Elf/Gnome/Bam for low volume gigs and backup?

[frenfrins]

Hello!
I'm considering buying a small head, the one I mainly use is a Peavey Minimax 600, which I love, it sounds great and has lots of power.
The only thing is that sometimes I have some gigs where I have to play at a fairly low volume, and I have a hard time getting a sound that I like in those circumstances.
That's why I was wondering if any of those small heads (Warwick Gnome, TC Bam200, TC Elf or something similar), thinking that maybe being less powerful, can give a tighter sound at a lower volume. Another advantage would be that since it is so small, I could always carry it with me and use it as a backup in case I had a problem with my main head.
Do you see the approach as correct? Any similar experience or recommendation?
Thank you

 

[gtirard]

Hello!
I'm considering buying a small head, the one I mainly use is a Peavey Minimax 600, which I love, it sounds great and has lots of power.
The only thing is that sometimes I have some gigs where I have to play at a fairly low volume, and I have a hard time getting a sound that I like in those circumstances.
That's why I was wondering if any of those small heads (Warwick Gnome, TC Bam200, TC Elf or something similar), thinking that maybe being less powerful, can give a tighter sound at a lower volume. Another advantage would be that since it is so small, I could always carry it with me and use it as a backup in case I had a problem with my main head.
Do you see the approach as correct? Any similar experience or recommendation?
Thank you

Yes, I think the approach is correct, I was also thinking the same / wondering if I should buy a small head for small gigs.
The general view is that with a big amp you can always lower the volume, but I find it difficult to adjust the master volume precisely because from 7 o'clock to 8 o'clock there're a big volume bump.

Also, I have a 50W tube amp, and I noticed that it's much louder than I would have thought, so a tiny 50W amp would suffice for most of my small gigs.

I think you don't need 200W, 50W is enough. It is counter intuitive, but the relation between an amp's power in watts and the loudness is not proportional: each time you double the power, the loudness is only increased by +3 decibel. That's why for most people, a 50W amp is much louder than they would imagine, probably as loud as they would imagine a 200W amp would sound.

I'm considering 2 options, both super tiny and lightweight and great sound

- GR Bass Pocket 50, with 2 advantages: battery powered (8 hours of autonomy) and audio interface included. So it would also be swiss army knife for travelling.

- Quilter Interbass 45: I saw some comments saying the sound is absolutely awesome. I already own and love the BB800, and the Interbass have a different "tube like" voicing, I'm sure it's great. I could imagine using it for small gigs and also as a pre-amp when recording, for it's unique voicing.

 

[basss]

I have both a TC Bam200 and a Warwick Gnome i pro and really like both. With the right cab I've done fairly high volume gigs with both of these. The Bam especially doesn't have the girth of a typical 500 watt head but it is a sweet sounding amp. The Gnome i pro at 280 watts is surprisingly louder and bigger sounding. I actually have 2 Gnomes - 1 is for sale (if you're interested let me know, see link in my sig) and may part with the Bam as well as one Gnome is enough for me.

 

[Zbysek]

I am using TE Elf for home practice, small gigs and as a backup (sometimes). It works worls for me well for those purposes...

 

[Rick Penrose]

Another GRBass product to check out is GRBass Mini One which is 350 watts.

 

[T-boneParish]

I share your thoughts about small head for certain applications. Over the years I have used the GK MB200 and the Traynor SB200h. Both are great little amps, and I view them as virtually identical. They are small, light, simple, rugged, sound great, have lots of tone-shaping flexibility, have headphone jacks for late-night practice, can get loud enough for most small gigs with plenty of headroom to spare, they pop up for sale all the time, and their prices seem to have stayed pretty steady while prices of other gear have climbed.

I'm also a Quilter fan, but I haven't tried the Interbass 45.

For me, it's important that the amp is able to handle the volume you need with headroom to spare. So many amps start losing their heft and/or distorting when you ask them to go to the upper range of their master volume. It's always better to have a little more juice than you need.

 

[Chris Chong]

I have the smallest gnome. IT IS VERY LOUD.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hello!
I'm considering buying a small head, the one I mainly use is a Peavey Minimax 600, which I love, it sounds great and has lots of power.
The only thing is that sometimes I have some gigs where I have to play at a fairly low volume, and I have a hard time getting a sound that I like in those circumstances.
That's why I was wondering if any of those small heads (Warwick Gnome, TC Bam200, TC Elf or something similar), thinking that maybe being less powerful, can give a tighter sound at a lower volume. Another advantage would be that since it is so small, I could always carry it with me and use it as a backup in case I had a problem with my main head.
Do you see the approach as correct? Any similar experience or recommendation?
Thank you

Just asking, when you play at low volumes, do you adjust the EQ? You need to scoop out some mids and add some bass, kind of like what happens when the Loudness button on an old cassette player. Or in Eden’s case turn up the Enhance dial which does the same thing.

The other thing to consider is your cab might be not be as efficient at Uber low volumes. Just a couple of things to check out before spending money.

 

[ItsmeSantiago]

Just asking, when you play at low volumes, do you adjust the EQ? You need to scoop out some mids and add some bass, kind of like what happens when the Loudness button on an old cassette player. Or in Eden’s case turn up the Enhance dial which does the same thing.

The other thing to consider is your cab might be not be as efficient at Uber low volumes. Just a couple of things to check out before spending money.

I was wondering something similar. Maybe a HPF is a cheaper and more effective solution.

 

[portpc]

I play many lo volume affairs nowadays with the BAM200 paired with an Ampeg SVT210AV. For what it is it's a bargain and does the job.

 

[ga_edwards]

Just asking, when you play at low volumes, do you adjust the EQ? You need to scoop out some mids and add some bass, kind of like what happens when the Loudness button on an old cassette player. Or in Eden’s case turn up the Enhance dial which does the same thing.

The other thing to consider is your cab might be not be as efficient at Uber low volumes. Just a couple of things to check out before spending money.

I was thinking the same thing. Unless you use a tube amp, then generally, a solid state amp's tone *shouldn't* change regardless of the volume setting - much like active basses don't change tone when you roll the volume down. The perceived difference has more to do with loudness, not amp tone.

I also agree regarding the cab. You may do well to look for a cab that performs better and lower volumes and is more appropriate for the room size - sometimes, smaller cabs work better in smaller rooms.

 

[pyrat56host]

Check out the Interbass page and see what people are doing w/ 33 and 45 watts...it'll blow your mind. I haven't gigged w/ it (yet) but I did a rehearsal through a fairly efficient 4x10 w/ a very loud two guitars (100w and 45w) and heavy drummer and it didn't break a sweat. The tone is the same at a whisper or a roar...highly recommend the Quilter Interbass. By itself (shown) or line in to the BB802 (for large gig), it shines either way...been using it for a couple years now, daily...incredible. Best piece of gear I have owned in almost 50 years behind the bass!

 

[frenfrins]

Thanks everybody for the responses!

Just asking, when you play at low volumes, do you adjust the EQ? You need to scoop out some mids and add some bass, kind of like what happens when the Loudness button on an old cassette player. Or in Eden’s case turn up the Enhance dial which does the same thing.

The other thing to consider is your cab might be not be as efficient at Uber low volumes. Just a couple of things to check out before spending money.

Maybe the problem could be related to that, since I don't change the equalization compared to when I play at a higher volume.

It can't be a cabinet problem, because I own several different ones and the same thing happens to all of them.

I understand that watts are not directly related to volume and there are many factors to take into account, but to give you an idea of what I am looking for, in those low-volume gigs, I have to set the Minimax to less than 1, and I imagine that it is difficult for any amplifier to get a good sound being pushed so little.
On "normal gigs" it could be set around 3.5, and that's quite loud even though it is still well below the middle of the dial.

Let's say, hypothetically, that the Minimax at that 0.5 could for example be similar to the Elf/Bam/Gnome set at 4, or something like that. While the 3.5 of the Minimax could be equivalent to a 7 of those little ones.
In that case it would be just what I'm looking for, good sound at low volume and backup for other situations.
Of course it's all assumptions, but I wanted to know if in your opinion it can be close to reality.

 

[Gervais Cote]

I have the Traynor SB 200H as a backup amp and it works very well for the price. If you want to use it at low volume, you can plug your bass in the active/-6 db jack and you will be able to dial the volume to your taste. Seems to be designed for rock music IMO. Construction seems very robust despite its modest size. It’s made in Canada so it must help for quality.

For low volume though, my dream head and by far my favorite is the Ashdown CMT-15. It’s a tube amp that really sings and don’t be scared by its low power, it’s a real blast inside a house and really not bass shy at all. Price is on the high though.

 

[DonaldR]

I have both a TC Bam200 and a Warwick Gnome i pro and really like both. With the right cab I've done fairly high volume gigs with both of these. The Bam especially doesn't have the girth of a typical 500 watt head but it is a sweet sounding amp. The Gnome i pro at 280 watts is surprisingly louder and bigger sounding. I actually have 2 Gnomes - 1 is for sale (if you're interested let me know, see link in my sig) and may part with the Bam as well as one Gnome is enough for me.

Let me know if you sell your Bam and don't mind shipping to Montreal, Canada.

 

[aproud1]

I have the smallest gnome. IT IS VERY LOUD.

I have the middle one and it's pretty loud.

Hello!
I'm considering buying a small head, the one I mainly use is a Peavey Minimax 600, which I love, it sounds great and has lots of power.
The only thing is that sometimes I have some gigs where I have to play at a fairly low volume, and I have a hard time getting a sound that I like in those circumstances.
That's why I was wondering if any of those small heads (Warwick Gnome, TC Bam200, TC Elf or something similar), thinking that maybe being less powerful, can give a tighter sound at a lower volume. Another advantage would be that since it is so small, I could always carry it with me and use it as a backup in case I had a problem with my main head.
Do you see the approach as correct? Any similar experience or recommendation?
Thank you

You may not need a lower powered amp, just an amp with a more linear volume control.

I'm guessing you've tried using the active input on your minimax?

 

[Jeff Hughes]

I have the TC Bam 200, and I really like the way it sounds. Others have complained of reliability, but mine has always been fine. They get pretty hot after a while, but that is nothing powering down between sets can fix.

I have only ever had to use it as a backup one time at an outdoor street festival through a 410 with PA support. It sounded and responded well. Felt like a more substantial amp than the Peavey Tmax I gigged for a long time.

 

[dougjwray]

I use an Elf as a backup.
Its basic sound is *quite* midrange-heavy, but that has really helped me a couple of times in very live rooms.
Also, if you boost the gain enough, compression kicks in, and if you go even farther, you get overdrive-- pretty cool.

 

[DWBass]

GK MB200 owner here. Great little amp.

 

[mcrawfordmusic]

I don't know how much turning down an amp actually affects the overall tone, but I know speaker size makes an audible difference to the sound of your bass in the room. Curious as to what cab(s) you are using with the Peavey.