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Amp for a small church

T

Tarheel73

Guest
Apr 21, 2013
30
1
#1
Hey I've browsed this sight for years and it has been very helpful, seems to be a lot of knowledgable musicians on here. So now I have signed up and this is my first post, I need advice on a combo amp. Right now the only playing that I'm doin other than at home is at church every Sunday, my church is using another churches building so I just can't leave my amp there and am tired of carrying around my Fender Rumble 60, yea I know there are a lot bigger amps than my Rumble, but I would like something a little more travel friendly, also I don't really need that much amp, I have never turned it all the way up, the church is fairly small, my guitar player is using a Blackstar 40w 112, and the drummer sits behind a plastic shield, even tho it's praise music we do rock out, we ain't exactly playing your granny's gospel music if you know what I mean! Any ideas on a good sounding small combo with out paying a lot of money, thanks in advance!
 
#2
The GK 112 combo gets lots of love from other members. sorry idk the model. that might fit the bill perfectly, especially so if you find one used. i have a genz benz shuttle 3.0-10t and it does a great job in a 3 piece rock setup. it's small and very light, too. they aren't very expensive on the used market.
 
#10
I'd recommend something with a kickback design. You can get away with a lot fewer watts as long as you point it at your head. The fender rumble 30 is such a design if you like your current tone and just want fewer watts. The line 6 ld150 gives you a lot of tonal options and more wattage for if you ever start playing in another band that requires more.

As for portability, you could just get a folding hand cart like a magna cart and keep you rumble 60. I work with a church plant where we set up everything every week in a high school auditorium, and I set up a half stack every week. The hand cart is key friend.
 
#11
One advantage to the new GK combos is you can get the powered extension speaker and just leave it at your church. No one can come along and use it because it has to be connected to the combo unit, which you would have at home for practice. You just tote one light combo back and forth and leave the matching 1x12 cab at church. (assuming your church is locked when not occupied) Any of the new combos can do that; 112, 115, 210, 212, and 410.
 
#13
Thanks for all the suggestions, I got the chance to play on a MB112 last week. For the most part I really liked it, kind of odd that there is only a Gain knob and no volume(that is unless the volume knob is hidden somewhere, cause I didn't see one), only complaint I have with it is the one I played on was either too quiet or really loud lol, almost like there was no in between. Would like to try a Hartke, or maybe an ampeg.
 
#14
If you get the chance to check out an Ibanez Promethean 5110, go for it!

Have this little booger now for two years, and I can tell you, it is the amp for the working musician. Flexible, lots of sounds to dial in, and it has already 250 Watts with the one 10''-speaker. Get a second 8-Ohm - cab, and you will get the complete 500 Watt the amp is able to deliver. The amp has gain, master, high- and low-end knobs plus a 6-band EQ and a mute-knob. There is a "Vibe"-poti, you can dial from "modern" to "vintage", this simply means you take away high end. I like this feature a lot, never touched the tone knob on my 1964 Precision Bass since then. But this is the only way to have control over the tweeter.

There is a neat little foldable tilt-back thing on the bottom of the combo, so you can make it point upwards. This helps a lot when standing in front of the little amp. And it is lightweight! Only about 27 lbs.

Check it out, it is a neat little amp. Only thing: You have to go second hand, because they don't built this amp any more. And there are a lots of people who don't understand this.

If You like new amps, there is the new Promethean 3115, 300 Watts with the built in 15''-woofer, no 6-band-EQ. Otherwise it is the same amp as the 5110.
 
#16
For really small situations like this (where your amp is serving more of a personal monitor duty), I've used the PJB Bass Cub. Lots of options including a tilt-back position make this a versatile amp that you can carry in over your shoulder.
 
#18
I just bought an Ibanez Promethean P3115 last month. As has already been mentioned, single 15" speaker & 300w. There's also an XLR out (I haven't used that yet). I think it's claimed weight is 37-38 lbs.

I bought it primarily to use for my small church gigs, but I've also brought it to 2 rehearsals for my regular band. It holds its own nicely. I can't speak on its long-term reliability, but for a lightweight, easily transportable option for what you're looking for, I would give it a thumbs-up.

At a comparable weight, the Fender Rumble has a smaller speaker & less watts. The Rumble's 15" combo weighs about 2x the Ibanez.
 
#19
MoeGJBeener said:
I agree with the GK MB combo. But, instead of the MB112, I'd go for the MB115. It's still super light and the 115 has the G.I.V.E. technology that makes a GK sound so good.
Click to expand...

I play a MB115 in a small church and it works well. We have a full band drums, keyboard, electric guitar, acousitc guitar and two singers and the amp give me all I need. I have never had to turn it past 9 o'clock. Recently I have added a Zoom B3multi effcects pedal that gives me even more flexiblity.
 

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