Amp to pair with Barefaced One 10 - SORTED - see post on 21st August

[Delberthot]

I am about to take delivery of my first Barefaced cab - the One 10.

For years I've raised my cabs off the floor using various cab stands so when the question was asked if I'd like a top hat fitted to it, naturally I said yes.

I have a simple set up - wireless into the amp and then into the cab. DI out from the amp to the PA. I plan on having the cab at ear level on a standard PA speaker stand as I like to be able to keep the stage volume as low as possible and I'm guessing that for most gigs it will be about 2-3 feet away from me, maybe 4 feet at the most. I also have a microthumpinator if needed.

I'm not going to be in a position where I'm playing humungous stages, this is more or less it for every gig we play.

With my current Rumble combo, I have always struggled to get the volume low enough to still sound good.

I've never been one for tons of deep, low end either.

My current conundrum is what amp to buy.

I do like the idea of the Peavey Minimax which will theoretically pump out a maximum of 350w into this cab but I'm a Gallien Krueger fan having had 800RB, 700RB & 1001RB amps over the years.

I was wondering if the MB200 would do the trick? 140w into the 8ohm cabinet and so light that it could be permanently velcroed to the cab and kept in the cajon bag I bought to store and transport the cab.

I play right next to the guitarist who is pretty quiet on stage and I have a great drummer who doesn't have to hammer the bejesus out of her kit. My main source of volume on stage is from one of the PA speakers which is normally about 5-6 feet in front of me.

I know that there isn't a great deal of difference between a 500w amp and a 700w one other than headroom but will 140w be enough given what I am going to be using it for? Granted it's not your average cab.

I've narrowed it down to the Peavey Minimax, GK MB200 or GK MB500 (if required) with a 4th option of the new Hartke TX600 which will be coming in at around the same price as the MB500

Edited August 21, 2016 by Delberthot

[mrtcat]

All great amps and all more than capable of delivering the volume you'll need. I'd simply suggest taking your cab along to a few shops and try as many of them as you can find. I've tried the GK MB200 and it does the GK thing really well but wasn't my cup of tea. With that said I do like plenty of bottom end and a warm sound so it may suit your needs much better. Volume won't be an issue though.

[Delberthot]

I meant to say that I had one of the first series of the MB combos and loved the sound but felt that it was the cab that let it down. That was the 2x10" combo plus 15" cab

[Kirky]

I think the MB200 would suit you perfectly. It's very versatile eq wise and it sounds like to would be loud enough for your purposes. I have one that i use as a backup (to a GK Fusion 550) but i play guitar in a band with another member here - he uses the MB200 up against 2 not hugely loud guitarists playing punk/70s stuff and it never suffers in the mix.

[Grangur]

I use my One10 at home, in the lounge, with a MB LM3. It's great. It's certainly loud enough.

[Lozz196]

To my ears Markbass amps seem to work very well with Barefaced cabs - at the Herts Bash earlier this year we paired a Little Mark with a BF 110 and it sounded great. That said, if a GK fan then the MB amps are a great option and the 200 strapped to the top of the 110 is a good idea for carting about.

[machinehead]

I use a GK MB200 with a BF one10. I think the sound is very sweet and I don't think you'd be wanting in volume stakes with this setup.

I used to have a Markbass LM II and liked how that sounded too, but that was used with a BF G1 Compact. It was LOUD.

However, all things considered, tone, volume, weight etc, the MB200 is an excellent choice. (And happens to be the cheapest of your list of amps. Bonus points for that too.)

Frank.

[CamdenRob]

I use an Epifani Piccolo with my pair of One10s as it's small, light and damn loud... Doesn't sound as good as the glockenklang i had but it is half the weight... its a trade off really.

The post brexit pound plumet now makes Epifani gear prohibitively expensive though as you really have to order direct as no-one seem to stock it.

[Delberthot]

Thanks for the info everyone.

I think now I'm down to the MB200 and for only £60 more I could have the Peavey Minimax but it's quite a bit bigger and 3+ times the weight

Edited August 13, 2016 by Delberthot

[Bass Fumbler]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I think the MB200 would suit you perfectly. It's very versatile eq wise and it sounds like to would be loud enough for your purposes. I have one that i use as a backup (to a GK Fusion 550) but i play guitar in a band with another member here - he uses the MB200 up against 2 not hugely loud guitarists playing punk/70s stuff and it never suffers in the mix[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]I am that other member! I use the MB200 with two Fender Rumble 112 v3's so I'm getting the full 200 watts, rather than the 140w but when I first go the amp I used it with a 210 cab and it still did the business.[/font][/color]

[machinehead]

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1471090190' post='3110457']
Thanks for the info everyone.

I think now I'm down to the MB200 and for only £60 more I could have the Peavey Minimax but it's quite a bit bigger and 3+ times the weight
[/quote]

I think you'll be fine with the MB200 but if you're interested in the Peavey MiniMax then discreet has owned both those amps and a one10 so perhaps a PM his way might shed some light on why he returned the Peavey.

Frank.

[jezzaboy]

I had one of the Peavey Minimax`s. It has plenty of power on tap and is small and easy to carry. But to me the chickenhead knobs and the push buttons below the knobs, are very cheaply made and when I pressed in the buttons, a popping noise could be heard through the speaker which did not fill me with confidence.

Overall I don`t think the build quality was worth the price I paid for it, so it went back and a Trace Elliot now resides in the amp space. Not much difference

This is only my opinion of the Peavey and I know that there are a few fans on here.

[M@23]

A Tecamp Puma 300 - or Eich - would make a cool mini rig. Really like my 900 very much indeed.

[Kev]

[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1471122166' post='3110720']
A Tecamp Puma 300 - or Eich - would make a cool mini rig. Really like my 900 very much indeed.
[/quote]

Seconded. There is a Puma 300 in the classifieds too, an excellent amp. FWIW, I don't use barefaced, but the Puma kicked a GK MB Fusion out of my rig due to it being bettered on every level, I anticipate the Puma 300 would equally blow away an MB200, certainly worth looking into

[Delberthot]

Cool

Maybe it's time to think about others not on my list. The only thing is that unless it's Ampeg or Ashdown then it's difficult to try any of those other brands out first.

I am now going to look at:

Eich T 300
Taurus BL450
Gallien Krueger MB Fusion
Bugera Veyron 1001T



And then part of me says "just get a Gallien Krueger 700RB II". It is a lot bigger and heavier than the others, I can't sit it on top of my new cab and I'd have to keep using my stand for it but I know this amp, I know how good it is and I know that I'm not going to get exactly the same sound from any of the MB series

[Kev]

[quote name='Delberthot' timestamp='1471169027' post='3110914']
Cool

Maybe it's time to think about others not on my list. The only thing is that unless it's Ampeg or Ashdown then it's difficult to try any of those other brands out first.

I am now going to look at:

Eich T 300
Taurus BL450
Gallien Krueger MB Fusion
Bugera Veyron 1001T



And then part of me says "just get a Gallien Krueger 700RB II". It is a lot bigger and heavier than the others, I can't sit it on top of my new cab and I'd have to keep using my stand for it but I know this amp, I know how good it is and I know that I'm not going to get exactly the same sound from any of the MB series
[/quote]

Buying second hand not your thing? If it is, much easier to try before you buy for a lot of the more obscure brands

[Delberthot]

I have a bit of OCD regarding amps and generally only buy new. Most issues with basses can be fixed in a few minutes but an amp has to be sent away or taken to a repair guy. I know new amps can go on the blink too but I like to think that there is less chance of it happening than with a secondhand one, although this isn't always the case.

I've decided that it's really Gallien Krueger that I want so have put a wanted ad on here for an MB200, MB500 or MB 500 Fusion and take it from there. I have a rare couple of weeks between gigs to get something sorted out.

Thanks to everyone for all of the help

[Owen]

I tried an MB200 with a notoriously ineficient cab. It ran out of puff very quickly indeed whereas the MB500 just carried on giving. Obviously the One10 is a different scenario but the 500 was LOADS better in headroom and delivery

[Delberthot]

Based on recommendations here and elsewhere on forums and Youtube I've decided to order the MB200

Thanks for all of the help

[Kev]

Hope it works out for you

[tonewheels]

No brainer. Use the weight you saved on the cab an invest it on the amp. My rig:

[url="https://flic.kr/p/zobkB5"][/url]

[mingsta]

Another one for the GK MB200 option. I went that way with my BF Midget Gen3. It has all the features that I needed in a very small package and sounds good to my ears...somewhere in between the Genz streamliner and shuttle heads I have, which is not a bad place to be. The only thing I miss, which is relevant if you want to DI from the head + use as a personal monitor, is that there is no seperate preamp and master volume. That was a great feature of the Genz heads as you could keep your Di volume constant for the desk and adjust the stage volume on the fly.

[Westenra]

[quote name='tonewheels' timestamp='1471297777' post='3112001']
No brainer. Use the weight you saved on the cab an invest it on the amp. My rig:

[url="https://flic.kr/p/zobkB5"][/url]
[/quote]

This is golden.

[SubsonicSimpleton]

[quote name='tonewheels' timestamp='1471297777' post='3112001']
No brainer. Use the weight you saved on the cab an invest it on the amp. My rig:

[url="https://flic.kr/p/zobkB5"][/url]
[/quote]
You really need two One10's and then you could make a mini stonehenge rig (ideal for a spinal tap tribute maybe)

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='tonewheels' timestamp='1471297777' post='3112001']
No brainer. Use the weight you saved on the cab an invest it on the amp. My rig:

[url="https://flic.kr/p/zobkB5"][/url]
[/quote]

genius