franzbassist

[quote name='obbm' post='833778' date='May 10 2010, 11:23 PM']Doesn't look very 1U to me. [/quote] Indeed no Dave, it isn't As I said in the original post, the main criteria was a light and shallow amp; 1u was simply because I like the look of them. Fickle I know....

[quote name='dood' post='833378' date='May 10 2010, 06:23 PM']I think, in the light of the responses read above - you made the right choice! - Tombboy sold me one of his Peavey power amps recently and have to say, I'm really impressed with it's capable output and fuctionality. I will probably use it as a spare now, as my Hartke rig has now arrived - but yeah, good on ya![/quote] Thanks Dan. Yes, I must say I've used a lot of Peavey heads over the year, mainly for PA but a couple of DPC1400Xs for bass rigs as well, and they've always been really reliable workhorses. My main requirement was something light, and at 7lbs this is perfect. Happy days!

Well, I sold out in the end and picked up one of the new Peavey IPR1600 amps. (image lifted off Talkbass) It's a bit bling, but it is light (7lbs), plenty powerful enough for my needs, and very loud!

I've created a monster!

While looking for a lightweight (<10lbs), shallow (no more than 10" deep), ideally 1u power amp to run with my Demeter preamp and Euphonic Audio CXL112 and NL210 cabs. I've found two UK makes that seem interesting. I like the idea of buying British-made amps, but before I do, I was wondering if anyone has any experience of these amps? [b]PROAUDIO[/b] I first spotted these on [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120565785823&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]eBay[/url], and I have to say they look great in terms of power, weight and size. [b]McGREGOR[/b] The [url="http://www.mcgregoramps.co.uk/amplifiers.html"]SA500[/url] could be okay, but at only 175 watts stereo at 8 ohms it may be a bit underpowered unless I take both cabs to a gig? I'd be interested to hear people's thoughts. I appreicate a £200 amp isn't going to perform like a more expensive amp, but these may be a cost effective option if they are reliable. Cheers Gareth

[quote name='GremlinAndy' post='829262' date='May 6 2010, 07:25 AM']I can't really help on the question of reliability, and won't be able to for a long time. I only just got mine, and they are only being used for monitor amplification. We only gig about 1 a month at the moment, so it would be another year before I could safely say that they're looking reliable. All I [i]can[/i] say is that mine are still ok after 1 gig... Not much help at all, I'm afraid.[/quote] Hey no worries. It's good to hear yours is running well. Cheers Gareth

[quote name='GremlinAndy' post='818339' date='Apr 25 2010, 07:11 PM']Well I gave it a go on the bass and to be honest there was no discernable difference between the peavey (£339) and my powersoft (£1200) The main difference is that the Peavey weighs a third or less... but is 2 units high (rather than the Powersoft's 1U.) however the price difference means I could buy extra racks with the savings, I guess. The only really irritating thing about the Peavey is that they put some really [b]insanely[/b] bright LEDs on the front. These things were so bright as to be distracting from offstage. They seem ok when you're stood by the amp but from down in the audience these things look brighter than the lightshow! So I put gaffer tape over them. I'm sure those LEDs would be appreciated more by our DJ bretheren than us musos... aw bless! So in summary, I think that you can't get much more bang for bucks than this! (I gather that Peavey have been having trouble getting these to the UK and there have only been about 100 distributed here. ...and that the next earliest delivery will be August. So if you are considering getting one it may be an idea to get one while it's possible. On the other hand it could be a load of bollock spoken by a salesman. I dunno.) Good luck if you decide to get one. Andy[/quote] I'm thinking of getting one of these, but I have seen some concerns on the PV forums about reliability. Are yours running okay Andy?

Matt and I have traded and sold a couple of items. Always terrific communication, prompt payment, and a real pleasure to deal with.

[quote name='elom' post='781246' date='Mar 21 2010, 12:19 AM']But then I noticed in my Bass Direct email that PJB have a new small combo on the market, The Cub. Looks very nice, great spec and immediately GAS starts to rise. I could afford it if I wanted. A sensible person would point out these 4 things: [list=1] [*]You've never heard the thing [*]It's too underpowered to gig and it's too overpowered for bedroom practicing [*]There really is nothing wrong with what you've got [*]It costs £400 - think what else you could do with £400... [/list] At the moment the sensible person is winning...[/quote] I now have one of these and reviewed it [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=86847"]here[/url].

I was intrigued by this as soon as it was released, as it seemed the perfect fit for some of my musical activities. First and foremost, it gives me a small amp that I can use at home, either with or without headphones, for practice, but it also gives me something small and light to take to low key rehearsals and pick up gigs where the other guys in my band are playing their acoustic guitars unplugged and I don't need the full rig. So, first impressions: [b]BUILD QUALITY[/b] It's [i]really[/i] nicely put together; the build quality is exemplary, with nice buffalo tolex covering, chromed corner protectors, brushed black metal parts and a nice sturdy handle on top. The power section is 100 watts running into 2 x PJB NeoPower Type A 5" drivers. It feels sturdy, even though it's only 13lbs, 12" wide, 11" deep and just under 8" tall. It has feet on the bottom and one side, so you have a choice of having the speakers horizontally or vertically. [b]FEATURES[/b] Like many of the current crop of combos, the amplifier section of this amp is bolted into the back of the combo (in this instance by a number of sturdy allen key headed screws). The top panel is the control centre of the amp and has all the regular controls, while power, DI etc. are on the back. Let's look at the top panel first... Two channels (which is great, as it means I can run an electric and my upright through it at the same time), each with high and low switches to maximise the input signal; Channel A has a combo input to take an XLR or a regular 1/4" jack and the input switch selects mic/high/low, whereas Channel B is a regular 1/4" jack and the input switches between high/low or mute. Each channel also has a clip led, as well as input level, bass, middle and treble tone controls. Next up is a nice, subtle limiter, switchable in or out; off is fully clockwise (a bit odd when everything else is the other way around) and the limiting increases as you turn it anti-clockwise. There's also a blue led that increases with intensity the harder the limiter is working Next to this is the Aux input, which is a 3.5mm input designed to take external sources such as iPods and the like. This also has its own volume control. A 1/4" headphones jack and master volume control finish off the main control panel. Moving to the rear of the unit, on the left we have three outputs, specifically an XLR DI out, which features a ground lift, plus 1/4" jack line and tuner outs. To the right we have the power on/off switch input (which has no voltage selector switch to worry about) and mains plug. [b]SOUNDS[/b] First thing I noticed is the amp is whisper quiet when turned on, and I mean really quiet; even with the master volume up full there is barely any hiss to be heard. Setting the gain was easy on both channels, and I found my (active) basses sounded best with the input selectors set as if they were passive instruments. This isn't unusual of course, as "always try the passive input first" is a phrase found in many a bass amp manual, and sure enough it gave a stronger signal, allowing me to coax a bit more volume out of the amp and also sounded clearer to my ears. The clip leds helped the setup no end, as rather be "on" or "off" they bled into the signal, so I could see when I was approaching clipping; basses seemed to sound best at this point. As you might expect for something which is only 100 watts and the size of a shoebox, a loud amp this is not. It would be impossible to be heard against a drummer with this combo, but if you tried to do that you'd be missing the point of the combo completely. As I said at the start, this is for personal or low key practice, modest rehearsal volumes and the like. To be honest, I was initially disappointed with the sound of the combo with the tone controls set flat. It sounded, well, "boxy" and a bit muddy. However, a quick play with the tone controls soon revealed the really detailed, articulate sounds that lurked within. While it's early days, I found the optimum tone control setting seemed to be bass at noon, mids cut to 9 o'clock and the treble boosted to 3 o'clock. In my living room the combo sounded terrific, filling the room with ease (master volume at 10 o'clock) with clear, punchy bass; even a low B rang through loud and clear with no breakup. The detailed, woody sounds from my Veillette fretless were present, while my Aria EUB sounded terrific. I left the limiter on at about 25%, and it was reassuring to see its led flicker on every now and then when I hit a note hard. Plugging in my iPod, the combo became a mini hi-fi, and taking the fabric cover off the front of the cabinet showed some real sparkle to the music. It was great fun playing along to the songs I'm learning for my band at the moment, rather than the chore it often is. I also tried it with my new Sony headphones, and again everything worked well and sounded terrific. At a low key band rehearsal, with just an acoustic guitarist (Guitar>Baggs Para DI >PA) and female vocal, we ran the DI out of the combo to the PA, while I used it at my feet as a personal monitor on stage. This worked a treat, giving me some extra definition and presence to the bass that was loud enough for me to "feel" the notes, but subtle enough to not disturb the others. A definite success in this situation. [b]CONCLUSION[/b] Playing along to some iPod tracks on my upright in the living room, my wife walked in, saw the Cub, and said "what is [i]that[/i]?" She went on to say she'd come in because the music sounded so good, and proceeded to take more interest in this tiny little amp than just about any other piece of kit I've ever owned! She was, first and foremost, really impressed by the quality of sound coming from such a small cabinet, but as I explained to her what else it was capable of she was even more amazed. The words "silent practice" seemed to go down very well, but she also said she wound't have a problem with it being permanently sited in the living room! The Cub won't be for everyone, and at £399 it certainly isn't cheap, but if you have the need for such a facility then it's an excellent piece of kit and I recommend it wholeheartedly. Cheers Gareth