BP 400: UP TO 11
Bass Player|October 2020
So what’s your favorite bass amp? Freddy Villano recalls 400 issues’ worth of the big boxes
BP 400: UP TO 11

As much as the playability of your instrument can make or break a performance, so too can your tone. Whether on stage or in the studio, it can be hard to enjoy playing if your tone is fighting you—so it’s as important to have reliable, great-sounding amplification as it is to have a playable instrument.

Luckily for us, bass amp manufacturers have been striving to quantify the essence of a fundamentally good bass tone for more than 60 years. From the OGs of bass amplification like Acoustic, Ampeg, Fender, and Orange, to a new wave of high-end boutique manufacturers such as Aguilar, Darkglass, Markbass, and Phil Jones, bass amp manufacturers have made significant design and technological achievements in the last 30 years. Here’s a look at some of the most revered bass amps to hit the market since 1990...

This story is from the October 2020 edition of Bass Player.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the October 2020 edition of Bass Player.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BASS PLAYERView All
Freekbass
Bass Player

Freekbass

The funk master talks us through five career high points.

time-read
1 min  |
Holiday 2021
ASHDOWN RM-800-EVO ll
Bass Player

ASHDOWN RM-800-EVO ll

What a lightweight! Kev Sanders tests the new head from Ashdown

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2021
DUVOISIN Standard 5
Bass Player

DUVOISIN Standard 5

Mike Brooks gives this Swiss-style five a road test…

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2021
I WAS THERE!
Bass Player

I WAS THERE!

A historic moment in bass world – recalled by those who were there to see it

time-read
2 mins  |
Holiday 2021
BAREFACED - One10T Cabinet
Bass Player

BAREFACED - One10T Cabinet

A new Barefaced cab? Kev Sanders feels the quality

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2021
KRIST NOVOSELIC
Bass Player

KRIST NOVOSELIC

It’s 30 years since the release of Nirvana’s era-defining album, Nevermind, and high time that we revisited this 2011 chat with the great bassist turned political activist, Krist Novoselic, a musician who witnessed a truly chaotic period in music history

time-read
10+ mins  |
Holiday 2021
BASS PLAYER AWARDS 2021
Bass Player

BASS PLAYER AWARDS 2021

After a year off thanks to the pesky virus, BP’s annual Lifetime Achievement Awards return—and this time we add a new category. Raise your glass to this year’s winners, Marcus Miller, Gail Ann Dorsey, John Taylor and Charles Berthoud.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Holiday 2021
RUSH TO READ
Bass Player

RUSH TO READ

Rush’s Geddy Lee will release an “epic” memoir in 2022

time-read
2 mins  |
Holiday 2021
STAYING POWER
Bass Player

STAYING POWER

Tal Wilkenfeld’s recent album Love Remains features a five-string in tenor tuning with a capo. Ellen O’Reilly finds out why…

time-read
5 mins  |
Holiday 2021
Bass Player

TONEWOODS EXPLAINED

Do woods really determine tones?

time-read
3 mins  |
Holiday 2021