Working / Semi-Pro Bassists - do you wish for something better?

pablomigraine · #1 03-02-2011, 07:58 PM

So we all know the scene. Seven, even five years ago you had 6 or 7 PAYING gigs a week, and spent at least a few hours a week in the studio for something or other. You paid most of your bills with music, and music WAS your Day-Job. You probably had 2 or 3 basses, and most of you had a couple of different amps, maybe even a nice rack setup, and several different speaker cabinets for a variety of situations. Today, things are very different.... Many of you struggle just to keep the 3 paying gigs you still have every week, most of you have a legit Jobby-Job, and you've probably given up even trying to earn new gigs....

Yes the world has changed.... and not for the better... The worlds need for us has changed, and conversely our needs have changed.... but has the MI industry really caught up with us? Are they really thinking about guys like you with the products that are being offered? It seems to me there's a big hole in the market right now...

As your musical income has decreased in size, your gear-pile probably has too. The advent and huge variety in microamps has helped guys like you a great deal... lightweight neo cabinets even more so.... but do you ever wish you had a REAL combo amp? I know I know... being seen on stage with a combo amp is a source of shame for some of us... but isnt that actually a reflection of the fact that, up until now, combos have been the province of "beginners" and are of generally poor performance...DO you ever wish that your GK MB combo were just a little louder or maybe a little more flexible? Maybe something new? Ya know... not one of these Fender Rumble toys that weighs more than a GB 410 AND an amp... do you ever wish for 210 or a 212 that actually sounds good and is loud enough and flexible enough to do what you need it to do and still be able to take it on the bus or put it in the back seat of a Civic? Something so loud and so well designed that we might find no more use for our separate heads and 3 different speaker cabinets....

Although we dont hear about it much here on TB (not to perpetuate the vicious rumor that we're all gear snobs here

)... but the GB Shuttle 3.0-10t and the Shuttle 6.0-12T are actually amongst their BEST SELLING offerings overall? What do you see more often when you're out in the world... A 2001RB-II and Neo412... or the new MB combos...

How much would you pay for a lightweight, single-unit solution for everything you do? One single unit that would simply plug your bass into and have as 3 or 4 "amps" worth of different sounds in it, be loud enough to handle any situation, offer a hi-quality DI, and be engineered so well and have such a sweet and awesome sound that we may just decide to MIC' IT UP rather than run a DI.... I mean REALLY SOUND GOOD.

Am I wrong here? Weigh in on this poll and tell us all about it!

**Chef** · #2 03-02-2011, 08:33 PM

Well...when I bought my Walkabout Scout, it was at the high end of your scale.
Totally pro unit, great tone, loud for it's size.

Ended up buying a second cab for it though. Which is way outside the poll budget.
But, with two cabs, it's a bad mo-fo, and more than enough for about anything I'd do.

kosmicwizard · #3 03-02-2011, 08:34 PM

If there was a combo that could do everything, I think it would be the MESA walkabout scout with an add on 12 inch cab. Cheers.

**Chef** · #4 03-02-2011, 08:36 PM

One other thing about the Walkabout:

The head pops right out in under 60 seconds, to be used with the Mega Cab of Your Choice. It was all dreamy and junk with an NV215.

pablomigraine · #5 03-02-2011, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kosmicwizard

If there was a combo that could do everything, I think it would be the MESA walkabout scout with an add on 12 inch cab. Cheers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef

One other thing about the Walkabout:

The head pops right out in under 60 seconds, to be used with the Mega Cab of Your Choice. It was all dreamy and junk with an NV215.

That's basically what I'm talking about.... what if there WERE a combo like that.... where you had enough power to REALLY handle any situation and sound really REALLY good... like Bergantino / Mesa good.... maybe even have something like that where you could have different "amp" sections.... I think I would probably pay as much as $1600 for something that really covered all those bases.

**Chef** · #6 03-02-2011, 08:42 PM

Well, $1600 is about what I spent on all that.
And, it does what you ask for.

20db pad · #7 03-02-2011, 08:50 PM

The new Ampeg Portaflex series might be a good thing, at $400 for the cab and $400 for the 500 watt head. It's a fliptop, so it's sort of a combo amp. Reviews will come in as they get to stores this month.

Slackerprince · #8 03-02-2011, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 20db pad

The new Ampeg Portaflex series might be a good thing, at $400 for the cab and $400 for the 500 watt head. It's a fliptop, so it's sort of a combo amp. Reviews will come in as they get to stores this month.

Been interested in that, but you need an additional cab to get the full 500 watts. Kind of a bust IMO.

S

christw · #9 03-02-2011, 09:05 PM

I have a beautiful assortment of cabinets catoring to my needs, from 110 upright support to 610's of reggae dancehall destruction. I like it that way.

JimiLL · #10 03-02-2011, 09:44 PM

I voted lame

Badmuthaplucka · #11 03-02-2011, 10:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pablomigraine

So we all know the scene. Seven, even five years ago you had 6 or 7 PAYING gigs a week, and spent at least a few hours a week in the studio for something or other. You paid most of your bills with music, and music WAS your Day-Job. You probably had 2 or 3 basses, and most of you had a couple of different amps, maybe even a nice rack setup, and several different speaker cabinets for a variety of situations. Today, things are very different.... Many of you struggle just to keep the 3 paying gigs you still have every week, most of you have a legit Jobby-Job, and you've probably given up even trying to earn new gigs....

Wow this part really describes me! I use to make enough on music to pay my mortgage! Right now my main rigs are made up of combo amps. I use a Markbass Minimark 2x6 cab with a Sonic micro 1x15 (best $60 I have ever spent!) as my main rig and a Mesa/Boogie Buster 1x15 with a Ernie Ball/Music Man Audiophile 2x10 for bigger shows. So far in all my projects that's all I've needed. As luck would have it most of the people I play with are mature individuals and are more concerned about the band sounding good as a whole rather than playing "Volume Wars". So I've been able to focus more on tone rather thank playing catch up! I really don't get any flack from other musicians rig(s) because my tone is always there. If anything I get compliments!

Nev375 · #12 03-02-2011, 10:48 PM

I vote carrots!

jnewmark · #13 03-03-2011, 05:47 AM

It would be nice to have a 1 combo solution for everything, but, if you do gigs with two bands or more, from tiny restaurant corners, to big ballrooms , I don't think it's possible. In any event, there are always going to be tradeoffs, there is no free lunch. My Roland DB 700 combo has served me well for 10 years now, for small gigs, but it is heavy. Love the tone, hate moving it. I would actually like a do it all cab instead; one that could cover all the different types of music I play in my wedding/corporate party band. Heads are so lightweight and powerful these days, but try finding a small, lightweight cab that can take what you throw at it, is a breeze to move, and you can actually hear yourself clearly with the tone you want. fEarful type? Maybe, but I have tried a " nEarful " type of cab, but still did'nt do it for me. So far, 215 cab is getting me close, but, a pita to schlepp.

KJung · #14 03-03-2011, 06:40 AM

I guess the closest thing to what you are talking about for me is the TC RH450 combo. However, I've never really experienced the 'advantage' of a combo over separates. I guess it eliminates having to plug a speaker cable in, but that is about it. And the downside is that the head in a combo is not very protected, even with a cover.... which is a problem if you have to put your stuff in an equipment van every once in a while.

Bergantino AE210 and the micro head of your choice... there you go

craig.p · #15 03-03-2011, 07:02 AM

I don't see much sense in combos, either, with good amps the size of a brick these days (toss into gig bag which has to go to the job or audition anyway). That said, however, there are special cases where I'd want to bring a micro, but micros aren't combos, and so I don't expect all that much from them.

wiseguyst · #16 03-03-2011, 08:15 AM

I have the Ibanez Promethean combo, $699 new. It has become my primary rig, but mostly because of the removable head. I can pair with any combination of my 8 ohm cabs, the 1x10, 2x10, 1x15 or 4x10. Makes it super versatile and with 250 watts at 8 ohms, 500 watts at 4 ohms it could cover most sized venues. It has replaced my Ashdown head (30 lbs lighter) and splits its bigger duties with my GB Shuttle Max 12. I love that little guy.

FWIW, if the head was not removable, I would not have done it. I love the modularity of it. I just had a Behringer Ultrabass 3000 crap out at one of the practice spaces and now that combo is just a box of rat fur covered garbage.

jnewmark · #17 03-03-2011, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

I guess the closest thing to what you are talking about for me is the TC RH450 combo. However, I've never really experienced the 'advantage' of a combo over separates. I guess it eliminates having to plug a speaker cable in, but that is about it. And the downside is that the head in a combo is not very protected, even with a cover.... which is a problem if you have to put your stuff in an equipment van every once in a while.

Bergantino AE210 and the micro head of your choice... there you go

The AE 210 is a cab that has always intrigued me as a one cab solution, although my experience with 210 cabs in general have not been that great- they seem to do ok with low to medium volume gigs, but start to fart out when given some gas. Also, getting them up closer to my ears means schlepping a stand. Tilting back does'nt seem to help the horn players on the other end of the stage hear me that well. Still, I would love to try one out.

wiseguyst · #18 03-03-2011, 09:21 AM

^^^and if you're putting it on a kickback stand, you will lose 3db of volume and some much needed low end, unfortunately.

jnewmark · #19 03-03-2011, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wiseguyst

^^^and if you're putting it on a kickback stand, you will lose 3db of volume and some much needed low end, unfortunately.

I don't think that happens until you get over 18" off the ground.

wiseguyst · #20 03-03-2011, 11:08 AM

You could be right sir. I don't know the specifics.