Power, Weight and Size

[stewblack]

One of the singers in the band turns out to be a handy bassist too, which is awesome as the dep is therefore 'in house' as it were.

I leant her an amp and cab and she did the business for me when I was double booked. She's decided to invest in some bass gear and I have a very common enquiry with a twist.

She is slight of build and lives up four flights of stairs, big long flights of stairs, I know I carried the gear for her. So what do we think is the best weight-to-power ratio cab and head? She said she wanted a combo ideally but I assumed a barefaced 1 X 12 would be the way to go and afaik BF don't do combos.

The twist? Well she also plays acoustic g****r and "Can I just play through the same amp?". I can see no reason why not, maybe buy a GEQ to stick between the acoustic and the head, or perhaps a preamp and just use the power amp stage of the head. A bit out of my depth on this part but she'll only be playing rhythm guitar in a 7 piece band so I can't see it being a huge issue.

In a nutshell (assume a healthy budget) very light and small cab, pocket head but good enough for reasonably big pub gigs. Or uber light combo.

Go for it Bass Hive Mind.

[jrixn1]

HX Stomp + QSC CP12.

[Mykesbass]

IMO acoustic guitar can sound quite nice through a bass amp - nicer than an electric guitar through bass, or acoustic through standard guitar amp. 

[Cuzzie]

Aside from any 10” or 12” iteration of Barefaced and small head of choice like an Elf, Quilter Bass Block, Genzler Mag 350 (how good they all are for guitar - I dunno).

Combo Like Tech21 VT200 or Tech21 Power Deuce Deluxe - which is by all means relatively neutral (not sterile) and voiced for guitar or bass.

She has the options of 1 or more fly rigs as pre-amps for her instruments (they do acoustic guitar and bass versions).

Other Preamp examples like Trickfish Trilobite where you have 2 EQ channels - so could theoretically set and leave each channel for each instrument.

Quite a few options out there 

Edited August 12, 2019 by Cuzzie
Typos etc

[Jack]

Any relatively neutral bass amp should suffice for acoustic guitar, bass amps tend to have tweeters and so they go quite high. What about something like an Eich or Tecamp combo? Even something like Genz Benz? All can be had quite cheap these days. You did mention a 'healthy' budget though and a few companies make general purpose amps that are designed for things like EUB or cellos or whatever, they'd be perfect for bass and acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, you'll have to be pretty damn healthy. AER Amp One, Schertler Jam One, Acus One For Bass. They're small, light and (at least the AER) sound unbelievable, but obviously you do lose out on overall volume, they're only small combos.

 

 

EDIT - No affiliation or endorsement from me, but one of our own is selling a Schertler. 14.2kg apparently.

 

Edited August 12, 2019 by Jack

[stewblack]

I hinted at  a healthy budget based purely on guesswork. Tested the waters by sending her a link to the Barefaced site. While her eyes didn't exactly roll back in her head there was a definite sense of surprise at the prices. 

I think the deciding factor will be size and weight. 

Edited August 12, 2019 by stewblack

[stewblack]

14 minutes ago, Jack said:

Any relatively neutral bass amp should suffice for acoustic guitar, bass amps tend to have tweeters and so they go quite high. What about something like an Eich or Tecamp combo? Even something like Genz Benz? All can be had quite cheap these days. You did mention a 'healthy' budget though and a few companies make general purpose amps that are designed for things like EUB or cellos or whatever, they'd be perfect for bass and acoustic guitar. Unfortunately, you'll have to be pretty damn healthy. AER Amp One, Schertler Jam One, Acus One For Bass. They're small, light and (at least the AER) sound unbelievable, but obviously you do lose out on overall volume, they're only small combos.

 

some beautiful kit there

[Newfoundfreedom]

Are you already using a PA for the test of the band? In which case why not just use a small class D (or even some kind of pedal)  and DI straight into the PA.

I often use my Bugera Veyron set to post eq and DI straight into the PA and it sounds superb. A cheap enough option and you can't get much lighter or easier to carry. 

[Mykesbass]

3 minutes ago, stewblack said:

some beautiful kit there

Schertler are pretty rare here, but are very high quality and sound great, and there's one up for sale on here for a very good price.

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Are you already using a PA for the test of the band? In which case why not just use a small class D (or even some kind of pedal)  and DI straight into the PA.

I often use my Bugera Veyron set to post eq and DI straight into the PA and it sounds superb. A cheap enough option and you can't get much lighter or easier to carry. 

No medium sized pub gigs, vocal pa. She wants to use for home, rehearsal, and gig 

[chris_b]

I used to lift 100lb cabs, until my back gave out. Now this is what I do (and what I now know I should have done). If you are carrying gear then each trip should be as light as you can make it. Making 1 trip carrying everything is not a good idea if that trip kills you and 4 flights of stairs has its own challenges!

IME that means a separate amp and cab. While a combo would be cheaper and only one trip it will be heavier lift, which will not be pleasant after 4 flights of stairs and after a gig. IMO 2 or 3 lighter carrys would be preferable. 

The best power to weight ratio would be a Barefaced Super Compact, at 21 lbs, and a separate D class amp, at about 4 lbs and accessories. With a light bass that could be 2 comfortable trips. If she wants to use a bass rig for guitar I guess the lightest option is to use some pedals to get her sound.

[machinehead]

When weight, size and volume matters at a gig, I use a Barefaced Super Midget and a Quilter BB800.  I've tried guitar through this too and it sounds fine.

This mini-rig will handle any pub gig I'm ever likely to play and any bigger gig with PA support.

The Super Midget isn't cheap but you only buy once.  The Quilter is cheap for what it does compared to other big name USA amps.

Frank.

[la bam]

Quilter 800 all the way.

This thing amazes me every time.

I've played this year (albeit with pa support) lots of big events and festivals. Outdoor gigs in castles and outdoor arenas and never had to drive it past half volume through a laney 4x10.

It's a truly awesome piece of kit.

Also a mention to the Stomp. I think it's the single best swiss army knife for bass. It's literally everything you need for bass and guitar in a tiny lightweight package.

Cab wise. Well, theres quite a lot of options out there around the 12kg mark. I've had a barefaced super compact. Initially loved it, but then it struggled in big places. But for a medium pub would be fine. Although theres equally good stuff out there. I'd definitely go second hand on the cab, and new with the amp.

[Aliwobble]

Any half decent powered lightweight pa speaker (qsa, Mackie, CV etc etc) and a couple of pre amp pedals should do the trick.

 

For a traditional bass amp , I’m enjoying the portability of my vt bass 200.

[Lozz196]

The Tech21 Para Driver v2 preamp pedal, which I use for bass, is for multi instruments. Unless wanting full on metal distortion it is fine for electric guitar ( great up to AC/DC, Sex Pistols) and has features on it designed for acoustic use.

[DanOwens]

A powered speaker like a QSC, a VT Bass and an LR Baggs Session DI for the Acoustic? 

I've gigged pub venues with a MB Little250 and an Eden EX112 and whilst it might not be a fridge-killer, everyone in the room could hear the bass.

[yorks5stringer]

Here you are, a one stop solution:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DV-Mark-AC-101-Acoustic-Instrument-Guitar-Bass-Violin-etc-Combo-Amplifier/173793923665?hash=item2876ecd251:g:LV8AAOSw~7JcZXxL

[stewblack]

Just a quick thank you to everyone, I'm passing on the ideas.

[Cuzzie]

12 minutes ago, stewblack said:

Just a quick thank you to everyone, I'm passing on the ideas.

As in not taking any, or transferring information?

[stewblack]

7 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

As in not taking any, or transferring information?

Aha! Involuntary ambiguity! Passing to my friend

[Cuzzie]

I knew that....👊🏾

[CameronJ]

If all of her gigs have PA support, the solution is undoubtedly a HX Stomp. That’s it.

She can practise at home through whatever rig she has. Headphones if she has no rig. Spend a little time making presets at home either on the hardware itself or through the excellent PC/Mac editor. 

When heading off to rehearsals or the gig just sling it in the front pocket of the gig bag and hook it straight up to the desk when you get there. Job done. Perhaps slightly more technical than lugging an amp up the stairs and turning it on but in the long run it offers the best price-to-versatility-to-power-to-weight ratio. 

[dave_bass5]

On 13/08/2019 at 23:11, CameronJ said:

If all of her gigs have PA support, the solution is undoubtedly a HX Stomp. That’s it.

She can practise at home through whatever rig she has. Headphones if she has no rig. Spend a little time making presets at home either on the hardware itself or through the excellent PC/Mac editor. 

When heading off to rehearsals or the gig just sling it in the front pocket of the gig bag and hook it straight up to the desk when you get there. Job done. Perhaps slightly more technical than lugging an amp up the stairs and turning it on but in the long run it offers the best price-to-versatility-to-power-to-weight ratio. 

I think it was mentioned that they are pub gigs with vocal PA.

I recently asked about one of these on here, after seeing the Quilter amp. Seems quite good value and very small and powerful.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_block_800b.htm

or even the tc electronic BQ500 Bass Head which is less than £200. Also has aux in and headphone out for home practice.

Maybe a cab like the TCE RS112 (only from Andertons or Gear4music though).

Edited August 15, 2019 by dave_bass5