Which Amp would you recommend?

Slastor

Prowler
Hello everyone!
I'm going to buy a Steve Harris Signature Bass soon and as I want to get as close to his original sound as possible and my current Amp is broken, I'll also have to buy a new Bass-Amp.
As I'm not very familiar with the differences between Amps, I wanted to ask you guys which Amps you would recommend to get a nice Harris-Like tone. I'm thinking of an Amp somewhere between 15 and 60 Watts, as I'm only going to play and practise at home for now. Also, it should have an overdrive function if possible, lineout would also be nice to have.
If there's any Amp that comes to your mind, please let me know, I really appreciate your guys help!
Thanks alot!
 
If you're living in a flat, it'd be silly to buy an amp that is more than 20-25 Watts. I've been using a Marshall MB15 for two years now and it's pretty good. Doesn't have an overdrive, though.
 
Thanks for the quick reply!
Well, I'm not really living in a flat. It's the ground floor of a back premises, I can play E-Drums without having to worry about my neighbours. :)
I've looked it up and I've got one little spare question; does the 'Voice'-control act like the 'Middle'-control on other Amps?
If so, I think that Amp would be perfect, as it has everything I need! (since the 'Modern/Classic' Button seems to provide the overdrive/distortion function I need, I think I should've been more specific about what kind of overdrive I need)
Also, it fits perfectly in my budget! :D
Thanks man!
 
The "Voice" control gives you a more crunchy sound, you basicly hear your every touch on the bass. I don't use it that often, "Treble" usually does the trick.

Glad that I could provide help.
 
Alright, sounds good sounds good!
If I may ask, what Bass do you use it with? And, lets say, on a scole from 1 to 10, how close does it get to the original?
Since the next Musicstore which has both, the Amp and the SH Bass, is more than 150 Miles out I cant test it by myself :/
Oh, you definitly help(ed) me alot!
 
My bass isn't nearly as good as a Fender P Bass. It's an Ibanez SR300 but it sounds very good. I'm sure you'll get a close sound with the P Bass.
 
Alright man! A good friend of mine has an Ibanez Bass, I'm not sure which model it was, but it looked very similar to yours, at least from what I've seen on google, haha! Was a pretty good Bass tho.
Once again, thank you very much for your help, I really appreciate it!
 
Alright man! A good friend of mine has an Ibanez Bass, I'm not sure which model it was, but it looked very similar to yours, at least from what I've seen on google, haha! Was a pretty good Bass tho.
Once again, thank you very much for your help, I really appreciate it!

I've been meaning to post a YouTube video on this exact topic.
While I definitely don't consider myself a great bass player - I listen to a fair amount of music and have experience mixing audio and running a sound board.
Over the last two years, I've gone through trial and error trying to find the right sound. I've checked with various people on YouTube as to what setup they are running. I own an Ibanez SR300, Ibanez ATK200, and the Steve Harris signature model. For Amps and cabs, I use an Ampeg Micro VR head and two Ampeg SV210 cabs. I also own a Fender Rumble 150.

So obviously the closest to getting his tone would be buying his bass, then installing his Seymour Duncan SPB-4 pickups. His amp I believe he has had since he started Maiden and is not something you can buy. I remember reading an article where he stated the closest thing off the shelf would be an Ampeg SVT.
I think the SH P Bass combined w/ an Ampeg amp, smaller 10 or 12" speakers, and the right EQ settings does the trick. Cutting out some of the low end (60khz) and some of the mid range (500 / 1000khz) will get the sound close. When I say cutting the mid range, Steve does not have a boomy, growling / grinding tone. His EQ combined w/ flats is the opposite of a J Bass with round wounds. Cutting the low end a bit gets rid of the mud and adds articulation.

Ampeg has an amp called a Micro CL. That might be a good idea if you don't need a lot of volume. I just like Ampeg tone and the punch of 10" speakers. Also, after playing hours and hours on different strings with this bass - I'm not a fan of the SH Rotosounds. Tension is unbelievable (and I'm lefty), the lose their punch quickly. Ernie Ball heavy strings or DR Lo Rider heavies are good alternatives.
 
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