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Which lightweight £200 combo?


amillar
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Helping my 17 year old son look for a £200 combo (or amp/cab) for backline so he stops having to borrow my PJB Double Four - and so that the low B on his six string actually has some definition! Doesn't have to be loud, we've a big rig he can use if he needs it, and most of the gigs he's playing at the moment are jazz/acoustic with a PA (so a DI out is a must).

And easy to move!!

Thoughts so far are Fender Rumble 40 or 100 or TC BG250 208 or 112, any opinions and does anyone have any other ideas? I like the idea that the TC has a speaker out which would give him more flexibility in the future, but then I've heard nothing but good things about the Fenders.

The lower the cost the more he can save towards a decent 6 string :)

Many thanks!

Andy

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I`d have a listen if possible to both. The TC has a lot more power, but the Fender is getting rave reviews over the tone. So if volume isn`t the main factor, then choose by which your ears prefer. Me in this situation, well I`d probably go for the Fender based on the sound-clips I`ve heard.

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Guest MoJo

This used to be mine. Great combo. You won't be disappointed

[url="http://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-bass-amplifiers/tc-electronic-bg250-115/1117511516"]http://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-bass-amplifiers/tc-electronic-bg250-115/1117511516[/url]

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Love my TC BG250 208.
Plenty loud enough for mid volume rehearsals and can drive a second cab when needed.
At current prices you're effectively getting the 2x8 cab for free...

Plus built in tuner and toneprint means I don't need my pedalboard when traveling light.

The line in is handy for practice, too.

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Many thanks, really appreciate the advice - keep it coming :)

Would love to find a Genz if we could, I've been looking around but not tripped over any quite in his price range.

Sadly we're on the Devon / Cornwall border so a long way from Mojo's rig, also struggling to find a dealer with the amps we want to listen to in. (There are some great shops around here, but of course they can't afford to keep a huge range of stock sitting around).

Landwomble: What do you think of the TC for giving an "acoustic" sound? I'd almost decided on the Fender a day or two back but then I saw what good deals there are on the TC at the moment.

To give an idea, the basses he uses are Aria Pro II active 4 string, NS passive EUB (actually mine but he plays it much better than I do so I think I've lost it!), and cheap nasty but fun Stellah 6 string. A year or two back I made him an A/B switch pedal board with a pair of graphic EQ pedals, so he doesn't use the tone controls on whatever amp he's using that much. With this rig he'll be playing with jazz drummers rather than metal drummers!

Thanks again,

Andy

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I put my 4 string Jazz, my shorty P bass and my 5 string electro acoustic through it and have zero complaints. I really like the sound and whilst the 2x8" drivers struggle slightly with a full volume low B at reasonable levels they are just fine - the fact that the 2x8 cab is 8ohm and has a socket for an extension cab means I can add a second cab for where it's needed.

It has active/passive input but no gain control - personally I've not found this limiting as I've set my output levels on my active bass appropriately.
You get bass/mid/treble controls that have quite an organic feel and I've found it very flexible with everything from twang to rumble.
The amp is removeable from the cab (well, you have to unscrew it!) for futureproofing.
Toneprint is quite nice - as it stands the amp has 2 toneprint slots but you need the optional 3 button footswitch to access the second. I haven't bought this yet as I'm just using the excellent spectracomp to compress my signal on it and am very happy with it - some of the toneprint effects are way overdone but there are great chorus, vibrato, octaver and drive ones available that you can beam from your phone.
The main thing I like is the sheer portability of the thing. It's so, so light and small.
I did play through the 4x10 version of this amp and it sounded even better but it's considerably larger and you can't add a second cab.
I have tried the Fender Rumbles and to my ears, I didn't like them. I appreciate I may be unique in this though as everyone else loves them! I was playing at shop volume rather than gig volume though.

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Just picked up a nearly new Rumble 40 from only a couple of miles away, so we'll see how he gets on with it - if it doesn't work out I'm sure he can sell it again for pretty much what he paid for it!

But some time, when I've failed to walk past a bass shop yet again, I will try to get a listen to a TC.

Many thanks all,

Andy

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I've got a Roland 100w Cube if you're interested?

It's in great condition, and includes effects that can be controlled on a foot switch.

I come down to Devon occasionally, so maybe we can arrange to meet up. If you're interested I'll think about the price.

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