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Double Bass Amp for Doubling, see the smallest+lightest!

Spiketronic

Spiketronic

Dec 18, 2003
165
335
San Francisco
#1
Check it out! I sent my EA Micro 300 to Don Oatman at Low Down Sound and told him to make it into the lightest, smallest, 12" combo he could. It's 14x14x14 and 28lbs. The head slides in and out and there is space for the power and speakon cables. The premium neo speaker has a dial for the high range. There is also a spring loaded handle on the bottom that doubles as a tilt back.

How does it sound? Well it can't hang with my SWR 350 thru my Aggie GS 112 for low end creaminess, but neither can my 61 year old back! I gig and rehearse all over the Bay Area and I double, both on acoustic upright/electric fretless in a jazz combo and stratocaster/Zon 4 in a tot rock band. This puppy is clean, loud and clear and I can just about eq most of the boxiness out of it. Hey, whaddaya want for a 14" cube you can lift up with one finger?!

I'm saying goodbye to the Boss line selector into the trusty old GK MB 150 (which has been slamming around in my trunk for 5 years without missing a beat).

Don dug this thing so much I think he put it up on his website
in case any of you musical sistren and brethren want one. The whole enchilada only set me back about $1200 for the amp plus Don's work. Chump change for the Holy Grail. Until I can dream up something smaller, lighter and sweeter.

Pix are at:

http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd44/spiketronic/

Spiketronic
 
#2
Good for you and your back!
At 1in wider and about 2in taller, with one more lb, some
of us have had succsess with the Markbass mini 121p
combo as a good doubling amp. The small box hasn't got
thunderous lows but that seems to work well for upright.
It has a woody, organic sound. The fact that it has 300
watts into 8 ohms gives it a lot of headroom for electric
bass. Plus you can add almost any speaker to it and get
as loud and low as you want.
I really like what you have there. I imagine the speaker
and horn are much better than the MB components. Don
probably tuned the box for the speaker too.
How long have you been using it? Have there been any
issues or anything lacking? (other than huge lows)
Have you used a second speaker with it yet?
 
#3
I waited for EVER for Markbass to get here and then when I tried out the 121P, it was way too boxy sounding for me, too much midrange honk. That's when I decided to get Don to make this and I specifically asked him for something that was as small as possible that still had a good sound. I've only played one rehearsal and 2 gigs with it and neither of my bands are very loud. I don't know If I'll ever use an extension speaker with it, it seems to have a ton of headroom. It goes way beyond where my GK MB used to fart out. My only real issue (and this is ridiculous to mention on a bass board) is that I got a better electric guitar sound out of the GK when I doubled on guitar and bass. I kinda wish the the EA had a high AND low midrange control like the GK.

And then, in true GAS fashion, I was reading the comparo in Bass Player between the EA, Markbass and Eden Micro heads and got to thinking "Hmmmm, that Eden head got a great review and it looks almost exactly the same size as this EA, I wonder if it would fit....."

Spiketronic
 
#7
Spiketronic said:
I waited for EVER for Markbass to get here and then when I tried out the 121P, it was way too boxy sounding for me, too much midrange honk. That's when I decided to get Don to make this and I specifically asked him for something that was as small as possible that still had a good sound. I've only played one rehearsal and 2 gigs with it and neither of my bands are very loud. I don't know If I'll ever use an extension speaker with it, it seems to have a ton of headroom. It goes way beyond where my GK MB used to fart out. My only real issue (and this is ridiculous to mention on a bass board) is that I got a better electric guitar sound out of the GK when I doubled on guitar and bass. I kinda wish the the EA had a high AND low midrange control like the GK.

And then, in true GAS fashion, I was reading the comparo in Bass Player between the EA, Markbass and Eden Micro heads and got to thinking "Hmmmm, that Eden head got a great review and it looks almost exactly the same size as this EA, I wonder if it would fit....."

Spiketronic
Click to expand...
The Eden did get a good review, but the pics are deceptive. I think it's a bit bigger and maybe a pound and a half heavier than the EA Micro.

Does this have an Eminence Deltalite 12 in it by chance?
 
#8
Spiketronic!!!
Y'know, I just realized that the MB 121p speaker box is
only 10in deep. The last 3 1/2 - 4in is amp, and an open
area under it for access and porting. This make the actual
speaker box about as big as the GK 150MB. Perhaps off by
an inch here or there.
I do have to say. This amp puts out a TON more sound
than either of the GK mb's I have (and had)
Judging by your 14 x 14 box specs, you're probably
getting more low end out of your combo. Interesting.......
 
#9
Yeah, it's a coax and I think it's the Emminence. You can dial a 2db cut or boost from the built in tweeter. I had a Mesa Walkabout (which whas quite a bit heavier than my MicroDoom) and once I started messing with the eq I couldn't dial a good tone to save my life. Sold it the same day it arrived. Parametric just confounds me.

Spiketronic
 

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