Double Bass GK or fender or what?

[Ric Vice]

Personally,
I have played through a Rumble and it did sound decent, however by comparison my choice would be a Traynor SB 106, 110, or 112. Traynor provides a full schematic and parts list which gives you a leg up on getting it repaired. My take is that the Rumbel’s a throw away or replace amp. Just my take however.

 

[TheBassPreacher]

If I was searching for a small lightweight amp, I'd maybe look at one of the Trace Elliot ELF Combos. They have a really high impedance and are pretty darn light (like 18-19 lbs). You can see what Gollihur says about them on their site...
Elf - Portable Combo Amplifiers

 

[gtirard]

Thanks Everyone for your comments. I’m probably going to go for one of the Rumble amps and the 100 looks really good at only 22 lbs. But the 40 looks good also so am going to visit a couple stores and tr them out.

It could be a great option, but I highly recommend to try it first because not everyone love them. What’s the point buying an amp that has a great feature/price ratio if you find out you don’t like its sound?

 

[Ketbass]

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

Agreed. My combo was great for so many things but now I’ve slid the amp out of the cabinet and use it with an older Genzler Neo 1x12. Stunning, and because they are separate units, I can use the amp anywhere and the cabinet weighs in at 27lbs, with clarity and a transparent sound. My 2cents

 

[CharleyJackson]

I play my upright with good results through a Rumble 200.
The Rumble 100 is 22 lbs. Rumbles are not spectacular but they are light and practical.
You can almost certainly dial in a respectable sound for yourself. Some people open the cabs and
install poly fill in the Rumble 100s. (See the main Rumble thread.) They are still reasonably priced.

If you’re concerned about your back don’t mess around.

 

[DuluthDank]

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.

If Traynor, I'd avoid the 15 inch combo and look at the 12. I had the 15 briefly for bass guitar and it was very low-mid heavy.

 

[sean_on_bass]

i second the Trace Elliot Elf combos. i use the 1x10 and love it.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

For a medium volume combo with DB a single 10“ can support the acoustic DB sound, but for an EUB or a louder ensemble I would use a 12“. A two 10“ might work too because of the larger cab volume.

I have a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0-10T and it works well for combos, but with my former 11-piece latin band and my Clevinger EUB I add a 12” Focus cab to get the warm low end. For DB I prefer the 12” alone with the Shuttle amp (easily removable from the -10T), but for rehearsals I prefer the more compact -10T.

Played another single 10” combo in Denmark with my EUB and missed the soft/warm low end as well as with the -10T. The same danish amp in a 210 cab sounded much better but was a bit too large /heavy for me to always haul around.

 

[saltydog]

Once again guys, thanks for all the great suggestions. and don’t worry, I wouldn’t THINK of going to an amp without trying it first. I really appreciate the large number of responders. But like I said, back issues are a serious problem. Serious enough that the weight of the amp make the difference between playing and not playing. so for all those suggestions re more sophisticated ams than the rumble……if I were in better shape I’d give them a try, but the Rumble will have to do unless it’s totally off my sound.
Salty Dog

 

[CharleyJackson]

For the price ($), the weight (portability), and voicing options the Rumble 100 is probably well within the ballpark for what you need. I wish you much luck!

 

[Brayden Wise]

You could do worse than the Traynor SB 106. I have one and it works very well with my double bass (I am using a Fishman preamp as well). Quick Hit: Traynor SB106 Review

+1 for the SB106. A buddy of mine introduced me to it, and it kills. I played a noisy restaurant gig last night on double bass (Upton hybrid, Realist Lifeline) and had no troubles at all being heard. Haven't tried it with an extension cab yet, but in general this thing is excellent bang for the buck. Super-durable too (as are most Traynor/Yorkville products). Lightweight, I think around 15lbs. About the same weight as the Markbass MicroMark.

 

[Ric Vice]

Totally agreed, I think SaltyDog has chosen a Rumble because of their attractive pricing. I own the Traynor SB 106 and regularly sing its praises here on Talkbass.( I purchased mine from Gollihur music ) Apparently its design can’t be upscaled to a SB 108 and the SB 110 and 112 already exist. The Rumble 110 weighs 29 lbs ( according to Sweetwater’s website) where the SB 106 is 15, nearly half the weight, but it’s around twice the price.

 

[saltydog]

Thanks again everyone. I bought a Rumble and could not be more pleased. It suits my needs just fine.

 

[saltydog]

Once again guys, thanks for all the great suggestions. and don’t worry, I wouldn’t THINK of going to an amp without trying it first. I really appreciate the large number of responders. But like I said, back issues are a serious problem. Serious enough that the weight of the amp make the difference between playing and not playing. so for all those suggestions re more sophisticated ams than the rumble……if I were in better shape I’d give them a try, but the Rumble will have to do unless it’s totally off my sound.
Salty Dog

So here’s a related question……..use the pre amp on the Stagg as the master, or use the Rumble amp for the master?

 

[damonsmith]

You could also look at used Acoustic Image amps. My rig is 12 pounds.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

So here’s a related question……..use the pre amp on the Stagg as the master, or use the Rumble amp for the master?

The largest amplification should be first (at least as a volume control typically reduces a fixed amplification). But I dial it a bit down at or closest to an instrument to be able to get louder if needed.
So, at the Stagg close to max.

The only other reason why a volume control in front of (not at!) the amp should be reduced is to avoid overloading the amp input stage which would deliver distortion otherwise. Try that with a fully open volume at the Stagg before dialing back a bit.
Otherwise any following amp stage should not distort but set as high as possible (with playing extremely heavy and fully open Stagg volume).

Some say sounds better with a fully open master at the amp, controlling volume with gain, but that give you less good S/N-ratio, meaning more hiss. Might not be that much of an issue with quiet modern amps.

 

[TroyK]

I am impressed with Rumbles, especially for the price, but they do greatly benefit from a high pass filter.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

I am impressed with Rumbles, especially for the price, but they do greatly benefit from a high pass filter.

Same for the GK MB 112. I’m playing a gig tomorrow with an Ampeg RB112 that I haven’t gigged with before. Curious about how it’ll sound.