Difference in sound between TC Bam 200 and Warwick Gnome

[Alain Bass]

HI
Does someone has tested the difference (in term of Sound) between the TC Bam 200 and the Warwick Gnome ?
I have the Bam, but I’m not sure the EQ fits to me, and may be I could change for a Warwick.

Posted on the two forums: Bass and Double Bass
Thank’s for your answer.
Alain

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

I had the TC and the Gnome, and now I have the Gnome I ( with USB ).

I would say they're both great amps, but I prefer the Gnome for its more useful EQ section to my taste.

Don't get me wrong, the BAM200 was a great amp for me, it's just a matter of personal preference.

 

[Alain Bass]

But they share the same EQ. Why do you prefer the Gnome EQ ?

 

[ole Jason]

I found the EQ points on the BAM 200 to be pretty weird. I usually had to set the knobs to fairly extreme settings to get normal tones. Regardless, it went up in smoke after about 5 rehearsals. Probably the least reliable bass amp on the market IMO.

The Gnome I played was a lot more straight forward to set up and the build quality seems to be much better. I haven't heard nearly as many quality issues with the Gnome although they're less common in America as prepared to TC stuff.

 

[Alessandro Cruz]

But they share the same EQ. Why do you prefer the Gnome EQ ?

Using the same cabinet, same room, the Gnome sounded better with exactly same EQ settings. Could I reach a better sound/tone from BAM200, playing with the EQ a little more? Maybe... But straight out of the box, the Gnome was so nice to hear that I even touched the EQ controls.

Sharing some numbers doesn't mean they will act similarly. Some cars share same torque and HP figures and yet they behave completely different.

 

[SJan3]

Another to audition is the MarkBass Nanomark.
300 watts RMS @4 OHMS.

 

[Alain Bass]

Probably very clean from what I red, but more expensive, bigger and a bit heavier than the Warwick or TC Bam.

 

[SJan3]

Probably very clean from what I red, but more expensive, bigger and a bit heavier than the Warwick or TC Bam.

I own the 1st version. It's very small and packs a wallop! 300 real world watts. You get what you pay for, in most cases. If size is your only criteria get the smallest one. If tone and power are more important audition the Nanomark. If you don't like it, return it.

 

[Alain Bass]

It’s just that, living in a big city, I travel by bus or tube, no car , so for me the lightest is the best.
My set up is a TC BAM 200 and GR AT 110 carbon fibre cab. The weight is really important for me.

 

[InkCow]

The regular bog-standard Gnome is my "main" amp. It's loud, sounds great, super-portable. I have a TCE BC208 and it's great: don't need a separate "practice amp" for home; works for rehearsal, etc. Using it for a gig tomorrow and I can take it all on the bus to the venue.

Usually, I use a 4 ohm 2x10, which is plenty loud for pretty much any needs I have.

I haven't played a BAM200, although it was what I had planned to get. They were impossible to find after that bad batch of them was sold through Amazon and the Gnome was a great price and I haven't regretted it for a minute. So while I can't vouch for the Gnome over a BAM200, I can definitely say the Gnome is fantastic for the price. In Europe, I think they're about the same price?