Recommendation for lightweight amp/cab/combo for carrying on buses/trains?

[Oomo]

I've been using a PJB double 4 for when I've been trekking across London to play with a friend. The journey takes about 1h, and involves a mix of trains/tube (or bus occasionally).

 

So far it's been perfect, and easy enough to carry along with my bass.

 

There's a chance we'll be joined by a drummer/guitar soon, so expect the PJB will no longer cut it. Question is whether there's anything more powerful that also has at least a reasonable chance of being transportable using public transport?

 

Not so worried about cost if there's something fantastic out there, and willing to compromise on sound quality for convenience/portability - just needs to be loud enough to not get drowned out by other instruments (drummer/guitar aren't crazy loud or anything).

Edited January 3, 2023 by Oomo

[Woodwind]

As a keen owner of two double 4's using them in a similar fashion to you and likewise traveling across London on public transport I understand your situation.

 

I'm sure you'll get a fair few recommendations for a barefaced one10 and a micro head like a Trace Elliot Elf.

 

Undoubtedly this will be a step up in volume and air moved over the double 4, but it will be a more coloured sound (which may or may not be to your liking).

 

I may be inclined to go for a bigger cabinet with a sound more akin to the double 4 and find a way to wheel it around, a folding trolley for example. You're future proofing yourself with this in a way that perhaps a one10 wouldn't. Again, open to debate.

 

Anything reasonably compact, up to 14kg or so will be luggable by public transport on a trolley (except in rush hour!).

It's just a matter of deciding on the sound you want and how much you are prepared to spend.

 

Nothing will be as easy as the double4 though.

 

If i need serious volume I bring my Yamaha powered 12" pa speaker on a trolley.

 

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by Woodwind

[Lozz196]

Markbass CMD121P, nice little combo that punches way above its weight. I used to use mine on its own in a band with 2 basses, 3 gtrs, keys and drums and it was plenty loud enough. And there’s the option of adding in a matching extension cab - NY122 - if ever needed.

[Oomo]

34 minutes ago, Woodwind said:

I'm sure you'll get a fair few recommendations for a barefaced one10 and a micro head like a Trace Elliot Elf.

 

Undoubtedly this will be a step up in volume and air moved over the double 4, but it will be a more coloured sound (which may or may not be to your liking).

 

I may be inclined to go for a bigger cabinet with a sound more akin to the double 4 and find a way to wheel it around, a folding trolley for example. You're future proofing yourself with this in a way that perhaps a one10 wouldn't. Again, open to debate.

Thanks, will take a look at those too.

 

I hadn't actually considered going down the trolley route for transport, I'll have a think on that too (double 4 has always been stashed nicely in a rucksack or held with one arm).

[pineweasel]

41 minutes ago, Woodwind said:

I'm sure you'll get a fair few recommendations for a barefaced one10 and a micro head like a Trace Elliot Elf.

 

Yes indeed, I have a One 10 and I would happily take it on the bus or tube (it's 7kg). You can slip a micro head in your gig bag and have a great setup that will easily cover practise sessions and even small gigs.

[Phil Starr]

I use a Warwick Gnome in my gigbag and a handheld 1x6 for this purpose. The 1x6 is about the size (but not the shape) of a briefcase but is home built. The design is here  - BasschatHouse Jam Micro Cab  I've also built a 1x8 for a friend which was remarkably competent. I could put that up as a design if you were interested

[sergelebasse75]

Count me in for the list of interested basschatters waiting to see your 8" build. Always aamazing stuff you crew publish

[Quilly]

The TE Elf and the 1*10 Cab is a great little setup. the 2*08 version might give you a slightly better sound and not much extra in terms of additional weight or awkwardness.  

[Paul S]

I had a Tecamp Puma 300 teamed up with a BF One10 and it was bliss.  Wish I hadn't sold it, tbh.

[nekomatic]

I used to take my homebuilt 1x12 (long before its recent conversion into effectively a BC112 mk2) on the train and tube with the help of a pair of strap-on luggage wheels. I don’t recommend this. 
 

One time I lugged it from Clapham Junction to Archway to find the escalators not working, which was fun. 

[Quilly]

I carried an Ashdown CTM100 down 4 streets once and I thought my arms were going to fall off. Its not even a 'heavy' tube amp.

[Japhet]

Fender Rumble 100. Loud enough for smallish gigs and light as a feather. Stick a Thumpinator pedal in front of it to filter out the useless super low frequencies that suck up all the power and then you can push it hard. I've gigged mine like that with a drummer and fairly loud guitar and it had plenty of headroom.

[Lozz196]

3 hours ago, Quilly said:

I carried an Ashdown CTM100 down 4 streets once and I thought my arms were going to fall off. Its not even a 'heavy' tube amp.

I’m surprised your arms don’t resemble a gibbons after doing that!

[MOSCOWBASS]

GR Bass aero 110 @ 10lbs and a GR Mini 1 @ 3lbs. 

[Oomo]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Both the Barefaced 1x10 and the GR Bass Aero 1x10 look like they have the right combination of sound/volume/portability.

 

Will do some more research on each of those... So far the GR seems to be lighter, but the BF seems to get more positive reviews from people, but that's just what I found after ~5mins of googling

[Owno]

I use a Barefaced Super Compact (a 12 inch speaker and no tweeter in a neat package) paired with my Aguilar Tonehammer 500. I toss the Tonehammer in the gig bag and carry the cab (about 10 kilo) with one hand. I highly recommend that combination! The Markbass CMD121, AER or EICH amps might be better alternatives for you if you are set on a high-end combo rather than amp and cab. 

Edit: I just noticed that you use a PJB combo right now. Why don't you get yourself a Bass Cub 120 or a Phil Jones Brief Case combo if you like the sound you get from your current amp? There is  always the possibility of adding extension cabinets to those combos, right?

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by Owno

[Oomo]

2 hours ago, Owno said:

Edit: I just noticed that you use a PJB combo right now. Why don't get yourself a Bass Cub 120 or  a Phil Jones Brief Case combo if you like the sound you get from your current amp? There is  always the possibility of adding extension cabinets to those combos, right?

I'd considered that, but wasn't sure it'd be enough of a step up from the PJB combo I've already got compared to some of the other options. I mostly use the PJB double four for convenience, its sound is great, but not something I'm particularly attached to or aiming for (I'm definitely going more for convenience that any particular tone, since this is just for practice/jamming rather than gigging).

[Owno]

44 minutes ago, Oomo said:

I'd considered that, but wasn't sure it'd be enough of a step up from the PJB combo I've already got compared to some of the other options. I mostly use the PJB double four for convenience, its sound is great, but not something I'm particularly attached to or aiming for (I'm definitely going more for convenience that any particular tone, since this is just for practice/jamming rather than gigging).

I see. Personally, I tend to find the PJB combos to be a bit too transparent, but the Double 4 really is a beautiful piece of equipment for what it is. Good luck with the search for an amp! My advice would be a lightweight cab and class-D amp. It is such a versatile combination. And I haven't tried any better cabinets than the Brighton made Barefaced cabs to be honest. 
 

[Dan Dare]

If you like the PJB sound, you probably like it clean but without tweeters. I'm a PJB user and appreciate their clarity together with the lack of the click and clatter you always seem to get with tweeters. Given that you say cost is not an object, I reckon you'd enjoy a Barefaced Super Compact and class D head of your choice. The SC is light/ easy to carry, tweeterless  but clean sounding and versatile. It will also do old school very well - if you like a P bass with flats, for example. It will go very loud for its size. Add another SC and you would have a potent and portable rig that will cover the majority of jobs in virtually any venue.

[MOSCOWBASS]

15 hours ago, Oomo said:

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Both the Barefaced 1x10 and the GR Bass Aero 1x10 look like they have the right combination of sound/volume/portability.

 

Will do some more research on each of those... So far the GR seems to be lighter, but the BF seems to get more positive reviews from people, but that's just what I found after ~5mins of googling

I owned 2 x BF 110s. I liked them, but found their limitations on a rare loud gig. I was going to buy a third BF 110, but decided to try a GR Bass aero 210. I idea was to combine the BFs and the GR to have 4 x 10s for loud gigs. The GR is a 4 ohm cab, so matched impedance with 2 x 8 ohm BFs to give 2 ohm load from my Mesa D800. The GR 210 was much more sensitive and buried the 2 BF cabs. It also went much louder before B string breakup. This is my experience of the GR 10s.

[jrixn1]

Can you do any of the following?

 

Leave a rig at the practice space.

 

Leave a rig at the drummer's place and get them to bring it, as presumably they are driving anyway.

 

Share a rig with the guitarist and take turns to bring it; e.g. a 10" PA speaker with two inputs.

[machinehead]

I also have a one10 but my Barefaced Super Midget is far louder, clearer and only slightly bigger and heavier. I manage fine with it on public transport. It’s very capable even on quite loud gigs.

Frank.

[Phil Starr]

23 hours ago, Oomo said:

Thanks for all the suggestions so far. Both the Barefaced 1x10 and the GR Bass Aero 1x10 look like they have the right combination of sound/volume/portability.

 

Will do some more research on each of those... So far the GR seems to be lighter, but the BF seems to get more positive reviews from people, but that's just what I found after ~5mins of googling

I think you have found the two best options. GR are new to the block so not many people will have tried them. There are lots of people here who have used the Barefaced 110 so much more personal experience. They do sound good and they regularly comne up for sale here used so you could pick up one for less money. I've listened to one of the GR 2x12's and they are remarkably light and they do sound good. The only downside is that the case material is brittle and there are some reports of them getting damaged easily, that may be an issue on public transport and you'd probably want a properly padded bag for it as a minimum.

 

In the end these are both great and will do a job for you but you can only get so far with a single 10" driver. Any single 10 is going to struggle if your drummer turns out to be a loud one but these will be as good as it gets and better than your PJB. There are tricks you can use to squeeze extra volume out though. Filter the deepest bass with an HPF, https://www.talkbass.com/wiki/high-pass-and-low-pass-filters/, use a compressor/limiter to protect the speaker against any peaks or just turn down the bass on the eq. It's worth knowing that the TC BAM, Warwick Gnome and TE Elf pocket amps all have some HPF built in.

 

I'm amazed you didn't get more suggestions for the Barefaced to be honest. Alex Claber used to be a regular Bass Chatter and has a lot of fans here. His cabs are about as light as a wooden cab can be and he uses quality drivers in his cabs. The only other suggestion I can make is that LFSys are about to bring out a 110, I doubt it will be as lightweight as the other two but it will be a one handed carry and will sound exceptional. They are only in prototype at the moment but it might be worth sending a pm to @stevie

[Japhet]

I've never played through one but have always been pretty gobsmacked by the AER (Amp One?) combo. Have seen them used live a few times and was quite astonished that so much sound could come from such a tiny thing.

[casapete]

On 04/01/2023 at 17:56, Japhet said:

Fender Rumble 100. Loud enough for smallish gigs and light as a feather. Stick a Thumpinator pedal in front of it to filter out the useless super low frequencies that suck up all the power and then you can push it hard. I've gigged mine like that with a drummer and fairly loud guitar and it had plenty of headroom.

Another +1 for the Rumble 100.V3.

Have used mine for way more gigs than I originally intended. It’s stupidly light, loud, 

sounds great and can be picked up s/h for bargain money. Get a cover for it and 

you’re sorted.  Love mine, best bit of kit I’ve bought for ages.