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Double Bass GK or fender or what?

S

saltydog

Nov 17, 2009
86
22
#1
Hello everyone,
I’m an older upright player, Jazz and occasionally some Americana. Only small venues/clubs, no large events. For the occasional club gig I have been using an older GK 115 and have just loved it. The best sound for the combination of pizz and Arco of any amp I have heard. As luck would have it, serious back issues all but prevent me from being able to lift it. So I am in the market for a lighter amp that has similar qualities.
Most of the recommendations I have received from other bass players point to the Fender Rumble. What do you think? Are there other amps besides the Rumble to look at?
Keep in mind, that weight is the elephant in the closet.
Thanks for your input.
Saltydog
 
#2
I have used a Rumble 40 for the last 7 years. For small room upright and electric gigs. I even used it on an outdoor patio gig (with a little PA support). There may be better sounding rigs out there, but it gets the job done for me; and for you, it’s hard to beat the weight.
 
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#3
Which GK do you have? If you want to stick with that flavor, you probably have significantly lighter weight GK options. I'm thinking of something like the old MB110 or MB112 combos, which you can probably find cheap used.

If weight is the ultimate goal, then "or what" is your lightest option. I use a Phil Jones Double 4 for Gypsy jazz gigs (no drums), and it's more than enough for those. Weighs about 9 pounds, but mine absolutely *requires* a preamp--one with plenty of gain and a hpf. I forgot my usual preamp once, and the thing was kind of pathetic.

*There are three generations of the D4 now, I think. Mine is gen 2, I think. Perhaps others have a more capable built in preamp.
 
#4
We use the Fender Rumbles in the jazz dept. at the University where I teach, and the students all love them. When I plug into one, I cut a lot of lows and have to do a bit of EQ massage, but I can get a usable sound. I would look at the Rumble 100, which is very light for its size. The Rumble 40 is also great, but has a definite headroom ceiling.
 
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#5
Aside Phil Jones, there are also small builders of micro cabs, like this one in EU. I wouldn't be afraid of anything 2x5" or 1x6" (or of course bigger) for just about anything reasonably loud. You also need a separate cab, which can be small and light enough to be put into gig bag. I use TC BAM which is extremely light and quite good sounding, and as my main amp I use EICH T500 which I absolutely love, but it is on the more expensive side of spectrum.
The advantage of separate amp is that you can use it with different cabs or two cabs simultaneously, so you can adjust exactly to any given gig situation and not carry more than necessary.

You might also look into GR bass cabs, who make carbon fibre cabs that are perhaps the lightest cabs available. Their web seems to be down at the moment. I had reliability issues with GRbass amp, but a cab is simple so there can't get much wrong... right?

As for Fender Rumble, it is joyfully used at our music school by anybody who needs a bass, because it is very light, simple, and good looking. I don't like it much myself, to my ears just about any bass sounds the same through this combo.
 
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#7
GK MBS-III. It is perfect for jazz gigs in small clubs -at least, for me-.
GK I.jpg
 
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#11
#16
Acoustic Image combos. I've seen some Contra Series I models made in the late 90's to early 2000 still working. One local player has one that has never been for any repair supposedly. Still sounds great. They were designed with Double Bass in mind. My series III combo is still working and I believe this one was from 2007-9
 
#17
IMO both the Fender Rumble series and GK have pretty baked-in tone profiles, and they're pretty different. If you like the GK house sound, I'm not sure you'll go for the Fender sound. The GK MB series of combos has that GK house sound. The 110 is 21lbs and the 112 is 30 lbs. They are more expensive than the Rumbles, though.
 
#18
What I've tried relatively recently with upright bass, in order of preference

1. Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0 10t
2. SWR Strawberry Blonde
3. GK MB110
4. GK MB112ii
5. Fender Rumble 40
6. Fender Rumble 100

Basically as you go down the list, the sound gets less natural to my ears. The MB110 and Genz Benz would be my top two overall, as the SWR is heavy and more dated. The smaller GK is way underrated IMO for small and light, and the Genz Benz harder to find.
 
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#19
I too, would suggest that you look at the traynor combos. They might be hard to find to try in person, but you can order them through Golihur or any of the online stores. They are very well suited to upright bass and are lightweight. They also won’t have the built-in tone that the rumble series that I don’t really care for.
 
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