bonzodog Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Been using my GK MB500 now for a while and love it. Its got a lovely tone and my back is over the moon! Therefore ive just got rid of my old hartke LH500 as that had become my back up amp amd decided to get a small 200w amp to stay in my case as a backup. Obvious choice was an MB200 but on my list was also the Rumble 200, markbass blackline and TC Bh250. I planned to vist all my local shops around the west midlands to try them out. These include PMT and guitar guitar as well as a few others. I cannot find a single one of the above amps in stock in any of the shops which i find bizarre. Even PMT who usually stock a lot of TC stuff only have one in Leeds. I know its been discussed before but i think amps around this level are being phased out. I will prob just buy an MB200 online as i know what it sounds like and i have a gig on Saturday. Never done a gig without a backup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBus Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 You want small? You want 200 watts? Can you wait a short while? Why not try this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m87JXqrLIc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtcat Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Now you might get 200 watts in that little elf but there's no way in a million years you'll get 200 "trace elliot watts" into a box that small. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted January 31, 2017 Share Posted January 31, 2017 Never done a gig without a backup? Fair enough. I've never done a gig in 35+ years with a backup, and never had an amp or cab go down. I guess it could happen one day, but I'll never take a spare. I'll just run a line to the PA if that ever happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 You should always carry a spare amp, cab, leads, bass & bassist. You never know what might fail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_S Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 The MB200 is great - it's still one of the 'sounds in my head' with everything set at noon. The Markbass Nano 300 is also very good for a similar size if you fancy something with a different flavour. My personal favourite backup amp is a little Bose A1 power amp as it would get any member of the band out of trouble; I have a sansamp on my board and both guitarists use midi pre / valve power racks, plus it's a full-range PA amp so could cover any failure there too. Seems worth taking along for about the same size and weight as a small bass head. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted February 1, 2017 Share Posted February 1, 2017 I'm sure you can just order online and have a returns policy. You tend to find a lot of the usual general music stores won't concentrate on what is still a little bit of a niche product. No idea why as they are so small and light, they take up no room! Plus, imagine being a 13/14 year old lad/lass, walking into a store to try an amp that might be good enough to do small gigs with, and you find one that size. Parent's won't moan about helping you to gigs or storing your gear, (I've been there before, you can tell....when I had a huge Trace amp and cabs in my parents house). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted February 3, 2017 Author Share Posted February 3, 2017 Passing through Birmingham yesterday i called into PMT and was surprised by lack of bass amps in general. Theyve had a bit of a change around and seem to be selling a lot more used PA stuff than normal where bass gear normally is. Had a selection of ashdown down stuff but nowhere near the range theyve had before. Anyway ive ordered a markbass blackline online which is coming monday so looking forward to trying it out 😀 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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