Stub Mandrel Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 My PJB C2 cab sounds awesome with my TE Elf. But I have to admit the fan noise is too great for a bedroom rig, While it's tempting to have a go at making my own head, I've been looking at 'tiny' heads just for an awesome bedroom rig. No point duplicating the Elf with a Warwick Gnome or similar, so how about a small valve amp. I found these two for guitarists, there's also the Micro Terror: Bugera https://www.thomann.de/gb/bugera_t5_infinium.htm Harley Benton https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mighty_5th.htm Has anyone come across a bass alternative? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Hotone Thunder Bass. 5W Ampeg sounds. More than enough for the bedroom. I use mine with a BF Super Twin 😂 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nekomatic Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 Probably not what you were thinking of if you were thinking of a tu… ahem, a valve head, but eBay is awash with titchy fanless Class D ‘hi-fi’ amplifiers, for only twenty or thirty quid even from UK sellers, which I assume would work fine if driven from a suitable preamp or multi-effect pedal. They’re probably only actually good for about a tenth of their rated power, but I expect that would be enough. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted December 2, 2021 Share Posted December 2, 2021 I’d be tempted to look at this: https://www.thomann.de/gb/joyo_badass.htm Hell, I’m tempting myself with it now and wasn’t even looking 🤦🏼♂️ 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 Smallest bass valve amp would be the Ampeg PF20t wouldn't it? Not exactly mini though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 The Hotone is very tempting at the price, even though solid state, and the Joyo is VERY tempting as their stuff is always so good, not sure how I missed it, but probably too powerful . 3 hours ago, lemmywinks said: Smallest bass valve amp would be the Ampeg PF20t wouldn't it? Not exactly mini though. It has to be something very small and not powerful, as I already have an Elf as my backup head. At 120W into 8R I only need something with a handful of watts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 (edited) you could keep it PJB and get a Bass Buddy. Edited December 3, 2021 by MacDaddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 5 minutes ago, MacDaddy said: you could keep it PJB and get a Bass Buddy. Bit pricey and unlike the cabs, it looks awful - like some 80's Amstrad abomination. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 3, 2021 Share Posted December 3, 2021 (edited) Ashdown CTM15 is probably your best bet, overpowered and oversized for what you're after though: https://ashdownmusic.com/products/ctm-15 Maybe try and find an old Hughes & Kettner Bass Master / BATT? http://hughesandkettnermicroamps.weebly.com/batt--bass-master.html Edited December 3, 2021 by lemmywinks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 4 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: Ashdown CTM15 is probably your best bet, overpowered and oversized for what you're after though: https://ashdownmusic.com/products/ctm-15 Maybe try and find an old Hughes & Kettner Bass Master / BATT? http://hughesandkettnermicroamps.weebly.com/batt--bass-master.html I suppose I ought to look at the 'Little Stubby' 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 3, 2021 Author Share Posted December 3, 2021 (edited) Four thoughts are: 1 Do I really need it? Realistic options: 2 Get a 5/1/0.1W Guitar head like those in my first post and tweak the tone capacitors to get a more bass-gutar focused response. Main drawback, maybe too much distortion, (maybe) weak bass. 3 When my workshop is sorted, build an amp around a twin 6J1 board (cascade the two stages, use plenty of input gain to overdrive the valves) that I already have (somewhere) as preamp driving a conventional back end. https://hackaday.com/2020/09/01/that-elusive-valve-amp-sound-for-not-a-lot-there-has-to-be-a-catch/ 4 Get the Hotone, actually it's quite appealing and not a big price tag. Edited December 3, 2021 by Stub Mandrel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 12 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said: The Hotone is very tempting at the price, even though solid state, and the Joyo is VERY tempting as their stuff is always so good, not sure how I missed it, but probably too powerful . It has to be something very small and not powerful, as I already have an Elf as my backup head. At 120W into 8R I only need something with a handful of watts. For my money I would just put the Elf in a cupboard to damp the fan noise. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 It's not just a had but you might want to look at this https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/442331-a-house-jam-combo/ coincidentally I revisited it last night, wondering whether to try it at an open mic. The problem is the guitar eq, if you were prepared to tweak that it would be plenty loud enough. If you wanted to start from scratch there are plenty of TDA2020 boards out there and you could run off batteries if you wanted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 Was cab shopping for a mate and spotted a used Ashdown CTM15 at Andertons for £199, no idea if that's cheap or not. Andertons second hand pricing is usually ok though. https://www.andertons.co.uk/second-hand/sh-ashdown-ctm-15-bass-head-w-bag-t%3Bch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 4 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: Was cab shopping for a mate and spotted a used Ashdown CTM15 at Andertons for £199, no idea if that's cheap or not. Andertons second hand pricing is usually ok though. https://www.andertons.co.uk/second-hand/sh-ashdown-ctm-15-bass-head-w-bag-t%3Bch That's my old one. I traded it in for a Warwick Gnome Pro I so I can confirm it's in excellent condition, fully works, never gigged and used just at home as a practise amp. They also have the matching cab that I also traded in at the same time. I used them both together. https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-amps/bass-amp-cabs/other-bass-cabs/sh-ashdown-mibass-10-bass-cab-250w-8ohm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 12 minutes ago, Linus27 said: That's my old one. I traded it in for a Warwick Gnome Pro I so I can confirm it's in excellent condition, fully works, never gigged and used just at home as a practise amp. They also have the matching cab that I also traded in at the same time. I used them both together. https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-amps/bass-amp-cabs/other-bass-cabs/sh-ashdown-mibass-10-bass-cab-250w-8ohm Think my mate is after the cab which is why I was looking so nobody else buy it! Seeing as you're the man to ask - how bad is the dent in the top of the cab? Andertons mentions it but no pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted December 4, 2021 Author Share Posted December 4, 2021 2 hours ago, Phil Starr said: It's not just a had but you might want to look at this https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/442331-a-house-jam-combo/ coincidentally I revisited it last night, wondering whether to try it at an open mic. The problem is the guitar eq, if you were prepared to tweak that it would be plenty loud enough. If you wanted to start from scratch there are plenty of TDA2020 boards out there and you could run off batteries if you wanted. I have several TDA2030 boards, that might be a solution, with a preamp of some sort (I could dissect a Behringer BDI21) Come to think of it, in the 'container of doom' is my home build combo with four small speakers. I could convert it into a head and use the speakers for another project... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted December 4, 2021 Share Posted December 4, 2021 6 hours ago, lemmywinks said: Think my mate is after the cab which is why I was looking so nobody else buy it! Seeing as you're the man to ask - how bad is the dent in the top of the cab? Andertons mentions it but no pic. It's very small, about the size of your thumb nail. It's just a small indent at the front. You can see it in this picture. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 6 hours ago, Linus27 said: It's very small, about the size of your thumb nail. It's just a small indent at the front. You can see it in this picture. Nice one thanks, will pass the information on. My mate has just bought the regular 200w Gnome and is after a small cab for home use so looks like that would be ideal for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 8 hours ago, lemmywinks said: Nice one thanks, will pass the information on. My mate has just bought the regular 200w Gnome and is after a small cab for home use so looks like that would be ideal for him. You are welcome and it would be absolutely perfect. Blooming loud those Gnomes and cracking little amps. I used to use an Ampeg Pf500 or Ashdown MiBass 550 as my main gigging head through a Barefaced Two10. I'm now using the Gnome which is only rated at 300w and I have to have the gain and volume down lower than the Ampeg and Ashdown which are both rated at around 500. Absolutely love mine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 1 hour ago, Linus27 said: You are welcome and it would be absolutely perfect. Blooming loud those Gnomes and cracking little amps. I used to use an Ampeg Pf500 or Ashdown MiBass 550 as my main gigging head through a Barefaced Two10. I'm now using the Gnome which is only rated at 300w and I have to have the gain and volume down lower than the Ampeg and Ashdown which are both rated at around 500. Absolutely love mine. I still use my TC BH250 as a rehearsal head, don't think it's been over 1/3 of the way up more than a couple of times. Would have killed for that sort of price/power/size combination when I was young and getting a bus to practice/gigs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 18 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: I still use my TC BH250 as a rehearsal head, don't think it's been over 1/3 of the way up more than a couple of times. Would have killed for that sort of price/power/size combination when I was young and getting a bus to practice/gigs! My lightweight solution is also a BH250. Just 4lbs and no fan noise, (I think it's only on when hot). Tuner and Spectracomp built in. Plenty of power for practice and for small/medium gigs with the right cab/s. The right cab for me was a BF One10, then another, (16/17lbs each). I opted for the BH250 after buying a BG250-208 combo which I still have. I really can't see me buying another amp or cab, ever. But you must try before deciding what's right for you, and often that's the difficult part. I think I must have bought and sold a dozen or more amps & cabs, (all good), before finding my preferred rig. Good luck, enjoy the search. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 Those TC BH250s are surprisingly pokey, a lot more power to them than would be thought. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RhysP Posted December 5, 2021 Share Posted December 5, 2021 On 04/12/2021 at 00:00, Downunderwonder said: For my money I would just put the Elf in a cupboard to damp the fan noise. I thought they were meant to go on the shelf. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nekomatic Posted December 7, 2021 Share Posted December 7, 2021 On 05/12/2021 at 11:42, grandad said: My lightweight solution is also a BH250. Just 4lbs and no fan noise, (I think it's only on when hot). Hmm, I had one of those and the fan went on and off annoyingly even with little or no load on the amp, so I ended up eBaying it. Sounds like one of us got a faulty one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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