What Combo or amp/cab for about £6-700

[xgsjx]

Hi, I'm looking to get new amplification (mainly to save me hiring at gigs) & wondered if anyone could help me narrow down my selection.
I need something that could fill a town hall of about 300 folk or have no trouble outdoors in a beer garden & be able to fit in with & not get lost under the noise from a Vox AC 30 & a Marshall 100 watt thingy. I recently used a Trace 715 combo, but it's only 100 watt & felt it was too little power & too much ready to fart.

The band I play in is a rock band, & use a lot of different styles from needing the depth of fingers to the punch & pop of slapping.

I have been looking mainly at these:
Ashdown ABM 500 III 210 combo
Ampeg BA300 210 combo
Ampeg B2RE Head & 410 cab (£679 from Dolphin)
GK 700 RBII 210 combo
Roland DBass 210 combo
and most recent after reading forums & could push to it if it's gonna be what I need..................
MarkBass CMD 102P combo.

Any advice here to narrow them down would be great (and save running around trying to try em all). I need a decent amount of bass but need clarity for playing up high as there is quite a bit of that too.

Other question.........
Would I be right in going for a 210 combo & adding a 15 cab at a later stage or would it make more sense doing things the other way round, 15 combo & 210 cab later?

My initial outlay can't really exceed about £800 & that's at a push as I could get the Ashdown 210 & a 15 cab for that or just the MB CMD 102P.
I have also been looking at the Roland & tried it & thought it sounded pretty good, but this was just in a shop so hard to tell if it would sound as good in a gigging situation.

Ciao for now,

gsj

[ReeV0]

im getting these for the same reason you want yours:

Marshall MB450H Bass Amplifier Head £230 - [url="http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=shop&prodid=3178"]http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=...amp;prodid=3178[/url]
Marshall MBC410 Bass Cabinet £200 - [url="http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=shop&prodid=3180"]http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=...amp;prodid=3180[/url]
Marshall MBC115 Bass Cabinet £150 - [url="http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=shop&prodid=3179"]http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=...amp;prodid=3179[/url]
Total Price = £580

[xgsjx]

[quote name='jjl5590' post='170177' date='Apr 5 2008, 11:31 AM']im getting these for the same reason you want yours:

Marshall MB450H Bass Amplifier Head £230 - [url="http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=shop&prodid=3178"]http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=...amp;prodid=3178[/url]
Marshall MBC410 Bass Cabinet £200 - [url="http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=shop&prodid=3180"]http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=...amp;prodid=3180[/url]
Marshall MBC115 Bass Cabinet £150 - [url="http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=shop&prodid=3179"]http://www.giggear.co.uk/home/index.php?m=...amp;prodid=3179[/url]
Total Price = £580[/quote]

I was looking at these & the Marshall MB450 combos, but I haven't heard anything of them & someone said that Marshall ain't all that good at bass. But if I could find someone who's tried or got, then I'd love to find out if they're worthy as they sure are cheap enough.

The more I read through the forums the more confused I'm getting on what's gonna work!

Starting to wonder if a 3-400 watt 210 combo is gonna cut it, tho the 100 watt 15" trace combo did the job with a bit of tweaking at the eq.
The Ampeg B2RE & 410 1/2 stack seems like a good option but again I hear a lot of mixed stuff, mainly that it isn't very loud & sounds a bit lame.
Anyone got or tried this?

Cheers

[MythSte]

I dont think you can go wrong with the GK, in fact theres a GREAT deal on a 1001RBII over at the for sale on this very forum, that would still leave you with a fair £500 for a cab, and you can get a cracking cab for £500!! Schroeder anyone? Cough, yeah, thats my setup ^_^

Edited April 5, 2008 by ste_m3

[steve-soar]

300-400w is plenty, you just need more than two speakers, ie a 4x10" cab and it needs to be efficient. Check the sensitivity ratings of the cabs you are interested in. You could go, preamp- £200, power amp-£200, cab-£400. That way you could have a very powerful and loud rig but then you have to decide whether to get a 4 or 8 ohm cab. It's all good fun at the end of the day.

[xgsjx]

I don't really wanna go 2nd hand. I know your get better gear for your money, but there's no warranty & it could be quite an expensive chance to take.
I plan on getting good quality as all my other amps have been cheapo rubbish (carlsbro etc) & don't wanna go down that route just to have to replace it later.
I was originally looking at the GK 700 RB 210 combo & may be able to stretch to buy a 1001 210 combo & add a 15 cab later once I save up some more, but is the GK better than the Markbass 210 combo or is the Ampeg B2RE with a Ampeg 200watt 410 gonna be better for adding a 15 cab to without having to upgrade the amp and fill a town hall or use outdoors?
The GK 1001 head is verrrry tempting, but my wife would kill me if I bought s/h.
The pre & power amp is a good idea, but I don't think I'll get much in the way of quality (although I haven't looked) at this sort of price.
Where do you get Schroeder cabs & how much are they?

[budget bassist]

I'd go for the GK, i've not tried one myself but i hear good things. Though i'm not fan of ashdown (their combos at least) the few i've tried had a lot of trouserflap but were very muddy and the EQ didn't really do much at all.

[andy67]

I'm a big ampeg fan, great for rock!

as you have listed a few things, take some time out and go listen to all this stuff as you will need to know!

soundcontrol do a fourteen day return policy - or they did - allowing you to buy the gear try it and if it did not work out excahnge within this time period.

[xgsjx]

Thanks for this, it's helping me narrow things down alot.
I'm thinking about now either going down the line of getting either the Markbass 102P or the GK 1001 210 combo & then at a later date (2-3 months) if needs be then add something like the Warwick 211 cab. This is based on reading too many forums on here! lol
I like the idea of the combo as it's just one lift, but would I be better spending @ £500 on a head & @£200 on a 210 cab to start with? Surely these combos don't suffer from rattle like some really old combos can (even my wee Vox thing doesn't).
I get it narrowed down a bit & make more options

I don't really have the option to try before I buy as there is no MB or GK dealers near me (not for a good few hundred miles anyway as far as I know), but I kinda know what the GK sound is like & by the sound of what other BC members are saying, the Markbass is a very good sounding piece of kit.
I tried the Ashdown in Soundcontrol & it's not really for me as it's a bit too "old wooly" sounding. I'm not dissing it as it is a nice warm sound, just doesn't suit my style of playing. Tho adding the ABM 15 cab to something might work.

[thinman]

[quote name='xgsjx' post='172810' date='Apr 9 2008, 07:39 AM']Thanks for this, it's helping me narrow things down alot.
I'm thinking about now either going down the line of getting either the Markbass 102P or the GK 1001 210 combo & then at a later date (2-3 months) if needs be then add something like the Warwick 211 cab. This is based on reading too many forums on here! lol
I like the idea of the combo as it's just one lift, but would I be better spending @ £500 on a head & @£200 on a 210 cab to start with? Surely these combos don't suffer from rattle like some really old combos can (even my wee Vox thing doesn't).
I get it narrowed down a bit & make more options

I don't really have the option to try before I buy as there is no MB or GK dealers near me (not for a good few hundred miles anyway as far as I know), but I kinda know what the GK sound is like & by the sound of what other BC members are saying, the Markbass is a very good sounding piece of kit.
I tried the Ashdown in Soundcontrol & it's not really for me as it's a bit too "old wooly" sounding. I'm not dissing it as it is a nice warm sound, just doesn't suit my style of playing. Tho adding the ABM 15 cab to something might work.[/quote]

As a recent convert, if you're able to saw wood build a Bill Fitzmaurice cab. I've just built an Omni10 for £220 and it's excellent. Very clear. I was using an Ashdown previously and grew tired tired of the muddines (and it went pop). For your £220 that includes Eminence Neodynium Deltalite drivers which would probably only come with a very expense cab. It's a 2 x 10 but is very efficient and many here reckon it's as loud as many commercialy available 4 x 10s and has bottom comparable to many 15" cabs.

The problem is finding one nearby to hear. But, if you built it and didn't like it I'm sure someone would take it of your hands for more than it cost to build. Some registered builders sell a Deltalite loaded Omni10 for over £400.

Mike

[Pikefloyd]

I have a GK 700RBII-210 combo, since hearing it, and hearing other peoples rigs, (Ampeg and Ashdown), I've not wanted anything else, but it's all down to personal preference in the end.

[xgsjx]

The Omni 10 cab idea sounds like a good plan, I'll look into that.

Pikefloyd, what size gigs do you use the GK 700RBII-210 without PA assistance & do you use a cab with it?
This very combo was what I was originally looking at but then found a little extra funds to stretch to the 1001 210 combo or the MB CMD 102P (which I keep hearing wonderful things about) & then if needs be add a cab, maybe that would be to build a Bill Fitzmaurice cab.

[phatbass787]

Hey there,

Without a doubt I would get this;

[url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/14372"]http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/fl...roduct_id/14372[/url]

Superb value for money and tone tone tone. Ive been using Ashdown for the last 8 years and playing for 20 years plus and cannot rate them highly enough, also english company!

You could then also buy one of these to go with it for bigger gigs;

[url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/14378"]http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/fl...roduct_id/14378[/url]

and while you're at it get one of these they are fantastic;

[url="http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/flypage/product_id/35483"]http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/page/shop/fl...roduct_id/35483[/url]

There you go, sorted! ;-)

[Bilbo]

Find a second hand Eden Metro Combo (£6 - 700) - it will do everything you want and more. I have used it for small group jazz, big bands, pit orchestra work, funk, pop and rock gigs, festivals and the Hammersmith Odeon (Labbats Apollo). It did it all without going above about 5 on the master volume.

Great EQ, great sound - can't go wrong.

[url="http://www.eden-electronics.com/products/combos/indiv/metro.asp"]http://www.eden-electronics.com/products/c...indiv/metro.asp[/url]

Only shortcoming is it weighs 48kg but I can get it into my car on my own so no real worries only an occasional bout of laziness on my part.

[Machines]

I can not fault your logic phatbass787.

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='173275' date='Apr 9 2008, 04:36 PM']Only shortcoming is it weighs 48kg but I can get it into my car on my own so no real worries only an occasional bout of laziness on my part.[/quote]

48Kg ?! What is it made from, concrete ?

[phatbass787]

[quote name='Machines' post='173277' date='Apr 9 2008, 04:36 PM']I can not fault your logic phatbass787.[/quote]

Why thank you Mr Terminator man

[Bilbo]

[quote name='Machines' post='173277' date='Apr 9 2008, 04:36 PM']48Kg ?! What is it made from, concrete ?[/quote]

AA plywood construction with dado and rabbit joints throughout.

Whatever THAT is!!

It does come with wheels tho' so its not all bad!

[phatbass787]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='173293' date='Apr 9 2008, 04:48 PM']AA plywood construction with dado and rabbit joints throughout.

Whatever THAT is!!

It does come with wheels tho' so its not all bad![/quote]

Does it come with two oompaloompa's to wheel it round?

[pete.young]

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='173275' date='Apr 9 2008, 04:36 PM']Only shortcoming is it weighs 48kg but I can get it into my car on my own so no real worries only an occasional bout of laziness on my part.[/quote]


It does sound good , I can vouch for it. And only 48 kg too, my Burman guitar combo weighs 55kg !


Someone in the For Sale forum had an Eden Nemesis 300w 2x12 Neo combo, which I reckon would be a good choice even if it is second hand. It'd certainly weigh a lot less.

[The Funk]

If you could stretch just above that £800 budget, I'd suggest:

- a [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=12085"]Gallien-Krueger 700RB[/url] head (480W @ 4 ohms): £399
- a pair of [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/options.php?id=69236"]Hartke 2.5XL[/url] (200W @ 8 ohms): £239 each

Comes to about £77 over budget but if you haggle you should realistically be able to get somewhere between £40 and £80 off that.

[bass_ferret]

I really dont know why people keep suggesting Harke XL cabs when they are so marmite. Oh well. Ashdown is the same, loved and loathed in equal measure. GK normally gets the thumbs up and so do Mark Bass amps although some have been less impressed with the cabs.

There are 3 combo's that are head and shoulders above everything else. The Eden Metro already mentioned, the SWR Super Redhead and the EBS Gorm. They are all heavy and expensive, but can be picked up S/H for around your budget. The Gorm has jsut been replaced by the NeoGorm that is lighter but just as expensive.

Despite the fact that almost everyone does it there are some speaker guru's who say you should not mix cabs with different drivers covering the same frequencies so the best extension cab for a 2x10 combo is a 2x10 cab. I did this myself and replace a 1x15 I was using with a 2x10 with another 2x10 cos it sounded better.

[The Funk]

To be fair, I think it's just me who keeps suggesting the XLs. And the only reason is 'cos I think they sound great. They are very marmite though.

[xgsjx]

Kinda narrowed it a bit better now. Either gonna be the Markbass 102P or the GK 1001 210 combo.

Anybody know if the MB is any good for slap & tapping? I use a variety of styles & as far as I understand, the MB is more than capable of getting lows out (tho I know I may need a decent ext cab for larger gigs).

At present I'm leaning towards the MB but definitely have not ruled the GK out. & keep thinking about the GK 700 210 combo & a cab at the same time, but I'd rather spend the bit extra on one of the others & add a cab at a later date as the gigs coming up wouldn't need it (fairly small halls & pubs).

I really don't wanna go down the 2nd hand route, tho the Super Redhead is a nice bit of kit & I can't stretch my budget as it's been stretched already.

Cheers for all so far, your advice has helped loads.

[StevieC]

Hi sgsjx,

May I put my hat in the ring by suggesting the Phil Jones Bass 'Suitcase' 200 W combo.

Not one for the 'bigger is better' grunters, it's a 4 x 5'' 200W combo, beautifully made, with loads of tone and punch. It's light and can fit in the back of my small car. It's spot on for small to medium venues, although I have also added the 4B extention cab which fills the sound out and adds approx 100 W. (Our guitarist ain't called Decibel Derek for nothing)

You should get the combo for your budget. Just try one and I'm sure you'll be well impressed.

It'll be interesting to find out what you eventually choose.

Edited April 12, 2008 by StevieC

[StevieC]

[url="http://www.philjonesbass.com/products-combos-suitcase.htm"]http://www.philjonesbass.com/products-combos-suitcase.htm[/url]

Oh Yes and it's got two channels, which is rather handy.