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Combo opinions


tobiewharton
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Whilst I have been playing for more than fifteen years, I've never had any interest in the technicalities of gear. For some years I've been playing an early eighties Tokai Hardpuncher and a Warwick Corvette $$, both four-string, which have served me well. My amp for a long time was a Trace Elliot combo (around 300 watts).

Having looked at combos around the 250 watt mark in more detail recently, I'm confused as to the best option to go with and thought some wise advice would not go wanting.

I mainly play gospel in churches and larger venues and a variety of covers material (from Motown to modern pop-rock) in function bands. I'm also looking at getting a five-string bass soon. My main questions are as follows:

1. How much difference does cone size make, especially with a five-string?
2. Is 250 watts (with di) enough for my needs?
3. Do aluminium cones make a big difference?

Build quality/reliability and ease of repair are important to me and I don't want to spend more than £450 and ideally less. I'm happy with second hand, however.

I am considering the Hartke Hydrive 115c, the TC Electronic BG250-115, the Ashdown MAG C210T-300 EVO III, the Markbass CMD 151 Jeff Berlin Players School and the more powerful Genz Benz Contour CTR500-210T. Are any of these, or indeed any others preferable for what I'm after?

Many thanks,

Tobie

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I don't like combo's.

It's easier to upgrade if you're playing separates. With an amp and 2 cabs, it's easier to run 2 differently sized rigs. If anything fails you've only got one thing that's broken. Each part is lighter than when combined.

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The ibanez promethean P5110c combo in the for sale section will give you everything you need and more. Awesome combo that I still miss now
I used it I. Church regularly and DI'd it for outdoor gigs where it was more than capable of providing stage monitoring also it has headphone and aux in plus head is detachable

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One advantage of the Genz Benz Contour combo, over some other combos, is that the speaker is connected to the head with a proper Speakon connector, which means that should either the head go wrong, or the speaker, then you can still connect what still works to something else. The head also, though not designed to be removable, seems to be of the fully enclosed metal chassis type so could, in a pinch, be taken out of the unit (and used standalone or sent away for repair). Obviously not as flexible as a proper detachable head combo, nor as flexible as a separate head + cabinet, but for the money it's a great package.

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250 watts should be fine in the majority of bands - I use my Markbass CMD121P on its own in one of my bands so getting 300 watts, and I rarely go above 4 on volume (the band is an 8-piece, though we do have 2 bassists so am not doing all the low end on my own).

I think from those listed the Genz seems a worthy winner from what I`ve read - good sound, fairly portable and being a 210 probably a better "size" of sound. Plus having the extra power won`t hurt.

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[quote name='tobiewharton' timestamp='1389379655' post='2333693']
Will the 10-inch speakers give enough low end for a five-string too? How advisable is an extension cab such as the Genz Benz FCS-115T? Thanks again.
[/quote]

10" speakers are perfectly fine for a five string bass. I would be inclined to go for a 2x10" extension cab.

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It's all a bit more complicated than just the speaker diameters (I've got a 2x12" cab which kicks out MUCH more bottom end than my 2x15"), but if you're happier with a 15" speaker, Mark at Bass Direct's got the Genz Contour 115 combo for the same price as the 210. You could always get the combo and add the extension speaker (as long as you don't leave it months, because these Genz prices won't last forever - the NX 212 cabs went in days) if you think you need it later.

Edited by Muzz
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I was looking to get a new head & cab 6 years ago & ended up with the MarkBass 2x10 combo. Fits my needs perfectly.
Easy to lug into a gig & plug in & plenty loud enough too.

The Genz Benz gear seems to be a real bargain just now, but if you don't like the sound, then price is irrelevant.

Go & try as many rigs as you can & see what suits you.

To answer your questions...

1: driver diameter alone doesn't affect the sound. My 2 x10has loads more bass & goes louder than my 2 old Marshall 15" cabs ever could.
2: watts mean very little in respect of how many decibels can be made. I've gigged with a 30 watt 12" combo. Fine in small venues & fine for a DI'd monitor too.
3: haven't a clooo. I've never tried the Hartke cabs, but they get the thumbs up from those with them.

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Tobie

Not sure where you are based but I would recommend a visit to a good specialist bass shop where you can try some of these out. Bass Direct in Warwick, Bass Gear in Twyford & The Bass Gallery in North London are all worth a visit.

If you don't live near one of these, no doubt someone else on here can recommend an alternative.

Personally, I use the same MarkBass 1x12 combo as Lozz with a 5 string & it handles it fine. I add a 1x12 cab for medium sized gigs and it's even better. If you go through the PA at larger venues, the combo alone will probably be enough as only you will be listening to it.

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Bear in mind some 250w combos have an 8ohm speaker, so e.g that Mark Bass is only putting out 150w until you add an extension cab.

With PA support it's still probably enough, but something to consider if you ever want to compete with acoustic drums without lots of PA support (e.g subs and on-stage monitoring)

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[quote name='6v6' timestamp='1389430275' post='2334049']
Bear in mind some 250w combos have an 8ohm speaker, so e.g that Mark Bass is only putting out 150w until you add an extension cab.

With PA support it's still probably enough, but something to consider if you ever want to compete with acoustic drums without lots of PA support (e.g subs and on-stage monitoring)
[/quote]

Markbass combos use Little Mark heads, which are 350w at 8 ohm, 500W at 4 ohm. The drivers in Markbass cabs & combos are B&C, which have a pretty good excursion (which is partly why they're rediculously loud for their size).

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I'm currently flying the Phil Jones flag, those 5" drivers are amazing, even low B, and the Super Flightcase would suit your spec nicely, great personal monitoring on this model too. http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=11

Edited by ezbass
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There are so many good combos out there these days that combo+extension cab is becoming quite a good idea. A Genz 2x10" plus either 2x10" or 4x10" (or commit a cardinal sin and mix it up with the 1x15") would be a great rig for little money.

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[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1389445030' post='2334207']
I'm currently flying the Phil Jones flag, those 5" drivers are amazing, even low B, and the Super Flightcase would suit your spec nicely, great personal monitoring on this model too. http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=11
[/quote]

They're just so expensive. Do they justify more than three times the price of the Genz Benz?

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[quote name='tobiewharton' timestamp='1389453310' post='2334329']


They're just so expensive. Do they justify more than three times the price of the Genz Benz?
[/quote]I haven't tried Genz stuff so I can't comment on the comparison, but I haven't found PJB stuff overly expensive when compared to Mark Bass for instance which I used to use.

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