October 2011 \ Features \ 7 Micro Bass Amp Heads for Any Budget

7 Micro Bass Amp Heads for Any Budget

Dan Berkowitz

Take a closer look at the Gallien Krueger MB200, Overton Flyweight 200, Carvin BX250 Micro Bass, Eden WTX-264, Euphonic Audio Micro, Markbass F1, and Genz-Benz Shuttle 9.0
Premier Guitar October 2011
(9 of 9)

Rounding Up the Roundup
So there you have it, an introduction to seven micro bass amps, ranging from tiny-but-formidable to small-and-mighty. Likewise, the more budget-conscious of the lot check out below $300, while the higher wattage and feature-heavy models go for $600 or more. In every case, the size of these micros belies their features, capabilities, and tone by providing a bass sound that used to take 20 or 30 pounds and three or four times the footprint.

Although we covered a good number of micro bass amps here, there are many more great options on the market that churn out big tone in a tiny package. If you’re the kind of bassist who thinks that size matters, but that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better, it could be that a micro bass amp would be a good fit for your needs.

Here's a handy cheat-sheet of the features, pricing, and size of the amps in this roundup:

Amp
 Power at 4 Ω
 Price
 		DI
 		EQ Controls
 		Size
 		Features
Genz-Benz Shuttle 9.0
 		900 watts
 $829
 Ground lift, Pre/Post, mic/line levels
 Low/parametric Mid/ parametric Mid Freq/High/three preshapes 2.5"x10"x10.5"
4 pounds
 Tube gain control, effects loop, aux in, tuner out, phones out, multi-function status display, 100-240 volt operation
Euphonic Audio Micro 550 watts $675
 TRS, requires cable, level
 Low/Mid/High
 2.1"x8.5"x5.4"
2.3 pounds
 2 channels w/EQ, channel switching, high-pass filter, effects loop/tuner out, footswitch jack
Markbass F1
 		500 watts $650
 Ground lift
 Low/Mid Low/Mid High/High
 1.7"x10.9"x10"
4.6 pounds
VPF (Variable Pre-shape Filter), VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator)
Eden WTX-264
260-300 watts $449
 Ground lift, level
Bass/Mid/High/Mid Shift/ Bass Boost
 2.5"x8"x9"
4.3 pounds
 Mute, effects loop, tuner out, aux in, phones out, 100-240 volt operation
Carvin BX250 Micro Bass 250 watts $299
Ground lift, Pre/Post, level Bass/parametric Lo Mid/parametric Hi-Mid/Treble/Contour
3.7"x10"x7.25"
3.2 pounds
 Compressor, Drive, mute, phones/tuner out, 90-240 volt operation
Gallien-Krueger MB200
 		200 watts $249
 Pre/Post Treble/Hi-Mid/Lo-Mid/Bass/Contour 1.75"x7.75"x8"
2 pounds
 Aux in, line/phones out
Overtōn Featherweight 200
 		200 watts $229
 Ground lift, level
 Bass/Middle/Treble/Sculpt
 2.5"x8"x9"
2.1 pounds
Aux in, effects loop, tuner out, phones out, switchable compressor

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Comments

 (8 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Prytania
on 11/04/2012 		I read that Carvin's are made in the USA and not China.
Mr. Obvious
on 07/01/2012 		not reliable because it's made in China? You are a moron. Why don't you stop looking at weeds and notice a flower or two? This is a good amp and a good company.
Edwin
on 02/07/2012 		Made in China, not reliable at all. :( Hence the price I guess.
teddy
on 10/06/2011 		Is the Carvin reliable? My brother has a guitar amp of theirs that breaks consistently.....
Jason
on 10/02/2011 		You forgot a few, how about the Promethian line by Ibanez, Rumble by Fender and the Headlite serious by SWR.
yuno hu
on 09/29/2011 		ban'g amps in San Antonio is where you want to get your custom-made cab done up. With a neo speaker, we're talking negligible weight. e-mail axeman@basicisp.net for more info.
Douglas Meyer
on 09/28/2011 		Here in San Diego, several of us have been using the GK MB200 for steel guitar and Telecaster. It works well with a variety of speakers and, of course, bring your fx and reverb to the party.
Robert
on 09/28/2011 		Now time for a micro bass cab roundup.



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