Stylon Pilson Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 (edited) I'm considering getting a small amp head to carry to gigs as a backup. The three I'm looking at are the Trace Elliot Elf, the TC BH250, and the GK MB200. The BH250 is the cheapest (but not by much), and I'm using an RH450 as my main amp, so there's a certain appeal to getting another TC. The Elf, however, is crazy small and crazy light. Are there any other options I should be considering? UPDATE: rubis offered me a barely-used BH250 for a great price, so my issue has been solved. S.P. Edited September 13, 2018 by Stylon Pilson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 Used TecAmp Puma. Very small, very light. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 Plus one for the Puma. I have a spare that stays under my passenger seat but the main Puma has never been in any trouble. Luv ‘em. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 (edited) GSS 06B400. You can have it as a head or very small combo. I've opened a thread here : Check the price : http://www.guitarsoundsystems.com/gss-06b400bh-100-watts-mini-bass-amplifier-head-c2x24693748 Edited September 3, 2018 by Hellzero Link added. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 14 minutes ago, fretmeister said: Used TecAmp Puma. Very small, very light. That does sound appealling, but the problem is waiting for one to become available on the 2nd hand market. I'd quite like something that I can move on now. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 Slightly taken aback at these recommendations for a BACKUP head. The Puma is very nice, absolutely, but a couple sold (preowned) here on Basschat for £325 and the others have all been £450 or more. That's a shedload of cash for a backup amp that will hopefully/probably never be used! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 7 minutes ago, Hellzero said: GSS 06B400. Interesting suggestion. I checked out their website and it certainly does look tasty in terms of size and weight. However the non-standard connectors on the back are a bit of a turn-off - I'd prefer something that uses the same power and speaker leads as my main amp. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 I've been well pleased with my MB200, and not just as a backup - it's a good sounding little amp and has enough oomph for most settings I've played in. They're cheap as chips secondhand, and they use a speakon connector so you wouldn't have to carry different cables to use one as backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 Good point - the only thing I don't like about my Elf is that it needs a 1/4" --> Speakon cable for output. Not much of a problem since I have several of those cables, but it's a nuisance having to take two different cables to gigs without either of them being a backup for the other! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 6 minutes ago, Happy Jack said: Good point - the only thing I don't like about my Elf is that it needs a 1/4" --> Speakon cable for output. Not much of a problem since I have several of those cables, but it's a nuisance having to take two different cables to gigs without either of them being a backup for the other! I'm currently using a 1/4" -> Speakon to connect my RH450 to my cab anyway, so wouldn't be an issue. On that subject though, I think that the speaker cable is the one item that I don't currently carry a backup of, so I should really get a Speakon -> Speakon cable and then I'd be able to keep my existing one as a backup which works with either. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 To my mind a back up amp should be capable of doing what the main one can do so it makes perfect sense to have a similar amount of oomph. It is, for me, more about size and weight that makes an amp qualify as back up, not how much it costs. I use a Quilter Bassblock 800 which is tiny but perfectly capable of doing the job. Which is a good thing as the first time I took my Mesa Boogie Prodigy Four:88 for an outing one of the valves blew taking much of the pcb with it. Quilter to the rescue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 33 minutes ago, Paul S said: To my mind a back up amp should be capable of doing what the main one can do so it makes perfect sense to have a similar amount of oomph If I was doing weddings or some other high-paid function gig, then yes I think I'd get something that fulfilled those criteria. However, I'm just looking at pub gigs at the moment, so if I did have to bring the backup amp off the bench, I'd be willing to make compromises (less headroom, maybe ask my bandmates to turn down a little, if required). Small and inexpensive are my priorities right now. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 1 hour ago, Stylon Pilson said: Interesting suggestion. I checked out their website and it certainly does look tasty in terms of size and weight. However the non-standard connectors on the back are a bit of a turn-off - I'd prefer something that uses the same power and speaker leads as my main amp. S.P. I've had as many power leads fail as amps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 I don't have a backup amp. I have 2 amps and I can use either on any gig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted September 3, 2018 Author Share Posted September 3, 2018 13 minutes ago, jrixn1 said: I've had as many power leads fail as amps! Don't get me wrong, I carry a spare power lead to gigs! But if my backup amp uses non-standard cables, then I need to take a third power lead, and a third speaker lead. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 whichever you get, just remember to get one that has DI out, so you can always get a signal to the desk and pa, so volume wont be that much of an issue. id agree also that you need to get one with the same cable connections. Thats why the jack in on the Elf is a big fail for me im afraid. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 3, 2018 Share Posted September 3, 2018 I had the BH250 for a while and it was a really nice little amp, and irrespective of the blurb about TC power ratings, it was plenty loud enough. On-board tuner, downloadable toneprints, small enough to cart about with the regular gear yet loud enough for regular pub gigs, well as the main amp is a TC I`d stick with the brand and go BH250. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_S Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 I keep trying other amp brands but always end up back with Markbass, so picked up a Nano 300 as backup for my LM800 and F1. First impressions at rehearsal were that it sounded like a Markbass and could keep up with the band; it just didn’t sound as effortless doing it as the bigger heads. Ideal backup, then... until a gig where I had to travel very light and decided to just take the Nano since there was a cab provided. It performed so well that it’s become my go-to amp for any gigs with shared or house cabs, so I’d certainly recommend it as a backup! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted September 4, 2018 Share Posted September 4, 2018 I use my Genz Benz Streamliner 600 as my backup. I'd be happy to use it any time any gig. It has as much grunt as my main amp which I think is important. They're a cheap amp second hand and it seems the sound is a bit 'marmite', but I love the sound and I love marmite too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AREA Posted September 7, 2018 Share Posted September 7, 2018 I've read about the Handbox Fortec 312 in the last Days and find this little Amp very interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted September 7, 2018 Author Share Posted September 7, 2018 55 minutes ago, AREA said: I've read about the Handbox Fortec 312 in the last Days and find this little Amp very interesting Thanks for the suggestion, but I was asking about lightweight compact amp heads, not 15kg combos. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uk_lefty Posted September 7, 2018 Share Posted September 7, 2018 If my amp goes I'll DI out of my Hartke bass attack pedal. I don't have the space or spare cash for another head. If my amp blows paying DI out of a pedal won't be great but it will do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted September 7, 2018 Author Share Posted September 7, 2018 16 minutes ago, uk_lefty said: If my amp goes I'll DI out of my Hartke bass attack pedal. I don't have the space or spare cash for another head. If my amp blows paying DI out of a pedal won't be great but it will do the job. Well, the question of whether a backup amp is even required is another situation-dependent thing. Situation 1: an originals band, playing a multi-band night with 3 or 4 other bands. Space off-stage is at a premium, so it's just not practical to bring a spare bass or amp. If one of the other bass players had an amp or bass fail on them, then I'd happily lend them mine (as long as they seemed like someone who would treat it with respect). Situation 2: any other band playing with PA support and decent monitoring. You probably want to take a spare bass, but as you point out uk_lefty, you can cater for an amp failure scenario by going direct. Situation 3: covers band playing pubs with no PA support. No-one's going to save you. If anything in your chain fails, then you need to have a spare, or you'll be going home early and your band probably won't get rebooked. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Tut Posted September 7, 2018 Share Posted September 7, 2018 I've had a BH250 and an Elf. Much prefer the Elf, although as has been stated, a speakon out would be better. I'd also love it to have a hi mid control. Can you imagine an Elf with a 12 band graphic? Wow! We always have PA support and I sometimes use the Elf instead of my main amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko Posted September 7, 2018 Share Posted September 7, 2018 On 03/09/2018 at 10:12, Happy Jack said: Slightly taken aback at these recommendations for a BACKUP head. The Puma is very nice, absolutely, but a couple sold (preowned) here on Basschat for £325 and the others have all been £450 or more. That's a shedload of cash for a backup amp that will hopefully/probably never be used! Maybe depends what else you use it for. I have a Markbass LM800 as a backup for my Mesa Titan at gigs but I also take it to rehearsals as the supplied amps are usually crappy worn out ashdown or behringer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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