Going to School in NYC. Need a new amp!

Welcome to the forum!

There are some nice fairly portable combos with good power on tap, like the Rumble series. The higher powered combos can be connected to an external cabinet. I do not know how well they work with DB, but there is a mega-thread about them.

As far as head/cab rigs go, portability is pretty proportional to price, the more power and portability you need, the more it will cost you. There is also a bit of a hard floor in relation to output down low and portability when you start talking about cabs.

What is your budget? That may be THE determining factor on volume to portability there.

 

You're pretty well on track with the brands you're looking at. I'd add Markbass to the list of cabs to check out.
Most of the jazz players I know who live in NYC are using 1x12's these days due to portability issues.

 

Check out the Phil Jones lineup.

 

@kdanderso — Welcome to talkbass!


Cabs in alphabetical order: Audiokinesis, Barefaced, Fearless, fEARful


Home (Audiokinesis)
Barefaced Bass - Ultra lightweight high power bass guitar speaker cabinets
greenboy.us speaker enclosures (Fearless)
fEARful™ enclosures for bass/drums/keys

Which school? I went to Queens College, Brooklyn College, and Columbia, so I have 3 of the 5 boroughs covered, haha!

 

My buddy doubles on electric and DB and
prefers 12 in cabs.

 

Check out the Genzler BA12-3 SLT.

 

I play a TH500 through a Berg CN112 or CN210, the 210 is especially sweet

 

My band has played in NYC at least once per month for the past 2 years. Every place we've been has at least some sort of bass cab/head or combo with FOH support. If you're living in Manhattan or Brooklyn, you won't have a car (because it's crazy and costs $400+ per month to park). For getting "around town" a combo you can bungee to a luggage carrier will be much easier than a head/cab combo. Then for electric gigs you have a gig bag and the combo you can roll. Remember, unless you're walking, you'll need to get the stuff into an Uber or cab. Or worse, up and down the stairs to the subway! For stand up jazz gigs, I would forget the amp and go d.i. or mic. Trying to schlep a stand up bass and an amp in NYC will be tough. Good luck! You're gonna have a great time, that's for sure!

 

A k212 by itself is amazing. It keeps up with a loud drummer in a small room at pretty low master. Growly, good punch, snappy high end, and it doesn't fart out very easily. I love it. So much, that I got two. I traded my 610 to GC for one new one, and went and bought another one after my first practice with it. Couldn't be happier.

Oh, but there's no tweeter control on it. Gotta either get the head with the Tweetertone function or a high pass filter for that.

They look so good too.

I got the matching head on it's way too.

 

First, congratulations on the school...and best of luck with it.

I'd recommend a Gallien Kreuger MB112ii or something very like it.
Lightweight, compact, a true 200w, DB folk seem to like it, it's got headphones-out and mp3-in ... and a matching powered cab should things get to where you need more power.

Ohh...and welcome to TB!

 

For cabs, maybe a Trace Elliot 2x8. Probably have issues finding heads small enough to fit on top of it.

 

Consider getting a preamp/cab sim pedal and plugging it into PA. But if you want an amp, I'd check out Fender Rumble and Markbass combos, or Trace Elliot ELF amp and their 2x8 cab

 

I am in NYC an a decent 12" will cover any gig easily. I use a Genz Shuttle 6.0 with a 12 for most gigs, and a Shuttle 3.0 with a 10 for small gigs and my little Warwick BC-10 watt'er for small jazz gigs.
I really like a head I can put in my gigbag and a separate light weight efficient 12", I would guess a light 2x10 could work too. definitely want to go with something under 30lbs. All my amps could handle a octaver.

 

GK MB112, or similar 12" compact combo provide a single hand lift in a giggable amp. I'd be tempted to add a small hand truck to drag it around, but its tote-able as-is. The Fender Rumble and Peavey Max 112 are a couple others for a bit less. Fun stuff to have a capable amp in a small lightweight package.

 

Another +1 for the Genz-Benz / Genzler combos. The new Magellan 350 combo might be just the thing you're after

 

This used one lists for $1,200 and it's being sold $649. 600 watts. What do you think?

Used Mesa Boogie Venture Tube Bass Combo Amp

 

If absolute volume is not needed but good tone is I would check out the PJB Double Four. Great for doubling and shockingly small. If more volume is needed the 'Genzler Gollihur Series Bass Acoustic Array Pro Combo Amp' is just the ticket.

 

Don't know your budget, but unless you want to go boutique, such as fEARful, consider a vertical 212, like Revsound.

 

Can't go wrong with the Aguilar Tonehammer. And their lightweight 12" cabs are good. When you get to NYC go over to Aguilar at 599 Broadway 7th Floor. Phone# is 212-431-9109.