Looking for an amp for Barker Use

I hate to be one of those that suggest something slightly outside your criteria, but you should really take a gander at MarkBass .... I've been using the 12" combo CMD121P which is the Little Mark II head in a 12" cab and my Barker simply sings through it

Quick pic:



Ignore the 15" cab beneath the combo .... it's wonderful, but likely not required for your purposes as you described them.

But the unit isn't cheap (~$850) and as a stand alone combo it's rated at 400 watts. On the BIG +++ side, it only weighs about 27 pounds ... . The Barker is extremely well suited to this amp, you can hear some quick clips of some live recordings on my site linked below (on the MP3 page), all of the clips with the Barker were played through the CMD121P combo ...

 

Lee,

I just had a GAS attack as well. I have one of the Genz Benz 3.0 combos coming in the mail. I'll let you know what I think when it arrives. It is 175W as is, but goes to 300W at 4 Ohms. I just hope that it is soon...

 

I have to say Lee, I love my Shuttle 6.0 more all the time.

Everything about this amps design so far is working out well.
The attachment system seems well thought out and though I will most likely not need to detach it much, it is nice to know it comes off in a flash and yet solidly mounted. I am still exploring the semi-para mid controls as there are many options there. It is a joy to carry, in comparison to any other rig I have owned. A necessity too, in light of my ongoing back problem.

I am glad I chose the 210 configuration. For my varied apps it moves the most air and yet has a really small footprint. If doing a gig with PA supplied I can now easily get everything into the Toyota if need be.

It was pricey, but no more than the GK 1001 that I gave up for it.

Joel

 

There are two polished aluminum flanges that form a sleeve. These are bolted to the top of the enclosure. The head slides in and when the mounting holes line up, you screw in two knobs and you're done.

The carrying handle is permanently mounted across the top of the sleeves. There is also a handy little kick-stand that folds out of the bottom to tilt the amp back if you want. The ability to uncouple from the floor has come in handy once or twice.

I should also mention that another main difference to this rig that I'm still getting used to is the rear porting. An amazing amount of low end can be generated that I sometimes don't catch in the same way as Bret or Bruce.

 

Really it can get odd. last night on a club date my guitar player came over and said "go stand down at my end of the stage" and let me play your bass. I did and the low end down there was frightening. In front of the amp I could actually have used a little more.

 

Hi Lee!

My Shuttle 3.0-8T came in last night! I'm really impressed with how clear and clean the amp is. It sounded really good through my Epifani UL-310. I was worried about the 8" cab. I tried it for awhile sitting on top of my other amp. The high-end sounded great, but the bass wasn't really there. I thought about returning it, but I wanted to try a few things first. I put the combo by the wall in my living room / dining room. I'm happy now! The combination of the rear porting hitting the wall and the floor coupling made a BIG difference. I had a hard time remembering it was only an 8" speaker. It won't handle a band with a real loud drummer, but it should do well with a jazz ensemble. I planning to use if for acoustic practice/gigs, so it should be a good fit. For me, it's a keeper.

 

Hi Lee!

Very good point! Unfortunately, I had very specific requirements that I couldn't fill locally. I would definitely prefer to kick the tires first as well as support the local shops. I was after a small, dual voltage, bass amp that, of course, had to have decent tone. The only ones I could find were the Genz Benz, the EA Micro w/ a 10" Wizzy cab, and various PJB options. None of them were available to try locally. One of our local music stores caters towards pianos and band instruments. The guitar shop leans more towards the beginning rocker (with a few exceptions, of course). Genz Benz, EA and PJB make great products and have wonderful reviews. I mainly went for the Genz Benz because the head was attached (but could be removed), it cost about $300-$400 or so less than the other options, and was available through the vendor that I had store credit with. (I'm not trying to bash EA or PJB at all here. I'm hoping to get some of their gear in the future. They are definitely on my wish list...) The vendor's 45 day return policy didn't hurt either. Granted I probably could have bought a decent 110V and a pretty good 220V amp for the same money as the dual voltage units.

I didn't get to try my B1 before I bought it either. There is definitely something to be said about manufacturers, like yourself, that are active in the online community. For me, I feel the risk is greatly lessened when you and others are here to actively support your current and future customers and help address any issues that we might have (not that we've had many). Being "remote customer" I think customer service/support is almost as important as tone. Please keep up the great work!

 

Lee, if you haven't picked up a replacement for your WM12, I can echo the previous comments about the Shuttle 6.0, the EA Micro 300 heads, and the EA Wizzy 110 cab.

Last post here was in January, so I'm sure you have been amp shopping!

Anyway, in addition to the EA 110 Wizzy, I also use an EPI UL2-210, and an AccuGroove TL110. All possible combinations work great, though the best sounding to me is the Shuttle and the AccuGroove. The Epi puts out more volume, and the EA is easiest on the spine. I've used them all in gigs and practices and in the privacy of my own living room, and I could do fine with any one of them.

Those two heads can't be beat for size and weight, and the output to weight ratio is astounding. I particularly like the dual inputs on the EA head, as I can dial in EQ for the Barker on one channel and the Nordy bass on the other, and not have to fiddle with knobs when I change basses.

As for transport, I got a laptop case, zippered nylon neoprene, for the Shuttle, and it goes into the gymbag along with cables, fake books, tuners, folding music stands, etc. If I had a bigger gym-bag, I'd put the Barker Stand in it for even easier load-in. As it is now, though, Bass, Cab, Gym Bag, and Bass Stand are a fairly easy load in one trip.

 

Oo! that had an unexpected twist.

BTW, if we want to resurrect this topic, I'd put in a plug for the new TC Electroinc RH450.

In addition to excellent sound, it has:

o Portability
o On board tuner
o A 3-band compressor, NICE!
o International power options no other portable amp has
o 3 presets, so you can lock certain tones in for 1 touch changes

This has got serious traction and a lot of very big names are jumping from their previous endorsed rigs to this.

Couple of youtubes to check out:

Overview and review

Brian Hardgrove (Public Enemy) ditches Ampeg for TC

With a Fender Jazz bass

Richard Bona

Dominique Di Piazza

 

I'm really really happy with my B1 being amplified by a Thunderfunk 420 into an Epifani NYC-112. Huge sounding little rig. Very beefy yet not muddy. GAS killing rig!

My applications are by no means high volume. I play either jazz at natural horn level or country / rock at small venue levels.

BTW, I love my B1.

Jim

 

Excellent! That really is a GREAT bass .... gotta be a killer with the Thunderfunk ...

Oh no, don't do that, Lee .... next thing you know you'll be playing Proud Mary for a bunch of '70-something old ladies drinking gin & tonics while trying to pick you up

 

Y'all should mosey over to the AMPS forum and check out the fEarful threads.