New rig required.

[Foureyes]

To cut a long story short I sold my ashdown rig a few weeks ago. I’ve used that rig for years so my amp/can knowledge is weak at best.

I’m looking for recommendations for a new smaller rig. Preferably something suitable for small gigs and light weight, also with everything that’s going on the the moment the cheaper the better! 
 

thank you in advance! 

[Lozz196]

Are you looking for similar sound to the Ashdown rig - am assuming it was an ABM or MAG set-up? If so their RM500 gets very close to the ABM and weighs something like 5lbs so pair that with cab(s) of choice and away you go. 

Also, what budget so we don’t all recommend the most expensive cabs?

Cab-wise Barefaced are very good and most of their range is more than suitable as a one-cab solution. 
 

 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Lozz196

[Foureyes]

12 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Are you looking for similar sound to the Ashdown rig - am assuming it was an ABM or MAG set-up? If so their RM500 gets very close to the ABM and weighs something like 5lbs so pair that with cab(s) of choice and away you go. 

Also, what budget so we don’t all recommend the most expensive cabs?

Cab-wise Barefaced are very good and most of their range is more than suitable as a one-cab solution. 
 

 

As much as I loved the ashdown sound I was thinking about trying something else. I like the look of the mark bass heads and the 2x10 cab seems like it would be a good fit for what I need but I’ve got no experience with them and don’t really trust YouTube reviews. I’d say £500/600 for both amp and cab would be my max budget thanks to COVID. 

[Lozz196]

Markbass is good gear, and there’s a Little Mark Tube up for grabs on here for £300, really nice amps. The tube doesn’t do full on gain but adds a certain something that isn’t immediate until you turn it off, then you realise what you’re now missing. 

[Foureyes]

6 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Markbass is good gear, and there’s a Little Mark Tube up for grabs on here for £300, really nice amps. The tube doesn’t do full on gain but adds a certain something that isn’t immediate until you turn it off, then you realise what you’re now missing. 

Nice! I’ll have a look! Thanks bud. Any cab recommendations? I’ve read mixed review about the mark bass cabs. 

Edited January 2, 2021 by Foureyes

[Lozz196]

Well I’ve found Markbass cabs have a bit of a high end roll-off, but unless you’re going to DI post-eq to a PA that’s not really an issue. One of their 210s would be fine. I used Markbass amps & cabs for a while, and did so based on that every time I heard a band in a pub and liked the bass sound it was a Markbass setup. 

[Foureyes]

3 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Well I’ve found Markbass cabs have a bit of a high end roll-off, but unless you’re going to DI post-eq to a PA that’s not really an issue. One of their 210s would be fine. I used Markbass amps & cabs for a while, and did so based on that every time I heard a band in a pub and liked the bass sound it was a Markbass setup. 

Thanks again for the help! People like you make it a lot easier for me to not waste my money! Now to wait for them to pop up pre owned! 

[Reggaebass]

I can only echo what Lozz has said, I used markbass heads and cabs for years and they are great, especially the VLE And VPF controls, I still use markbass cabs but my recent addition of the Ashdown RM500 is just so good, if you can pick one of these up I really would recommend it, it’s a very light , powerful and versatile amp, and the fan is very quiet for home use, it also has a headphone socket, which I haven’t tried yet 🙂

[chris_b]

There are Bergantino 2 x AE112 and 2 x CN112 cabs in the classifieds. Either would be a classy and great sounding rig, with any amp you choose.

[Foureyes]

39 minutes ago, chris_b said:

There are Bergantino 2 x AE112 and 2 x CN112 cabs in the classifieds. Either would be a classy and great sounding rig, with any amp you choose.

Thanks bud. I’ll have a look now! 

[Japhet]

Obligatory mention for the Fender Rumble. Sounds like a 200 combo would be good for you or a 500 if you need the extra oomph.

[Nebadon2000]

A used Markbass CMD 121P will handle small gig's easily and do medium sized clubs also for about 450-500 for mint one. [30lbs]

If you prefer 2x10 the CMD 102P used should be similar priced at 38lbs

 

[Foureyes]

7 hours ago, Nebadon2000 said:

A used Markbass CMD 121P will handle small gig's easily and do medium sized clubs also for about 450-500 for mint one. [30lbs]

If you prefer 2x10 the CMD 102P used should be similar priced at 38lbs

 

Cheers bud I’ll keep an eye out on the classified here and on ebay

[Al Krow]

Managed to pick up an used CMD 121H from the forum last year which would have been comfortably within your budget.

The high end roll-off Lozz mentioned is pretty easily sorted with an EQ pedal and boosting (I'd recommend +6DB) at around 6kHz (treble) and 1.5kHz (high mids). The "bite" or presence button on a Tech21 VTDI preamp will do something similar.

You're not able to add "presence" on the amp itself on the older Markbass LM2 / LM3 heads as there is a huge gap on the amp EQ between its high mid centre of 800Hz and treble centre of 10 kHz.

If I had known about this fix a couple of years back I would have held onto my AC 121 Lite (which can be had used for around the £600 mark). This is still one of the best bass combos available: it will deliver its full 500W without an extension cab and also has an aux in and headphone out which the more budget MB combos, such as mine pictured below, don't have.

 

Edited May 9, 2021 by Al Krow

[M@23]

Little Mark 3 and 102p or a Fender Rumble 500 combo are where I’d go. I’ve had both setups and prefer them to rigs I’ve had that cost 4 times more. They just work. Very reliable and I love the tone straight out of the box. 
The Markbass 102p is probably my favourite cab. It’s so small and light but very punchy and really projects well, especially if you tilt it back a touch. 

[la bam]

The markbass traveller 2x10 is a very good very loud cab.

[Phil Starr]

It's difficult isn't it? £600 is a decent sum so you should be able to get a really decent rig used for that but if you spend £300 on the amp your choice of speakers becomes more limited. If it's any help I have an MB Tube, not up for sale and currently broken from taking a dive off the top of a 2x12. They are good and the 'Tube' channel does add something but when mine took a dive I needed something for gigging quick and took a punt on a Peavey Minimax. Frankly it sounds better out of the box IMO and what was a temporary fix has become my go to amp. There's one for sale here for £180 which is going to save you £100 on a MB which you could take as a saving or put towards a wider choice of speakers. Peavey Minimax 500 head - Amps and Cabs For Sale - Basschat

Another possibility might be to go for two 1x12 cabs. One will probably do all you want at the moment and you could delay getting the second you might want for bigger gigs until Covid is fading and gigging and other money making stuff starts happening again.

[Foureyes]

@Phil Starr is very difficult. I seem to find an amp I’m interested in and then start looking for cans and realising I don’t have the budget left 😂

it’s not urgent so I may just have to keep an eye on the market place and eBay and see what comes up! The 1x12 is a good idea and then like you say another could be added later. And I’m not dead set on buying mark bass. I’d happily buy ashdown again. As @Reggaebass said earlier the RM500 looks like a solid option.

I’m just weighing up options at the moment because I can’t really afford to buy and either not like or not be completely happy with what I’ve bought, and end up trying to move it on for a loss. 

[Frank Blank]

Obviously I’m going to rock up and say this is your opportunity to ditch the trad amp/cab rig and go for an FRFR setup, best thing I ever did.

[Dan Dare]

36 minutes ago, Foureyes said:

I’m just weighing up options at the moment because I can’t really afford to buy and either not like or not be completely happy with what I’ve bought, and end up trying to move it on for a loss.

I would just suggest that you don't buy anything sight unseen or unheard on the basis of recommendation alone. All the kit suggested above is good. Whether it will suit you is another matter. You wouldn't buy a car without driving it. It may be inconvenient/tedious to traipse around trying things out, but it's the only way to guarantee you won't be disappointed.

[Foureyes]

34 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

I would just suggest that you don't buy anything sight unseen or unheard on the basis of recommendation alone. All the kit suggested above is good. Whether it will suit you is another matter. You wouldn't buy a car without driving it. It may be inconvenient/tedious to traipse around trying things out, but it's the only way to guarantee you won't be disappointed.

I couldn’t agree more. However my options are very limited. I live in the middle of no where and the 2 guitar shops within reasonable driving distance don’t ever have a great deal in stock, which I why I’ve resorted to YouTube and asking for recommendations on here. 

[Phil Starr]

9 minutes ago, Foureyes said:

I couldn’t agree more. However my options are very limited. I live in the middle of no where and the 2 guitar shops within reasonable driving distance don’t ever have a great deal in stock, which I why I’ve resorted to YouTube and asking for recommendations on here. 

Once Covid has lifted Mansons does have some stock and practice spaces so you do have the chance to eliminate some stuff from your search. The staff are fairly knowledgeable and helpful. If you can wait then the bass bash just outside Taunton is a great place to meet other basschatters and try their gear. 

[jrixn1]

1 hour ago, Frank Blank said:

Obviously I’m going to rock up and say this is your opportunity to ditch the trad amp/cab rig and go for an FRFR setup, best thing I ever did.

+1.  The good thing about using a preamp pedal and a powered PA speaker (aka "FRFR") is that the powered speaker is acoustically transparent, i.e. it doesn't contribute or affect your tone in any way.  The tone comes only from the preamp pedal; I'm currently using a Mojomojo (£40).  If I decide I don't like the tone, swapping the pedal is cheap and easy compared to replacing a head or cab.  Or get a Helix...

 

[Frank Blank]

18 minutes ago, Foureyes said:

I couldn’t agree more. However my options are very limited. I live in the middle of no where and the 2 guitar shops within reasonable driving distance don’t ever have a great deal in stock, which I why I’ve resorted to YouTube and asking for recommendations on here. 

You do live in the middle of nowhere but that nowhere happens to be near where the South West Bass Bash is held where you could try out all sorts of stuff once this virus is dying down.

[Paul S]

1 hour ago, Frank Blank said:

Obviously I’m going to rock up and say this is your opportunity to ditch the trad amp/cab rig and go for an FRFR setup, best thing I ever did.

 

Just now, jrixn1 said:

+1.  The good thing about using a preamp pedal and a powered PA speaker (aka "FRFR") is that the powered speaker is acoustically transparent, i.e. it doesn't contribute or affect your tone in any way.  The tone comes only from the preamp pedal; I'm currently using a Mojomojo (£40).  If I decide I don't like the tone, swapping the pedal is cheap and easy compared to replacing a head or cab.  Or get a Helix...

 

Have to agree.  Best thing I did was change to this set up.  I have a Spectradrive which sorts out the DI, EQ, Drive and compression in one pedal, plus a tuner.  Straightforward rig!