Practice/Small Gig Unicorn?

[RichValentine]

I know this has been covered before but getting back in to bass playing after a while out and trying to find a good home practice/small gig amp. After some research I bought a Trace Elf 1x10 combo but it arrived this morning and I sent it back within 3 minutes of switching it on due to fan noise. Seeing some of the other topics currently on here, can anyone recommend a decent small amp/combo that sounds OK, doesn't have a small gale start up during home practice sessions but has enough power for small gigs.

 

It's been a while since I played regularly but never remember this being a problem previously!

Edited December 31, 2024 by RichValentine

[Lozz196]

Given its small size & lack of weight but great power it’s worth looking at a Markbass CMD121P. 

[casapete]

You don’t specify what sort of small gig set up you need it for ( venue / music / drummer? etc ) but 

I recommend Fender Rumble V3 combos. I have two - a 100 for duo / quiet-ish gigs and also a 500 for

anything else. Both are great sounding plus very lightweight & portable, and can be found s/h for

around £200 and £350 respectively. If you don’t need the 500’s power, the 100 has virtually no 

background noise for home practice too. 

[tauzero]

GK MB160 or 200MB combo. Small, light, can keep up easily with a well-controlled drummer.

[Minininjarob]

I have a GK 112 combo and it’s amazing. Was playing with a band in a bit of weird room and I was too loud!! They aren’t cheap though. 
The other amp I was going to buy was a Fender Rumble 200 or 100, they just sound wonderful, aren’t expensive 2nd hand and while not as light as the ultra light stuff they are still light, one hand carry, and a fraction of the price of a MB and sound better to me. 

Edited January 2 by Minininjarob

[neepheid]

Another vote for the Markbass Mini CMD121P (of whichever vintage, I've got an IV, I think the latest one is V?) - I use mine for band rehearsals on its own and it makes itself heard no bother.  I do use it in conjunction with a New York 121 cab at the gigs, but I could probably get away without it.

[tauzero]

https://reverb.com/uk/item/81777867-gallien-krueger-mb200b-112-combo-1988-black

 

Although there is an intermittent fault on it which you'd need to check out.

Edited January 2 by tauzero

[msb]

The little GK MB200 has been around for ages , great little amp. It has a fan but it’s nowhere near as loud as the Elf. Two others I’ve also run in that range , Aguilar TH 350 , or Darkglass m200. Both nice little heads that can get surprisingly loud for their size. 

Edited January 3 by msb

[lemmywinks]

If the Elf combo was loud enough you could just get the Elf 110 cab and use it with a different head.

[tinyd]

I have a Warwick Gnome head running into a PJB C2 cab and I like it a lot. I use it for DB and it's loud enough for small jazz gigs with drummers plus it's very light and so easy to carry.

[ped]

What's your budget? I recently went from a big stack to a single Eich BC112pro combo. It's amazing; really light, small, tilts back so you can hear it perfectly and if it even has a fan I've never heard it.

[Dan Dare]

On 31/12/2024 at 15:28, RichValentine said:

After some research I bought a Trace Elf 1x10 combo but it arrived this morning and I sent it back within 3 minutes of switching it on due to fan noise.

 

If you want a very small/light combo with a bit of output, you're going to have to accept that it will be fan cooled. The components are crammed in tightly and there isn't room for heat-sinking.

[RichValentine]

I ended up buying @rjmbass PJB amp from the classifieds which is perfect for my needs. Silent home practice but loud enough for small jams.