Thank You so much Tyler :) Your channel is amazing and real breath of fresh air from someone that is passionate about Bass and music gear :)

As always Tyler made a great video. A lot of information. Thank you very much. 🙏

01:30 - Make it Compact 02:15 - Tubes Don't Matter 03:20 - Effects Return 04:34 - Go Big on Wattage (biggest point) 07:01 - Mute Buttons Rule! (Bonus tip, even though it's expected in the title :P )

IMHO, Bergantino makes the best class D amps on the market . Stellar tone, features, and construction!

I have a Demeter HPB-1 preamp into the power amp section of an Ampeg SVT3 Pro. It sounds glorious. I liked it so much that I bought a Demeter Bass 800D to replace it as I was needing to downsize my gear with something lighter. I get the same wonderfull sound I had before. I love the Demeter gear.

Class D combos are really affordable, great for gigs. I would also check the output. Some of the class D combos won't hit their full wattage without an extension cab. Definitely something to bear in mind.

Warwick LWA1000 is my bass amp and I love it! 1000 Watts at 4Ohm, built in compressor that works so well and class a clean tone (it really stays clean all the way!). By the way: It has not the Ice-Power amp module but the module from Pascal that is also used in the big Trickfish-Head (as far as I know)!

Thanks for the amazing content

On the effects return: Some people have suggested to me, for this type of use, to use a dedicated power amp. This would probably save you money-- you get more watts for what you pay-- but, truly, I'd feel a lot more comfortable on stage knowing that if there was some problem that prevented my pedalboard from working, or if I didn't want to bring a board/pedal to begin with, that I'd still have a fully functioning preamp (the one built in) available on demand.

Have you tried Taurus Vandall 500, it is class D 500W in 4 Ohm 300W in 8 Ohm 2,3kg (5.07lbs). It have 2 preamps and you can blend them together from 100% solid state to 100% tube (it's JJ ECC83S) and everything between. And I really hear difference in tone , on tube side you can drive it when you pass noon on gain. They have some interesting features. Two inputs (passive, active), true gain (on zero gain you hear your instruments gain, amp wont go silent), it have mute, send/return (loop is serial), XLR balanced line out with level adjustment, PRE/POST and GROUND LIFT switch and one combo speakon/jack speaker connector. Equalizer with Taurus MLO proprietary system (in short you hear difference in tone not in overall volume when changing bass and treble), parametric middle, bass and treble cut/off/boost switches. Power amp have protection and clip indicator led, and you can change AC from 230 to 115 by switch. They also have 1000W version but it's one preamp with two 500W poweramps so it has 2 outputs for 500/300W rather than one 1000W, but you can use it as Vandall 500 when you need (1000 have 2 independent on/off switches) or take another 500W column and use second poweramp. They also produce bass cabinets that look's to me like complementary to 2 outputs of Vandall 1000. They are 212 and 410 and have speaker mode selector. You could use em as 4 Ohm cab in mono mode when 1 input (upper) works and all speakers, or bi-amp mode where you have 2 inputs that power separately upper and lower part of cab which have then 8 Ohms. So in bi-amp you could power it via 2 separate amps, use only chosen halve of cab, or as they say in manual use it as semi-stereo and in some way use this mode as impedance selector. They produce 2 other cabs 112 and 210 which are only 8 Ohm, and all cabs have tweeter with 100%/60%/off selector. Premier Guitar made video review and was happy but there is not many more in English, there are few other video but in Polish however you could listen how it sounds. Im bit surprised that there is so few videos of this head. Of course there is a bit of salt everywhere and in my flat where is really quiet and i play quietly (I have Vandall 500 and their 112) I can hear fan noise. So it could be quieter or with self-adjustable fan rotations, but i think in less quiet place in should be harder to notice. Edit As I think now maybe, this double mode 212 410 could be also very useful as two loudness cab with Vandall 500. Quieter/half power/half cab setting in Bi-amp mode for practise or in house/flat and mono mode/full power/full cab in gig or louder rehearsal, minus is the cab's weight compared to their 112 or 210.

For the Fender 800HD, a footswitch can be connected to the amp to switch on/off the overdrive, and if the level control is set to zero, then the footswitch can act as a mute. Thanks for the video!

Mute button rules! 😂 I totally agree with this 5 topics. 500 to 700 Watt in about 3 kg. My 53 year old back thanks it. It is a shame that big brands try to convince Bassist with tiny amps. Elf, Gnome, BAM. Forget. 200 W (at 4 Ohm) has absolutely no headroom. Forget it. And the best thing. You can’t use them for practicing because they don’t have an Aux in. However tc electronic BH 250 (Watt) really kicks in. I tested it with my Punk band. I would like to add Top 6. use 4 Ohm load to get the full power. Your 500 watt amps only delivers about 275 W on 8 Ohm. I use 2 cabinets with 2x10 each (tc electronic RS 210) and think it’s louder than one 4x10 8 Ohm cabinet.

I'll add #6. Get something that's 2Ω stable. It's really nice if you want to use a vertical 410 stack or if you want to add an extra 110/12 to your existing 210/12 cab

I'm loving my Fender Rumble 800HD! Small, lightweight, good tone, and I like the output options.

You hit the nail on the head for me! I was literally wanting to place a tube pre amp in front of my Rumble 200. Sounds like you are saying don't bother. I like Class D for the portability and durability too.

Hi Tyler, a couple of months ago I bought a Harley Benton Block 300-B. It does exactly what I want it to, through the Hartke HD112 I bought along side it; it makes the bass louder and I can turn the EQ on and off so I have clean power if I just want to use my pedals. Very happy so far and haven't looked back.

Also look at “continuous running watts” like Aguilar, it out produces most 1k watt heads. Many say this (but it’s mostly “peak” and marketing )

Good post, thx. My Berg Forte HP is as good as I’ve played in my life and I’m 72.

Great video! Could you do something more in a video on the send/return with clean pre-amp in the front?

That was a revelation to bypass the front end and go into the effects return (Aguilar TH500) - I run a custom preamp and it always seemed silly to go from one pre into another one. Much cleaner and less hiss as any noise isn't re-amplified. Also, running active bass straight in to the return (it has an Aguilar pre in it) makes much more sense than duplicating the pre's. Maybe I just need to run a power amp, but it's still handy having the amp as a stand alone unit for smaller gigs etc. Thanks for the tip man!

If the gigs aren’t too large and the band isn’t loud as hell, I like a mid-power 400-800W range amp capable of driving a low impedance that gives me the flexibility for 2 or possibly even 3 cabinets. Even with good power, one speaker or two doesn’t cut it. You could use one cabinet to begin with in the shed and then grow into more cabinets for gig time. Basically, I agree with everything else you said. 👨🏻

Im building a bass amp, this video helps a lot

I use an Acoustic Image Clarus Series 4 head. It has all the features he lists plus an HPF, a four band eq, and it runs at a 2 ohm load perfectly happily. Also has no noisy fan.

I have a Genz Benz Streamliner Class D since 2011...really happy with that

I love my Aguilar AG700 and that head will always be my main. After buying and selling a Darkglass 500 amp I bought a small TC Electronic BAM 200 (must be the smallest amp out there?) to use with my Barefaced 1x10 and that little combo is just killer! It sound MUCH better than the Darkglass and really just bring the sound of the bass directly to the slightly coloured Barefaced. So that is my go to mini-rig when I play small gigs at institutions and such. I had a Fender Rumble 500 that I also sold (and a 2x10 extension cab) and that one is still the best all round combo amp for weekend warriors or hobby musicians that need something loud, portable and fairly cheap. I miss that Rumble....

I'm not against Class D power modules. I simply struggle with their preamp section. I'm yet to get a Class D bass amp with a preamp section that actually works for me.

my alpha omega 900 works fine

I played on numerous gigs from theatres to big stages but I never needed a 700-1000 watt amp (playing rock/blues/funk/fusion). I have a Markbass Little Mark III and that is even way to loud! Never past the 10 o' clock with the master knob. Why? Because - apart from very small venues - there is always a P.A. The P.A. will project your bass to the audience. Your amp/cabinet/combo is only for you! ANd for that you'll only need 250 Watt at the most.

Does the Fender 800HD have the distortion circuit? If it does turn it down all the way and then push the engage button. It will act as a MUTE as long as it’s turned all the is way down.

Hi Tyler, what about EBS Magni 500 - 115? It has 250 Watts, is it enough for gig?

It's the TC Electronic BAM 200 for me. Surprisingly loud

Bad experience with TC BQ500 class D, so it’s solid state for me now. Plenty loud enough, but not good loud. To be fair it’s a budget head & I’m sure there are some good class D amps out there. I suspect in a few years modellers, class d power supplies & frfr cabs will be the norm.

Check the amps wattage against how many ohms you are going to tun it through. Most class D amps are rated at 4 hm, and you will get less power running into 8 ohm. Don't ever run t into below the recommended resistance. You can blow the amp that way.

I’m looking for a reliable new amp soon… I have a terror bass which I love, but if it fails I want a back up! Any recommendations for a reliable amp head? Looking at 500 watts or higher… thanks to anyone! 🤘🏻

Your comment about staying clear of tubes in class d preamps - does this also apply to the Mesa WD-800?

Bass noob here - I want the Ampeg sound as my 2 favorite bass players are Eric Avery and Steven Severin who both use Ampeg. Which 700-1000 Watt Class-D amps would be able to match that sound? Thanks! (I also like heavy rock/metal like Gojira - he used a Darkglass)

300w is enough to play with a loud drummer?

If you're gonna go the class D route, I'd say just get a power amp and put a preamp of your liking in front of it. I feel like most of these manufactures don't know the difference between overdrive and fuzz. And get WAY more power than you think you need. Class D amps love to overheat and cut out.

- So it looks like you decided not to go with Ampeg after all Tyler ? What’s the story with that decision?

best amp i ever had was a old crown with a alembic pre amp back in 1984. i sold it for money to get to pittsburgh. stuff today is crap. light crap.

Class D amps are so lightweight, it's going to be 4kg weather it's 300w or 1,000w so just go for the 1,000w

Doesn't seem to me as though class D technology has improved all that much from 2011