah) the amp reproduced the sounds very well indeed. You can find them for around £470.
Genz Benz ML200 210: I've only encountered one of these once, and it was broken.
I'll write a seperate article some time on the Ashdown MAG series, since I can talk all day about them. I'll also add to this article sections on other amps I've tried as I remember to.
Even as the local Ampeg fan girl, I have to agree with you here on the BAs. They were frightfully dissapointing when I tried them out. My older BA3158 has more punch.
I just got rid of my Ampeg BA-115 yesterday. I never had a problem with it but I wanted more power. I was going to try the 220 watt Crate but it wasn't in stock. I ended up coming home with a Fender Bassman 250/2x10 combo. I hope I made a good choice...I do like the sound of it. BTW, real good reviews. Later....
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Notes from trying out bass amps blog
