• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

EBS DROME - best combo on earth.

shai-ga

shai-ga

Supporting Member
Dec 31, 2006
1,088
1,280
Israel
#1
Just got my 12" "150" watts EBS drome combo sent to me from the UK.
It's not heavy as you might think.. really slim construction that makes it easy to move.

Features:
It gets 95 in a scale of 10.
A single 12" driver, with a tweeter on the upper side, and a huge port beneath.
It has a perfect compression circuit, coming after the tone shaping layout, which makes the whole thing sound tight and focused.
Amazing slap sound through my maple on ash bass (Involving a Nordstrand preamp with a quad-coil Bartiolini pickup).

Mid frequency control, plus a level knob - haven't touched it yet, the tone is so perfectly shaped, I don't want to change it at all.

The funny thing is, when I unpacked it, and plugged in my bass, I thought - man, this is the best amp I've ever heard.
Then I noticed that the filter bypass button was pushed!!
Released it... and BOOOM!! This baby sings and kills! such a professional sound coming from a rather small box.. unbelievable.

You also have this 8-switch panel on the back, that gives you the option to connect a media player and erase the bass from it;
connecting a single pedal and operate it with 9V phantom power, an effects loop, speaker simulator send output, Tube sound simulator (for an out of this world tone),
monitor volume knob, and a phones jack in the front.

The whole thing is beautifully packed, I really care about how my equipment looks, and this one shines in each and every aspect.

I wrote "150" because I've played many boutique 200-400 watt amps and none of them sounded as big as this combo. I don't know what's the secret of the Swedish guys at EBS, but they have one for sure.
This one is a loud, heavy sounding monster, that can handle drums, horns, vocals and screaming guitars easily.
 
  • Like
Reactions: feschyn
#2
How heavy is it exactly?

The port is underneath the cabinet?

It gets 95 in a scale of 10 or 100?

What combos are you comparing it to?

Are you considering value in your assessment, or is this the best irrespective of price?

I mean... 'best combo on earth' seems a little optimistic in light of the many options available to bassists these days.
 
#3
In a scale of 10.. :)

It's 17 KG \ 38 lbs.

Comparing it to the Eden Metro, the SWR workingman's 12, Trace Elliot GP7 150 combo, Eden WT405 + XLT112 Cab, Eden WT-300 + Eden CX110 cab, EA micro 300 + CX110, EA micro 300 + Wizzy 10", SWR Baby Baby Blue + CX110, SWR baby blue combo (2X8"), Markbass 121P combo, 151P combo, Roland D-bass 2X10, and Warwick Sweet 251.

I paid $650 for it, perfect condition. you can get them for less, used, so it doesn't hit your pocket that hard..

The port is underneath the tweeter, no holes on the outside..

Just notice that I'm talking about the old ceramic driver combo, not the Neodrome.
 
#6
I bought mine in France 5-6 years ago. I had never heard of EBS before I plugged into the Drome in a music shop in Nice, but I was blown away by the sonic detail, headroom, low weight, and back panel options. When I moved to the US, there was no question of selling it and buying something else here. I contacted EBS and they sold me a US (120V) power transformer for 50 Euros. The design is so clean that they use solder-less Molex-type connectors for the power tranny, so the conversion was a 5 minute job with a screwdriver and a socket wrench!

A few months ago, I started getting cut-outs and volume drops, and freaked out that my precious and hard-to-replace Drome was dieing, but fortunately Keith Reinegger at the Amp Lab advised me to thoroughly clean the switching headphone and effects loop jacks, and it's back to being amazing and rock solid. [It's in large measure to make sure this little EBS maintenance hint comes up on search that I'm making this post.]

Absolutely the best bass combo I've ever played. It's unfortunate that they don't get better distribution in the US.
 
#7
I love my EBS HD350. The compressions and drive circuit along with a great EQ section get the job done. Articulation and punch is what drew me to EBS. And I too had issues with the return jack on the effects loop going in and out. One solution is to set the effects loop in parallel with the dip switch settings. Then if the path is being intermittently broken (and you are not using the effects loop), it will not effect the main signal path.
 
  • Like
Reactions: feschyn
#9
Just had my luck with a guy who sold it at basschat.co.uk.
Paid $500 just for shipping, because I knew it's a great piece of equipment..
They don't make it anymore, but I see them often on Ebay and other forums,
so I hope you'll have your shot..
 
#11
I started getting cut-outs and volume drops
Click to expand...

Had the same thing going on with my EBS Taurus, a discontinued 210 combo.

advised me to thoroughly clean the switching headphone and effects loop jacks
Click to expand...

Can you elaborate on this please? What excactly was the problem and how did you go about solving it?

Btw, here it is:
DSC01975.jpg
 
#13
Btone said:
Can you elaborate on this please? What excactly was the problem and how did you go about solving it?
Click to expand...

I think you are looking for a "burnishing tool" or a "burnisher" to fit a 1/4" jack. An internet search turned up a number of them here in the US. I suspect you should be able to find some in the Eurozone pretty easily. A conventional 1/4" plug may do the trick. Insert and remove several times, or insert and twist (rotate?) the plug in the jack a few times. Good luck.
 
#16
Btone said:
Had the same thing going on with my EBS Taurus, a discontinued 210 combo.



Can you elaborate on this please? What excactly was the problem and how did you go about solving it?
Click to expand...

The problem was that after years of totally solid operation, one day I started getting level drops and outright cutoffs, though never any of the crackling that one usually associates with things like cracked solder joints. The solution was to take some compressed clean dry air, some good qualtiy contact cleaner (CAIG DeoxIt, in this case), and a clean 1/4" plug. I blasted air, then DeoxIt, into each of the jacks with cut-out circuits - the headphone output and the effects loop in/outs - then inserted and re-inserted the clean plug a bunch of times into each of them, then blasted air again. There are those who recommend wrapping thin cloth around the 1/4" plug to better clean the surfaces, but I worry about the additional thickness bending springs and contacts, so I didn't.
 
#18
I just got one a few days ago. This is my first amp and it sounds great. I just couldn't push the volume above 2/10 since I'm living in an apartment and wow, just tried playing a single note with the volume knob at 3/10 : it feeled like an earthquake at home :-)

I had this volume drops problem too (and sometimes no sound at all on the left channel of the headphones). I tried the "clean-the-effect-loop-jacks" trick and well, it sounds like it solved my problem :-)

I think the amp had a long stay in a garage and has not been played at lot (it looks quite new actually) so I guess this is the same oxidation problem everyone is talking about.
 
#19
antiplastik said:
I just got one a few days ago. This is my first amp and it sounds great. I just couldn't push the volume above 2/10 since I'm living in an apartment and wow, just tried playing a single note with the volume knob at 3/10 : it feeled like an earthquake at home :-)

I had this volume drops problem too (and sometimes no sound at all on the left channel of the headphones). I tried the "clean-the-effect-loop-jacks" trick and well, it sounds like it solved my problem :-)

I think the amp had a long stay in a garage and has not been played at lot (it looks quite new actually) so I guess this is the same oxidation problem everyone is talking about.
Click to expand...
If you saw the problem within the first few days, then it's quite likely that the person you sold it to had run into the problem and was "getting rid of" the fabulous little amp rather than face a repair bill. Glad you were able to get her up and running stably again! :bassist:
 
#20
I've recently bought my second EBS Drome. Not the new Chinese Classic model, but the real blue Swedish made Drome.

I had one some years ago, one of four amps I regret selling. (The other three were my old Fender Twin, my Eden WT400 and 800B...) The Drome IS one of the best combos I've played. It is small, but stout. It works for everything except metal. It is good for AUB, EUB, ABG and electric bass, very versatile and very loud for its size. Set flat it sounds like your instrument and your hands, the EQ lets you tweak the tone from subtle to heavy.

The only "downside" is you cannot connect another cabinet, but this is part of the magic. The amp and speaker are perfectly matched to each other. I've used it - my first one - as stand alone at wedding gigs without PA support. It worked, but it was on the outer edge of its capability. Remember - it IS a small combo...

I am Swedish and haven't really liked EBS amps, except for the Drome, that is exceptional. The latest combo I had was the Markbass CMD121P, also a good amp, with much simpler front end and 400-500 W RMS output.

Comparing these two is difficult, the Markbass is a full grown rig, but the EBS is a very, very, very versatile combo. Since I have three other full rigs and a big old tube Fender Studio Bass combo, my need is a small combo.

I'm sad to see EBS has taken the Drome out of production and fallen for low priced small amps, well sounding, but no way near the Drome coming to quality and versatility.

Don't forget: it has built in compressor, something I missed on the Markbass. (A combo should be a combo with no extras needed...)

Is it the best combo in the world? Well... at least one of the five best in my high opinion...
 
  • Like
Reactions: feschyn

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back