Good combo for small venues? 100-150w type power?

[cameltoe]

Played a really small pub last night, ridiculously small. Was tucked away into a tiny corner, most of which was taken up by the drums and my Hartke vx3500 combo. The Hartke combo is a really good amp, like it alot, but it's just too damn big for these small gigs! It's the only amp I have, and to be honest, with a few more of these small-ish pub gigs to come (all the pubs down here in Cornwall are quite pokey) I could maybe do with another combo specifically for the more 'intimate' venues!

My price range isn't that great- £200 ish tops, but I have seen a couple of small combo's for under that price. Not only do I need it to be reliable with good tone, but it also has to be LOUD enough to cut through a whole band! I remember trying a 100w Ampeg amp last year, and it was nowhere near powerful enough for what I needed.

I was looking at the Ashdown Five 15, at around £155, but the reviews on Harmony Central aren't exactly reassuring, with people saying it sounded bad and distorted anywhere past 6 on the volume.

Any suggestions on other models, or any more info on the Ashdown Five 15 would be great. Cheers!

[escholl]

if it was me, i would try to pick up a mag 15 combo, you can get them secondhand for around the 200 mark. not very large, not very heavy, decently loud, reliable, good tone, etc.

[Balcro]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='428525' date='Mar 8 2009, 12:37 PM']Played a really small pub last night, ridiculously small. Was tucked away into a tiny corner, most of which was taken up by the drums and my Hartke vx3500 combo. The Hartke combo is a really good amp, like it alot, but it's just too damn big for these small gigs! It's the only amp I have, and to be honest, with a few more of these small-ish pub gigs to come (all the pubs down here in Cornwall are quite pokey) I could maybe do with another combo specifically for the more 'intimate' venues!

My price range isn't that great- £200 ish tops, but I have seen a couple of small combo's for under that price. Not only do I need it to be reliable with good tone, but it also has to be LOUD enough to cut through a whole band! I remember trying a 100w Ampeg amp last year, and it was nowhere near powerful enough for what I needed.

I was looking at the Ashdown Five 15, at around £155, but the reviews on Harmony Central aren't exactly reassuring, with people saying it sounded bad and distorted anywhere past 6 on the volume.

Any suggestions on other models, or any more info on the Ashdown Five 15 would be great. Cheers![/quote]

I play the 100w version of the Ashdown 5-15 and it's capable of a fair bit of loudness, but if you say you've used a 100w Ampeg and that wasn't enough then I would aim for more a few more watts and or 2 drive units.

You'll probably find that most of the Harmony Central reviews are old and some refer to the earlier 65w incarnation of the 5-15, so they're not the best guide. I'll be back.

Balcro.

Edited March 8, 2009 by Balcro

[Al Heeley]

I have a Marshall BassState 150W (1 x 15) for sale at the moment, with 7-band graphic eq, and a ss/tube pre-amp blend. Packs a punch and a good versatile range of tones. Price £150

[Hoppo75]

Trace Elliots 715 served me very well for years mate, although they don't make them anymore. You should find one if you search hard enough. I've had mine for best part of 18 years and very nearly sold it on this very forum, only for me to withdraw it 2 days later. Great little amp.

[stingrayfan]

[quote name='Hoppo75' post='428590' date='Mar 8 2009, 02:19 PM']Trace Elliots 715 served me very well for years mate, although they don't make them anymore. You should find one if you search hard enough. I've had mine for best part of 18 years and very nearly sold it on this very forum, only for me to withdraw it 2 days later. Great little amp.[/quote]
+1. The one I picked up from here is brilliant for pubs and small gigs. Get the 300w version if you can.

[odub]

Aye, another one for the Trace 715, I had one, great for small gigs/practice, onboard DI for louder.

[Balcro]

Hi Cameltoe,

Not a huge choice out there if you're thinking of new. Ashdown Electric Blue 12, Behringer or Laney RB4. The EB12 has 180w and (maybe) an extension speaker socket, while the Laney has 160w and (definitely) has an extension speaker socket.

Secondhand, I like "escholls" advice. You could run that in 4th gear (and it may have an extension speaker socket as well).
Nice.

Balcro.

[bassmansky]

+1 on the trace.i used a 300w 1x15 combo for loads of small to medium sized gigs,nice sound and loads of power.still making decent money secondhand though.might have to get the 150w model on your budget,but knowing trace elliot a 150w would still be loud enough!or a used ashdown electric blue combo 180w 1x15.

[cameltoe]

Good advice guys. Cheers.

It is going to be brand new, cos finance is going to be needed!

Have found the odd Ashdown EB 12-180 for around £180, so that could be an option, although there is always the Ashdown 5 15 as well.

Like the sound of the Laney, I've used a couple in the past for rehersals and they always sound good.

[cameltoe]

Does anyone have anymore info on the Ashdown 5 15? Just that price-wise, it's spot on, plus 15" speaker

Otherwise in my price range I can only see a 65watt Laney kickback, which may or may not be enough, plus a couple of Behringer Ultrabass Combo's, the 90watt and 180watt respectively. They sound good value, but I have had limited results with Behringer stuff before, and again the reviews on harmony central aren't good.

Edited March 8, 2009 by cameltoe

[bassmansky]

go for the eb12-180,be better than the 5-15 imo.

[Clockworkwar]

[quote name='bassmansky' post='428810' date='Mar 8 2009, 07:50 PM']go for the eb12-180,be better than the 5-15 imo.[/quote]

Go for the electric blue they are great little combos.

[rOB]

[quote name='cameltoe' post='428737' date='Mar 8 2009, 05:57 PM']Have found the odd Ashdown EB 12-180 for around £180, so that could be an option, although there is always the Ashdown 5 15 as well.

Like the sound of the Laney, I've used a couple in the past for rehersals and they always sound good.[/quote]

+1 on the Ashdown EB12-180, nice and cheap, not too heavy, pretty good sound, has a DI for when you need it to be louder, output for an extension cab. I use it for all the small pub gigs that we're doing at the moment. good times.

Edited March 8, 2009 by rOB

[escholl]

[quote name='bassmansky' post='428810' date='Mar 8 2009, 07:50 PM']go for the eb12-180,be better than the 5-15 imo.[/quote]

+1

[bassmasta]

I've had a Laney RB-4 for few years now. Very pleased, small enough to move around smaller places for Pub gigs, yet whack a 2x10" on it and it steps up a gear for "staged" performances. Never had a distortion problem unless i drive it hard on purpose. a little on heavy side (25Kg) for its power, and lacks a tweeter, but 15" is very nice, and has lovely sound with "enhancement" feature and 7 band graphic EQ.

would highly recomend it, especially if £200 is limit.

[cameltoe]

Cheers, i'll have a look at that one.

Had a go on an Ashdown EB12-180 last night, and was pleasantly surprised. Kicked out a really clean, punchy sound. The compression on the amp seemed better than on my Hartke as well. Gave it that thump, without sounding 'squeezed' or limited, but then i don't know a great deal about compression!

I'm re-borrowing the 100w Ampeg that I used before, it's an SVT-15T. Fairly old looking thing, but gives a nice vintage tone. It wasn't loud enough with my old bass, as i stated, but the P bass seems to kick out more volume so it may be ok, I'll trial it at a soundcheck, as the option may be there to buy it. If not, the Ashdown seems a really good bet.

Edited March 10, 2009 by cameltoe

[sub-a-dub]

(Cut andPaste from my reply on a previous thread...)


...PJB (Phil Jones) briefcase, suitcase or sixpack? ( 2 x 5, 4 x 5 and 6 x 5 respectively...)
I was on the look-out for a long time for a small portable rig and read great reviews on these - so much so that I bought a way bigger PJB rig that does big and smaller gigs (its got a 6 x 5 & a 9 x 5 cab they can be used in unison or seperately) and got a Roland micro-cube RX for acoustic/ VERY small gigs...
All the best,
Sean

[url="http://philjonespuresound.com/PJWeb11_Bass.aspx"]http://philjonespuresound.com/PJWeb11_Bass.aspx[/url]

Edited March 15, 2009 by sub-a-dub