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Can someone help me make a decision??

Which one should I choose?

  • Total voters
    55
  • Poll closed .
joe.wimberley

joe.wimberley

Feb 3, 2006
81
20
North Carolina 27529
#1
Hey dudes,

New forum member, long time reader.
I'm starting this thread and hoping that you all have some opinions and *more importantly* experience with some of these combos.

I've been playing for 20+ years, and need to buy a combo to last me for another 20+years(a nuclear family limits your bass buying habits alot--all you single folks listen up!!).

I have a ESP P-Bass, a Warwick Flashback with active pickups, and a 1945 Kay upright with a Fishman pickup. I play worship music(fairly loud rock, but mostly thru a PA), and also play upright(bluegrass/jazz). When playing rock, I don't need to be the loudest, just able to hear myself with a drummer..:eek:

I'd like the best of both worlds, and have a combo that would serve both needs on any given day. I have a budget of $1000...what do I buy? I've been poring over the reviews on talkbass/HC, etc, and have narrowed my list and my concerns..please chime in and put my indecision to rest!

For starters..no PEAVEYs!

The contenders-->and the concern(s):
-Phil Jones Briefcase*-->the frontrunner, but I fear the volume will not be enough for jamming with any drummer--please ease my fears, PJB users!!
-GKMB150E-III-->durability, and nice tone from a metal box??
-Tech21 Landmark combo(love the sansamp DI)-->how's the clean tone on upright??
-Warwick CCL-->upright sound fears and hiss?
-Line 6 Lowdown-->upright tone??(the video online is laughable---DEFCON1!!!!!!)
-SWR Baby Blue-->is the hype worth it??

The pricier darkhorses:
-Roland D-Bass2x10-->any players?
-Nemesis NC-210-->just a cheap Eden?(think GK Backline..no offense, GK Backline lovers)
-Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout-->loved the tone, but played one at GCenter that had crapped out with numerous repair notes on the factory tag..maybe just a lemon..but for $1200, can't afford that price for bad produce...

Any I missed?
-Are the newer Ampegs really that versatile?
-Same question with the Hartkes?

Thanks for the help!
Joe
 
#3
Hello. I would stay away from the Phil Jones briefcase... very high quality, small, heavy, nice sounding... not nearly as loud as most of you other choices... from my limited trial of one, not loud enough to cover even a small gig.

I voted for the GK Combo.. very small and light (lighter than many amp heads)... many DB players use them, and for small to medium gigs for standard fingerstyle playing, they sound great. Very nice DI onboard with lot's of options (post/pre EQ, Stereo, etc., etc.). You won't get high treble or deep lows out of it... very mid range sounding... but that's good if you are primarily using it for monitoring.

The Walkabout is a great sounding and very loud combo.... moderate weight but very 'tube sounding'... can't quite picture it with DB... very unique sounding... kind of like an old Ampeg fliptop on steriod. However, some problems with the DI design... there's a mega thread that talks about this combo.
 
#4
hey man my church just got the nemesis nc410 combo and it rocks. i feel i can achieve any tone im lookin for with this combo. the best thing is that this combo can be had for between 900 and 1000 dollars. the tens are very punchy and the combo has a warm, great tone. you should definately look into this and other nemesis products, i know you wont be dissapointed. as for nemesis being a cheap eden, well not cheap made, just not all the bells and whistles. the quality is just as good, if not better, than some other brands most expensive stuff. check out nemesis, you should like their stuff. i also played through a gk combo with two 10s,(i think it was the backline series?), and i love the tone of the nemesis way more than the gk, but thats just personal preference, gk stuff is pretty awesome too.
 
#6
Hey, Joe-
I also double in church. I use an Eden CXC-110(180 watts@8ohms w/the internal speaker; 330 w/the extension CX-110). Great hi-fi sound, tons of depth when you place one of the cabs on the ground, not too big(we play out a lot)& sounds great w/my DB. I wasn't sure I'd dig the hi-fi-ness, coming from an Ampeg SVT-3pro/Prp 4x10hlf, but hearing bad techmique is essential to combatting it, IMO/IME. The combo & cab was roughly a grand; perhaps over your budget but again, IMO, well worth it.

Edit: Considering Eden's performance, I'd assume the Nemesis stuff is very nice also, though I have no experience w/it.
 
#8
cool thread. my peavey practice amp has been quite reliable, by the way. :smug:

i'd say go with the phil jones or the walkabout scout. I've heard great things about each of them, and i want them for myself. damnit, money.:hyper:
 
#9
You may want to give thought to the new GK 700RB Neo 112 combo. Plenty powerful and it sounds fantastic!
I would recommend it over the Microbass combo. Not that the MB is bad, but the Neo 112 combo is very versatile and will put out some serious volume when required.
 
#10
I'll give you a suggestion that you may not have thought of. I have one of the new Roland Basscube amps that is 100 watts with a single 12" speaker. Great sounding and easy to carry and very very loud and I think you can get them new under $600. check one out before you decide, I think you might be surprized.
 
#12
GSRLessard14 said:
How much do the walkabout scouts go for? Do they have more oomph than the PJ Briefcases?
Click to expand...


Massively more ooomph than the PJ Briefcase. I believe the 112 combo is around $1200 new.

The suggestion of the small Eden110 combo is also a good one.
 
#13
Wow..thanks for placing personality behind the endorsements. After you read 100+ reviews, you wonder if the companies just have scabs lurking boards to post bogus reviews...hope they don't get any ideas......

I played a Roland cube last year and I was impressed. Roland's new D-Bass line seems a little pricey~$1200, especially when comparing with the biggies(GK/Ampeg/SWR/Eden/etc). Maybe they are comfortable with 5% of market share.

My concern with all the 'emulation' amps (Roland/Tech21/Line 6) is that the 'flat' tone still sounds programmed and will not give a true sound to an upright. Any thoughts?

Also, IYall'sHO, does the Eden have a 'untouched' sound for upright? Or is it just the Eden sound, coming from an upright?A variation of the chicken vs egg theory, I know!

I've been scouting the prices for Nemesis/Eden on line, and they look really good. I really want the PJBriefcase for the size(the wife wants my bass space tidy and tiny), but living in NC, there is no dealer. I'd prefer a trial run first.

Earlier, I said my budget was $1K, what about for $750?? Nemesis???? I'd like to also get a good bow for the upright~$200.

Thanks to everyone so far for the insight. Keep posting, I'll be checking. Joe
 
#14
Joe, the tone of my DB through the Eden is what totally sold me on it. It is absolutely 'my bass but louder'. Look around the DB forums; guys are constantly changing amps in search of 'the sound'. For me, it's the CXC. Mind you, I'm suspicious that each DB/player combination is going to have an ideal amp setup that may differ greatly from the next guy. As for the flat tone of Eden, IMO it's very flat. Maybe not THE absolute most uncolored rig out there, but night & day different from Ampeg(nothing against Ampeg, just making a comparison).
 
#19
The Hammer said:
I'll give you a suggestion that you may not have thought of. I have one of the new Roland Basscube amps that is 100 watts with a single 12" speaker. Great sounding and easy to carry and very very loud and I think you can get them new under $600. check one out before you decide, I think you might be surprized.
Click to expand...
+1 for the Roland Basscube

I have the 30 watt model with a single 10" speaker for use at home and at church when they need a bassist and it'll keep up with drums, keys and 40-50 voices on stage, along with 150-200 voices in the cong. - Obviously I go through FOH too but for on stage monitoring is does for me...and that's the 30 watter.

No need to run it flat out either. The 100 watt version of this might be just what you're looking for.

As for the flatness of the flat setting, the 30 watter doesn't have a button to press for that as such but I can dial in a pretty transparent tone with it.
 
#20
As I read this, you're looking for a small combo that has a DI for heavy lifting through the house. Right?

I have both a G-K MB150E-III + MBX-112 and a first generation Tech 21 Landmark 60. Which Landmark are you asking about?

If it helps you in your decision about what to buy, I've found the G-K is a little more versatile for my situation but the DI on the T21 is far superior. If I were gigging, I'd use the T 21 as a practice amp and as a stage monitor with DI to the house. Before I found my G-K for a silly low price I was giving serious thought to getting a T 21 Power Wedge 60 as a powered extension cab for the Landmark 60; I've demoed this combination at the store, and it kills. I like the idea of small modular systems.
 

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