Amp/gear advice for musicals

[Ramsey Harvard]

Hello everyone!

I am classical player getting back into electric after many, many years and need some help and advice on what amp/gear would best suit my needs. I will be playing mostly musical theater type gigs as well as outdoor pops concerts where I play electric simultaneously with the orchestra. I have a Yamaha BB400S p bass from ‘83 and am basically looking for a small setup with a clean yet versatile sound that can easily be fed into a PA system. Any and all suggestions are very appreciated

 

[Microbass]

Trace Elliot Elf (combo or head+cab) should do the trick. Phil Jones also big on the sound-to-size ratios but more costly. Barefaced cabs also absolutely worth checking out.

Budget will be a big thing here, small, powerful, good and cheap. Can only really get 2 of those

 

[Zooberwerx]

I'd be looking at the better 2x10 combos, maybe a tilt-back. What's available locally?

Afterthoughts & ramblings: I'd imagine you want the rig to be unobtrusive visually and act primarily as a monitor as you have PA support. Volume is also a key consideration as we need to avoid (...or minimize) bleed-over into the overheads or adjacent instrument mics.

Riis

 

[BassyBill]

CMD 102P IV – Markbass

 

[amper]

Any good modern amp and a single 2x10", 1x12", or 1x15" cab will be fine. All of them will have DI outputs to feed the PA.

I would suggest looking at Mesa/Boogie Subway series, Genzler Magellan, Phil Jones Bass, or if your budget is smaller, Fender's Rumble line, Ampeg combos, or the like.

 

[Egg250]

Are you hauling gear or will this be a permanent/semi-permanent setup? Any of the new, lightweight, powerful heads would work for you. They all (almost all) have a DI out.

Are you running no cab or will you use a cab for stagesound/monitoring? If you can get by without using a cab, I'd recommend going with a decent preamp, DI pedal. Mine is cheap, but is a tube emulator and no one has complained about my Behringer BDI21.

I also play through a Peavey Tour 700. It is old, heavy and a Peavey but it sounds great and the price was right. It has a DI out that will send a signal to the PA even if the amp fails. I also have a Fender Rumble 350 combo that has a DI out but it is in the preamp circuit. So if the amp fails, my DI is mo good either.

Peavey, Trace Elliot, Mark Bass and all the others make micro heads that would suit your purpose. You need to figure out your specific needs, budget and shop around.

 

[40Hz]

If you have decent monitor support in the pit, or you’ll be using IEMs or headphones, all you’ll need is a preamp that supports direct out. And there are dozens to choose from. Mesa, Ampeg, SansAmp, and Tech 21 all make good ones.

 

[Jefenator]

I expect the two things you would be wanting would be: physically small, and a stage volume control not linked to your DI output.
Probably depends on the theater, though. I could picture any scenario, from having your stage rig cover the house to 100% amp-less.

 

[Element Zero]

For simplicity sake (since you’re getting back into it) Mesa Subway D-350/800. Subway 115. Super versatile and can produce and incredible amount of volume. If you prefer more low end, the Subway 210 would fit the bill. Need “more” from the amp? The D-800+ would do nicely. Need even MORE? Then the WD-800 is what you’d want. I enjoyed it while I had it. STILL need MORRRRRRRE? Then the TT-800 will probably knock your socks off. Any of the Subway heads would do you fine but it just depends on how much tweakability you need IMO.

I own the D-800+, 112, 115, and 410 cabs and I’ll never need another bass amp for as long as I live.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

You’re looking at a product line that easily ranges from $150 to $3000 in price, depending on the power / features you want, so you’ll need to establish a budget to narrow down the choices.

I’d recommend something more than 25 watts, a speaker no smaller than a 10”, and has a good DI, unless you intend to purchase a separate DI.

 

[JC Nelson]

My Theater Rig is a TC Electronic BAM200 with a BC208 Cab.
The show I am currently playing has a 3'x 3' space in the pit for me.
The small footprint is a must and the DI goes to the house.

My future rig will be a Phil Jones BP 800 and Two C4 Cabs.

 

[Hawk256]

Budget? That will be the most deciding factor after you decide if you want a combo amp or separate head and cab. If you are just using it for your monitor and allowing your sound to come from the house, a 50 watt 10 inch combo would get the job done in a musical theater setting. Very little volume needed in those cases especially when you are not dealing with dueling guitarists and their all tube amps that they instist on running wide open.

 

[nightchef]

Climbing aboard the thread because I'm in a similar situation, looking for a compact, versatile, and loud-enough rig for pit work. I've got a line on a used Phil Jones Cub Pro BG-120. Would that plus an extension cab (240 watts into 4 ohms) be enough for most pit gigs? If so, would it be better to use a second PJ cab with similar drivers like the Compact 2 or Compact 4, or would a 1x15 be an acceptable alternative?

EDIT: If this is too much of a hijack, let me know and I'll delete the post & start a new thread.

 

[Altitude]

Any modern amp will have a DI. That's not a consideration.

I think size is your most important factor, followed by ease of setup if you'll be setting up and breaking down every day. Less so if your amp can stay for the run.

Volume is way down the list, you don't need to play loud in a theater pit as you probably know. Somebody above suggested a Mesa D-800 with a 1x15 cabinet. That's overkill by no small margin.

I'd get a 1x12 combo. There are a bunch. GK makes a great one in the MB 112. I played in pits all through college in the early 90s and used the period equivalent. It also worked great for big band gigs.

 

[BASSDROID]

Another vote for a small, lightweight single driver cab.

I've been using an EA Wizzy M line 12 (no longer available) and a Walter Woods Electracoustic amp for theater/pops concert monitoring. I've found that with electric bass, the 12" supplies a bit rounder and warmer bottom end at lower volumes. And if a 5 string is required, the difference is particularly noticeable.

Lately, I've added a very small and basic pedal board, the basis of which is a Two Notes LeBass tube preamp, compressor, and a Two Notes cab m+ sim/DI. If IEMs are used, I will leave the amp and cab at home and just bring the board.

 

[bherman]

Seeing as how you are on the other side of the pond, some of what people are suggesting may be more difficult/expensive to obtain. If I were in your shoes, I'd be looking at a modular setup, that would allow you to add as needed if your situation changes in the future. I'd suggest a small, high-quality cabinet (Barefaced comes to mind, given your proximity, or perhaps a Subway 112) and a small class-D amp head, such as a Mesa Subway 350 or a Genzler Magellan 350. You can add a second cabinet if ever needed in the future. If budget won't allow that, then a small (maybe 112) combo would work.

 

[jmlee]

I'd second the notion of a 112 cab or combo, ideally one which can tilt back so that you can best hear what you're doing. (Alternatively you can rig some sort of pedestal/stand/wedge which will allow you to do that). A compact 112 is a kind of sweet spot for this sort of work, especially if you anticipate using a 5-string which is called for in more and more modern shows. [Personally, I hang an Acoustic Image Clarus SL over a tilted-back Fearless F112—as in the image below—and for music theatre I can be sitting on a stool pretty much on top of the speaker, with a very small overall footprint. Nice thing is that the knobs point up to me, making them easier to see.] If you anticipate doubling (DB/EB) at all for your shows, then be sure to either get an amp which has two channels with separate EQ, or add a small mixer/pedal like Radial's Bassbone V2.

 

[vvvmmm]

It should be glitter-proof?

 

[amper]

The show I am currently playing has a 3'x 3' space in the pit for me.
The small footprint is a must and the DI goes to the house.

I was thinking this needs to be emphasized, because a lot of people won't have had the experience of playing in a theatre pit. I went to Carnegie-Mellon, one of the top schools in the world for Theatre, and I majored in Music Theatre and Theatre Technical Production/Lighting & Sound Design. The smaller your rig, the better.

 

[amper]

I can't make any specific recommendations regarding PJB, because it's been so many years since I've played through one (like about 20 years) that their product line has completely changed. I am sure, however, that the quality is still there, but I'd need to demo specific units before I made any specific recommendations.

Back when, I was trying to decide between a PJB of one sort or another and the Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scout 12, which I eventually chose. Medley Music in Bryn Mawr, PA, carried both, so I was fortunate to be able to directly compare them. I was very, very impressed with the PJB units, and it was a tough decision to make.