Here is my quandary. I need a high end quality combo. My small current rig is a DNA 800 head, DNA DNS-112, and a Bag End D15-s. I am needing this rig in a combo. I was thinking SWR Red Head or Ashdown MagMon 12 are some past combos that I loved. I prefer unique or boutique. I prefer stuff not available from Musicians Friend. Just my preference. I know I am a gear snob, but I need a combo that equals my rig. Thanks
I picked up a Genz Benz Contour 500 2x10 recently and it really kicks butt. Pretty lightweight too, at 52 pounds. I'm very impressed so far. Would be used, of course.
no real limit. Weight isn’t my main concern. Currently it takes me 4 trips to bring my rig in. I would like to cut it down to 1 trip.
Try to find a Mesa Walkabout 15" combo. Truly underrated and amazing combo. It's the first rig ever to make me break my own rules. I usually have a one-in-one-out rule when it comes to buying gear. I bought an SVT rig with 610 cab and assumed I would sell the Mesa combo and matching cab. I couldn't do it. This guy had good reviews. The amp just isn't very "clean" so you should be able to negotiate a little. The ad says it's new. But they haven't been made in a few years so it's either used or NOS. Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout 15 Bass Amp No affiliation.
Well, that would just add another piece of gear.. This new project I am working with plays places with very little room. No storage anywhere as of yet. Since all my gear is in road cases, that makes it just that much more difficult, but not out of the question. I am fairly sure there is no combo that will produce what my rig is giving me (IMHO) for tone and versatility. Maybe my solution would be a simple cart.. Hmmmm
If you’re looking for more advice or ideas, head on over to the Combo Club. We don’t trash products but offer a lot insight based on the varied experiences of our members. Oh yeah, and we’re snobby too. In fact, we’re so snobby we allow people to join so we can kick ‘em out!
A cart for $120 is seeming like a very inexpensive solution at this point. I can leave all my road cases in our warehouse for this new project gig. For my other band, we use a trailer, so I can just put everything back into the road cases for that. Now I am really questioning what I should do
Well, you've been all jazzed up about shopping for a new rig, so it's understandable that the idea of spending a fraction of the money on something as unexciting as a cart feels a bit anticlimactic. Maybe it will help to focus on all the other ways you could spend your new-found money instead.... If it helps, you can send the money you just saved to me, since I was the one who suggested it. I promise to buy something really cool with it!
GK MB212 should do the job. 500 watts out of 2 12" speakers in a compact 48lb cab. Should be all the amp you will ever need.
If you really want to let your boutique flag fly, check these folks out: Detailseite - AER Music GmbH That being said, I really like the far more prudent path of the $120 cart.
Let's see... your "small" current rig is 800WRMS into two cabs - so a salient question might be: how much of that power and SPL do your 'combo' gigs require you to actually UTILIZE?
I like the idea of a combo that lets you remove the head, in case you'd like to use it with another cab. The Mesa Scout and Genz Benz combos did this, in different ways, and I've seen a fair number of "airhead" cabs on TB with 2-space and 3-space "racks" for mounting an amp. Sometimes the amps in there are full rack-width, but sometimes people put micros in there instead. There are some high-end combos available (Glockenklang, AER, etc.), but you could also get creative and see if a cab builder you like is willing to entertain the idea of building you a cab with a space (or else a small bracket) for your favorite amp. Your DNA 800 is, per its product page, 12" wide and rack-mountable. If you like that head and wanted to mount it in a narrower-than-19", air-head "rack," it would be straightforward enough to cut down (or have someone cut down) are re-drill the rack ears. Just a thought. A handcart and some bungee cords are also an option.