help please- change in priorities

[Bochafish]

So, I haven't gigged in a few years after gigging for about 10 years non stop. I'm in my mid 30's now, and I'm in a situation I'm not used to.

Need amp advice

Info:
My only gear right now is a 09 fender p5, and a crate combo practice amp.

I have one friend I used to play with, he plays live acoustic solo sets, and is asking me to play a show or two with him.

I have several other ex bandmates that I've kept in touch with that live in different areas of the country. Guitar player in Mexico right now, travels the south americas usually. Drummer in Wisconsin. Keyboard player is a busy lawyer, but writes great stuff.

To get to the point, I'm getting a lot of requests to record stuff and write basslines for original tunes to be recorded on garageband or protools. I might gig 1-2 every 3 months or so.

Besides getting a device that I can download garage band on, what other equipment should I be looking at? I would be playing small gigs around Chicago with PA support always. So I am thinking about a 300 watt combo amp of some sort, with a killer DI that I can also use for computer recording.

I was looking at the TC250 combo, has an aux out, and that weird tone preset app thing that you can change with an iphone. Should be loud enough for what I'm doing.

I've always been an ampeg fan, what about a portaflex combo for my needs?

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

[One Drop]

I'd go for a Mesa Walkabout combo, just because I love the sound and build quality, and it puts out tons of sound for its size.

But your ears matter more than mine, and there are lots of options now for lightweight heads and powerful small cabs, that might fit your needs better if you want to scale up modularly.

TC, Orange, Aguilar, Ampeg, Genz Benz, GK, Tecamp, etc. all great heads with their own vibe and various feature sets you can select from. Some have nice combos, like Tecamp, and the Portaflexes are handy the way they use the flip top design.

Cabs are equally bountiful, and include the new type super 12s and 15s. Look around this site for some suggestions. I love Bergantino, there are many more offerings that will give outrageously good tone in small or at least lightweight configurations.

[Bochafish]

Thanks One Drop! Would you recommend just recording through the DI of the amp I end up choosing? Or would I be better off buying a DI specifially for recording, and then an amp for live gigs?


I have almost zero knowledge on recording that doesn't happen live in a studio. I have no idea what I should be looking for.