Hello And Help Choosing A Combo Please....

[nickyd_77]

Hi all,

I've just joined this forum as I'm after a bit of help choosing a combo.

If I give a bit of background that might help. I used to have an Ashdown 500RC head with the 1x15 and 4x8 mini cabs. It sounded wicked, but unfortunately it got nicked just before Christmas. So I need to buy some more gear. Whilst this set up was great there are two problems I face. One is that they don't make the mini cabs anymore and secondly is that I would ideally like a combo for size reasons. My band used to keep our gear in a lock up and after it getting nicked (for the second time, even from a different place!) we have decided to flog the remaining PA and lights and just hire that as we need it. Therefore I need to keep my bass rig at my house and space is very limited.

So this is why I am looking for a combo.

The gigs I do are either function work where the whole band goes through the PA, or theatre stage work (tribute acts). So I need something pretty pokey but it will mainly be used as a monitor as opposed to backline, if that makes sense.

Sound wise I essentially play pop/rock covers and the tribute stuff is Take That and Michael Jackson. So I need a bit of an all rounder. I used to have the valve cranked on the Ashdown as I liked it a bit dirty (wahey!)

I was looking around for amps and realised its been such a long time since I bought gear I don't really know what's good. I liked the look of the Ampeg Ba600 210 and the Ashdown Tourer 210. Are these any good. Does anyone have any decent suggestions or advice?

Many thanks in advance!

Nick

[xgsjx]

Sorry to hear about your gear getting nicked & hope you got something back from the insurance.

As for combos, I went through loads of em back in early 2008 when I was looking & ended up going for Markbass on the rep of the LMII alone & it's better than any of the Ampeg, Roland, Ashdown, Phil Jones etc that I tried by a huge margin. But there's toms of other good stuff from TC electronics, Genz Benz, Orange, etc & the new fliptops from Ashdown & Ampeg look cool.

The Markbass CMD 102P is a 2x10 combo & new ones have the LMIII in em (mine's has an LMII) & can fill most medium sized gigs with plenty headroom. Some folk find the tweeter a little harsh to start with but a little playing with the treble & the VLE filter soon sorts it out to how you want.

If you wanna know more about my combo, let me know.

[Musky]

Not a combo, but the Orange Terror Bass and SP210 (or 212) makes a pretty compact package and should give you all the dirt you can handle. May be a bit above your budget though.

[fretmeister]

Another vote for a Mark Bass CMD 102p here.

Superb amp. Very light, powerful EQ and a great sound.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='Musky' post='1090965' date='Jan 15 2011, 11:13 PM']Not a combo, but the Orange Terror Bass and SP210 (or 212) makes a pretty compact package and should give you all the dirt you can handle. May be a bit above your budget though.[/quote]
It's loud & light. I love mine

[nickyd_77]

Thanks guys,

Gives me something to think about. I like the looks of the Orange stuff, makes a change from the normal black boxes! Has anyone tried one of the Ampegs?

Also, does anyone no anywhere around Hertfordshire that I might be able to try out a few different ones? The Bass Centre in London doesn't seem to stock Ashdown, Ampeg or Orange.

Another question. When using a combo, would they still sound OK on a tilted stand? Just that I have always had a stack so have had a speaker near ear level, I'm just wondering how different it will be to have a combo way down there on the floor!

Thanks again.

Nick

[Lozz196]

I got my Orange Terror from PMT in Northampton, they also have Ampeg gear

DV247 in Barnet (their North London branch) are also easy to get to from Herts, and do Orange, Ashdown & Ampeg

As with any retail outlet though, give them a call first to establish that the items are actually at the branch - I`ve dealt with both of the above, and as they have numerous stores, "In Stock" can mean either at their warehouses, or any of their branches.

[jnewmark]

I have been gigging a Roland DB 700 combo for 10 years and have had no complaints. It has a very usable compressor, and memory functions to save favorite settings. Also, 3 amp models, a chorus, and very easy to use eq section. It also has one of the best woofer/tweeter sounds I've ever heard, and I can pop and slap like crazy with good definition. Roland does'nt get much love and they are way overpriced ( imho ), but , if you can find one used, check it out. I also have mine on a tilt back stand and have heard no loss of low end.

[kingbee]

I’m in much the same boat as you – looking to downsize, but for different reasons. I must confess, given the typical gigging bassist’s traditional disdain for combos, I’d never thought about going down the combo route; but your post has given me much food for thought and some of the responses you’ve received have been illuminating.

FWIW, I’ve been having a casual look at Ampeg’s BA300-115 & 210 combos – they’re kicking in at around £550-600 or even higher, depending on where you look. The Markbass combo mentioned is a corker, there seems to be no doubt about that, but cost new is prohibitive. I’ve also looked at the Orange set-up referred to and that looks good too.

No wish to hi-jack your thread, but in the past I’ve been playing my Hartke 200w head through an Ampeg SVT-115E, and while this has only delivered a mere 120w (you only get the 200 with 4 Ohms) I have always found it plenty loud enough for me (I do much the same kind of stuff you’re doing now). I’m getting rid of the Ampeg only because it’s just too freakin’ heavy. However, this has made me wonder about the Ampeg SVT Micro stack – this also delivers 200w into 4 Ohms, but 150 into 8. That said, the speakers are 2x10, so I don’t know how these would compare with my SVT-115E.

I’ve never seen anyone discussing this rig on this site: so, is it any good? I don’t know. Maybe some of the wiser contributors could comment?

[Lozz196]

I`ve got the Ampeg SVT210AV cab, and it is a great little cab. I use it with my TC Electronics Classic 450 & Ampeg SVT 410HE cab to add a bit more presence. It handles the power nicely, no farting out, and the lows are nice for a cab so small.

I`ve no experience with the matching Ampeg head, but think two of these little cabs with a decent amp would be a very good portable rig.

[kingbee]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1093482' date='Jan 18 2011, 09:10 AM']I`ve got the Ampeg SVT210AV cab, and it is a great little cab. I use it with my TC Electronics Classic 450 & Ampeg SVT 410HE cab to add a bit more presence. It handles the power nicely, no farting out, and the lows are nice for a cab so small.

I`ve no experience with the matching Ampeg head, but think two of these little cabs with a decent amp would be a very good portable rig.[/quote]
Aye, but could you use the cab on its own, regardless of head make, and do a decent-sized venue - say, like a hotel ballroom (rather than a noisy club)? If you expect to be playing through the PA most of the time, it probably isn't an issue but if - like me - you play with more than one band and sometimes need an 'independent' sound source, will this fit the bill?

[Lozz196]

Hmm, thats a difficult one.

I`m a "many speakers" kindof guy - I was worried that I wouldn`t have enough presence with only the Ampeg 410, hence getting the 210 as well, so for me I wouldn`t ever play through one 210 cab. That said tho, there are many that do.

I did read some good articles on these over on Talkbass, there`s a guy on there, JimmyM who really seems to rate them, and his threads give good info about them.

[kingbee]

[quote name='Lozz196' post='1093721' date='Jan 18 2011, 12:35 PM']Hmm, thats a difficult one.

I`m a "many speakers" kindof guy - I was worried that I wouldn`t have enough presence with only the Ampeg 410, hence getting the 210 as well, so for me I wouldn`t ever play through one 210 cab. That said tho, there are many that do.

I did read some good articles on these over on Talkbass, there`s a guy on there, JimmyM who really seems to rate them, and his threads give good info about them.[/quote]
Read the JimmyM stuff only this morning, funnily enough - he does rate them, in a very honest and positive way (as do you), which - as somebody mentioned earlier in that particular Talkbass thread - makes a nice change from people slagging off equipment they've never tried (seems to happen more on Talkbass than Basschat, I hasten to add! ), just because it doesn't look right. The Ampeg SVT Micro rig looks like a right Ken & Barbie affair, but like most things in life, you can't knock it if you ain't tried it. I have read concerns about build quality, though, which would be a bigger issue, in my view.

Thanks for your very helpful input.