yorks5stringer Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 I currently own a Micromark 801 Combo, an Eden 60 watt Combo and a MarkBass TTE500 Head and 15" Cabinet. For gigs I use the big stuff but recently for rehearsals and some Open Mics and Jams I run, I need something smallish ( because the car is stuffed with PA, Mixers, Stands, Basses etc etc) and the Big Rig is OTT anyway. The Eden has no line out and only 60 watts, The MicroMark is only 45 watts and does have a line out but I find all the Mixer slots are taken up with acoustic guitars and keyboards and Mics anyway. So been looking at mid priced and mid sized combos, up to £300 and ideally for home and gig rehearsal and Open Mic /jams with no DI into PA. Currently there is the Eden EC28 180 watts (on offer at £270), the EBS 120 10" combo c £300, the TC electronic range under £300 with 250 watts and The Ibanez Promethean (10" and 300 watts) under £300. Anyone got experience of these please, especially for 5 strings or are there any other options I have missed? I'd like to keep it small and not go above a 10" speaker.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) I can only offer my opinion on the Eden EC28. I bought one from Aderton's back in March when they were on offer. It was bought for home practice and rehearsals. It's worked out really well and I'm surprised at how much I like the tone. The volume is much louder than I expected although in rehearsals with a drummer I set the volume at max and use the gain at about half and slightly cut the bass. It sounds great and works well. Although I haven't gigged it yet, I think I would in some of the smaller pubs I play in. It's not worth the usual asking price of £439.00 in my opinion because at that price you're into Markbass CMD121P territory and, having owned one of those, they are in a different league altogether and would be my choice again for a small, lightweight gigging combo. (Or, money no object, an AER amp three ) The EC28 has all the features, outputs for DI, tuner, extension speakers, headphones and a stereo input. So not a bad combo all round, if bought cheaply enough. Hope this is a little help with your decision. Frank. Edited February 10, 2016 by machinehead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Thanks Frank, I'd say you got a bargain at £179. Yes, I don't want to get into MB CMD121 territory as I'd be tempted to get rid of the TTE rig and just run that, but it is a little too big and powerful for home use as I can fit the MicroMark on the window sill for bedroom practice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Coffee Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1437820475' post='2829270'] I currently own a Micromark 801 Combo, an Eden 60 watt Combo and a MarkBass TTE500 Head and 15" Cabinet. For gigs I use the big stuff but recently for rehearsals and some Open Mics and Jams I run, I need something smallish ( because the car is stuffed with PA, Mixers, Stands, Basses etc etc) and the Big Rig is OTT anyway. The Eden has no line out and only 60 watts, The MicroMark is only 45 watts and does have a line out but I find all the Mixer slots are taken up with acoustic guitars and keyboards and Mics anyway. So been looking at mid priced and mid sized combos, up to £300 and ideally for home and gig rehearsal and Open Mic /jams with no DI into PA. Currently there is the Eden EC28 180 watts (on offer at £270), the EBS 120 10" combo c £300, the TC electronic range under £300 with 250 watts and The Ibanez Promethean (10" and 300 watts) under £300. Anyone got experience of these please, especially for 5 strings or are there any other options I have missed? I'd like to keep it small and not go above a 10" speaker.... [/quote] You might want to check out the Fender rumble amps. I took the plunge on the 500watt version with 2 x 10" speakers; which is 280watts without another speaker cab to bring out the 500w and I have to say that I am very pleasantly surprised. It has a rather helpful overdrive and gain section and is plenty loud for a reliable back line and soft enough for home practice too. There are smaller outputs than the 500 watt version and they are very affordable and light too. Edited July 25, 2015 by Black Coffee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 (edited) [quote name='Black Coffee' timestamp='1437854310' post='2829580'] You might want to check out the Fender rumble amps. I took the plunge on the 500watt version with 2 x 10" speakers; which is 280watts without another speaker cab to bring out the 500w and I have to say that I am very pleasantly surprised. It has a rather helpful overdrive and gain section and is plenty loud for a reliable back line and soft enough for home practice too. There are smaller outputs than the 500 watt version and they are very affordable and light too. [/quote] Thanks BC however price is creeping into the mid £400 now, almost into MB 121P territory! I wonder if the Rumble 100 cuts it? Looked at the TC Electronic 250 watt 208 today ( by phone) but they admitted it would not handle a 5 string. Edited July 25, 2015 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
machinehead Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 [quote name='Black Coffee' timestamp='1437854310' post='2829580'] You might want to check out the Fender rumble amps. I took the plunge on the 500watt version with 2 x 10" speakers; which is 280watts without another speaker cab to bring out the 500w and I have to say that I am very pleasantly surprised. It has a rather helpful overdrive and gain section and is plenty loud for a reliable back line and soft enough for home practice too. There are smaller outputs than the 500 watt version and they are very affordable and light too. [/quote] Good call. The new Fender Rumbles sound very sweet. The 500W version was under £400 recently from Thomann. Frank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 [quote name='machinehead' timestamp='1437860086' post='2829651'] Good call. The new Fender Rumbles sound very sweet. The 500W version was under £400 recently from Thomann. Frank. [/quote] Mine was a shade under £400 from Thomann. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Coffee Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1437859276' post='2829638'] Thanks BC however price is creeping into the mid £400 now, almost into MB 121P territory! I wonder if the Rumble 100 cuts it? Looked at the TC Electronic 250 watt 208 today ( by phone) but they admitted it would not handle a 5 string. [/quote] Regarding the TC amp. I called at our local Dawsons and played a TC 250w alongside the fender and the fender totally blew it away in tone, and power. It was a very easy decision when i heard the rumble compared to something with the reputation of the TC electronic. Each and every person has their own favourites but for ease of transport, tweakability on sound and raw volume the fender was hard to beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 25, 2015 Author Share Posted July 25, 2015 Toying with getting a Rumble 100 now, it can always go back if not up to it! 12" speaker should handle a 5 string.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1437859276' post='2829638'] Thanks BC however price is creeping into the mid £400 now, almost into MB 121P territory! I wonder if the Rumble 100 cuts it? Looked at the TC Electronic 250 watt 208 today ( by phone) but they admitted it would not handle a 5 string. [/quote] I'm noticing a frequent mention of the getting into MB CMD121P territory... I'd say, don't resist!!! Yes, it's 12", but very compact. It can do small gigs alone. It sounds great. It's the single best piece of gear I've bought in years. It'll cost a bit more but well well worth it. It sounds good at home as a practice amp (and it's not bigger than most practice amps anyway), and it can do small gigs alone, or bigger ones with an extension cab, or serve as a great stage monitor for when you have PA support... I've seen them go for £350ish. I bought mine new before the price drop, cost me £750 or thereabouts, and I'm not bitter about it one bit. Fantastic little amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4-string-thing Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Yup, CMD121p.... Got mine from Ambient on here, in "as new" condition.... They go for just over £400 s/h and as mcnach says, does it all... You will probably end up selling all your other amps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 (edited) [quote name='4-string-thing' timestamp='1437911996' post='2829891'] Yup, CMD121p.... Got mine from Ambient on here, in "as new" condition.... They go for just over £400 s/h and as mcnach says, does it all... You will probably end up selling all your other amps! [/quote] That's the trouble! I know a CMD 121P would cover all bas(s)es for me and have had one before and still use one regularly. I could chop in the TTE and RJ 15" cab and still have some change and I could then keep the Micromark for home practice. Just seen this [url="https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/bass-guitar-combo-amp/markbass-mini-cmd-121p-8-ohm-1x12-inch-basversterker-combo?gclid=CjwKEAjwitKtBRCt3uOYsY2v7FASJACJU5Xs5uTOfD1-8ywGw20vbCAr5Imz8PRKXyfODKsk8YTSiBoC9LPw_wcB"]https://www.bax-shop...YTSiBoC9LPw_wcB[/url] £466? That's a second hand price! Woodbrass even cheaper! So £210 for a Fender Rumble at 100 watts with a 12" speaker or £460 for a 300 watt CMD121P with 12" speaker..... Edited July 26, 2015 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 I admire your optimism doing gigs with these units... a 5st thru a single 10 is a tough ask for anything but practice levels. Even a 12" combo is a big sound compromise in that it might be there volume wise just about but a real struggle to get it to work if you are playing anything. My view would you'd be asking it too much questions if you were wanting anything more than bass under the band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 26, 2015 Author Share Posted July 26, 2015 Take your point re the low powered 10" combos but I am talking about Jam/Open Mics, not sizeable gigs and I used to gig with a LMII/III and a Traveller 210 which is not much different to a 121P.....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1437924869' post='2830040'] Take your point re the low powered 10" combos but I am talking about Jam/Open Mics, not sizeable gigs and I used to gig with a LMII/III and a Traveller 210 which is not much different to a 121P.....! [/quote] Understand that, but I couldn't do a gig with a drummer who plays instead of brushes, with a 210/8 ..just not possible for me. I think with the choice of 500w amps, players back off on them a lot and enjoy headroom they never traditionally had... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4-string-thing Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 Admittedly, for bigger gigs, you may need pair the CMD121P with an NY121 cab.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Well, ruled out the Fender this morning, could not get the tone I like from it and when I dug in the speaker flapped. I guess at that price point something has to give. Could not fault it on features or lightness mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 (edited) [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1437921352' post='2829986'] That's the trouble! I know a CMD 121P would cover all bas(s)es for me and have had one before and still use one regularly. I could chop in the TTE and RJ 15" cab and still have some change and I could then keep the Micromark for home practice. Just seen this [url="https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/bass-guitar-combo-amp/markbass-mini-cmd-121p-8-ohm-1x12-inch-basversterker-combo?gclid=CjwKEAjwitKtBRCt3uOYsY2v7FASJACJU5Xs5uTOfD1-8ywGw20vbCAr5Imz8PRKXyfODKsk8YTSiBoC9LPw_wcB"]https://www.bax-shop...YTSiBoC9LPw_wcB[/url] £466? That's a second hand price! Woodbrass even cheaper! So £210 for a Fender Rumble at 100 watts with a 12" speaker or £460 for a 300 watt CMD121P with 12" speaker..... [/quote] [quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1437921352' post='2829986'] That's the trouble! I know a CMD 121P would cover all bas(s)es for me and have had one before and still use one regularly. I could chop in the TTE and RJ 15" cab and still have some change and I could then keep the Micromark for home practice. Just seen this [url="https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/bass-guitar-combo-amp/markbass-mini-cmd-121p-8-ohm-1x12-inch-basversterker-combo?gclid=CjwKEAjwitKtBRCt3uOYsY2v7FASJACJU5Xs5uTOfD1-8ywGw20vbCAr5Imz8PRKXyfODKsk8YTSiBoC9LPw_wcB"]https://www.bax-shop...YTSiBoC9LPw_wcB[/url] £466? That's a second hand price! Woodbrass even cheaper! So £210 for a Fender Rumble at 100 watts with a 12" speaker or £460 for a 300 watt CMD121P with 12" speaker..... [/quote] Rats, toyed with getting the CMD 121P from above today and thought I'd wait. Its just gone up another £100. And woodbrass have gone back up too but just to £468! Thomann sell it at £568. Edited July 27, 2015 by yorks5stringer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderpaws Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 What about the Ashdown RM 220? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 [quote name='Thunderpaws' timestamp='1438073233' post='2831307'] What about the Ashdown RM 220? [/quote] Looked at it online, keen price on the 12" speaker one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 At a jam session I go to, there's a little Hartke combo - single 12" speaker, around 200 watts (I think). Guy told me he got it from eBay for £120 or so. It's excellent - fat tone, plenty of poke and portable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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