Where to buy amps?
 

My son needs a bigger amp. I don't know chit about this stuff so I thought I'd ask for some expertise from my fellow Chief fans.

He plays bass and has a little one thats okay but its no good for performing. He wants to do some gigs but he needs a bigger amp.

I was thinking that a musical store is not going to be a very good place to get a good deal. Or maybe it is. I need some information. Anybody out there into music? Got any ideas?

Pawn shops

Order one from www.musiciansfriend.com

If you're in KC, they have a warehouse on front street where you can go see the goods.

Holy Chit Batman those are frigging expensive! :eek:

What amperage does he need to play open mikes and small parties?

Whats it called?

That was my first thought, that and surfing Ebay.

Shipping will shoot the price up so much that it would make it too expensive to buy that way would it not?

Musician's Friend, the website previously mentioned, is one of the internet's largest music retailers. Their warehouse, where they ship all this stuff from, is on Front Street. I've not been there myself, but friends have gone there and bought stuff. I have got things from them through the mail and always had a good experience.

I assume it would be in the phone book but that's all the info I have for you.

The company Radar Chief works forin Chanute, Ks used to make very good amps. They had big name groups like Alabama coming to town from all over the US. I know they make radar units now but I don't know if they still make amps. Buying from the factory would certainly save you a bunch of money. I'd PM Radar Chief and ask him.

Check ebay.

All of my son's stuff was stolen on 10/22 after his Detroit show. I'm sure it will show up for sale soon.

He got most of it from musician's friend warehouse.

Good luck, but remind your son to get insurance on his equipment before leaving the house.

****ing theives. I'd like to kick their asses......

:shrug: I shipped a Borg Warner R-10 overdrive unit last spring via UPS for ‘bout $20 and that thing weighed ‘bout 70#.

Cool. Easy to find with a yahoo phone book.

I'll go check them out in person. Pawn shops. Thanks for the info guys!

That was the old Kustom Electronics and the music sections was sold off long ago.
There is a company, Japanese I think, that’s still making amps with the Kustom Electronics name but they have nothing to do with Kustom Signals that doesn’t do us any good for this discussion.

I suggest -THIS BASS COMBO- , it's only $299 and is eligible for free shipping. It should also be enough to handle small parties and such.

Well, the Musician's Friend warehouse in KC is a discount warehouse. They sell damaged goods at a lower price. Often times, though, it's only minor cosmetic damage. You can get some great deals down there.

Man that looks like a helluva deal. Thanks!

That's a deal from a reputable amp manufacturer. Jump on that.

no kidding. Thanks for the advise!

I like gk I really do, but the backline series kinda sucks, that said, it's a lot better than Behringer, or a lot of the other crap that's out there. The Musicians friend warehouse is good, so is craigslist for the used. Ebay, from a reputable seller. Remember a good rule of thumb for bass is if the guitarist in your sons band is playing a 100 watt amp, the bassist, should be playing through a 200 watt amp, or at least 150 watt's. The lower frequencies require more power to move throught the air due to the much larger waveform. If you have any questions, or want to ask my opinion on any specific pice of equipment, please feel free to p.m. me. I have been a professional bassist for over fifteen years.

Personally, as a Bass player, I highly recommend looking at the Fender Bassman series. They are some of the most impressive amps I have ever used myself.

For my own small work, I use a standard Bassmann 100. It is more then adequate for standard gigs these days.

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I agree with those that recommended musiciansfriend. I have used them for years and I've always been satisfied. :thumb:

Reaper16,
Are you sure about the KC MF warehouse selling only scratch and dent items? I've bought new stuff from MF and I could've sworn they came from KC. I know their main warehouse is in Portland, OR though.

You have to shop this from store to store to hear what kind of sound you want and bring your instrument. Once you find what you want...then shop for price.

Yeah, come to think of it, the KC warehouse sells new/unused items that have been discontinued.

That looks like a real good deal. I am a bass player and use Ampeg and Hartke gear but for abeginner the GK stuff looks alright.

I like to read the reviews. They seem to be pretty honest becuase I have seem some peopel really rip some products.

I highly suggest Musicians Friend even though I hate to see buisness go to the big guys and away form the small music shop.

Bottom line is MF has good proces and you can retuen anything for nay reason inthe first 45 days if not satisfied.

I have spent $5000 + with MF over the last few years and little to no complaints.

ROFLROFLROFLROFL

I've been playing guitar for over 12 years, and teach guitar at a local music shop. I've also sold equipment for bass and guitar at another music shop for a long time.

My opinion on musicians friend is this: don't order from the catalogue... Ever... After you pay for shipping, you're probably only saving a couple of points, and in my opinion, it's not worth it, to have to buy something sight unseen and risk that it might be defective, and/or just not sound like you want it to. If you know what you're looking for, however, you can find good deals on factory second gear at their warehouse.

NEVER BUY AN INSTRUMENT WITHOUT PLAYING IT FIRST!
(unless you're a collector and know EXACTLY what you're getting)

As for my opinion on bass amps, there are lots of great ones out there (worthy of gigging) for around 500. Myself, I prefer tube amps. They are warmer and provide a whole lot more volume with less wattage (output). That said, solid state technology is much less expensive.

The amp listed below looks like a pretty cheapo amp. Very little wattage for a solid state amp. I've never seen it in person either, but looking at the zoomed in picture of the amp, it looks like they've used cheapo parts on the face of the unit.

I buy new there all the time. Yes, they have all their scratch and dent stuff up there, but if you want something new, they'll go back in the warehouse and fetch it for you, but don't expect the discounts...

BC

I use a Fender 5 Chorus...I don't gig anymore..just play every night in the house.....I gotta say...this is solid advice.

I've been to the Musician's Friend warehouse several times. Like everyone has said, thats where they try to sell off all their scratch and dents and customer returns. Some of the common problems with the amps are that they have a damaged speaker, torn grille, big dents or gouges in the cabinet, torn tolex, knobs that make a scratching sound when you adjust them, bad input jacks, bad electronics, etc. And a lot of their merchandise is the cheap stuff. You can find a good deal there, just make sure you play it thoroughly. Make sure the knobs don't sound scratchy with the amp on. And make sure you play it loud enough so you can hear if something doesn't sound right.

There are a couple stores that you can visit also. There's Guitar Source on 95th and Quivira, across the street from Oak Park Mall. They've got some good stuff, but they are priced a bit high and have bad customer service(in my experience). In Lawrence, there is a place called Mass Street Music. They have good pricing and good customer service. Their website is www.massstreetmusic.com .

I'm pretty sure that the last time Alabama would have been conisidered a big name group you were still capable of becoming fully erect.

ROFL

FYI - Guitar Center music stores (two new ones just opened up in KC area) are basically a regular store front for musicians friend. Guitar Center owns Musicians Friend. I haven't spent much time there, but it appeared that they had pretty much the same pricing. That way, you can go and actually try out different amps before purchasing and still get the good MF pricing...

Damn Jim that is funny. Rep.

Well, now that you have told everyone about your familiarity with my erection status, I'll have to ask you to quit telling people that my dick is salty. Thank you.

I have been a bass player for 30 some years now and hav e always been a big bleiever in either Acoustic (now defunct) or Ampeg gear. I would recommend Guitar Source on 95th Street (Across from Oak Park Mall). They have a pretty good selection of amps and cabs. Unfortunately, going used (ebay for example) doesn't give you much of a warranty. Hope this helps a little.....

I would suggest a music store.

Yup. And- if you know what you want(Marshall 50 watt head, Strat, Les Paul, etc.), keep a lookout in the 'Used Musical Instruments' section of the paper, especially if you're in no huge hurry to pick it up. Occasionally you can find top-notch equipment in the hands of someone who either doesn't know what they've got or simply needs to unload it as soon as possible. And of course, play it thoroughly first.

I've had great luck with Musicians' Friend, and bought my '91 Jackson Dinky Reverse thru a mail order called Suncoast Music- it's been a fantastic guitar! Cost me $450 with the case, and it's still my main axe.

Z

One of my friends recently picked up a really nice tube amp on Ebay for pretty cheap.

Bob Dole just ordered a Hartke A35 last night to go with the Dean Edge '04 Bartolini.

Anyone want to tell Bob Dole what a bad choice that was after the fact? (It's not for gigging...just practice/jamming around the house.)

For Bass amps, an Ampeg tubed is the only way to go.