Ok... some of you may know that I'm pretty much a valvehead, thru-and-thru, but I may be in the market for a small but versatile combo, possibly with an extension cab... kinda drawn to Ashdown but any advice...?
One of the Ashdown's I've been looking at has been ABM C210 (with a separate 15 for bigger venues) or C410 - never tried one so purely what I'm drawn too and I rarely have bad instincts... always a first time...
http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=4279.0
Just look down the page a bit!
Small and versatile bass amp? Try a Roland cube 100, you may like it. It's also lightweight.
http://www.roland.com/products/en/CUBE-100_BASS/
If you want small and versatile plus light, the Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 docked on a 12T speaker is 36 pounds and puts out 365W. That's REALLY light. And the head (3.75 pounds) can be un-docked and used free-standing.
NOT cheap, but very, very good. Has a tube pre-amp which can be overdriven for tube OD, or you can back the pre-amp off for clean sound.
(http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j306/apowell1/Electric%20Basses/Amps-Speakers/G-B12TwithShuttle6.jpg)
I've been using an Ashdown EVO-II combo for a few years. I love it. I just added an Eden head and a spare cab. You can hear the full rig live over on the Post Your Music thread.
Already hear that, ta...
I have my eyes on a couple of trader s/h both c210 ABM's both the same price(349GBP) and one being an EVOII the other an EVOIII
Also watching a EVOII 4x10 and a GK 115
There's also a 1985 Trace stack with a 210 and 115 at £350 but thats getting long in the tooth...?
I've got an Eden Nemesis 250w Combo with a 15" speaker which has a pretty good sound. I use it to teach with and as a utility amp. No probs plugging an external cab and loading it down to 4ohms. Not sure what their availability or price in the UK is like but second hand I've found it a very reasonable package for the cash.
(http://www.soundsolutions.com.au/uploaded/images/client_added/NEMESIS.jpg)
Quote from: exiledarchangel on September 19, 2010, 08:24:05 AM
Small and versatile bass amp? Try a Roland cube 100, you may like it. It's also lightweight.
http://www.roland.com/products/en/CUBE-100_BASS/
This is a great little amp but it's all about how much juice the rest of the band is is using. If you have to compete with a couple of pretty strong guitar amps that are gettting wound up pretty good , you're going to be wanting a little more power. For exampl, if you're trying to keep up with a pair of 60 watt Roland guitar amps that are lighting it up, and a drummer, you're going to come up short. If the competition is using something a little less, you're really going to love your little 100 watt Roland. They sound great and they are loaded with all kinds of electronics that make them as versatile as you can get.
Rick
i have been on a perfect combo quest since i dumped all of my marshall and svt's boat anchors many years ago. boy there are alot more options and price ranges now. less is more and small is good, at least in bass playing and amp selection.
Quote from: rahock on September 21, 2010, 06:39:57 AM
This is a great little amp but it's all about how much juice the rest of the band is is using. If you have to compete with a couple of pretty strong guitar amps that are gettting wound up pretty good , you're going to be wanting a little more power. For exampl, if you're trying to keep up with a pair of 60 watt Roland guitar amps that are lighting it up, and a drummer, you're going to come up short. If the competition is using something a little less, you're really going to love your little 100 watt Roland. They sound great and they are loaded with all kinds of electronics that make them as versatile as you can get.
Rick
You could always use the PA if you need more power! ;) A friend of mine bought this little amp and she's loving it. It is a bass girl's dream she said! ;)
I'm still waiting to get a look at the 500watt GK 2x12" w/tweeter combo that weighs in at 37 lbs.
Rick
Bret - nothing found s/h uk at present but still plenty of time for searching...
Rick - yep, been looking at the specs on that, too...
They do one as a dual 12" as well but I haven't tried one. Not sure if there is much of a price difference. For a fet amp they sure have a rich sound. You just turn up the "Enhance" knob. Still makes me laugh to this day buit it certainly works.
Certainly not like real tubes but for a combo that is easy to move and use its a most respectable tone IMHO.
Here is the 2 x 12"
(http://img3.musiciansfriend.com/dbase/pics/products/8/5/0/228850.jpg)
It's funny; every single combo amp mentioned in this thread is killer. Think about that. The market focus for bass amps has shifted to the point that cutting edge innovation is now focused primarily in what was once a throwaway demographic: portable combo bass amps. I daresay because of that, the sound of most of those is superior to many of their "upmarket" bigger cousins.
The determining factor between them is now reduced to tonal nuance, not simple reliability or functionality. It wasn't so long ago that bass combos came in two basic flavors: the workman models like the Peavey TNT series or the pricey boutiques pioneered by amps like the SWR Redhead. Every amp company made some model of combo, and they were probably their biggest sellers, but their innovation focus and advertising was on their big-stage rigs; not so anymore.
That's OK. It leaves more SVT's for me. ;)
... and I've still got my Hiwatt... ;D
Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on September 21, 2010, 07:41:22 PM
It's funny; every single combo amp mentioned in this thread is killer. Think about that. The market focus for bass amps has shifted to the point that cutting edge innovation is now focused primarily in what was once a throwaway demographic: portable combo bass amps. I daresay because of that, the sound of most of those is superior to many of their "upmarket" bigger cousins.
The determining factor between them is now reduced to tonal nuance, not simple reliability or functionality. It wasn't so long ago that bass combos came in two basic flavors: the workman models like the Peavey TNT series or the pricey boutiques pioneered by amps like the SWR Redhead. Every amp company made some model of combo, and they were probably their biggest sellers, but their innovation focus and advertising was on their big-stage rigs; not so anymore.
That's OK. It leaves more SVT's for me. ;)
No offence intended but if I made it sound like the Nemesis was in any way a valid replacement for a full rig then I apologise for not being specific enough in my description. That said, I'm not quite sure how "pretty good sound" , "very reasonable package for the cash" , "Certainly not like real tubes" or "most respectable tone" equates to "Killer sound" or the implied "as good as an SVT" .
No apologies necessary! My comments weren't the least bit sarcastic. I've played all the combos in question and wouldn't mind having and using any of them. I might need three of them for most of my gigs, but that's just because I play extremely loud and refuse to trust my sound to the idiots running PA's around here.
I love Nemesis stuff; it's better than Eden for rock, more raw sounding. That Nemesis 2x12 combo would make a fine stage amp with a decent PA filling out the sound for big venues and it would more than hold its own for smaller rooms. I have a Nemesis 8x10 cab. Strangely enough, they also offer it as a combo too, no kidding. I think the 250 watt Nemesis combos do have killer sound.
I was just commenting that amp companies seem to concentrate less on their "big boys" nowadays and focus more of their efforts on their "bread and butter" midsize combo amps. IMO, it's a symptom of an aging market who want quality and portability without hernias and the down economy making people demand more austere offerings. I think it's a good thing. Too many amp companies have sunk under the weight of flagship products that didn't deliver while they neglected their base market.
Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on September 23, 2010, 12:20:25 AM
I play extremely loud and refuse to trust my sound to the idiots running PA's around here.
I wholeheartedly agree. Which is why I do the same as you. Also sadly true is the fact that friday week I'm booked in for my hernia op :-[ .
Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on September 23, 2010, 12:20:25 AM
I was just commenting that amp companies seem to concentrate less on their "big boys" nowadays and focus more of their efforts on their "bread and butter" midsize combo amps. IMO, it's a symptom of an aging market who want quality and portability without hernias and the down economy making people demand more austere offerings. I think it's a good thing. Too many amp companies have sunk under the weight of flagship products that didn't deliver while they neglected their base market.
I think you're right. There are a lot of people still playing at age 50+, and weight starts to become an issue somewhere in there. Also, a lot of people in that age range have the disposable income to upgrade to newer amps. I happily ditched my heavier gear and changed to the Genz-Benz gear. I don't play unusually loud, but I'm confident that with a pair of the T12 speakers and 600W to push them, I won't encounter a gig that I can't manage, even outside.
For those who wonder why I am shown as having edited the previous post, I just 'closed' the quote box in the previous post to make it easier to read. I didn't mess with anything Pilgrim had to say.
Quote from: Freuds_Cat on September 23, 2010, 01:10:39 AM
Also sadly true is the fact that friday week I'm booked in for my hernia op :-[ .
I don't know, Bret... trying to blame the rig when it was
all those cases of wine you moved in, restocking that
cavernous wine cellar of yours... ;)
In all seriousness, hopefully it all goes well - you having the invasive or the keyhole job...?
Keyhole unless it gets complicated is what I'm told.
Many years ago, my dad had a hernia operation...he said that afterwards, he was black and blue all over his groin area.
Next time he saw the doctor for a post-op checkup, he had this conversation:
"Hey, do women get hernias too?"
"Yes, of course they do."
"Then tell me, what do you hold onto while you work on them?" :rimshot:
That's a bit below the belt Al...
A few months back I picked up a Peavey Databass combo at the local GC for cheap. It's 450w@4 ohms into a single 15" BW (inexplicably rated at only 300w), with no provision for adding another cab. I'm having an ext cab jack installed and replacing the Widow with an Eminence Gamma 15A (8 ohms). The amp is loud al all get out anyway, but my idea is to plop a 1x10 box on top, and drive the whole mess with my tube preamp. Naturally I'd rather be rockin' the old Ampegs, but this will be easier on the ol' sacroiliac.
I don't know, Billy, the sooner they master this anti-grav stuff the better... (add smiley with walking stick and long grey beard here...)
I've creased my spine in a few places but it's my neck that causes me most grief at the moment... and no jokes about sticking it where it don't belong, pur-lease... :mrgreen:
Just heading off to pick-up an Ashdown Mag 300 410 - £204 - supposedly never gigged...
Good luck Ken. I just looked at the specs and it's 97 lbs.!! Not too heavy for a a youngster.... :P
Quote from: Lightyear on October 03, 2010, 12:42:11 PM
I just looked at the specs and it's 97 lbs.!! Not too heavy for a a youngster.... :P
Ok, I give you that, there is a two year gap... gotta admit, I preferred the weight in kilos - sounded MUCH lighter... :P (much lighter than my 4 x 12 and the Hiwatt, mind you...)
(http://i655.photobucket.com/albums/uu280/kjrstewart/ASHDOWN/20101003MAG3002.jpg)
WOW... SHE SURE IS LOUD... LOVES MUDBUCKERS TOO... ;D
The priority now is a decent set of wheels...
A good set of casters can be your friends.
Buy them heavier than you think you need - cheaper to get the right ones the first time than to replace them after they break.
I've been using a Ashdown MAG 2-10 Since I started playing bass and it's never let me down. They're built like tanks (All I've ever managed to do is crack the plastic corner covers a lil, and blow a fuse once) and put out sound that will rattle most venues (using everything from an acoustic bass to my Thunderbird). I've heard/seen a few bands use the ABM and they've all sounded fantastic, and should the opportunity ever arise for me to upgrade to that I would, just for the added umph from the tube.