The Sadness...My Amp

So I bought an amp back in spring of 2011 that I thought was perfect. It was an Ampeg BA600 with a 1x15 inch speaker. 600 watts. 35 pounds. It had power, light weight, and a good brand name. It cost me $850. It was going to be my forever amp. It was my first quality equipment purchase.

Every so often, it has seemed like it would cut out, but I chalked it up to bad cables. Then, a rattling/buzzing started at high volume. I've tried to ignore it. I don't think it is under warranty anymore and even if it was, I can't bear the thought of shipping it somewhere.

I looked it up and it sounds like these amps, while Ampeg in name, were made by some other company and the quality control was poor. The screws inside the amps were not quality checked to the proper torque, so when you vibrate the air inside with 600 watts of power, the screws come loose and rattle. Some of them also have a problem with cutting out. It doesn't seem like there is a fix to either problem.

I'm sad, because I was trying to invest in quality equipment and it didn't work out. It sounds like what I'm looking for...high power and low weight...is just a pipe dream. Probably the best solution is a separate cabinet and amp head...and possibly to move to a 2 x 12 configuration instead of a 1x15 or 4x10 in order to save weight. And there's my nagging feeling that any good venue will just DI me anyway...so what is the fucking point of even having a good amp...essentially it is a monitor. Of course, it is true that I play in lots of venues that do not have sound systems that can accommodate a DI bass. Probably for those I can muddle through with what I have or wait to get a good deal.

It is true, though, that I think that bass is going to stick around for a good long time. It would be nice to have something I could rely on. Of course, having a reliable amp is also probably a pipe dream...there will always be speakers or tubes to blow...wires to break...fans to stop and over heat...drunks to spill and drop...and the ever-present threat of theft. All life is impermanence and that goes for music equipment too I guess.

A footnote...which is that, recent bad wire excepted...I have two basses that are easy to play and sound decent and one cost me $100 (w/ practice amp) and the other cost me $75 (w/ practice amp AND a free acoustic guitar thrown in). I fantasize about fancier instruments (or ones that match KiD's)...but the two that I have are really great players and I'm so lucky to have them.