dirtystatic

Just an update, in case there's anyone out there who finds themselves in the same position, I went for the Roland Cube RX. That plus a Kala U-bass is perfect for playing along side guitar, violin, whistle, mando and bohdran. Incredibly portable setup too!

That Behringer looks interesting. If I had the money I'd certainly go for the Markbass or similar, but I just can't justify the amount for something that's going to gather dust 11 months of the year. The Behringer is 150w verses the 10w-20w bass combos that are a similar price. Is 20w going to hold it's own against acoustic instruments? My backline is a 750w Gallien-Krueger rig so I've got no way of referencing.

Hey guys, I'm not in a position to try a whole bunch of amps so I'm asked for some help in narrowing down my selection. I'll give you a little background first so you can understand what it is in after. I play in an Irish folk band, the line up is 2x vocals, guitar (electro acoustic), fiddle, mandolin, whistle and bodhran. It's not typical trad stuff, we like to thrash things out and have a bit of a party. Most gigs we run our own PA and I have a decent backline which I run my Fender P through, but last year we did a tour for the armed forces playing everywhere from Greenland to the Bahamas, we had an awesome sound guy and a decent setup at the bases so we were more than happy. I decided to take my electro acoustic as we played some impromptu acoustic sets on our off days in Miami and in the mess halls, unfortunately it didn't hold up,it was fine through the PA but it could compete during the acoustic sets. Basically, I'm after an amp to take that will give me just little bit more volume, but it must be portable. It's gonna have to go in my suitcase. I've been looking at the Roland Cubes and the Vox Pathfinders. I believe Warwick have a single 8inch combo too. I've also considered those cheap Harley Benton amps that Thomann sell. I don't need a huge volume boost and it's only going to get used for two weeks out of the year so I don't want to break the bank. Does anyone have any experience with any of those models? Am I being too optimistic, will I need to spend more? It's worth mentioning that when we play acoustic none of the other instruments or voices are amped. Thanks.

No worries, I understand what you mean about contributing more with a melodic instrument but we don't all have defined roles within the band. The drum, guitar and bass all switch between lead and support over the course of the set so there's a nice bit if variation. I'm going to plod on with Precision for now, but it's more than likely going to be the Kala U-bass. I'd love to try the Epiphone Zenith too but the music shops in North Wales aren't likely to have one in stock.

Ok, thanks for the advice. In the band we have bass, bodhran, guitar, fiddle and then a fella who alternates between whistle, harmonica and mandolin. So I'm not likely to find an acoustic bass that can compete with that lot? It's also worth noting that we don't do many slow airs. It's mostly played at pace and the guitar playing is furious, start fast and end faster is our moto.

Many thanks for the replies. I'm torn between the U-bass or a Crafter BA400 fretless. I had the opportunity to play a Kala (we played at a folk festival in Uttoxeter and there was a Kala stand there) but I doubt I'd get a chance to try the Crafter before I buy. I'm swaying towards the Crafter as the Kala is pretty useless with out an amp. There's been a fair few occasions when we've been at festivals or abroad where we've popped into a local pub after the gig and played a session for some food/booze.

Any opinions on fretless electro acoustics? I've seen a nice Crafter one. An acoustic would also keep with the aesthetic of the band.