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Smallest bass head


Kevin Dean
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What is the smallest bass head on the market 300w plus ? (NB wasn't impressed with the TC 250 ) I thought I better add that I use to have MB stuff over 8 years ago & with the speed at which technology moves I expect there is a lot smaller stuff around ? It's mainly to be used as a back up as I'm experimenting going straight in my PA .

Edited by Kevin Dean
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[quote name='eude' timestamp='1472629873' post='3122679']


NanoBass.
Pretty good by all accounts too.
[/quote]

Yeah, the Nano is tiny and sounds good. I nearly bought one for rehearsals, small gigs, back up amp etc but there's a few small things that stopped me.

It doesn't have the classic MB filters - I don't use this a whole lot but just surprised they weren't included.

There's no aux in and headphones out socket so it's not a 'silent practice' amp.

Also pretty sure that the effects return routes the signal through the pre amp tone stack. I think all MB heads do this. I sometimes use a separate pre/power amp for gigging and wanted a backup amp that will take a return from the pre and completely bypass the onboard small amp tone section.

I settled on a Gallien Kreuger MB200 as it has the 'silent' option and the tone bypass. It's a very loud 200w as well :)

The MB500 does the same with more power and a few more options or the MB800 really raises the game.

The baby 200 is so tiny though. Mine sits in an iPad padded carry bag and will go in the front pocket of a gig bag too.

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[quote name='molan' timestamp='1472630789' post='3122688']
...
[/quote]

Out of the two though, the MB200 doesn't have a loop either does it? And I would expect the Markbass tonestack to be more neutral than the GK. I think the Little Mark one at least is meant to be virtually flat with all EQ knobs at noon.

I was thinking of picking up a mini amp to just use as a power amp since I have so many preamp pedals, but the lack of fx loop in the MB200 put me off it - I'd totally forgotten about the Markbass though!

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[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1472634535' post='3122736']
Out of the two though, the MB200 doesn't have a loop either does it? And I would expect the Markbass tonestack to be more neutral than the GK. I think the Little Mark one at least is meant to be virtually flat with all EQ knobs at noon.

I was thinking of picking up a mini amp to just use as a power amp since I have so many preamp pedals, but the lack of fx loop in the MB200 put me off it - I'd totally forgotten about the Markbass though!
[/quote]

You are right about the MB200 Danny - I was thinking about the MB500 & 800!

I've currently got a whole stack of amps at home and have been testing them all. The best one for the 'mini amp that can be used as a power amp' is probably the Tone Hammer but it's also the most expensive :(

I might swap my 200 for a 500 or 800 MB though and shift the Tone Hammer and LMII that I have sitting here :)

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[quote name='molan' timestamp='1472636294' post='3122759']
You are right about the MB200 Danny - I was thinking about the MB500 & 800!

I've currently got a whole stack of amps at home and have been testing them all. The best one for the 'mini amp that can be used as a power amp' is probably the Tone Hammer but it's also the most expensive :(

I might swap my 200 for a 500 or 800 MB though and shift the Tone Hammer and LMII that I have sitting here :)
[/quote]

No loop on the TH350 either, I guess it's one of the first things to get the chop when they downsize! I found the fan on the TH500 to come on too unnecessarily early and loud to use for noodling at home though, although I'd hope the TH350 fared better in that department.

MarkBass looks like a good bet as long as you don't mind your amp looking like a Tonka truck.

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[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1472637064' post='3122765']
No loop on the TH350 either, I guess it's one of the first things to get the chop when they downsize! I found the fan on the TH500 to come on too unnecessarily early and loud to use for noodling at home though, although I'd hope the TH350 fared better in that department.

MarkBass looks like a good bet as long as you don't mind your amp looking like a Tonka truck.
[/quote]

I always forget the little TH350 when I'm thinking of Tone Hammers. I know a guy, with absolutely excellent ears', who swears the 350 sounds sweeter than the 500 but I haven't really noticed a difference. I can definitely hear a difference between the LMII and the Th500 when using an external pre-amp into the effects return. Need to listen to them a bit more closely against my 'reference' Demeter 800D power amp.

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[quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1472636331' post='3122760']
Tecamp Puma 300.

Not quite as small as some, but only 2.2lb and very powerful.
[/quote]

I like this option a lot, I've not considered it before. The fact that it has aux in and headphone out it a major plus - if it's up to the standard of my PJB Bighead that I use right now, that's one more box I can shift! Most other headphone outputs on amps I've tried have been weak output or hissy when used with my headphones. Not sure if it's the fact that they are 80 ohms and don't work well with headphone amps designed to be used with general low impedance earbuds.

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[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1472596624' post='3122567']
There was an EA iamp 800 for sale on here a while ago.

Tiny!
[/quote]

I had an iAmp 800 (and an iAmp 500 before that) and they weren't tiny. Sure it wasn't the iAmp Micro? That's a bit narrower and shallower (but higher) than the Tecamp Puma.

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[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1472637969' post='3122777']
The Warwick LWA500 is very small - no idea how they sound though (only ever picked one up, not played through it), Molan might know as I think they stock them in the shop.
[/quote]

To be honest I've not heard one as I'm not in the shop very often. Might get a chance tomorrow.

You can pick them up very cheaply, also the big brother 1000w version (but that's about double the size).

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[quote name='molan' timestamp='1472999190' post='3125879']
To be honest I've not heard one as I'm not in the shop very often. Might get a chance tomorrow.

You can pick them up very cheaply, also the big brother 1000w version (but that's about double the size).
[/quote]

They look quite good on paper but I've never seen one being used out in the wild so I don't really know what's wrong with them (if anything) - I like that the bigger one has wood on the sides, looks very vintage hi-fi to me. Maybe it's just because Warwick aren't an in vogue brand at the moment but if they sound anything like my big-old Warwick amp they'd be great!

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[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1472735887' post='3123766']
I had an iAmp 800 (and an iAmp 500 before that) and they weren't tiny. Sure it wasn't the iAmp Micro? That's a bit narrower and shallower (but higher) than the Tecamp Puma.
[/quote]

Doh! You're correct, it was the[size=4] Euphonic Audio iamp Micro 550w, I was thinking of. [/size]

[size=4]Size: 2.1"H x 8.5"W x 5.4"D. It went for[/size] £360 insured courier included.

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