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Best Tube Combo Preamp around 500w

S

standupcello

Nov 4, 2010
3
0
Los Angeles
www.myspace.com
#1
Hey there.
I'm a cellist playing with a folk/rock band (Link Removed). I am looking to buy a combo amp that's got enough headroom to fill a 1,000 seater at least.

Been looking at Ashdowns' combos, Genz Benz Shuttle 6 112 and a couple others (tc electronics 450 combo).
Any thoughts??
Any advice?

Looking for something with enough power but also with some resonance and natural harmonics in it...
 
#5
Two of the loudest 500-watt combos that I have tried are the TC BG500/115 and the Ibanez Promethean 5210. Neither of them have a tube in the preamp, but they both sound very full and rich, and they will both knock your socks off! :bassist: :bassist: :bassist: :cool:

The GK MB212 is another strong contender, though I have not gigged with one.

Tom.
 
#12
3 is the one i use on all ampegs. except for the svt-vr or vintage svt's, where i use 2. but 800 hz is the frequency i use to make the notes pop out and be heard through a mix, and on hybrid ampegs and the svt-cl, that's 3.
 
#13
Ha. "3" was a total shot in the dark. Thing is, I don't own an ampeg and fairly infrequently end up playing through them, so I can never remember what setting I liked from last time. If they actually listed the frequencies I'd be much better off. iPhone comes in handy in these situations, I should bookmark that page.
 
#16
For that size of room, you need a decent PA more than you need a loud amplifier. A 35 watt amp will do just fine with a good PA. I strongly recommend a good balanced mix out to your audience, controlled by a good soundman. You need a decent stage sound for you and who ever else wants to hear you onstage. But don't blast away or the band could sound like crap.

That being said, having a powerful amp is always handy for gigs where you do not have PA support and you are only running vocals through your PA. But for that size room, do the band a favour and hire a good sized pa and run through the board.

My CHF $.02
 
#17
I reccomend the biggest amp you can afford/pack around. My experience is the more watts the better it sounds. So if you want the best sound???? Down side: costs more and you need a bunch of friends to pack it around.

Me??? I use 100 watts with acoustic players, 300watts if there is a drummer involved, and 1200 watts for gigging.

YMMV

With that all said, amplifying acoustic instruments can get really tricky. A giant amplifier next to that big box with a pu may make a feed back problem so bad the amp might seem unusable. If that is the case your best bet is let the soundman cover the audience and your personal amp is now just a monitor.
 

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