grandad

Great photo, vbance - that rig just looks the business. Please give a short review of how it sounds.

Understanding what the the spec's mean is one thing. The expertise to interpret/translate them I guess would take some time and a lot of experience to acquire. And that's what we pay for when we buy a cab. Someone has applied their expertise and built a product that hopefully ticks the boxes for us. So interesting as it is to look at and compare the spec's and response curves etc, when it comes to parting with hard earned cash I reckon that most of us amateur bassists, who I'd say on the whole tend to be pragmatists, would probably just consider: . watts rms . impedance . build - size/weight/portability . aesthetics . what does it sound like with my bass and amp. Also I'd like to thank those BCers who have the expertise and share it on this forum.

[url="http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/acoustics_info/loudspeakers/?content=index"]http://www.acoustics.salford.ac.uk/acoustics_info/loudspeakers/?content=index[/url] Worth a read for me.

[quote name='spike' timestamp='1448799916' post='2918192'] Until it broke down last month I was using a 500W Little Mark III to gig with. Bought a TC Electronic BH250 to keep me going and I've not noticed any big difference in ability between them to give me the volume I want. [/quote] Recently settled on a TC BG250 208 as my home practice amp. Out of curiosity I plugged my 115 into the LS ext and was surprised at the increase in volume. It was probably loud enough to do a medium size gig.

[quote name='JapanAxe' timestamp='1437592795' post='2827447'] The easiest way to visualise Class D is to think of it like a FM radio transmitter. Your audio signal is modulating a much higher frequency carrier. I realise I may have lost a lot of people already... It seems to be widely accepted that a lot of Class D power amps are somewhat optimistically spec'd. The infamous [url="http://cdn-downloads.tcelectronic.com/media/914735/tc_electronic_bass_amp_power_rating___active_power_management.pdf"]TC active power management article[/url] is actually quite illuminating in this respect, in that it it gives a good example of a real world Class D solution, where the initial note attack is sacrificed in order to reproduce the rest of the note, in a way that sounds subjectively 'as loud as' a much more powerful amp. One person's 'loud' is another person's 'baked-in compression'. [/quote] Only just read this article. I understand the controversy now.

[quote name='jazzyvee' timestamp='1450652597' post='2934678'] I'd recommend a PJB Briefcase. I use one with 4 and 5 string basses and they are great for home use and practice with quiet bands. I have gigged with it when I was in a band with acoustic guitarists vocalists and drummer and also on my own guitar playing gigs with both electric and acoustic guitars with great results. [/quote] The Briefcase is the most articulate amp I have ever used. It is however not loud and quite heavy but a comfortable shape.

[quote name='RandomBass' timestamp='1450642555' post='2934569'] Recommend the Roland Bass Cubes. The 30w version has served me well for 5 years. [/quote] Yup, same here, but fancied a change. Mine's up for sale in the Marketplace. I might regret parting with it! If you decide on a PJB, you'll find the Briefcase voiced quite differently to the Cub.

After trying out half a dozen small combo's this year I've settled on a TC BG250 208. Worth a look.

TCE BG250-208 I've bought and sold several small amps over the course of the year for 2 reasons: 1. I just like trying out new/different brands 2. I want a small, lightweight home/practice amp. Trying gear out in a shop doesn't work for me, I like to live with it for a while and take my time over playing around with it. I've used a Roland Cube 30 for some time, a great little amp. Tried an EBS Session 60, PJB Briefcase, Cub and Flightcase, Fender Rumble 40 and finally the BG250-208. Bear in mind that although my gig-rig is a Peavey SS head into an Ampeg B115E, (still a manageable lift), the 208 is a different kettle of fish when it comes to the tonal pallette. And I like that difference. Gig-rig tone is pretty much set flat and varied with pickup selection/thumb or pick. Home is noodling and twiddling. So I'd say for an easy lift and small footprint the 208 foots the bill as a home/practice combo. Build quality seems good and with a built in tuner it's 'convenient' to get out and just plug in. The range of tones are ok, I drop the mids a bit, bass up a touch. The treble doesn't do much for me with or without hearing aid in! Sounds best on the shiny kitchen floor. I have plugged in the 115 from the LS ext but only in the house. As you would expect - massive increase in volume probably to small gig level. It's definitely worth a look.

Cover for my TC BG250 208 ordered Monday delivered Friday on the button as per text. Perfect fit, well padded. Very good product and service.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1450365138' post='2932078'] I feel the same. From the mid 1980s, when I bought my first "proper" bass amplification (Trace Elliot AH250 with 1048 and 1518 cabs - which, interestingly were regarded as pretty "boutique" back then!), through use of Ampeg, Ashdown, Fender, Randall, Orange, Hartke, Gallien Krueger, Aguilar, TKS and a few others I have forgotten about... I have always had what I would think of as a "decent" bass tone. Some better than others to my ears, but all pretty good. Since I first tried a Barefaced Compact, I have owned two Compacts, a Vintage and a Big One. I now use two Berg HS210s - not because I felt that the BFs lacked anything, but simply because the Bergs came up at a time when I was looking at alternatives, and I had always wanted to try some. Amp-wise, I am now using a Markbass LM2. To be honest, I've never noticed a "neo" sound, or the difference between Class D amps and more traditional designs. I've never noticed a lack of "ooomph" or "heft" or whatever it is called. Some amps have lacked midrange control, others have over-compensated with ridiculously complex EQ sections! I think the general quality of bass gear these days is incredibly good, and costs a lot less (in relative terms) than it used to. My old Trace stack cost me over £1300 back in 1986. For that same money [b][i]now[/i][/b] I could buy a really decent rig! It's a great time to be a bass player and all these petty arguments about which is "best" get slightly wearing. If you like it, it's good. Sod what anyone else says! [/quote] Here, here.

[quote name='VTypeV4' timestamp='1450374287' post='2932194'] Why do we go round this same subject time and time again? [/quote] Well I must admit to having many of my preconceptions revised after airing my well intended advice. And I think I'm fairly well read in audio matters. Anyway it's good fun to boot.

Looking out for a lightweight practice amp I had a bit of a spree earlier this year and tried out 4 PJB amps which I think you'd call 'boutique'. Build quality - excellent. 1 was ceramic and 3 were neo. Previously I had the notion that neos tended to have a sound that was a bit mid-biased. However, although the Cub and Flightcase sounded sort of gritty to me, the PB300 not so. All three have neo's. The Briefcase, (ceramic), was the warmest and my favourite. All were very high fidelity. My next tryout was a Rumble 40 - incredibly light with great range of tone and plenty of volume - class D. But I've settled on a TCE BG208 for the time being - lightweight, small footprint and effective eq. It may well be class D. I have a different preference for gigging though and my rig has remained the same over several years, Peavey Max160, (class AB SS), into an Ampeg B115E. I enjoy the differences between them and think they both suit their purpose.

All My Lovin = no problem 8 Days a week = no way Strange how some numbers are easy to sing along to yet others so tricky. PM was certainly an accomplished singer/bassist, not an easy thing to do. In his biography Sting tells how he struggled early on to sing and play bass and kept his bass lines pretty simple initially.

Phoned PMT Birmingham this morning and purchased a TC BG250 208. The young gentleman assistant by the name of Dan, on discovering I lived just 5 minutes down the road from himself, offered to deliver it personally, which he duly did tonight on his way home from work. Over the years I have purchased and part-exchanged a fair few items from PMT and previously Sound Control where a number of staff had a previous existence. I can vouch to staff to giving well-informed advice and the service to be excellent. My first impression of the TC BG250 208 - purchased as a lightweight home practice amp - it seems to fit the bill nicely.

Over several years for small to medium gigs I've used a Peavey Max 160 SS head into an Ampeg B115E playing mostly WMC's. Music is 60's/70's pop. At 8 Ohms I've got about 120W maximum. With both the gain and master usually about 12 o'clock I'm only using double figures for wattage. On a few occasions I had to DI out to the PA, usually outdoors. I think it's the combination of the two, the amp with a particular speaker/cabinet that's going to be the setup that brings a smile to your face, that gives you the tones and the power you want. I found my pair. What I tend to do is keep changing my home practice amp. I'm using a Roland CB30 at the moment which is a great little amp but I keep wondering if a small Fender Rumble or a TC 208 might be fun. Still, changing your home practice amp is cheaper than changing your gig-rig.