All my amps now are throw away amps. Acoustic Image and Walter
Woods are now throw away amps too.
Woods are now throw away amps too.
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Double Bass Lightweight (<30lb) combo recommendations
- Thread starter ole Jason
- Start date
Impedance of the Markbass is 500 KOhms (not Hz), half of a MegOhm.
A bit low for a passive piezo (but the Polytone Mini-Brutes have 330 KOhms which is even lower).
OK with an impedance buffer/preamp, otherwise it sounds more like a piezo during the eighties.
If I had to buy an amp in the USA or Canada it would be a Traynor. I haven‘t seen them in Germany or anywhere else in Europe yet.
In Germany it would probably be a TC BAM/BQ or a Gallien-Krueger.
But luckily a few Genz-Benz Shuttles swapped over to Europe when Fender bought the company and I got one of them.
The only problem I had with the 10T cab was a speaker wire or capacitor on that wire vibrating against the driver, but it was easy to solve that, just the blood pressure has risen a bit as that happened in the evening rehearsal before a gig next day.
Got a GB Focus 112 later and together with the Shuttle (and slightly attenuated tweeter) that is the best sound I ever had.
But I hardly use it because at my rehearsals there is an amp and for the big band even a DB.
A bit low for a passive piezo (but the Polytone Mini-Brutes have 330 KOhms which is even lower).
OK with an impedance buffer/preamp, otherwise it sounds more like a piezo during the eighties.
If I had to buy an amp in the USA or Canada it would be a Traynor. I haven‘t seen them in Germany or anywhere else in Europe yet.
In Germany it would probably be a TC BAM/BQ or a Gallien-Krueger.
But luckily a few Genz-Benz Shuttles swapped over to Europe when Fender bought the company and I got one of them.
The only problem I had with the 10T cab was a speaker wire or capacitor on that wire vibrating against the driver, but it was easy to solve that, just the blood pressure has risen a bit as that happened in the evening rehearsal before a gig next day.
Got a GB Focus 112 later and together with the Shuttle (and slightly attenuated tweeter) that is the best sound I ever had.
But I hardly use it because at my rehearsals there is an amp and for the big band even a DB.
I was eyeing the Traynor 112 combo when I bought the Fender. The only thing that gave me pause besides it being double the price is that owners report it weighing closer to 30lbs. While not heavy, for me personally I wouldn't really want to carry that while wheeling my bass for more than 30 seconds. 20lbs is doable for me. I'm sure some of you are more buffed than me. Looks like a nice amp, probably sounds better than the fender but I'm happy with the Rumble 100.
Earl
Supporting Member
Earl
Supporting Member
Sadly you are correct regarding Acoustic Image. My Acoustic Image Coda plus 4 combo is the bomb (hope I'm not jinxing myself) and continues to work splendidly for upright and small electric bass applications. Am very interested in TB member suggestions as to suitable, similarly featured and priced, current day options.
I just got a Traynor SB110. Great little combo amp, nice warm sound. 120 watt, 21 pounds , 14" cube.
If you only intend to use a pickup, as most players generally do, the single channel Traynor SB 110, and SB 112 are light weight, compact and powerful enough for most club gigs. Traynor provides a repair schematics, parts list. I use the SB 106 for all my trio duo gigs with Double Bass in small places with tight spaces for rehearsals. Amazing amps all around.
I’ve been using an original Italian MarkBass CMD 121 with which I have a love/hate relationship. It’s compact, powerful, and relatively light - and has been reliable. I can run the FC straight into the 500k input and still EQ a decent sound. This works best in small background situations and with tasteful drummers.
The EQ points on the CMD do take some getting used to however.
I’ve recently been experimenting with adding an empress para EQ 2 or an fdeck mini 3 HPF. Either of these gizmos improve the combo’s sound tremendously … but that’s extra kit for run & gun gigs.
My other amp (purchased exclusively for electric bass gigs) is a GK legend 800 1x12 combo and sounds absolutely killin’ with my upright. It’s a bit heavier and larger … I forget maybe around 35+ pounds? Mine has the metal grill so that adds heft. But for sound, it’s got a 1M input, the EQ feels tighter, and it’s also front ported which puts out the punch. I usually only use this with upright on louder, outdoor gigs but might try it on jazz jam this weekend mainly due to some not so tasteful drummers lol.
~
Sorry for the long post but not a fan of the Rumble tone. We use several models in our music school. They are crazy light, loud, and cheap though! I will say there is one very high level bassist in the area who uses one. Love his music - not a fan of the amp tone at all - but that doesn’t seem to affect his employment fwiw.
And although I haven’t tried it with an upright, I loved the Traynor 12 I was provided on an outdoor gig series in Canada (eh!) - it handled my 5 string jazz bass like a champ, was crazy loud, and very light. I’d love to audition the current lineup and even the little 106 but not sure there are any dealers nearby.
And finally, if I had the bread, I’d probably buy a Henriksen. All the cool jazz guitarists use one and they seem to defy physics. I’ll have to keep an eye on the new bass model and would love to hear more about it.
The EQ points on the CMD do take some getting used to however.
I’ve recently been experimenting with adding an empress para EQ 2 or an fdeck mini 3 HPF. Either of these gizmos improve the combo’s sound tremendously … but that’s extra kit for run & gun gigs.
My other amp (purchased exclusively for electric bass gigs) is a GK legend 800 1x12 combo and sounds absolutely killin’ with my upright. It’s a bit heavier and larger … I forget maybe around 35+ pounds? Mine has the metal grill so that adds heft. But for sound, it’s got a 1M input, the EQ feels tighter, and it’s also front ported which puts out the punch. I usually only use this with upright on louder, outdoor gigs but might try it on jazz jam this weekend mainly due to some not so tasteful drummers lol.
~
Sorry for the long post but not a fan of the Rumble tone. We use several models in our music school. They are crazy light, loud, and cheap though! I will say there is one very high level bassist in the area who uses one. Love his music - not a fan of the amp tone at all - but that doesn’t seem to affect his employment fwiw.
And although I haven’t tried it with an upright, I loved the Traynor 12 I was provided on an outdoor gig series in Canada (eh!) - it handled my 5 string jazz bass like a champ, was crazy loud, and very light. I’d love to audition the current lineup and even the little 106 but not sure there are any dealers nearby.
And finally, if I had the bread, I’d probably buy a Henriksen. All the cool jazz guitarists use one and they seem to defy physics. I’ll have to keep an eye on the new bass model and would love to hear more about it.
I probably sound like a broken record with this, but take a look at the Genzler Acoustic Array Pro. Some prefer the slightly (perceived?) extended bottom of the Gollihur version, although to my ears the regular version sounds more "natural" for upright and has enough bottom for typical small group jazz gigs. Like the AI Coda, there are two independent channels and mic inputs with phantom power. Great combo amp. If you DO need more bottom, you can always add the Genzler BA10-2-S2 cabinet (ridiculously small and light). I have both, along with a Magellan 350 amp. In my keyboard rig, the Magellan/BA10 combo takes care of the left side of the piano and the Acoustic Array Pro takes care of the top end and a vocal/flute/sax/announcing mic in the second channel when needed. On bass gigs, I usually take an EUB and the Acoustic Array Pro. For big band, I'll take the Magellan/BA10 combo. If I have to double on electric and it's a bigger band or room, I take the Acoustic Array Pro, set it on top of the BA10 cab, and plug one bass into each channel. I can't sing the praises of the Genzler stuff enough. I DO have an AI Coda, but the first iteration. There's no comparison, really.
Fender Rumbles are a budget amp that actually kinda work with Double Bass but they’re certainly not an amplifier that would suit my criteria for acquiring a new amp. Traynor’s are. IME left the building once they abandoned the 200MB and MBE. I get why they did it, as fabricating metal cabinets was a expensive process. The new heads are built like a tank and for BG they’re a excellent investment. I haven’t played one of the newer Henricksen amps but I did play a few of the older ones and they were nice and very compact but at the time were pretty lightweight.
There is always someone willing to work on a WW. You can always send me your Walter Woods if you are temped to throw it away... I'll pay shipping
