Best Bass Heads of 2018

RH750

Compact 750 Watt Bass Head with 4-Band Semi-Parametric Equalizer, TubeTone Emulation and SpectraComp Multiband Compression

#3

RH450

Compact 450 Watt Bass Head with 4-Band Semi-Parametric Equalizer, TubeTone Emulation and SpectraComp Multiband Compression

#4

BH800

800 Watt Portable Bass Head with TonePrint Effects and Intelligent EQ

#5

Ampeg

SVT-VR Bass Head

Tubes, tubes, and more tubes! The new Ampeg SVT-VR is a vintage reissue of an early 1970s “Blue-Line” SVT head. The preamp stage, power section, and even rocker switches emulate the exact signal path, tone, and vibe of the original rock ’n’ roll workhorse. Authentic from its input jack all the way to its six 6550 output tubes, the SVT-VR is a must-have for rockers seeking that in-your-face Ampeg bass tone.

2 Rigs

#6

Rumble™ 500 Head

Rumble Sound and Power For bassists everywhere at all levels, Rumble bass amp heads are re-engineered to be astoundingly compact, portable and lightweight, with seismic Fender bass tone and stage-worthy features. You simply will not believe that the stylishly diminutive Rumble 500 Head actually pumps 500 watts of pure bass muscle and finesse, but it does just exactly that. Lighter and louder than ever, it offers versatile tone and is built with great features including classic Fender styling, convenient padded tote bag, and Fender's magnetic Rumble head-attachment system, which magnetically holds the Rumble 500 head securely in place atop Rumble cabinets.

#7

Bassman® 800 Head

Thunderous Hybrid Bass Tone Combining the best of authentic Fender bass sound with modern power, the Bassman 800 Head is an easily portable powerhouse with flexible, thunderous tone. Designed for the ultimate bass playing experience, it offers two versatile channels, classic good looks, and ultra-musical Fender tube tones€”all in a lightweight chassis (only 17 lbs.) that mates perfectly with Bassman Pro Neo speaker cabinets to create a tonal monster.

#8

Rumble™ 200 Head

Rumble Sound and Power For bassists everywhere at all levels, Rumble bass amp heads are re-engineered to be astoundingly compact, portable and lightweight, with seismic Fender bass tone and stage-worthy features. You simply will not believe that the stylishly diminutive Rumble 200 Head actually pumps 200 watts of pure bass muscle and finesse, but it does just exactly that. Lighter and louder than ever, it offers versatile tone and is built with great features including classic Fender styling, convenient padded tote bag, and Fender's magnetic Rumble head-attachment system, which magnetically holds the Rumble 200 head securely in place atop Rumble cabinets.

#9

Bassman® 500 Head

Pro Bassman Sound and Style The Bassman 500 combines Fender's world-standard "blackface" tube preamp with a lightweight 500 watt Class D power amp. Its dual-channel design uses modern technology to maximize classic technology, with classic Fender '60s "blackface" styling and a wealth of innovative features on the front and rear panels. A vintage channel that delivers the full, warm sound of classic Fender amps with passive tone stack and an overdrive channel that delivers the aggressive and responsive sound of a modern active tone stack (choose between channels with included footswitch). The Bassman 500 mates perfectly with Bassman Pro Series Neo speaker cabinets and Rumble V3 410/115 cabinets.

#10

BQ500

500 Watt Portable Bass Head with Mosfet Preamp and Thrust Compressor

1 Rig

#11

Bergantino Audio Systems

Forte Bass Amplifier

Bergantino Audio forté Bass Amplifier The new Bergantino forté (pronounced “for-tay”) bass amplifier is the newest member of the Bergantino Audio amplifier family. The Bergantino Audio Systems forté is an incredibly flexible, state-of-the-art Bass Amplifier, delivering maximum performance in a compact package. The forté uses the same analog preamp and power amp section employed in the ground breaking B|Amp, but with fewer options and control. The forté and the B|Amp have the same great sound, headroom and immediate command of your bass instrument signal, but is offered in a traditional amplifier package. You will find many familiar features of the B|Amp including 4-band EQ control, bright switch, variable input gain adjustment, effects send/return, auxiliary input and headphone jack, tuner out, dual SpeakOn jacks, studio quality direct output, 2-Ohm operation and universal power supply. The forté also has a unique On-Board VRC (Variable Ratio Compressor) compressor adjustable from the front panel. 4-Band Tone Controls Bass: +/- 10dB @ 63Hz Lo-Mid: +/- 10dB @ 250Hz Hi-Mid: +/- 10dB @ 1kHz Treble: +/- 10dB @ 3.5kHz Bright switch: +6dB @ 6.5kHz On-Board adjustable VRC (Variable Ratio Compressor) Compressor Auxiliary input and headphone jack for personal monitor and practice use Effects send and return loop Studio quality Direct Output, software selectable Pre or Post EQ UPS – Universal power supply 115VAC- 240VAC 50/60Hz Power Section: 700W RMS at 4-Ohms, 800W RMS at 2-Ohms Dimensions (WxDxH): 10.5″W x 8.375”D x 3.75”H Weight: 6 lbs.

#12

Ampeg

MICRO-CL Stack

Let’s face it. You are the type who would happily crank up a full Ampeg SVT stack in your living room. Heck, who needs neighbors anyway? And noise violations are really just a badge of honor, right? For the rest of us, there is the Ampeg Micro-CL Stack, delivering 100 watts of pure Ampeg tone. It’s perfect for those just getting into Ampeg or for the seasoned bassist looking to practice in far flung locations like the master bathroom. Includes tough 2 x 10" cab Stereo input / headphone out for silent practice Effects loop and direct out

1 Rig

#13

Epifani

UL-502 Ultralight 600W Bass Head

Epifani's UL-502 is a finely crafted, highly professional instrument, designed with the help of top professionals to get the job done right from club to arena. It is loaded with practical features that the gigging musician can really use including 2 separate footswitchable channels, dual instrument inputs, and a footswitchable mid-cut switch for killer slap tone on demand. Other features include a 3-band equalizer with sweepable midrange, balanced XLR output, preamp out, serial/parallel effects loop, and much more!

1 Rig

#14

Markbass

TTE 500

The Markbass Randy Jackson Signature TTE 500 500W Tube Bass Amp Head is best described as œModern Vintage, which may seem to be an oxymoron, but it sums up the unique new TTE 500 well. Current technology is brought together with classic tone concepts in a head that looks and sounds vintage”but features some special adaptations of the innovations that put the Markbass on the map. The classic sound comes from an old-style tube preamp, a tube compressor, a simple 3-band passive EQ section, a œColor filter (a tube adaptation of the famous Markbass VLE control), and an innovative Tube Technology Emulator power amp.

1 Rig

#15

Warwick Bass Guitars

WA300 300W Bass Head

Rack-mountable tone machine with loads of features. The Warwick WA300 bass head offers 300W of useable power, and has great, useful features for the stage, studio or bedroom. It features a two-way EQ for bass and treble, as well as a switchable 10-band equalizer for fine-tuning your tone. It also houses two inputs for active or passive basses, a balanced output for recording or direct feeds to a PA system, an FX loop and a headphone output. It's sized to be mounted in a rack setup, but it works equally well as a single unit running to a mixing board or a speaker cab.

#16

Ampeg

SVT-450H

In the world of high performance bass amps, the Ampeg SVT-450H gives you more power, performance and flexibility than any other bass amp in its class. And if we didn’t tell you, you’d swear the SVT-450H was a tube amplifier. Producing warm, tube-like performance at stunning volume levels (it’s rated at 450-Watts RMS at 4 Ohms), the SVT-450H uses MOSFET technology and offers a full complement of professional features, such as: Optocoupler Limiters, which prevent unwanted power amp distortion, no matter how loudly you play; and an onboard 9-Band Graphic EQ that allows you to sculpt a tone that is second to none. In spite of all these amazing features, the SVT-450H is still our most affordable bass head.

#17

Acoustic Amplification

B200H 200 W Bass Guitar Head

The Acoustic B200H professional head is designed for large club and live applications where it will fill any stage with depth and definition. Used in conjunction with the B115 and/or B410 enclosures, the B200H will easily drive either one or two cabinets in any combination of your choice. The two bass inputs are designed to accommodate both active and passive bass instruments while the Gain and Volume controls give you complete control over the character of your tone. Increase the Gain for some old school rock tones, or lower it and turn up the volume for great clean, classic or funk tones. The preamp includes a very natural and tube-like compression as well as a harmonically rich distortion circuit, which keeps your tone musical – even at high volume levels. The B200H also includes a notch filter to tailor your mids, and a six-band EQ for exact control over every nuance of your bass’s tone. Rear panel features include a parallel Effects Loop, and XLR balanced Line Out with Level Control and Ground Lift. The two speaker output jacks allow you to directly connect to each enclosure (such as the B115 and/or B410) to maximize your tone and power.

1 Rig

#18

1001 RB Bass Head

Take charge of the bottom line with the Gallien-Krueger 1001RB-II 700/50W Biamp Bass Head. This state-of-the-art monster is designed to deliver maximum performance with minimum fuss. An extremely high-current power supply and matching power amp circuitry extract every ounce of this head's awesome output. Its high-current design eliminates the need for current-limiting circuitry that muddies your tone. The biamped design delivers 700W to the woofer and 50W to the horn using an electronic crossover for seamless 2-way sound. 4 bass-specific bands of active EQ give you ultraprecise tone-shaping power. 3 voicing filters help you further shape your sound. 2-year warranty on electronics.

#19

Aguilar Amplification

AG 700

The AG 700 has the clarity, dynamic range and fast transient response of the legendary AG 500 with a big low-end and high headroom. This solid state amplifier provides 700 continuous watts at 4 ohms while only weighing 4.9 lbs. (2.22 kg)! Boasting an incredibly flexible EQ section, the AG 700 features controls for Treble, High Mid, Low Mid and Bass along with Deep and Bright EQ switches for a broadband boost. The AG 700 also features a series effects loop, XLR balanced output and two rear panel speakon outputs.

1 Rig

#20

MB 200

MB Series Heads offer optimum performance while remaining light weight and small enough to fit in the pouch of an average gig bag. All heads feature aluminum enclosures, digital power supplies and power amplifiers as well as unique signal management circuitry, allowing them to deliver high volume while retaining punch and dynamics. Available models range from 200 watts to 800 watts and are available with a variety of solid state, all tube and discrete F.E.T. preamps.

#21

MB Fusion 800

MB Series Heads offer optimum performance while remaining light weight and small enough to fit in the pouch of an average gig bag. All heads feature aluminum enclosures, digital power supplies and power amplifiers as well as unique signal management circuitry, allowing them to deliver high volume while retaining punch and dynamics. Available models range from 200 watts to 800 watts and are available with a variety of solid state, all tube and discrete F.E.T. preamps.

#22

MB 800

MB Series Heads offer optimum performance while remaining light weight and small enough to fit in the pouch of an average gig bag. All heads feature aluminum enclosures, digital power supplies and power amplifiers as well as unique signal management circuitry, allowing them to deliver high volume while retaining punch and dynamics. Available models range from 200 watts to 800 watts and are available with a variety of solid state, all tube and discrete F.E.T. preamps.

#23

MB Fusion 500

MB Series Heads offer optimum performance while remaining light weight and small enough to fit in the pouch of an average gig bag. All heads feature aluminum enclosures, digital power supplies and power amplifiers as well as unique signal management circuitry, allowing them to deliver high volume while retaining punch and dynamics. Available models range from 200 watts to 800 watts and are available with a variety of solid state, all tube and discrete F.E.T. preamps.

#24

MB 500

MB Series Heads offer optimum performance while remaining light weight and small enough to fit in the pouch of an average gig bag. All heads feature aluminum enclosures, digital power supplies and power amplifiers as well as unique signal management circuitry, allowing them to deliver high volume while retaining punch and dynamics. Available models range from 200 watts to 800 watts and are available with a variety of solid state, all tube and discrete F.E.T. preamps.

#25