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Double Bass Budget Doubler Combo

Steve Freides

Steve Freides

Former Mannes College Theory Faculty
Supporting Member
Dec 11, 2007
2,576
1,508
Ridgewood, NJ
#1
I played a concert at my wife's middle school last night - read some orchestral music on double bass, arco and unamplified, played some pop stuff with the chorus, pizz and amplified, and also played electric bass on a few tunes with the chorus and some student jazz ensembles. I took my Acoustic Image Ten2 - worked great.

My wife's school has only a guitar amp. I'm recommending they purchase a combo amp that'll do double duty for both electric and upright bass. The student bass player in some of the jazz stuff ended up using a microphone fed into the PA, a solution that works sometimes but this school brings in outside sound for their concerts - they have no way to amplify upright or electric bass otherwise for rehearsals and smaller performances.

I've already ordered them a $50 pickup for use with upright bass from sixrounds.com - I like these pickups, and for a middle school, the price is certainly right.

How about this one for $359?

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Any comments, recommendations, etc., greatly appreciated. I think that's about the price range for this project.

-S-
 
#3
SteveFreides said:
My wife's school has only a guitar amp. I'm recommending they purchase a combo amp that'll do double duty for both electric and upright bass. The student bass player in some of the jazz stuff ended up using a microphone fed into the PA, a solution that works sometimes but this school brings in outside sound for their concerts - they have no way to amplify upright or electric bass otherwise for rehearsals and smaller performances.


How about this one for $359?


Any comments, recommendations, etc., greatly appreciated. I think that's about the price range for this project.

-S-
Click to expand...

teve,
In a middle school setting you want amps that will take a lickin' and keep on tickin.' The 100 watts kind of worries me a little if your going to go compete with drums, guitar and a piano, but it might be enough, after all I played with a B-15N(C) and thats got all of 25 watts RMS. I know that Bob lets you try the Acoustic Image Amps out before you seal the deal. I wonder if he would consider doing that for the Traynor? I played through a MB115 and thought it sounded really good it's $399.00 and 200 watts. The MB112 is $339.00. I'm not sure about the reliability issues with GK's built in China vs Traynor's built in Canada, but it is something that is a consideration.

Ric
 
#5
Steve - If you go with the GK, I would like to know how it works for DB. I am looking at getting something lighter than my current amp, and need an amp that works for both BG and DB. I can't find a shop that carries this particular amp, and DB so I could check it out. I may have to break down and drag my bass to one of the shops and see if they will let me try it out.
 
#6
bassist1962 said:
Steve - If you go with the GK, I would like to know how it works for DB. I am looking at getting something lighter than my current amp, and need an amp that works for both BG and DB. I can't find a shop that carries this particular amp, and DB so I could check it out. I may have to break down and drag my bass to one of the shops and see if they will let me try it out.
Click to expand...

Bassist,
I had a student who actually purchased the MB112 Combo from Musicians Friend but they are evidently in short supply for some reason. I'm not sure why this is.

Ric
 
#7
I just got one a few days ago. It is well built and has a pretty flexible EQ. Very light and pretty loud. I doubt I'll use it much for the doublebass but it doesn't sound bad at all. Electric bass sounds really good. I would say it's about 75-80% of the tone control compared to the Clarus/Wizzy112 combo, but not as much headroom. It is about 1/3 the cost though.

FYI the Wizzy 112 is the best speaker cabinet ever!!

-Jeff
 
#8
My gigs are mostly acoustic with other acoustic instruments so "an amp" is not really ever a factor because no one else has one either. So typically I run my double bass through a PA with a mic when I play amplified. I recently got an Aptflex pick-up which has a very decent sound though an LR Baggs Paracoustic pre/DI (but it's bright and mid-rangy on it's own.) It works great for when we play in louder bars, etc. and a mic won't quite cut it.
When I first got the MB112 I tried the double bass using the Baggs and it was not all that. Pretty typical piezo type issues with the sound. It sounded OK but there was much tweaking of EQ. Yesterday on a whim I plugged straight into the amp without the preamp, et viola!! It sounded much better. The EQ settings on the amp work fine for taming the APTflex and are pretty close to the settings I'm using for the slab so far.
I'm not planning on using it for double bass any time soon but I like knowing it will work and work well if I do need it.
end progris report
 
#11
Will report back when there's news. This is a school and there is a chain of command to go through, so although I know the jazz band director wants a bass amp, I don't know if he's asked the principal yet, and so it goes ...

-S-

bassist1962 said:
Steve - If you go with the GK, I would like to know how it works for DB. I am looking at getting something lighter than my current amp, and need an amp that works for both BG and DB. I can't find a shop that carries this particular amp, and DB so I could check it out. I may have to break down and drag my bass to one of the shops and see if they will let me try it out.
Click to expand...
 

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