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Gig Worthy Combos: Yea or Nay?

Combos Gig Worthy?

  • Giggable

    Votes: 300 81.3%

  • Not giggable

    Votes: 39 10.6%

  • Undecided

    Votes: 15 4.1%

  • Plain don't know

    Votes: 15 4.1%
  • Total voters
    369
#41
CL400Peavey said:
Please do tell. Which 15" speaker that can truly handle 500 watts of bass (say @100hz), has been loaded in to a combo that has not compromised on cab size?

IME most 115 combos have very little true low bass, but have a ton of mid/low mid honk.
Click to expand...

The 115 combos I've played have had a very nice bass tone, not honky at all, especially the Trace Elliot. Even my Markbass 121H combo has a good deep sound.
 
#43
Edward G. said:
Depends on how loud you have to be. But there are many combos that get pretty freaking loud for rooms that aren't large auditoriums. The GK MB212 seemed pretty awesome to me,....

The key factors with a combo are portability and flexibility. If it's as heavy as a tombstone, what's the sense in having one? If it cannot work with amps other than its onboard amp, then you have to have another one as a backup, which kinda negates the portability factor.

But giggable combos have been on the scene for years and years.
Click to expand...

+1000 This thread can be closed now
 
#45
stepswork4me said:
I know in the past, finding a truly giggable combo was near impossible. In recent years, the quality of this market seems to have grown in leaps and bounds. I've personally played a few from TC that are definitely gig worthy. What's your experience? Opinions are always welcome, as I have mine. But, I would really prefer to hear your experiences.

Edit: Let's say playing with distorted guitar/s and a hard hitting drummer.
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I used a 200w yorkville with a 15inch speaker for about a year and it worked fine. It was also feeding the PA from the line out. It sounded good though. That amp has a nice EQ, its very easy to Dial in.



Yorkville Bassmaster 200
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
 
#46
it seems almost NOONE has read the part of the OP that specifies he is playing with distorted loud guitars and a hard hitting drummer! of course a 115 combo will cover your needs in a jazz trio or a 50s cover band, especially with good PA support, but there is no way in hell thats gonna cut it with the average noisy rock/metal/punk band that is most likely playing shows without PA support where the sound is largely stage volume only.

after years of playing DIY shows in loud bands I travel with AT LEAST a 610 and 750-1200 watts, or a beefy tube head.
my favorite "combo" is an NV610, NV412 and Sunn1200s! its righteous!
 
#51
So much of this answer depends on the type of gig. I was a semipro NYC punk/rock/alt original band player for decades, which means I was playing clubs and touring - and that level of performance very rarely was in a situation that a combo could not cover - competing with sane guitarists using tops a 50w Marshall halfstack the typical 'bandbox' stage with back and side walls, a direct box and semi competent soundguy, etc.. Peavey TNTs and the like work fine throughout such applications That real-world stuff most of us deal with IF WE ARE LUCKY. If you deal with multi metal stacks and stadiums or outdoor festivals on a regular basis - or insist of perfect monitoring and/or torturing your bandmates and frustrating your house soundpeople, that's a different story.
 
#52
What is the amp doing, acting as a stage monitor or filling the room? What is the gig? Clubdate or Metal Fest?

I have used an Eden Metro (550w 4ohms, 2 10's) on many live gigs, jazz, funk, classic rock, clubdates. It keeps up with moderate sound levels, has beautiful low end that defies the foot print of the cabinet. I will handle a small to medium club setting well at moderate volumes.

On other gigs, I need more drivers. On those gigs I have ear plugs pushed so far in, they touch. PA support is indicated too. I don't do many of those gigs. Playing at those volumes is unmusical in my opinion and it is much harder to hear when it's that loud.
 
#53
stepswork4me said:
Look into the BG500... I would believe that there are others.
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+1/ That combo is a fricking beast!

Gigged one in 2011. Overpowered the PA and the guitarist with a Marshall half-stack. Of course, I was playing with an experience drummer who didn't have to pound everything, and the guys were all experienced veterans with an understanding of stage volume.

Nonetheless, that BG500 seriously impressed me.
 
#54
eyeballkid said:
it seems almost NOONE has read the part of the OP that specifies he is playing with distorted loud guitars and a hard hitting drummer! of course a 115 combo will cover your needs in a jazz trio or a 50s cover band, especially with good PA support, but there is no way in hell thats gonna cut it with the average noisy rock/metal/punk band that is most likely playing shows without PA support where the sound is largely stage volume only.

after years of playing DIY shows in loud bands I travel with AT LEAST a 610 and 750-1200 watts, or a beefy tube head.
my favorite "combo" is an NV610, NV412 and Sunn1200s! its righteous!
Click to expand...

this. And I wish people would stop saying that playing loud is unprofessional and unmusical...believe it or not there are people who want to see a band with their amps at the melting point and the drummer hitting as hard as possible. the way some people talk around here we may all as well get some chairs and huddle beside each other like a string quartet. Rock and Roll!!
 
#56
August 2012, I gigged my tiny 2009 GC Acoustic B-200 at an all-day outdoor festival in 100 degree Ga. heat and humidity. Granted I cranked it for stage volume; however I was told that via DI/ PA, it sounded as good as the larger bass amps through PA mains
as used by others that day.

So yeah.. some combos are very giggable; especially with DI/ PA support; though most not on their own.
 
#58
In this day and age, excellent P.A. Systems are available for cheap, especially if you buy used equipment. If your band doesn't choose to invest in a system to improve the overall show for the spectator then your band is doing it wrong period IMO. Therefor the musicians in the know, know that it is possible to do a show with no amps on stage at all. So a combo can have its place in any show big to small. I've seen old ampeg b15's on stage at lots of shows. How much power do they have and how many speakers?
 
#60
JimmyM said:
With a PA, you can gig just about anything.
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+1

For a long time I used a Fender Rumble 100 2x10 combo amp for live gig's and it was alright on it's own, but with PA support I had not problems. It does depend on your music style and how loud you are and want to be. Of course a combo with good tone options is never a bad thing either.
 

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