Double Bass Good small amp?

[bherman]

Having investigated this for several months now, I think that it comes down to two things - what your expectations are from a small amp. and how much you are willing to spend.

I've tried some of the PJB products and decided that they didn't work for me - either too little volume (Bass Cub) or too expensive and heavy (Double 4, others).

The new GR stuff (both combos and cab/head rigs) look promising, I almost bought a GR110 carbon fiber cab (10 lbs!) and a Mini 350 head, but at nearly $1500, I edged away from the cliff. Their combos look great, but also pretty pricey, and I don't like the lack of flexibility of a combo.

The Genzler 350 combo is fantastic - I had one and foolishly sold it. I am awaiting delivery of a Magellan 350 head, for the time being I will use it with one of the RevSound 112 cabs (21 lbs each) that I have, I'm sure that it will do great, if I decide that I need something smaller/lighter, I will either go for the GR 110 cab or a BareFaced 110. I currently use the RevSound cabs with a Fuchs 700 watt amp, modelled after the Walter Woods legendary amps. Sounds fantastic for both upright and electric, but way more power than needed for small gigs.

I looked again at MarkBass amps. but reaffirmed that they're not a good choice for me. Sound is ok but I think that they are overpriced and too heavy.

 

[Eric Hochberg]

EA Doubler and AI Focus 2, MAS 16 and 45

 

[groooooove]

i have an old markbass 2x6" combo that's just great for upright amplification. great for electric as well.

it's also like 22 pounds, super easy to carry around. also not made anymore.

i was considering selling it, it may be in the classifieds in a week or so.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

The Markacoustic isn't talked about much, but it has a lot of features that have me interested. Plus they seem to be priced well compared to the competition. I see there's no high pass filter though. Do you use an external HPF with yours, or feel the need? How does it do in terms of total volume?

Edit: just did a bit if research, and I see that both inputs are 500 Kohm. Cool little amp, but this is probably a deal breaker for me. I can't say I understand why they made that decision.

I have a Fishman Platinum Stage Preamp which has a HPF and the phantom power of this amp can power it, but honestly I don't find it necessary.

If you can find an older AC101 old like mine (black enclosure) the input impedance of channel two is 1 Meg ohm. I'm not sure why they changed that spec. That being said I don't hear much of a difference when I plug into the channel one which has a 500 K ohm input. I use a Fishman Full Circle pickup which seems to be less sensitive to this aspect. I generally use channel two for upright bass and channel one for electric bass, although I have used this amp as a mini PA with my vocal mic in channel two and my upright bass in channel one.

Personally I love this amp for double bass and I'm surprised that more people don't try it. Two local bassists who have heard mine bought one for themselves. I think it flies under the radar because it is not marketed as bass amp and was eventually added to their DV Mark line of guitar amps.

- Steve

 

[sean_on_bass]

What's everyone using to amplify their double bsss? I hope to get together for some acoustic jams and don't want to get lost in the mix. I see alot of talk about Phil Jones.
I also play an electric bass on occasion so I'd want it for that as well.

I've very much been enjoying my Trace Elliot Elf combo after many gigs with it. Underrated i'd say.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I've very much been enjoying my Trace Elliot Elf combo after many gigs with it. Underrated i'd say.

I see that Gollihur music is now selling them. Which model do you have?

- Steve

 

[Gougedeye]

I have been using a Phil Jones BG-450 and a Compact 8. That makes a 12x5 rig that runs around 575 watts. Surprisingly very ballsy and bassy! A very tight defines sound and it handles the B string with no problems. Really only small in size and footprint, this rig is pretty heavy all said and done, something like
80 lbs or so. Pretty cool rig, though!

 

[Jimbo Williams]

Picked up an Acoustic B50C yesterday. Went to Guitar Center to catch the sale with the intent of buying the B100C, then when I heard the smaller B50C I fell in love. Great tone, and way more volume than I'll ever need in a 15 person jam and playing small venues. I also tried a few other small amps. Ampeg, Fender, Peavey, and the sound of the Acoustic just blew me away. Using a KNA DB-1 pickup, it has a very natural upright bass sound.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I see that Gollihur music is now selling them. Which model do you have?

- Steve

I have the 1x10 combo amp. Maybe a little light on lows for electric bass, i'll be honest.

 

[MrLenny1]

Time & time again I see the GK MB150 being used with DB.

 

[tinyd]

I recently bought a Warwick Gnome head plus a PJB C2 cab and they work well for smaller gigs and weigh about 8KG - I played last night with a medium-volume drummer and it projected really well and I had more volume available had I needed it. If I was playing bigger gigs I might be tempted to get a bigger cab (Trace Eliot 110 or Barefaced One10 come to mind) but the C2 sounds good with plenty of bottom end plus nice clarity at the top (which is what I was looking for so I can hear myself).

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I have bought and sold a few GK MB150S’ and Acoustic Image combos. Several years ago I bought my current GK and am very impressed with it. Despite its reputation for not delivering a natural tone, it has never disappointed me on the bandstand.
Now, the AI….. I recently got a great deal on a gen 3 CODA and it sounds very natural, if a bit tilted up in the mids to the point I prefer to drastically cut the mids. The GK might actually sound a bit more like my bass. Despite the love and reputation of the AI stuff, I never really thought it sounded that great for DB.
Several years ago I put together a DIY 10” cab using an Eminence driver in a small box which is very good with a BAM 200 head. I’m going to dig my GK MBX extension cabinet out of storage and try it with the BAM for @Ed Fuqua .

I’ve been curious to try a small PJB for those ‘barely need an amp gigs’, but my toolbox is pretty full now.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I have bought and sold a few GK MB150S’ and Acoustic Image combos.

I started reading this and thought "Did I write this?"

- Steve

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I started reading this and thought "Did I write this?"

- Steve

I always liked the GK but the whole MBOL thing led me to something ‘better’. In most rooms the GK is about as good as it gets. The AI combo sounds best in my practice room but I don’t get paid to play there.

 

[tinyd]

I always liked the GK but the whole MBOL thing led me to something ‘better’. In most rooms the GK is about as good as it gets. The AI combo sounds best in my practice room but I don’t get paid to play there.

This point reminds me of the reason why Precision bass guitars are so popular - they don't have the most refined tone but they cut through in the mix. The GK combos are similar - a bit harsh and unnatural sounding on their own but they work well live.

 

[DJ Bebop]

It's a little clunky in comparison to the others mentioned but I use this for my upright…

 

[tinyd]

I have bought and sold a few GK MB150S’ and Acoustic Image combos. Several years ago I bought my current GK and am very impressed with it. Despite its reputation for not delivering a natural tone, it has never disappointed me on the bandstand.
Now, the AI….. I recently got a great deal on a gen 3 CODA and it sounds very natural, if a bit tilted up in the mids to the point I prefer to drastically cut the mids. The GK might actually sound a bit more like my bass. Despite the love and reputation of the AI stuff, I never really thought it sounded that great for DB.
Several years ago I put together a DIY 10” cab using an Eminence driver in a small box which is very good with a BAM 200 head. I’m going to dig my GK MBX extension cabinet out of storage and try it with the BAM for @Ed Fuqua .

I’ve been curious to try a small PJB for those ‘barely need an amp gigs’, but my toolbox is pretty full now.

I had a GK MB150 for years and it worked well most of the time, but I found it to be a bit "fussy" in terms of dialling in a good gig tone and it started irritating me.... I recently replaced it with the Gnome/PJB C2 setup after testing the two side-by-side for a while and I have to say that I prefer the new setup even though on paper the much smaller speakers of the C2 shouldn't be able to push as much air. There could be situations/rooms where the GK would be better but as someone who also has too much stuff I figured I'd take the risk and sell the GK.

 

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

Is the combo that much heavier than the 112 extension cabinet? Because that's only 12 pounds...

I use the GK MBX112 speaker cab with the AI Clarus 2 Series4+. My backup amp is a MarkBass 250 Blackline (it's got an XLR input).

I dug this MBX out of storage and tried it with the BAM as well as an old Clarus. This combination is warm and surprisingly natural sounding, at least in this room. I also tried the BAM with an old AI downfiring extension cabinet which doesn’t impress. Yes, I still prefer the BAM to the AI and MarkBass heads I own. It is a warm and open sounding amp which sounds like it has tubes in its small box.

 

[TroyK]

I have the following combo amps which all work well for both double bass and electric bass:

Markacoustic AC101 combo - A two channel acoustic combo that's perfect for doubling (or combining a mic and a pickup) and my first choice for double bass

Markbass CMD 121P combo - My preference for electric bass, but it also works well for double bass. With the matching extension cabinet it can expand to cover just about any size gig.

Markbass Micromark 801 - My smallest amp, but with a separate preamp it's totally gig worthy. My "one trip from the car" option.

Gallien-Krueger MB110 - I tend to use this for practice, but it's another compact option that works well for both instruments.

- Steve

@bassfiddlesteve jazz gig, small bar with a drummer who you trust. You can take your GK MB 110 or your Markbass 801 + preamp.

What do you chose and why?

 

[MuseChaser]

Yet another very strong vote for the Genzler Magellan 350/BA10-2-S2 combo. If that isn't loud and strong enough for a jazz gig, the gig is too loud. I can't believe how much strength this little combo has, AND how open, full, deep, and natural it sounds. I also use the BA10 as an extension with the Genzler Acoustic Array Pro stacked in top of it. Talk about a killer upright sound....at least with my EUB.