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Is there a combo amp that could satisfy me?

g-dude

g-dude

Apr 20, 2018
8,208
25,421
Hiding under my desk
#1
I have a TT-800 with a Subway 112 and 115.

I love it. Sometimes I wish I had two 115 cabs, but then if I need to fit into a cramped space, I’m thankful for the 112.

But some day, I wish I had a combo that wasn’t too heavy or bulky, and had enough power for rehearsal purposes and would be fine for use as a stage monitor when going direct. Nothing to hook up or disconnect.

But really, I want it to sound like my TT-800. Either channel.

A kickback would be awesome.

Is there anything that will satisfy me, or do I just need to hope for a Subway combo…or maybe try to mount a Subway D-350 head to a Portaflex cab?
 
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#4
bottomzone said:
That depends on your budget and what sounds good to you.
Click to expand...

In a perfect world, Mesa would have a Subway combo.

That being said, it would probably be out of my budget at the moment. I’m intrigued by the walkabout combos, but those seem to be slightly too rich for my blood at the moment.

Also, I probably would get the most use out of something that can be tilted back for when I play at church instead of using our standard wedge monitors.
 
#5
g-dude said:
I have a TT-800 with a Subway 112 and 115.
... ... But some day, I wish I had a combo that wasn’t too heavy or bulky, and had enough power for rehearsal purposes and would be fine for use as a stage monitor when going direct. Nothing to hook up or disconnect. But really, I want it to sound like my TT-800. Either channel.
... ... Is there anything that will satisfy me, ... ?
Click to expand...


Only you can truly answer question that, dude. All anyone else can do is give you their opinions. :whistle:

My opinion is that the Invalid Link Removed could possibly give you what you want. Not as fancy or costly as the Mesa/Boogie gear, but quite powerful, lightweight and tough, with straightforward controls and tone voicing. 400 watts from the internal 2x10" neos alone, 800 watts with 8 ohms or 4 ohms external cabs.

Otherwise, the Invalid Link Removed would give you any sound you want, plus many, many more, with its modeling preamp controlled by the graphically intuitive Bluetooth Invalid Link Removed for your phone or tablet. Also powerful, lightweight & tough and 400 watts from the internal 2x10" ceramics alone, 800 watts with 8 ohms or 4 ohms external cabs.

But your satisfaction is up to you. You'll never know until you try. ;)
.
 
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#7
The closest I ever came to a combo that worked well for me in all the situations you mentioned is the Walkabout Scout 112. I still have one and aside from being an awkward and slightly heavy design to carry for long distances, it is the only combo that consistently met my needs. It could easily fill most all smaller to medium sized rooms and has an excellent DI. I used it on numerous outdoor stages as a lower volume personal monitor while feeding a DI signal to the board for FOH and large stage monitors.
 
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#8
G-Dog said:
Only you can truly answer question that, dude. All anyone else can do is give you their opinions. :whistle:

My opinion is that the Invalid Link Removed could possibly give you what you want. Not as fancy or costly as the Mesa/Boogie gear, but quite powerful, lightweight and tough, with straightforward controls and tone voicing. 400 watts from the internal 2x10" neos alone, 800 watts with 8 ohms or 4 ohms external cabs.

Otherwise, the Invalid Link Removed would give you any sound you want, plus many, many more, with its modeling preamp controlled by the graphically intuitive Bluetooth Invalid Link Removed for your phone or tablet. Also powerful, lightweight & tough and 400 watts from the internal 2x10" ceramics alone, 800 watts with 8 ohms or 4 ohms external cabs.

But your satisfaction is up to you. You'll never know until you try. ;)
.
Click to expand...

It's funny - I've considered the Fender Rumbles, but more likely the 200 because I wouldn't be using it in situations where I need an 800w amp.

abarson said:
The Genzler Magellan 350 combo shares at least a bit of common pedigree with the M-B Subway, both having come from the Genz-Benz lineage. I can't say how similar they may sound. It has a slant front instead of a tilt to get the sound aimed more at your ears.
Magellan 350 Combo - SERIES 2 - Genzler Amplification
Click to expand...

Very cool, and something to consider if my budget can move up a bit.

Al Kraft said:
The closest I ever came to a combo that worked well for me in all the situations you mentioned is the Walkabout Scout 112. I still have one and aside from being an awkward and slightly heavy design to carry for long distances, it is the only combo that consistently met my needs. It could easily fill most all smaller to medium sized rooms and has an excellent DI. I used it on numerous outdoor stages as a lower volume personal monitor while feeding a DI signal to the board for FOH and large stage monitors.
Click to expand...

Part of me feels like this is the answer...probably would need to get creative when it comes to budgeting for a good one.

If I'm honest, I'm slightly intrigued by the Hartke HD508 if only because I think it looks amusing...
 
#9
g-dude said:
It's funny - I've considered the Fender Rumbles, but more likely the 200 because I wouldn't be using it in situations where I need an 800w amp.



Very cool, and something to consider if my budget can move up a bit.



Part of me feels like this is the answer...probably would need to get creative when it comes to budgeting for a good one.

If I'm honest, I'm slightly intrigued by the Hartke HD508 if only because I think it looks amusing...
Click to expand...

If you do consider a rumble combo, you'd be better off going with the 800 in the long run.
You can run it at 1/4 volume setting (so as a 200w amp), it has pre/post DI (none of the other rumbles do) and only weighs 29lbs compared to the Rumble 200's 34.5lbs. No brainer in my opinion...
 
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#10
If you can afford it, the Magellan 350 is a fantastic combo. Or keep your eyes open for a Genz Benz 3.0 Shuttle / 10T combo, they pop up used here every month or so, fantastic little combos that aare perfect for the two situations that you describe. I used to have one and used it for rehearsals with a 6 pc band and it was more than adequate. Wish that I still had it!
 
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#11
Al Kraft said:
The closest I ever came to a combo that worked well for me in all the situations you mentioned is the Walkabout Scout 112. I still have one and aside from being an awkward and slightly heavy design to carry for long distances, it is the only combo that consistently met my needs. It could easily fill most all smaller to medium sized rooms and has an excellent DI. I used it on numerous outdoor stages as a lower volume personal monitor while feeding a DI signal to the board for FOH and large stage monitors.
Click to expand...
I owned it's big brother, the Venture. It EARNED the nickname mini-fridge. What an amp...
 
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#12
For me, this would be the GK Fusion 115 combo. I gave it a try and couldn’t believe how deep and loud it sounds while staying transparent, no flabby bass at all although it’s a single 15" diver.

Fusion Combos — Gallien-Krueger

Price and weight makes sense to me (although a bit costly ?) because it rugged and I would have no fear carrying it from bars to bars.
 
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#13
g-dude said:
I have a TT-800 with a Subway 112 and 115.

I love it. Sometimes I wish I had two 115 cabs, but then if I need to fit into a cramped space, I’m thankful for the 112.

But some day, I wish I had a combo that wasn’t too heavy or bulky, and had enough power for rehearsal purposes and would be fine for use as a stage monitor when going direct. Nothing to hook up or disconnect.

But really, I want it to sound like my TT-800. Either channel.

A kickback would be awesome.

Is there anything that will satisfy me, or do I just need to hope for a Subway combo…or maybe try to mount a Subway D-350 head to a Portaflex cab?
Click to expand...
I gig with a pair of 2x10 cabs and two different heads - a GB Shuttle 6.0 or a GK MB 500. Fortunately when the band gets together for practice in my guitar pal's basement, he lets me use the amp he has down there. Nice that I don't need to schlep one of my 50-ish lb. cabs every week.

His amp is a Markbass CMD 102 - a tiltback 2x10 combo. I was never wild about this brand, but whenever we get into jamming with this or that tune, it's never an issue getting plenty of volume out of that amp and its eq is always easy to tweak if I need to do that. It's also light for what it is. Every time I need to move it, I'm struck by how manageable it is for me.

In case you've never actually played one of these combos, you may want to track one down for a test drive. Probably a departure from your TT-800, but knowledge is power I guess.
 
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#18
groove pump said:
I gig with a pair of 2x10 cabs and two different heads - a GB Shuttle 6.0 or a GK MB 500. Fortunately when the band gets together for practice in my guitar pal's basement, he lets me use the amp he has down there. Nice that I don't need to schlep one of my 50-ish lb. cabs every week.

His amp is a Markbass CMD 102 - a tiltback 2x10 combo. I was never wild about this brand, but whenever we get into jamming with this or that tune, it's never an issue getting plenty of volume out of that amp and its eq is always easy to tweak if I need to do that. It's also light for what it is. Every time I need to move it, I'm struck by how manageable it is for me.

In case you've never actually played one of these combos, you may want to track one down for a test drive. Probably a departure from your TT-800, but knowledge is power I guess.
Click to expand...
A bassist friend of mine has that 210 tilt back Markbass combo and he is 100% satisfied in every way.
When I touched and tried it, I felt it was very robust and built to last forever. It also seems to me those yellow Kevlar drivers won’t be affected by humidity like a paper cone could making it even better for the long term I guess.
Sound wise though, I still prefer paper cones thanks to their warmth but I 'm often using a Fender bass with rounds which is kind of bright IMO.
He uses it with Yamaha PJ fiver and just sounds sweet with his bass.
 
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#19
Gervais Cote said:
A bassist friend of mine has that 210 tilt back Markbass combo and he is 100% satisfied in every way.
When I touched and tried it, I felt it was very robust and built to last forever. It also seems to me those yellow Kevlar drivers won’t be affected by humidity like a paper cone could making it even better for the long term I guess.
Sound wise though, I still prefer paper cones thanks to their warmth but I 'm often using a Fender bass with rounds which is kind of bright IMO.
He uses it with Yamaha PJ fiver and just sounds sweet with his bass.
Click to expand...

Now I know why they're yellow.

Learned something new.
 

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