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Modern Combo amps

f'nar f'nar

f'nar f'nar

Sep 27, 2004
1,543
20
Melbourne, Australia
#1
A few months back my ampeg SVT-7 that I ran through a 6x10 decided it had had enough and died on me a few days before a gig. Luckily for me a friend of mine had a good fender combo amp I was able to use for the gig and boy was I surprised at how well it handled the pressure of a like rock cover band.

So now comes the time where I am looking to replace my old SVT-7 and I just don't need that kind of power in my life anymore, so I'm thinking about downsizing to a combo amp. Problem is I haven't really been keeping up with all the latest and greatest combo news and, due to a COVID lockdown where I live, I have only limited opportunities to go and try different amps. Therefor I want to at least have an idea of what kind of combo amps you good folks consider to be worth the money.

Ideally I'm looking for volume and gigability as well as versatility. My 6x10 really made the room shake and I want to be able to do the same with whatever I buy (within reason, I know that 1000w through a 6x10 is not going to be matched by a combo amp).

Fender, SWR and Markbass seem to be doing some good stuff these days, what are your experiences and where should I start?
 
#3
I'm deciding as well. I've owned multiple combos (Fender Rumble 500, Rumble 100, Rumble 60, Hartke KB15, Acoustic B200, Bugera 15A, Markbass 151 Jeff Berlin, and Markbass 121p). The best one I have owned was the Rumble 500. From what I remember it was very very loud and could easily handle a drummer and full band. I'm trying to decide if I want to sell my Markbass LMIII and Avatar B410 4ohm and buy another Rumble 500. Decisions Decisions!
 
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#5
f'nar f'nar said:
Thanks for the quick feedback! What is it you like about this one? I do love 12 inch speakers I must admit!
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Always liked GK gear. Sounds great. Built to last & tough.

I also hate how a lot of other brands advertise their Combo's as "500w" but it's only if you add another cab, making it 4ohms. What you actually buy is more like 275w. I don't like that.

If I downsize in the future it's the one I'll go for.
 
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#8
I went from a Rumble to a Markbass CMD and I’m really happy with it. The Rumbles are great, light loud and cheap; but I found it got muddy in certain situations. It’s still my rehearsal amp though.

I got the 12” CMD and 12” extension. 300w as a combo, 500w full rig. I don’t need both cabs for most gigs, so in that regard it’s very versatile. I also find the EQ to be versatile. It has all the “clean modern” I could ever want, and the Markbass filters let me dial in some warmth I miss from the Rumble (without sacrificing clarity.) I thought I would add a preamp to the rig, but haven’t really felt the need.

Before I found a deal on the Markbass, I was very close to picking up a GK MB. I really like those amps. If you think you want 500w, 2x 12”s for every gig, I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up the MB 212ii
 
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#9
f'nar f'nar said:
Fender, SWR and Markbass seem to be doing some good stuff these days, what are your experiences and where should I start?
Click to expand...

Hmm..I think SWR isn't doing too much good stuff these days, well in the used market sure..but your lookin combos anyway.

that said, Id go Markbass these days. Grab one of the 12" or 15" combos, and another of the same size cabinet, whick would give ya a 212 or 215 setup, which should cover most things. If ya like 10s they got that 210 combo as well, pair that sucka with a 210 ext cab..boom. the world is your oyster my friend.


YMMV

T$
 
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#11
With Mark bass going from Italian to Indonesian manufacturing and being pretty much exclusive to G/C & M/F I'm less likely to go that direction in the future.

I've never heard a complaint about Markbass, but I've been burned by at least one company that had declared bankruptcy. Guitar Center and Musicians Friend are just places to look at straps, cords and Strings for me until they seem to be more sustainable. The shame is that I've had really good luck with quick shipping from Musicians friend.... I just wish they gave candy that I can use to bribe my wife with my orders .
 
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#12
bordinco90 said:
I'm deciding as well. I've owned multiple combos (Fender Rumble 500, Rumble 100, Rumble 60, Hartke KB15, Acoustic B200, Bugera 15A, Markbass 151 Jeff Berlin, and Markbass 121p). The best one I have owned was the Rumble 500. From what I remember it was very very loud and could easily handle a drummer and full band. I'm trying to decide if I want to sell my Markbass LMIII and Avatar B410 4ohm and buy another Rumble 500. Decisions Decisions!
Click to expand...
I also gig a Rumble 500 exclusively for about a year now. In my 50+years of playing I have pretty much use every bass amp known to man, and the Rumble is the best one yet
Plenty of power and light weight
I ran Genz Benz for many years and to me the Rumble is as good and lighter
Buy one I think you will like it
Duke
 
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#14
I personally recommend the Gallien Krueger MB series combos (particularly the 2x12”, which along with the 4x10” model puts out all 500 watts without an extension cabinet) to everyone interested in a good combo amp. They’re light, sound great (they do the ‘G-K thing’ almost as well as an 800RB and cabinet), well-made in USA and are as notoriously tough as all G-K stuff and aren’t very expensive. Nearly all of my bass playing is done through my MB210-II, occasionally with the CX210 extension if I’m outside or there’s no PA, and it’ll keep up with any combination of other players/instruments I’ve ever wanted it to.

The newer ‘Legacy’ combos seem to be even more robust and powerful, being what is essentially a modernized, improved 800RB (‘THE’ G-K sound) in a lightweight NEO combo. They’re a little pricier, but I’m pretty sure the Legacy 212 is going to replace my MB210-II as my main amp someday pretty soon.

Markbass and SWR make excellent stuff, and I’ve heard their combos are no exception. I’m just a dyed-in-the-wool Gallien Krueger man, ever since I got my first ancient beat-up 800RB 15 or so years ago. I wouldn’t mess with Fender, personally. Unless they have a higher-end combo series, the Rumble combos are all I’ve ever seen, and I’ve found from experience and talking with others that their tone is ho-hum and their dependability is nowhere near what I require out of my stuff. They’re cheap, though, so I think they’re fine for their price range, just not good enough to meet my standards personally.

I doubt there’s a combo out there that will rival a 7Pro and a 6x10”, but there are a LOT that are more than adequate. More and more people are starting to move away from the old-school ‘huge bass rig’ mentality, and for most players’ needs I believe a 300-500W combo is well more than sufficient. I saw the light 8 years ago or so, and I’ll never go back.
 
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#15
f'nar f'nar said:
Fender, SWR and Markbass seem to be doing some good stuff these days
Click to expand...

SWR was put out of business in 2013. I have some of the last, neo speaker, lightweight cabs they did. It's a damn shame.

Closest thing out there to that particular tone profile is the GK MB series. Good amps.

The Fender and Markbass are much more vintage voiced, low/midrange amps. I'll say this; I hate the tone of Markbass stuff by itself, but nothing and I do mean nothing will fill up a room with bass like a Markbass combo.
 
#17
TheReceder said:
Guitar Center and Musicians Friend are just places to look at straps, cords and Strings for me until they seem to be more sustainable.
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This is a real issue. I think they'll find a way to make it through most of Christmas, just to get that last dollar out of the corpse, but I suspect by the start of 2021 there will be no more GC or Musician's Friend.
 
#18
Combo amps, IMO, are all old school. They served a purpose when we had to lug 25lb heads along with our speaker cabinets.

Now that we can get a 700 watt head that weighs less than 5 lbs and can fit in a napsack, combos are much more trouble than they're worth. Also, many clubs nowadays (at least in NY/NJ) have speaker cabs. Most club gigs I've played in the last 10 years I've only had to bring my head. If I only owned a combo, I'd have to use that.

I now use a couple of different setups, but my main one is 700 watt Carvin head, and 2 22lb Carvin 15" cabs. I can use one, both, or whatever speaker cabinet the club is providing. 2x15s also give me just about all the oomph I ever need these days, too. And if I ever want to get another NV610 (my previous cab) its easily done. With a combo, I'd have to lug that alongside it.

Last note - most combos today are bigger, bulkier, and heavier than speaker cabs and a separate micro or mini head.
 
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