Combos vs Separates

[Marko 1]

44lb weight (which was considered light at the time)

I gigged for a while with a TC Electonic BG500 115, great unit,

but 74lbs. I put casters on it.

 

[zuma]

Just wanting to point out that the Hartke stand-alone, single-15 is a very very dark/scooped sounding cabinet. It doesn't really sound like the kickbacks. That may not be appealing to you....

Good looking out. I don't need extreme zing but I wouldn't want a dark sound. It needs to be versatile. ... Just looked them up at Sweetwater. I think the newer version may be more balanced sounding. It's called the Hartke HyDrive HL115. It's more expensive, has a tweeter, and uses lighter plywood.

 

[frankie5string]

Good looking out. I don't need extreme zing but I wouldn't want a dark sound. It needs to be versatile. ... Just looked them up at Sweetwater. I think the newer version may be more balanced sounding. It's called the Hartke HyDrive HL115. It's more expensive, has a tweeter, and uses lighter plywood.

The previous HD version had a tweeter too... That tweeter is tuned pretty high up. So it ends up sounding quite bassy, with a "crispy" high. The midrange area, seems to be quite scooped on them. I assumed it was because Hartke always aimed for the 410+115 cab combination, so they actually worked on complementary voicing so the two cabs had a sonic space of their own.

I have the HD112 cabs.... I love them and they sound full, round, and have good clarity, too.
I thought maybe the HD115 would just be more of that, but it wasn't.

 

[Old Blastard]

Love my Genz Benz 500 15" but toting around 50 pounds up and down stairs is getting difficult as I get older. I have loved the Benz over the last decade and am looking to augment it with a Genzler Magellan 350 combo, which is head and speaker bracketed together. Maybe add another cab at some point. Can add the combo cab to the Benz if I need big volume. There a lot of choices, go play them.

 

[Nebadon2000]

If you're not turned off by the orange speakers you may be able to find one for a good price.

Speakers are 'Maserati' Yellow; well maybe just Yellow If you see Orange time for Color blind test

 

[SoCal80s]

It really comes down to personal preference. A head+cab means one more thing to carry and one more cable to plug in, compared to a combo. That's not much, but anything that makes setup and teardown quicker is a winner in my book.

 

[zuma]

The previous HD version had a tweeter too... That tweeter is tuned pretty high up. So it ends up sounding quite bassy, with a "crispy" high. The midrange area, seems to be quite scooped on them. I assumed it was because Hartke always aimed for the 410+115 cab combination, so they actually worked on complementary voicing so the two cabs had a sonic space of their own.

I have the HD112 cabs.... I love them and they sound full, round, and have good clarity, too.
I thought maybe the HD115 would just be more of that, but it wasn't.

Great insight. I wonder if the new HL115 is also tuned to complement another cab rather than sound full on its own. In any case, it's kind of a moot point since I'm really leaning towards a combo now.

 

[zuma]

Love my Genz Benz 500 15" but toting around 50 pounds up and down stairs is getting difficult as I get older. I have loved the Benz over the last decade and am looking to augment it with a Genzler Magellan 350 combo, which is head and speaker bracketed together. Maybe add another cab at some point. Can add the combo cab to the Benz if I need big volume. There a lot of choices, go play them.

So true! I just turned 50 and decided years ago that my gigging days were over. Well, there goes that and now I have a car that was not quite meant for gigging. My Challenger does have a big trunk, however, last thing I need is arching over that trunk with a heavy load!

 

[GreyBeard]

I have a shed full of everything from Sunn to Yorkville to Hartke to Fender plus some led sled power amps. There isn't much difference sound wise between a combo and separates. With a combo you just carry it in, plug it in and play. With separates there is a little more set up time.

 

[jdjk7]

I haven't played live for years now. Quite suddenly, I find myself subbing for a cover band. My Trace Elliot full stack is not going to these gigs. Heck, even just one of the cabs won't fit in my car. My Ashdown head needs serviced as well. I started looking at getting myself an easy-transport combo, like the Hartke Kickback 15. This is when I noticed that their stand-alone 15" cabs are actually more money than the comparable Kickback combo. They are both rated in the 500w range, though I did notice that the combo is 250w RMS and 500 peak, while the stand-alone cabs are 500w RMS. What other corners are being cut in such combos?

I guess I'm just on the fence between the convenience of the combo vs the flexibility of separates. For those that have gigged with it, is the Hartke KB15 Kickback reliable?

This upcoming gig is already covered. A good buddy lent me his Gallien Krueger Neo 2x12 combo. It fits in my trunk and sounds great!

My combos were actually less convenient than the head+cab combo I use now. The reason is, a combo necessarily has to be a little larger than a standalone cab, and my two combo amps were both big and heavy, and the one I actually liked to gig with was just a little too big in all dimensions to fit in my trunk. I felt like I could do better than this. So now I use a two 1x12 setup where I can fit my bass, pedalboard, both cabs, and the head, all in my back seat, or stick both cabs in the trunk and have more room up front for stuff.

I should append to this that I've never had a class D combo and didn't consider one, even though it probably would have solved the problem, because I also value the modularity of the head/cab setup.

 

[ectoflanger]

Gotta keep ‘em separated!!

I prefer them separated for those times when you’re tired and you can go direct, or when you can use different cabs (or someone else’s!)

 

[Artman]

I own a Fender Rumble 210v.3 Cab, Rumble 112 cab, and a Rumble 500 head (now discontinued). They all fit, along with my pedalboard, a bag full of cables and snacks, and two basses into a Mazda2.

I didn’t have that rig for very long before I discovered that just the head and the 210 (equal to the Rumble500 combo) is loud enough for any gig I would take, and I don’t want the gig if the stage volume is louder than that.

Honestly, nearly all of my gigs for the last couple of years have been ampless with IEMs, which I much prefer, but it’s nice to know that I have more amp than I will ever again need, just in case a gig or venue ever require me to bring an amp.

Good luck, happy amp hunting!

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I haven't played live for years now. Quite suddenly, I find myself subbing for a cover band. My Trace Elliot full stack is not going to these gigs. Heck, even just one of the cabs won't fit in my car. My Ashdown head needs serviced as well. I started looking at getting myself an easy-transport combo, like the Hartke Kickback 15. This is when I noticed that their stand-alone 15" cabs are actually more money than the comparable Kickback combo. They are both rated in the 500w range, though I did notice that the combo is 250w RMS and 500 peak, while the stand-alone cabs are 500w RMS. What other corners are being cut in such combos?

I guess I'm just on the fence between the convenience of the combo vs the flexibility of separates. For those that have gigged with it, is the Hartke KB15 Kickback reliable?

This upcoming gig is already covered. A good buddy lent me his Gallien Krueger Neo 2x12 combo. It fits in my trunk and sounds great!

I dunno. I have no problem transporting an Eden 210 cab and an integrated head. The cab will fit in the trunk of back seat of most sedans. Combined with a Mesa WD-800 can put out upto 129 dBs. I’m pretty sure this cab is a lot more efficient than most combos, which means more dBs per given watt.

 

[Ryan X Decent]

I have always been a head and cab guy, in fact I've never owned a combo other than some very cheap practice amps. I would like to get a giggable combo, however, possibly a 212 that, if needed, I could pair with my 212 standalone cab.

 

[fhm555]

I prefer separates. I’ve got combos, and they get used from time to time, but i prefer my amp and cabinets. I find it easier to get what I want out of them.

 

[Wavy]

By the way, I bought my DNS-410 in 2015. I bought my DNS-210 in 2019 specifically because owners of small venues about had apoplexy when I rolled in my 410 and would make me use some small 112 combo they had. Nobody looks twice at a bass player bringing in a 210...just get a good one!

Wow. They'd have had kittens if they'd seen some of the stuff I used to haul into clubs back in the day... Traynor 8-10s, stacks of 15s, and custom Kroth 15s I had in my early 20s that wouldn't fit into any car made; only in a truck.

From a listener in the audience's point of... uh, hearing, I prefer separates.

Anecdotal evidence... Was at an outdoor show with several bands. I don't remember who the bassists were, nor what their gear makes were, nor who was mixing, nor anything except what I heard out front.

• The second to last bass player had two small 15 cabs and pre- and power amps. Fantastic sound.
• Last guy played thru a combo and I could barely hear him.

Additionally...

• There's a local band with the bassist playing a Jazz V thru a Markbass 12 combo with a separate one 12 under it. The sound is great and loud enough outdoors.
• Heard a guy playing thru a Markbass two 10 and was impressed by how well it filled the room.
• Only thing I disliked about their gear was the yellow.

I've owned and gigged with both combos and separates. I don't play out as much as I'd like, so all I have is a Trace Elliot combo I LOVE the sound of.

The new lightweight amps and cabs offer decent tones, volume, and portability. I'm jealous of your quest, because there is so much available that your difficulty will be finding, trying, and deciding.

 

[Five or Six]

If you like what your buddy loaned you, why not just pick up a duplicate? Problem solved.

 

[2thAche]

A combo is easy to start with, and probably the best choice. Ultimately if you're gigging regularly 2 cabs and a head (and backup head) makes more sense.

I started with a GK fusion 800W 212 combo. It was more than up to the task, and I loved the sound, but it was relatively heavy / bulky and I started to worry about what happens if the amp/pre craps out. Now I have 2 MB800 fusion heads and 2 F112 cabs, and I bring the extra head in case of failure. I can use one or two cabs depending on the size of the venue. The good thing about GK is that there was no problem selling the combo locally when I stopped using it.

 

[groooooove]

i totally understand the convenience of a combo amp these days.

i think the hartke is a good call. reliable amp that will meet most peoples needs.

 

[FirewalZ]

Although I have a Mesa D800 and subway 112 and 212 cab's.......for smaller clubs, quick load in/out, but need volume, or maybe not good FOH PA support, I tend to grab my GK MB212-ii combo. Its just quick and easy, sounds good, can fill a small room on its own and has been super solid. I like the Mesa's better tone wise, but sometimes a combo is just more convenient.