Gear heads unite!

[mindspell]

I have to buy a bass amp. I will be doing small gigs in the future but I also need something manageable in a house and not too expensive, I don't have that much money to spend on that (saving to buy a house). Here is the thing I am looking at right now:

Description:

"The full sounding XM200 combo (15” / tweeter) combine ease of use with great sound. With 200 Watts of power and four-way active tone controls that offer simple yet effective tonal flexibility. New ‘Scoop’ control is more than the contour button we’ve used in the past.


The XM200 Scoop is a user controlled tone shift that adds additional bottom end, increased high end presence and a notch in the midrange that creates a whole new tone pallet for the bassist. Unlike the ‘Contour’ button we have used in the past (basically a contour on / off switch) the scoop control allows the player to control the overall depth of the effect.

Professional bass players will appreciate the fact the XLR balanced direct output is selectable pre or post EQ, and a tuner output has been added to the XM200’s front panel. An overall system mute, switchable limiter, and extension cabinet output has been added to the XM200 combo as well. "



It is 565 Can$ and has a full 2 year garantee (even if I drop it from the roof)

Comments?

 

[FalseTodd]

Seems cool - Though they gussy up the "scoop" feature, it's really just "smiley face EQ for people who like Korn".

Obviously, you need to play through it first...who makes it?

 

[mindspell]

Yorkville, the same people who make Traynor amps. I played with it with a crappy yamaha precision copy (what the store gave me to try it with) and it sounded pretty damn good, although the instrument was total crap.

Apparently the scoop feature has been in Traynor amps since the seventies and they just added it to the Yorkville bassmaster line (hence the 'hype') although I did not find it particularly helpful in find a sound that pleased me, a lot of people since to like the feature in the Harmony Central reviews I have read of the Traynor amps.

Might be "smiley face EQ for people who like Korn" too.

 

[avi]

hmm, I'd play though it with you own gear before buying.

otherwise, I like the SWR combos I've seen as well as Ampeg flip-tops. If you can afford/find a tube one of those, you're stoked.

 

[FalseTodd]

Yeah I can't see auto-EQ scoop being a very attractive feature for a bass amp, but what do I know? If you like the sound, and if it'll get enough volume without having to crank it, I say go for it. Price is pretty good...

 

[mindspell]

SWR or Ampeg I would have to buy used because for that price I get a 50 watt of any of those two which is clearly not an option when playing with guitar players that drown you with a 25w amp....

 

[avi]

this is the ampeg model I was talking about, the Portaflex:

they seriously rule so much. the top speaker part flips over to be folded in behind the speaker for easy travel.