Mini head "go ahead", but which one?

abarson · #1 08-23-2010, 03:49 PM

So, the wife decided to help me load my gear for jazz workshop. "Isn't there something smaller and lighter than this?!", quothe she. I take this as a green light to pursue one of the mini amps/combos in the market now: yep, no longer enjoying the schlep.
Therein lies the problem: now there is lots of choice!

My contenders are:

Ibanez Promethean - Either just the head with my custom built 115 cab, or the 110 combo. Haven't found one to demo in the area.
Carvin BX500 - No way to demo this locally, but on sale right now for $400.
G-K MB-500 - Worried about all the issues these are reported to have. Tried a MB2-500 in a store and thought it was pretty good.
Markbass CMD 121P or H - I haven't been able to demo these, but didn't like the JB15 or the 210 combo. Assuming they're similar sounding.
G-B Shuttle 3.0 10T - Tried one of these lately, and was underwhelmed, especially after all the reviews, and the price tag. What am I missing here? Maybe need to try just the head with my cab...

I play primarily fingerstyle, very little pick or slap. Material is usually classic rock, R&B, with a smattering of reggae and jazz. I'm trying to keep this under $1k, so used is cool, too.

Stuff that this is replacing is Tubeworks, if that's any indication where my tone is at. Not into the "modern" tone, but don't like mud either.
Suggestions?
Anyone in the South Bay/Santa Cruz area that might have these heads to a/b test on?

naturalkinds · #2 08-23-2010, 04:03 PM

Try a Mesa Walkabout. I've owned the Shuttle, Markbass (F1 and LMII) and TecAmp micro heads. F1 and Shuttle should be off your list right away (since you're not into the 'modern tone'), and the TecAmp is out of budget (not to mention, IMO, priced unreasonably high given the great alternatives). The LMII is cool. But nothing oozes tubey goodness like the Walkabout.

I liked the RH450 when I tried it, but the Walkabout has this old-school warm feel that IMO can't be copped with the RH.

YMMV.

Johnius · #3 08-23-2010, 04:05 PM

May I suggest the Mesa Walkabout Scout Combo? I just got one - tons of useable tones, a super sound and not very heavy at all. You can't lose with this combo.

RickenBoogie · #4 08-23-2010, 04:41 PM

Yup, Mesa Walkabout Scout- best 300 watt 1x12 combo ever made, with better tone than rigs costing twice as much.

aledeville · #5 08-23-2010, 05:19 PM

The F1 is very versatile with the VPF and VLE filters. I'd give it a shot.

rpsands · #6 08-23-2010, 05:21 PM

My MB500 is problem free so far. I think some of the revisions of MB2s had issues, but I haven't heard of much with the MB500.

It's perfect for what you're looking for and can be had for not much. They will discount it with coupons that arrive from time to time, and Music123 and some other places will beat prices by a significant amount (or match competitor coupons).

abarson · #7 08-25-2010, 11:16 AM

Hmm... Walkabout Scout...
I initially disqualified this as being heavier than I wanted. Maybe I'll have to revisit this.

Jazzdogg · #8 08-25-2010, 11:47 AM

If the Scout combo is too heavy for you, you might consider pairing the Walkabout head with a lightweight cab for an easier schlep.

tombowlus · #9 08-25-2010, 12:06 PM

There are lots of great options in the mini head category. The Promethean, BX500, MB500 (and MB200), F1/500, Shuttle 6.0/9.0, Headlite, RH450, Walkabout, etc. are all good options in their own rights. The GK MB Fusion should be shipping soon, and that one is going to be one to watch, for sure. IME/IMHO, a given player's personal preferences are going to tell you which of these is going to be the best for you, but they are all viable options in my book.

As always, though, YMMV.

Tom.

Quadzilla · #10 08-25-2010, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aledeville

The F1 is very versatile with the VPF and VLE filters. I'd give it a shot.

F500 is even better (it's essentially the F1 but with more bells and whistles). Best head I've owned to date (and I've owned dozens upon dozens). It just flat out kills!

smogg · #11 08-25-2010, 12:30 PM

For classic rock def check out the Promethean head. I use one with a GB NeoX 212T (4ohm cab) and it totally kills. I play in a Southern Rock/Hard Country band and it gets the job done no problem.

As Tom said, many great choices out there, it really comes down to personal taste.

bassbrad · #12 08-25-2010, 12:39 PM

After much shopping and deliberation finally decided to pull the trigger on a new amp, my first in like 20 years. Decided to go with the GK MB500
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MB500
because of the price, size and features plus the fact that it will work on any & all of my gigs so the heavy dinosaurs home can stay home. It will match up with any cab from a 1x10, 1x12 for small acoustic stuff, 1x15 for medium size and jazz gigs or will run the monster PV 2x15EV & PV 112H for R&R gigs. At first I really wanted a combo to replace my aging Polytone Mini Brute III amps that I love but i found that too restricting wanting something more versatile. I'll keep you posted after I use it on a few gigs.

unlined4string · #13 08-25-2010, 06:21 PM

I'd recommend the MarkBass F500. Or (if you don't mind a slightly larger form factor and two or three more pounds in weight) you might consider the MarkBass SD800 or SD1200. I've seen some used SD800's in excellent condition at very reasonable prices this summer. Either the SD800 or SD1200 will provide more wattage than the F500; that may or may not matter to you, depending on the application and efficiency of the cabinet.

Kwesi · #14 08-25-2010, 06:32 PM

Of what you've listed, I've tried everything but the GK and the Carvin and I recommend the Ibanez Promethean. The tone is killer in general and especially fingerstyle playing. However, with mine I'm clipping often because I tend to dig in when I play. If your bass doesn't have crazy hot output and you don't dig in too hard you should be fine.

Jim Carr · #15 08-25-2010, 06:44 PM

You might want to reconsider the Genz Benz Shuttle. The Gain and Volume in the pre-amp section dramatically alter the character of the tone. You can get a lot of tube overdrive/grit if you set the Gain over about 3pm. As for the price, I got a Shuttle 6.0 (600 watts into 4 ohms) for ~$450, IIRC from TB classified.

I love that little head, and my pals in one of my bands had the nerve to say they liked it better than my Carbine M9--even though when they said that I had only had the Carbine for a few hours! I think they were worried about me burying them, LOL!

In any case, I don't find the Shuttle 6.0 sterile or too clean. I like clarity, but with a lot of warmth and width. If you run the LF Boost on, jack the tube-pre gain, and sculpt the low/parametric mids to suit, I bet you would find it more interesting than in your first encounter. YMMV, but with any combination of my epi cabs and instruments, including upright, I have found it a very useful little amp.

naturalkinds · #16 08-25-2010, 06:47 PM

+1 to the Shuttle recommendation. Those are just killer amps. I loved the Shuttle 3.0 I had for a while. Great little studio and practice tool, too, with the headphones out, aux in and excellent DI.

::::BASSIST:::: · #17 08-25-2010, 07:02 PM

Mini amps I've owned:

Genz Benz Shuttle Max 6
Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0
EA Iamp 300 Micro
Carvin BX1500
Markbass Littlemark II
TC Electronic RH450

I like the TC Electronic RH450 best because:

- tons of tonal options with the built in semi-parametric eq
- built in tuner/excellent compressor/ drive-distortion "tube-tone" thingy means you'll need nothing else (ie no pedal board)... how cool is that!
- 8.8LBS not super light, but when you consider you won't need a pedal board it is light! With this amp all I need is the speaker cable and power cable. Nothing else and I am VERY picky about tone.
- 3 programmable memories = awesome! Instantly select a different tone or for use with a radically different bass
-great tone! especially suitable for classic rock, blues etc, but again that eq is EXTREMELY powerful
- fantastic DI
- good and loud

If you can afford it, you'd be hard pressed to find a better amp with more features than the RH450.

**JxBass** · #18 08-25-2010, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Carr

You might want to reconsider the Genz Benz Shuttle. The Gain and Volume in the pre-amp section dramatically alter the character of the tone. You can get a lot of tube overdrive/grit if you set the Gain over about 3pm.

In any case, I don't find the Shuttle 6.0 sterile or too clean. I like clarity, but with a lot of warmth and width. If you run the LF Boost on, jack the tube-pre gain, and sculpt the low/parametric mids to suit, I bet you would find it more interesting than in your first encounter. YMMV, but with any combination of my epi cabs and instruments, including upright, I have found it a very useful little amp.

+1. I just got the Shuttle 9.0. Today, in fact. I haven't had much time to play with it yet but in the brief time I had with it I found that the more I tweaked it the more I liked it. Toward the end I had had it sounding similar to my much loved LMII, a far cry from what it sounded like when I started.

I'm looking forward to my next session with it!