After a combo that can do medium size gigs that is not too pricey, any suggestions

[knirirr]

On 25/03/2019 at 11:29, BassApprentice said:

Fender Rumbles get good reviews and are really light - go all the way up to 800 watts now so plenty of choice.

 

I've got a 15w one which is pretty good for practice and was wondering about upgrading to one which would be loud enough to play jazz gigs/jams, e.g. in pubs. Any idea what size would be sufficient? The weight of the 100 looks good but some of the reviewers on Thomann complain of the low volume.
I used to use a Trace Elliot BLX130SM, which was fine by itself even in loud pubs, but the ~25kg weight is a bit too much these days.

Edited April 26, 2019 by knirirr

[Tuco]

On 25/03/2019 at 16:22, Paul S said:

Sounds a bit drastic  

Another vote for a Trace Elliot combo if there's nowt wrong with your back.  Even the 150W is too loud for most gigs.

Trace Elliot ALL the way, even the BLX combos can TUMP!!!

Slightly OT but i got my smx head and 1x18" cab at a STUPIDLY low price, IIRC the cab was £60 and the head was a ton'

Their old combos are effing awesome imo

Trace all the way!!!!!!

 

[shoulderpet]

1 hour ago, knirirr said:

I've got a 15w one which is pretty good for practice and was wondering about upgrading to one which would be loud enough to play jazz gigs/jams, e.g. in pubs. Any idea what size would be sufficient? The weight of the 100 looks good but some of the reviewers on Thomann complain of the low volume.
I used to use a Trace Elliot BLX130SM, which was fine by itself even in loud pubs, but the ~25kg weight is a bit too much these days.

I would avoid the 100 and go for something more powerful, I used to play in a 3 piece band that did rehearsals in a rehearsal studio that had a 60w Fender Rumble, my bass got completely buried in the mix , ended up going DI into the PA instead 

[skidder652003]

Im gigging an old peavey TNT 130 tonight in a medium sized pub, used it last week as well, seriously loud, holds up against a marshall 100W and 410, cost me £90 including fitting castors and handles, weighs as much as a small planet, but its easier to travel with than my Ampeg stack. If you're on a budget you can't go wrong with these, they're bombproof. 

something like this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Peavey-TNT150-amplifier-1-x-15-speaker-Bass-combo-amp-150W-4ohms/123742934839?hash=item1ccfa75737:g:TncAAOSwN0hcvNdm

[TheGreek]

Rare as Rocking Horse poo but if you can find an EBS Gorm combo (available as a 1x15 or 2x10) give it serious consideration. I've been trying to find one at a sensible price for ages - they're either more than I want to pay or located somewhere where you need the Starship Enterprise to get it. Fair price I reckon at £350-450.

Check the spec:

https://reverb.com/item/6974722-ebs-neogorm-10-bass-combo-amplifier

Edited April 27, 2019 by TheGreek

[FinnDave]

I think you need to define 'medium sized gig' before you will get a realistic answer. I was using an Ashdown Touring combo for pub gigs until injuries meant I couldn't lift it. I would call pub gigs 'small', though. Medium sized to me means music venues of 100-250 capacity. Anything larger and you'd almost certainly be going through the PA anyway, so the combo is just a stage monitor.

[Al Krow]

I have to admit preferring > 300W (at 8 ohms) on tap for pub gigs so I have plenty of headroom and don't need to be 'thrashing' my gear. 

If I was buying another combo, I'd be very tempted by the Fender Rumble 500 or 800: which deliver the combination of power, portability decent sound as well as reasonable pricing I'd be looking for. A bunch of useful effects on the 800 would likely get used by me too. 

Edited April 28, 2019 by Al Krow

[Dan Dare]

On ‎27‎/‎04‎/‎2019 at 19:37, TheGreek said:

Rare as Rocking Horse poo but if you can find an EBS Gorm combo (available as a 1x15 or 2x10) give it serious consideration. I've been trying to find one at a sensible price for ages - they're either more than I want to pay or located somewhere where you need the Starship Enterprise to get it. Fair price I reckon at £350-450.

Check the spec:

https://reverb.com/item/6974722-ebs-neogorm-10-bass-combo-amplifier

I guess as I don't have one of those, I must be Gorm-less...

[Sharkfinger]

On 28/04/2019 at 10:19, Al Krow said:

If I was buying another combo, I'd be very tempted by the Fender Rumble 500 or 800: which deliver the combination of power, portability decent sound as well as reasonable pricing I'd be looking for. A bunch of useful effects on the 800 would likely get used by me too. 

I had the V3 rumble 500, with the 2x10 extension and found I needed the master about half-way up.  I'm sure it wouldn't have done any harm to turn it up higher but felt a bit nervous doing that, though probably being over-cautions.  Had the gain right up to get the tone (drive) I liked but added a compression that I didn't like.  The combo on its own I didn't find was enough for me. YMMV.  

It's one of the reasons I'm clinging to my iAmp 800 for dear life, seemingly endless clean headroom.

On 27/04/2019 at 19:37, TheGreek said:

Rare as Rocking Horse poo but if you can find an EBS Gorm combo (available as a 1x15 or 2x10) give it serious consideration. I've been trying to find one at a sensible price for ages - they're either more than I want to pay or located somewhere where you need the Starship Enterprise to get it. Fair price I reckon at £350-450.

Shhhhh!  I'm on the look out for one too, don't tell everyone!

[hooky_lowdown]

If you have some strong mates, then a Peavey Databass is killer. Can be picked up for £100-200 these days and you wont ever turn the volume past 4! THIS THING IS LOUD.

[Matt P]

How tied are you to getting a combo? there are real bargains to be had in the classifieds for heads and cabs, something like a 2x10 cab with any number of different heads could be had for less than the TC 2x10 combo, you might even score one of the more modern and lighter heads within budget, Markbass Little marks can go for 250quid (i paid that for my Markbass F1) add in 100 or so for an older cab and you're away, if you go for a smaller cab then you can add another cab if bigger gigs start coming along. this also can be a bonus when you are sharing kit at gigs or using the in-house gear at rehearsal rooms, i tend to just take my head along and plug into the provided cab (i'm lucky as the rooms we use have just bought Ampeg 4x10, 6x10 and 8x10 cabs)

some of the smaller heads will fit into a gigbag pocket which can allow for the use of public transport for gigs (allowing for a post gig beer if that is your thing)

the other bonus of a separate head and cab is that upgrades are easy when the budget allows or a change is needed, i tried a couple of heads before settling for the F1, luckily i haven't looked at another cab since i bought my Barefaced cabs.

Matt

[mcnach]

On 25/03/2019 at 11:29, BassApprentice said:

Fender Rumbles get good reviews and are really light - go all the way up to 800 watts now so plenty of choice.

 

 

This.

I have recently used two of those (with the 15" speaker) in two different gigs, and I really liked them. Pretty light and compact, great sound. 

[Norris]

Do your back a favour. Have a serious look at a Fender Rumble v3 500. Great tone, plenty loud enough for pubs or even outdoors, light as a feather, looks great, won't blow the bank

[Sparky Mark]

If you can handle/suffer the weight an Ashdown ABM210 combo of any generation is hard to beat. They come up secondhand for silly cheap money and can handle most pub gigs. I'm always impressed with the full rich tone when I hear them.

[AndyTravis]