I am in a band that is quite large.....so I want a bass amp with a smaller footprint......plus I am getting old and this stuff can get heavy. What are some amps to look at that have a good bottom end but are light and do the job. It is for small clubs......I have the fire power for bigger gigs.......but I need something smaller also........
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I need a small amps with balls!!
- Thread starter Joaquin
- Start date
fEARful 12/6 with any good 500W micro head. Be under 50 Lbs. total. I've tried GK MBfusion, TH500, & PF500. All have sounded incredible. If you go 15/6 & more power you might even replace you big rig with under 65 lbs.
Genz
Benz
Shuttle
Series.
Win-win-win.
Nothing smaller, lighter or better sounding available today.
Benz
Shuttle
Series.
Win-win-win.
Nothing smaller, lighter or better sounding available today.
+1. If you want to go small and still have big low end, this is the way. Generally, most of the micro combos with 112's will work in your situation, but the cabs are too small to generate any big low end. But the fEarful uses a 3012lf and a mid cone, and between the 3012lf's tremendous cone movement and the efficiency of the crossover network and mid cone, it'll move some lows and get quite loud if need be. Otherwise I'd say get a 115 or a 210 in a large ported cab.
I have a MarkBass CMD 121P (1x12 combo) with a MarkBass NY 151 (1x15) extension cab. Stack 'em up and the footprint is 18x18". 500w, and moves a ridiculous amount of air. Low B on my Sterling sounds KILLER through this rig.
My GKMB210 has far more bottom end than I will ever need, I have to keep the bass EQ right down, I combine it with a GKMBE115 cab and the sound is massive, very lightweight as well .
wait, "small amp". sorry, didn't see that part. lol. disregard the link to the Acoustic 450. rofl. Markbass stuff is small, light, and loud as crap. the 2x10 combo is pretty nice.
OP: this arrangement might work for you. I have this rig. It is a Markbass "Jeff Berlin" amp (47 pounds) on top of a Markbass NY151 extension cab (37 pounds). 500 watts RMS into a pair of 15" speakers. Very portable. Very small footprint, and this rig rocks the house big time! A pic of that rig is below. Of course, if you want the ULTIMATE in ballage, then go with a fEarful 15/6 cab (or LDS nEarful 15/6) and run between 500 and 750 watts into it. I have a pair of the LDS nEarful 15/6's, and I run my US Ampeg SVT-VR through them. It will demolish buildings!
I'm really pleased with the Roland Cube 100 I just snagged on the cheap. I've used it for a few rehearsals and a couple gigs with my band, the Inactivists. That band consists of bass, drums, guitar, ukelele, theremin, trombone, vibes, congas, sometimes accordion and sax. Everything runs through an amp or the P.A. Vocals all around if we have the inputs at the board. Not a terribly loud band, but not a folk house/coffee shop band either, by any means. A few fairly aggressive tunes even...
The Cube is completely sufficient for a group like that, who have pretty good self mixing skills, when jamming in the basement.
Both of the gigs I've used it on have been outdoors. One was a big Denver event called the Peoples Fair. Typical outdoor, fairgrounds type of stage setup. The amp provided me with a great stage monitor and a line to the board for the folks out front.
Second gig was a backyard patio party sort of thing. I set the amp up next to the house, no mic or D.I.. It was plenty for that environment.
Not sure I would be confident using the Cube at a medium to large sized dive bar with no possibility of reinforcing the bass with a direct out front. I might actually try it in just such an environment soon, but I'll definitely be bugging some people I trust to tell me how it sounded in the room. I think it could struggle a bit there.
The Cube is completely sufficient for a group like that, who have pretty good self mixing skills, when jamming in the basement.
Both of the gigs I've used it on have been outdoors. One was a big Denver event called the Peoples Fair. Typical outdoor, fairgrounds type of stage setup. The amp provided me with a great stage monitor and a line to the board for the folks out front.
Second gig was a backyard patio party sort of thing. I set the amp up next to the house, no mic or D.I.. It was plenty for that environment.
Not sure I would be confident using the Cube at a medium to large sized dive bar with no possibility of reinforcing the bass with a direct out front. I might actually try it in just such an environment soon, but I'll definitely be bugging some people I trust to tell me how it sounded in the room. I think it could struggle a bit there.
Orange Tiny Terror Bass, plenty of power and light, with the cab, cabs of your choice. I like the SP212 which is small and light but puts out lots of punchy bass. The 500 watt option for 8ohm or 4ohm gives you lots of cab options.
I repeat, with added detail:
You're going to get more suggestions for Markbass and Genz-Benz than anything else.
My pick: Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 / 12T combo.
This combo is 37 pounds, peaks at 375W (8 ohms); add a second 12T cab or a Shuttle 2x10 cab and it peaks at 600W (4 ohms).
There are numerous threads about the sound and service provided by Genz-Benz. Here's a photo of the 37-pound combo:
Link Removed
You're going to get more suggestions for Markbass and Genz-Benz than anything else.
My pick: Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 / 12T combo.
This combo is 37 pounds, peaks at 375W (8 ohms); add a second 12T cab or a Shuttle 2x10 cab and it peaks at 600W (4 ohms).
There are numerous threads about the sound and service provided by Genz-Benz. Here's a photo of the 37-pound combo:
Link Removed
I also vote for the MarkBass stuff, I have a LM II and love it. I will add, whatever you get, you should put a VT Bass in front of it (or on top of it if your foot print needs to be that small). It will increase the testicle size of any amp it's paired with, guaranteed.
