New Amp Advice

[Flash74]

Hi All

I have used basschat for advice for a while now but this is my first post. Hopefully someone can help as I'm clueless when it comes to bass amps and the technical aspects of them.
I am looking for a new combo bass amp as the one I am currently using (Laney 200w combo) weights too much (50kg+). It's OK for me to lug around but I'm not always available to set up due to work/ family commitments and the other guys in my band are struggling with it. It's also bulky so takes up a lot of room in cars, and on stage.
The other band members have agreed to help finance the purchase of a new lighter combo with the proceeds of our gigs. We are not loaded but the band only play for the love of it (like a lot of people). We play a lot of charity and Christian missionary gigs which we do not get paid for. However e also play at weddings, functions and birthday party's and these are where we make some money which is used to exclusively to purchase new equipment.
We play mostly churches and smaller venues, and the very occasional pub so I don't need a monster amp. My amp is run through the PA so anything from 100w-250w will be fine from an output point of view. The amp is mainly going to be a monitor for me to hear myself on stage.
We play our own Christian songs and anything from 1950's rock N roll , Beatles, Chilli Pepper, Killers, Bowie, The Jam so a very wide range of genres.
I have decided on either a Fender Rumble 100 v3 (100w - £278) or a TC Electronic BG25-112 (250w £301.25). Obviously they are very different from a output point of view but I know Fender amps an compete with some amps with more total output. I have heard a couple of people mention that TC Electronic bass amps are really good but I have no knowledge myself so need some input from people on here.
Both amps are light and are similar in price but is the Fender Rumble 100w going to be powerful enough for me during a gig? Are TC Electronic Amps any good?
Any help/ advice is more than welcome. Many Thanks Derek

[xgsjx]

I wouldn't worry so much about the watts & more about the weight.

[lowhand_mike]

id have to disagree with that and say get as much watts for your money, try some out and if they are similar in power then start looking at weight. 100w wont be enough for gigging with

[casapete]

Agree with the above. Despite being fairly light & loud for their ratings, the Fender 100 watt Rumble will still struggle with
even a light handed drummer. ( Haven't tried the TC combo you mention. )
Why don't you consider a reasonable head / cab rather than a combo? One more journey to load
in / out but better than breaking your back IMO. As ever, s/h will get you a good deal, especially if you
buy from this site. Good luck!

[xgsjx]

You do know watts are only a small part of the equation.
My rig is probably only a 100w amp, but put through a 4x10 & it can shift some air.
Going through PA, you could use my 30w combo & be heard by the band (I know this works as I have done it).
Look at how many decibels the rig can muster, look at the spl, but don't think a 500 watt rig is gonna definitely be louder than a 100w one.

[Lozz196]

I`d always look at the highest power available, far better to not have to push an amp all the time imo. I`d agree with the points already made, go for a head and cab second hand off of here. You should be able to reduce the weight aspect significantly and get something that if needed, you could gig with without having to go through the PA.

[Cuzzie]

Agree with the points above.

I had a TC Electronic 250-115, nice and powerful at home, shook walls etc. Took it to a gig where there were drums and 2 guitars and it struggled. Admittedly it was louder than it should have been, but even so you have to get above the drums. If you are being Mic'd up or a DI I taken you'll be fine, if not go separates.

Having lugged it about to be fair it's prob more hassle than a lightweight class D amp and cab.

Cheers

[xgsjx]

If the cab part of the combo isn't very efficient, then no amount of amp power is gonna make it any better without either A, spending more than your budget or B, ending up with something that weighs more than the current rig.

[Flash74]

Thanks for all the advice. I will take my time and explore all the options.

[Jack]

Defintely check out the classifieds on here if you can. We're all an honest bunch and I'm sure any seller would answer your questions honestly. There's a TC combo for sale in the classifieds now, or there was that Genz rig (a 2x10" combo and 2x10" cab) from a while back that would see you through any gig.

[quote name='Flash74' timestamp='1492519713' post='3280871']My amp is run through the PA ... The amp is mainly going to be a monitor for me to hear myself on stage.[/quote]

If that really is true 100% of the time then pretty much any decent combo would be just fine. I wouldn't worry quite so much.

Edited April 20, 2017 by Jack

[Flash74]

Thanks Jack I will check these amps out

[Chienmortbb]

I played through the Rumble at a Blues Jam on Weds and without being rude, it did not sell itself to me. Of course I could not try to dial in my preferred tone but it seemed to lack any mids. Of course the host bassist may like that sound so I would not discount it completely.

[blunderthumbs]

Mark Bass combos are powerful and light. I went down a similar route as I suffer back problems. I now have a Markbass LM III 500w head which fits into a small gig bag.
And Markbass light weight cabs, 1x12" traveler 400w and Standard 2x10" 400w. Much kinder on my back and powerful too. A Fender 100w Rumble is ok for small gigs and
home use. IMO

[mcnach]

[quote name='Flash74' timestamp='1492519713' post='3280871']
Hi All

I have used basschat for advice for a while now but this is my first post. Hopefully someone can help as I'm clueless when it comes to bass amps and the technical aspects of them.
I am looking for a new combo bass amp as the one I am currently using (Laney 200w combo) weights too much (50kg+). It's OK for me to lug around but I'm not always available to set up due to work/ family commitments and the other guys in my band are struggling with it. It's also bulky so takes up a lot of room in cars, and on stage.
The other band members have agreed to help finance the purchase of a new lighter combo with the proceeds of our gigs. We are not loaded but the band only play for the love of it (like a lot of people). We play a lot of charity and Christian missionary gigs which we do not get paid for. However e also play at weddings, functions and birthday party's and these are where we make some money which is used to exclusively to purchase new equipment.
We play mostly churches and smaller venues, and the very occasional pub so I don't need a monster amp. My amp is run through the PA so anything from 100w-250w will be fine from an output point of view. The amp is mainly going to be a monitor for me to hear myself on stage.
We play our own Christian songs and anything from 1950's rock N roll , Beatles, Chilli Pepper, Killers, Bowie, The Jam so a very wide range of genres.
I have decided on either a Fender Rumble 100 v3 (100w - £278) or a TC Electronic BG25-112 (250w £301.25). Obviously they are very different from a output point of view but I know Fender amps an compete with some amps with more total output. I have heard a couple of people mention that TC Electronic bass amps are really good but I have no knowledge myself so need some input from people on here.
Both amps are light and are similar in price but is the Fender Rumble 100w going to be powerful enough for me during a gig? Are TC Electronic Amps any good?
Any help/ advice is more than welcome. Many Thanks Derek
[/quote]

At the range you're looking at, whether one amp is more powerful than other won't necessarily mean much as the limiting factor would be speakers. I can't tell for sure which one will work for you but I've had good experiences with the Fender Rumble series. If all you need is a monitor... one of the kickback combos that angle towards you would probably be the best choice as it'll aim the midrange at you rather than your knees so you can hear what you're playing and while 100W is not a lot it's worked for me in the past. If they don't come in kickback form, then you can get a stand to angle it for not much money. The 250W amp is not necessarily much (or any?) louder. But I would look for something that allows you to add an additional cab in case you find that you need some more volume at some gigs: added speakers are a more efficient way to get louder than adding watts as you'd need a LOT of extra watts to make a difference through the same cab, assuming the cab can take it!

There are light, small & powerful options out there, but the budget will suffer.

[mcnach]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1492583151' post='3281298']
If the cab part of the combo isn't very efficient, then no amount of amp power is gonna make it any better without either A, spending more than your budget or B, ending up with something that weighs more than the current rig.
[/quote]

This.

[geoff90guitar]

I think a Roland 100W Bass cube 12" combo would suit you down to the ground.

[itsmedunc]

This isn't a bad thread with plenty of loud and light 1x10 combos mentioned -

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/304747-is-there-a-1x10-combo/

[Black Coffee]

The unfortunate thing with buying amps is that we try them in situations which never come close to where we will actually play them.
A music shop, bedroom, living room, garage etc are all places one might play alone but when a drummer and a guitar or two come to the party it gets difficult.

My advice would be go separates and buy what you think you will need plus a little bit more.
If you think you will need 200 watts,(which is all relative depending on the make, speaker, head etc) then aim a little higher.
Ample headroom is a bass players best friend. I recently played at a small event in a hotel and was told that there is only one heavy handed drummer and a guitar and a keyboard. One might be tempted to think that you wouldn't need much, but what I didn't know was that at least 250 people were singing along to it as them words were on a screen for them, and that was a lot of extra sound to compete with. The headroom from a Markbass 500watt head and a barefaced supertwin was required, as the other factor was that they also didn't tell me they had no subs in the pa and a 100 watt combo amp would have been a poor companion to have along.

Money is needed to go big and light but as it has been mentioned already, there are always reliable honest used options here on BC. I've bought dozens of things here and the community is sound in the used gear section.

[Al Krow]

[quote name='Flash74' timestamp='1492519713' post='3280871']
I have decided on either a Fender Rumble 100 v3 (100w - £278) or a TC Electronic BG25-112 (250w £301.25). Obviously they are very different from a output point of view but I know Fender amps an compete with some amps with more total output. I have heard a couple of people mention that TC Electronic bass amps are really good but I have no knowledge myself so need some input from people on here.
Both amps are light and are similar in price but is the Fender Rumble 100w going to be powerful enough for me during a gig? Are TC Electronic Amps any good?
Any help/ advice is more than welcome. Many Thanks Derek
[/quote]

The TC BG250-115 was the first amp I got and was ok as a "starter amp", but I felt it put out a pretty bland sound and it was a reasonably big beast in terms of size (although not heavy), so I traded up within a year of getting it. The 112 may be better in terms of articulation given the difference in speaker size. So definitely try your bass through it before buying to check the sound, they're fairly widely stocked. If you are just using the speaker as a monitor you should check out the Promethean 3110 which delivers 300W in a tiny portable package (around £335) - I have one and it's great for rehearsals with a full band, particularly when used with an extension cab; but if you are going to be needing your amp as a stand alone e.g. in a pub gig then probably best to stretch your budget if you can to e.g. the Fender 200 or Fender 500, or see if you can pick up a second Markbass Combo - there's usually a few that come up from time to time in the for sale section.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Al Krow

[blank20]

I can recommend You these two
https://musicsquare.co.uk/139061_Fender-Bronco-40-bass-amplifier-40W.html
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MB112-II