tc electronic BQ500 Bass Head

147 Customer ratings

4.6 / 5

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27 Reviews

tc electronic BQ500 Bass Head
$285
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Nice amp for beginners
Manwithbass 20.12.2018
If you've never had your own rig and decided to buy one without investing too much money - this amp is the perfect option. It also could be a great backup amp as it's light and quite small.

Control: just a few knobs will help you to dial the tone you like. EQ is very understandable. However, Passive/Active switch position is reversed (known issue with this amp). Doesn't bother me, but might be a problem for perfectionists.
Thrust control is useless for me, but I tried and felt it cuts quite a lot of treble. Not my cup of tea.

Sound: I play STD Fender Jazz Bass through GK CX210 cab, for me the sound feels warm, transparent, with enough of punch and bass. Wide range EQ can help you to reach desirable sound.

Fan is not very loud, but I haven't pushed it hard yet.
I might change my opinion and add some more details in the future, but so far I'm pretty happy, especially for this price.

Add:
- 100~240 volts main input is the best thing TC came out with!
- With one 210 cab plays nicely with 2 guitarists and a loud drummer.
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JS
Super lightweight and super loud
Jason S. Thompson 18.03.2021
I purchased this head to be used for live applications both in the EU as well as US (universal power babyyyy!) and also because it is EXTREMELY lightweight and VERY loud.

Full disclosure - I ended up returning this shortly after it arrived because the bassist in my band changed minds about having 2 heads, and we kept the Quilter BassBlock that we've been using for the past year or so.

The Quilter has some more gain controls and I feel can be used effectively without pedals, while the BQ500 doesn't have much texture on its own. It's a great power amp, and if you want simple (yet tweakable) controls for a pure tone - the BQ500 is great for you. If you rely on pedals for your tone shaping - GET THIS AMP and use it as a power amp.

The compressor feature is interesting, but I prefer the tweakability of pedal compressors rather than a built-in knob. But again - this is just an added feature so no harm in it being there!

All in all - I'd recommend this head if you need an amp to make your pedal tones LOUD. If you're looking for a bass head with some more character, however - I'd recommend a Quilter BassBlock ;)
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BB
Good product for its price
Breaking Bass 15.03.2024
The build quality is quite excellent, the product feels like it can tank quite a lot of damage. Sound-wise I'd say it is fairly loud (enough for smaller to medium gigs and practically all band practices) and delivers a nice, thick yet punchy sound. I gave it a 4 in sound and features, because i really miss a more detailed mid-range EQ, and the compressor isn't extremely useful. I would still recommend the head, as it delivers an excellent sound for it's price and can handle band practice and gigging well.
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A
Excellent for the price
AP78 05.07.2021
This is an excellent bass amp for the price. Super solid construction. The passive/active switch is inverted, but this is not a big deal. There is a different quality if used with headphones or a cabinet. It works really well with a cabinet (2x10 or 4x10). With headphones, the quality is probably not the best. Overall, this is an amazing unit, especially for the price. Also, it is very lightweight and super portable. An excellent solution for portability (easy to bring at a gig in a backpack), for the power output (it works well in many scenarios) and for the low price.
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tc electronic BQ500 Bass Head