Practical Subway-Travel URB Rig around 1000?

Kevin Hsieh · #1 08-21-2007, 01:30 PM

Once I settle in my dorm I'll be looking for a light rig for the URB. Being the stereotypical college student, i'm broke... but can maybe scrape up some money for the rig. I've been looking at the MB150, Wizzy110 with Micro 300/LMII, the epifani UL110, and flite... And while these are all great rigs I was wondering if there are any other combinations that you can recommend that are around the same power, workmanship, and pricerange..

Phil Rowan · #2 08-21-2007, 02:23 PM

In my experience with my MB150E, it's pretty tough carrying that and my bass up and down stairs, through the emergency doors, and into subway cars (let alone finding space inside the subway for all that). I have a case for the amp and a nice, light cart (b&h photo for that) for when I'm rolling it, and I'm a pretty big guy, but still, it's not easy at all. I know it weighs 26 lbs, so that and its shape can add up when you have your bass in your other hand. Having said all that, I'm able to get the right kind of sound out of it (it stays true to my acoustic sound), so that's good. But taking it on the subway is not easy at all for me.

I've been thinking of checking out one of the AI's that are out there. I feel like they're a bit smaller than the GK, and I think they're right around 20 lbs, which would make a big enough difference. As long as I can get my sound out of it, and if it does make it easier to take on the subway, I would get it.

One thing to check out is the dimensions of these amps you're looking into. I wonder if you could do a test run with someone's MB150 and your bass, just to see what it feels like. Good luck though.

Arnold · #3 08-21-2007, 02:39 PM

Hey Kevin,
It's a never ending hassle that your just getting into. My solution was to move a bit out of town where I can park........
I use the GK150 thing and it works for me. However, If, I was only going to use the subway and I was going to play both electric and upright, I'd probably get a MarkBass, or a 2 channel acoustic image with the tiny GK cab for upright and a more suitable cab for electric like an aguilar 112.
You'll get a lot of answers here. You'll probably need a cart to carry your stuff. You also might want to wait a bit and see what it turns out that you need, most clubs that I play electric in already have amps, some have just a speaker cabinet.
Good Luck.
Peace.
ASG

Mark Carlsen · #4 08-21-2007, 02:54 PM

Listed at 18 lbs. but according to All Hail Bob G. the Wizzy 10 weighs in at a pleasing 16.5 lbs. And the sound for URB is to die for....I think its light years ahead of the metal GK box.

fingers · #5 08-21-2007, 03:09 PM

I use the GK MB150S. I have a shoulder bag for it. I have yet to find another amp that is as portable and sounds as good for the price. I've seen them used for $400. If you want to buy one new the MB150S is $700. I've tried the AI stuff and while it sounds good the older ones (which you find used) are not as portable (the shape is harder to carry than the GK) and the newer ones (with a more portable shape) are expensive and difficult to find used. Same for the EA stuff. Not many used ones around and expensive new. Good luck.

Kevin Hsieh · #6 08-21-2007, 08:51 PM

My teacher has a GK. and though it has a great sound. I find it a tad clunky. I have yet to physically see a Wizzy 110 so I'll have to find out. The restocking of the Wizzy Backpack in the fall is making me want a Wizzy 110.

I was wondering if any of you New York guys think that an amp is necessary since many places already have amps/speakers/heads?

bolo · #7 08-21-2007, 10:03 PM

All of the suggestions above are great. The EA Micro and Wizzy 10 (w/ optional backpack) are particularly interesting to me. But since you asked for options ...

The Acoustic Image Series III Contra can be had new for $1050. Less than 20 lbs. Comes with a "dust cover" and a shoulder strap.

Some folks think it is absolutely the best amp for DB. Others do not. If you are gonna double on EB, it might not be the best choice.

All of this comes w/ a rather large YMMV. There are plenty of posts at least in this forum to back that up, both for and against. So try one if you can do so easily. And note that the Series III has a number of improvements over the earlier Series I and II, so try and check out the III if at all possible.

Adding a second channel for blending a mic (a la Coda) pushes the price up to $1200.

I had a Series I for 7 years and eventually sold it. (I might not have sold it if I had owned one of fdeck's HPF-Pre's, which I do now). But now I am contemplating getting a Series III Contra EX extension cab and plugging in my Focus 2R SIII to create a kind of super-Coda.

frichter · #8 08-21-2007, 11:02 PM

Love my Series III combo . . . got it for under 1,000 in new condition (floor model). Super lightweight . . . easily carry around campus, up stairs, through streets with my bass as well. Great sound for me . . . don't know about your bass/sound. Good luck.

And I actually do like the sound I get with EBs on my AI. I have a Bag End 210 that i use with it and that is a good sound for any doubling that I do. Small rig = happy me.

Kevin Hsieh · #9 08-21-2007, 11:25 PM

I forgot about AI. I played through a Coda on my initial audition of my bass and I really liked it. I didn't really hear any of the boomy low end that the AI amps are notorious on this forum for. How does the dust bag hold up?

MingusAmongUs · #10 08-21-2007, 11:33 PM

FWIW, I spent 10 years doing various jazz, etc gigs in and around NYC without ever lugging an amp. The vast majority of gigs I did -- restaurants, small bars, jazz clubs, coffee shops, house parties, galleries, museums, etc -- were small enough, and the drummer (if any) was *usually* quiet enough. If the room was especially large, there was usually an amp or a PA there, and I could stuff a mic under the tailpiece. But boy did I get me some blisters. True, there were plenty of gigs where I wished I had an amp, but I believe that was the best lesson/exercise I ever got.

M Ramsey · #11 08-22-2007, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fingers

I use the GK MB150S. I have a shoulder bag for it. I have yet to find another amp that is as portable and sounds as good for the price. I've seen them used for $400. If you want to buy one new the MB150S is $700.

I'm with Fingers on this one. I've hauled a GK MB150 around for the past 5 years without a bag and had no problems at all. It is scuffed but it wears like iron. Several years back it fell from my amp stand about 12"-18" onto a wooden stage as we tried to move it while on the stand. I'm not one to abuse my equipment, I roll my cords, velcro them, pack things securely, haul my OWN gear, but things DO happen.

anon_6j591b0 · #12 08-22-2007, 08:03 AM

Another +1 on the GK MB150.

MAU mentions not using an amp at all. I do this a lot playing ski town bars and restaurants where volumes are low and the house or leader has a PA to plug into. A good preamp (a Raven Labs PMB in my case) has been a handy thing to have on these gigs.

frichter · #13 08-22-2007, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Hsieh

How does the dust bag hold up?

It holds up fine . . . its obviously not meant to protect the amp from a whole lot, but its nice because it has a strap. I will probably get a better case for it in the near future.

All these guys talking about the GK durability are right . . . I used one in high school and it survived a lot. I actually checked it for a flight down to florida without a case and it was fine. That being said, I think the AI is also very durable (especially the III). I will not say it is anywhere near the beast that the GK is, but the hard exterior is very strong and I have had no issues yet. I have found the AI to be well worth the money and would recommend anyone who is considering a small rig to try one with their setup.

sfmiller55 · #14 08-22-2007, 11:25 AM

I'd add the Phil Jones Flightcase to the list of possibilities. Street price is about $750, the same ballpark as the GK, and the weight's about the same.

I've had the same GK for 20+ years, and while it's been great for portability and durability, I've never been thrilled about the tone, esp. for upright. I've switched to an EA Focus/Epi UL10 rig for just about every low-volume upright gig, relegating the GK to those that have especially nasty load-ins and require just a little oomph from the amp. The GK just doesn't sound anywhere near as good, at least with my bass (and yes, I do use a preamp for impedence matching).

After being very impressed by the sound of an upright through a Flightcase recently and reading the recent thread here, I'm eager to try one out and see if it can replace the GK for low-volume, small-footprint situations.

anon_6j591b0 · #15 08-22-2007, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sfmiller55

I've had the same GK for 20+ years, and while it's been great for portability and durability, I've never been thrilled about the tone, esp. for upright.

I wonder if the sound as it focuses out into the room isn't better than what you hear sitting right on top of it? I'm on my third one and always had them for portability and durability more than sound quality. But I keep coming back to them because every time I hear someone else using one I think "hey, that sounds pretty good!".

fingers · #16 08-22-2007, 07:06 PM

I use the GK for almost everything. For most situations it is fine by itself. If I need more power I have a 10" and a horn Carvin PA cab. It is small and light and is pretty full range. I like it and it was cheap (like $200). I can still get from the car in one trip even with the extension cab.

clink · #17 08-22-2007, 08:54 PM

I don't think anything can touch a GK 150 for portability (buy the bag) and reasonable sound at the the price if you buy used.
They surely don't sound as good as a lot of other stuff, but they do the job.

fdeck · #18 08-22-2007, 11:36 PM

Of course Madison is a far cry from NYC. But even in a car friendly town, I value portability. With any amp, I would not try to go anywhere on foot without the amp being on wheels.

For me, the best thing is if the amp is on a cart that is secure enough that I don't have to think about it. That way I can concentrate on what's important -- keeping my bass safe. At one point when I was gigging regularly in our downtown, I put the amp on a cheap steel folding luggage cart that I did not mind dragging up and down curbs at full speed. The cart was from Sears, but it is pretty generic.

And a note about the GK MB150 combo -- it survived this treatment. I kept mine in a padded bag that had been made for the original classic Apple Macintosh computer.

JazzCat_88 · #19 08-23-2007, 12:29 AM

Well... I guess after lugging all the amplification and the bass, you're gonna be tired out even before the gig. I'm 5' 5'' (168cm) tall and I've never ferried my bass on MRT (Singapore's subway). They'll probably think it's a bomb. I take a cab but I'll have to book it first so it's more expensive. Getting the bass out of my house and carry it to the main road is enough to tire me. I don't have a bass wheel, let alone a cart. But I usually keep an SM57 with a cable in the bass bag. No amps to carry. But I'll check first if the venue has PA of course.

Alex Spradling · #20 08-23-2007, 12:43 AM

GK MB150S.. I've used it on a billion gigs around baltimore and D.C. and I'll be taking it to NYC when I start at the New School (although i don't intend to gig anywhere in the city, not ready for that). Its tough and it works, an extra $500 will probably get you a more true acoustic sound, but I believe your sound is in your hands anyway.