This is my first Ampeg product. It is intended to be a practice amp for the bedroom, as well as to provide a platform to seamlessly switch between a passive and an active bass.
The padded input is not as quiet as I would like. There is a noticeable hiss prevalent throughout the volume range. The tone controls work well, each with a click stop at noon. The SGT circuit is pure gimmick and doesn’t get used in my practice playing.
Raising the volume introduces some distortion which is made worse through chords. Placement is very important as the amp doesn’t like being in a corner or with an object near its speaker grill. The grill cover tears off and is held together with velcro.
The 12 inch speaker, instead of being the best of both worlds, has turned out to be very average. In the future, I will look for smaller diameter drivers. The sound is muddy and response is slow. Active basses do well to compensate for the relatively minor but ever present sonic shortcomings.
The 100 watts was supposed to provide the security of headroom but I feel it is overrated and underperforms. It does get loud, but without the clarity I was looking for. The cabinet is quite light for its size and compares very favorably against other amps of similar build. The black vinyl look with the silver thread mesh speaker grill cover looks great, but I think the feet are not all the same height as the amp rocks from side to side on a perfectly flat floor.
For the money I spent, I suppose this is actually a very good compromise. However, personally, I was looking for a superior sounding product. The ease of use and compact nature make it a reliable companion and it does manage to highlight some of the better qualities of my basses, if not always consistently through ALL of the volume and tone settings.
For seasoned ears, I would not recommend this product. For beginners, they will find a product they can learn from and grow with. It is a much better practice amp than was available 15-20 years ago. It is lighter, more powerful, with more features, and better sound than what was available for the price last time I shopped for an amp. It makes my passive and my active basses sound loud if not crystal-clear.
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