So here's the drill; my only amp ATM is the Peavey Combo 210TX in my sig. Great sound for both bass and skinny-stringed bass wannabes (I like a very deep-sounding, yet well-defined sound on g****r and the bass amp gives me a very clean, high-fidelity, almost acoustic tone that g****r amps just can't match), good power for what I do (praise band) and like any Peavey it's built solid. Trouble is, it's overbuilt:
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The pic doesn't provide much scale, but it's a very deep cabinet, and for a 210 it's pretty tall (with the extension cab, highly recommended, it's just under chest-height on me, and I'm 6'1; without that cab, it makes a good playing stool). It's also HEAVY; about 80 pounds.
That's all fine for an amp that, for the first three years or so that I had it, sat in a corner of my bedroom and maybe made one or two trips a year to church. However, now the praise band is going to be gigging once a month and practicing at least that much, and on top of that, instead of being up front, we'll be using one side of the choir loft. So, instead of wheeling it into place on a hand cart, I'd be lugging it up a narrow staircase once every two weeks. Not my bag.
Solution: buy a second, more portable amp, and either travel with that, or keep that one in the bedroom and the Peavey at church (or vice versa). What I end up doing with the two amps depends on what I get as my second amp; the better of the two amps will be the church performance amp.
So, I did check out the portable amp list, and concerning combos there wasnt much, and some of the "portable" cabs push the term. What follows is what I've tried. They've all had something I liked, and yet they all made me glad I have my Peavey (which is why I probably won't trade in). Skim my likes/dislikes, and tell me: Is there something else I haven't seen yet that you think should be looked at?
MarkBass 1x12 500W combo:
+ Small and light. This thing's about a quarter the volume of my current rig, with proportional weight. No trouble at all to throw it in the back seat (or even my trunk, which my current amp can't do no way no how)
+ Powerful. 200 more watts than my Peavey, with a more high-travel driver than the paper-ringed 10s in mine. Plug in an extension cab (I tried a MB 2x10 nearby) and this thing can hang with any serious head-cab rig you compare it to.
- Expensive. $900, when my Peavey cost half that, is a bitter pill to swallow. It also really needs a second cab for maximum depth of sound, whether an extra 12, 2 10s or a 15, and that's $300-400 on top of the combo.
- Overly simple. Though I've warmed up to MarkBass tone, I've found that the LMII, which they basically copied for the Combo heads, to be a little difficult to dial in for "my" sound (I like the TA501, for that and other reasons, but that's $1200 just for the head). I also cannot find one setting that I like for both g****r and bass, meaning changing between the two takes a bit more effort than just hitting my tuner mute and swapping axes.
MarkBass 2x10 combo:
+ Great sound. I just think my sound comes from 10s; 15s are great for a little more rock rumble, 12s are decent for just about anything, but like I was saying, clean, high-fidelity tone while still maintaining a solid deep fundamental just seems to beg for 10s.
+ Tiltback. Another thing this MB has that I like is the ability to kick back to bounce my tone off the ceiling instead of the front rail of the choir loft. It also gives me more of me so I don't overplay.
- Even more expensive. $1200. Ouch. And you probably want two more 10s or a 15 just like with the 1x12.
- Portability. Though a significant improvement over the Peavey, it's not as good as the 1x12 or the GK tiltbacks.
- Limited flexibility. Same head as the 1x12 with the same shortcomings.
GK Backline 600 2x10:
+ Affordable. $500 is a little more comfortable ballpark than $1000.
+ Portable. Smaller than the MB 2x10 combo, and beats the Peavey all day on size and weight.
+ On-board DI. No more fudging it with the effects send. MBs have them too but it's rarer to see them on something in this price range.
+ Tiltback. Like the MB 2x10, this one kicks back. It's something I wish the Peavey had, as it would be a major advantage in the choir loft when trying to hear and be heard over a drum kit and PAed keyboard.
- Power handling. Either the speakers or the head itself is way underpowered for use by itself. My Peavey's also a 300-watter, but you can really punch my combo whereas this one farts out rather quickly. You really need an extension cab, complicating portability.
- Sound quality. Related to its power handling, the Backline's tone leaves something to be desired at performance levels even when the cones aren't distorting. Maybe swapping for better cones, like GK Paragons or Eminences, would improve the sound. If that's the answer, it's really a $650 amp instead of $500.
- Crappy drive channel. If I pay for on-board distortion, it better be worth something. This combo's distortion has no highs to speak of even when clean tone has highs to spare. It's bass-oriented distortion and is decent when limited to that use, but my ODB-3 does the job for either and I use drive more often on g****r (obviously).
GK 700RB/2x10 Combo
+ Portability. The thing is its own roll-around, no hand cart necessary, no where, no way.
+ Good power handling. Not as good as the Markbass, but you can definitely thump this amp.
+ Decent controls. A little more flexibility than the Backline series, without that gawd-awful distortion channnel.
- Cost. It's almost as good as the MB 1x12 and costs as much. I think if I'm going to spend this much I'll go MB.
- Power Handling. Haven't had a problem so far, but a lot of reviews say the head is overrated. They'll push the cones, sure enough, but again, MB does the better job.
GK Backline 1x12 Combo
* A quick note, for those wondering about a $250 amp next to $500-$900 amps; the only option here is to use it as a bedroom amp and my Peavey gets carted up the stairs at church and stays there.
+ Affordability. The cheapest amp yet at about $275. I could write a check for one right now and not feel it.
+ Size. The smallest amp yet, easily able to handle a flight of stairs.
+ Sound. For a 100W 1x12 I was pleasantly surprised at its tone on both g****r and bass. It can handle my fiver without breaking a sweat, and it sings beautifully with a g****r. The distortion channel is actually decent, meaning I can leave my pedal board at church too if I wanted.
+ Tiltback. It's designed to be a monitor more than anything else.
- Power Handling. A 100W amp, no matter how good it sounds, is a 100W amp. This is probably not a viable option outside my bedroom, though it could possibly do the job as a g****r amp at the church if/when we get a dedicated bass player (who will likely use my rig).
Line 6 LD150
+ Sound per watt. For its cost, power rating and speaker size, it makes a pretty big sound.
+ Tonal versatility. Obviously, if you buy Line 6 you're getting bookoo built-in sounds. Here, they have a rather useful amp modeler that, in and of itself, allows for one-touch tone changes.
+ Tiltback. Another amp I can lean to get my sound out of the loft and into the sanctuary and to give me more me.
- Cost per watt. Obviously, the extra doodads are where Line6 adds value to its amp. I'd rather have more boom for my buck.
- Complexity. 4 presets, built-in tuner, amp models, built-in effects, turn one knob one way and the tone drastically changes, so it can be arduous dialing in your tone (which is why they give you presets).
- Borderline power handling. Good as a bedroom amp, marginal against drums. I think I could be drowned out against our drummer during our more enthusiastic songs.
- Native tone very dark. With everything set flat, the "clean" amp model is pretty dark. There are brighter, and of course there is a treble knob, but I'm used to a flat EQ that gives a little more body and sparkle and a bit less boom.
Others I haven't tried recently but would like to:
SWR WorkingPro 1x12 - sufficient wattage for guitar or bass in my setting, tiltback, piezo tweeter for better highs. However, it's more expensive and less powerful than the Backline 600 2x10 tiltback.
Eden Nemesis 2x10 - a very compact 2x10 with more power through 2 speakers (320W) than my combo puts through 4. However, it's expensive, and though cheaper than the MB 2x10 it's 180W less powerful and not a tiltback (though probably the easiest amp of the lot to put onto a tilt rack).
Now, these are all combos. There are definitely other options, and I'll look at almost anything. I could, for instance, take the Peavey to church but keep the extension cab home with a decent amp head like an LMII or a GK 1001RB. That would allow me to build that better rig component by component and opens up the possibility of head-cab rigs that break down into portable parts, like a 2x2x10 MB setup. In the meantime, my current extension cab can only handle 175W so the head would need to stay turned down, but when do I ever turn up the amp past 3 in my bedroom now anyway? I could then also take the extension cab to church much more easily than the combo (it's about half the weight and size).
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The pic doesn't provide much scale, but it's a very deep cabinet, and for a 210 it's pretty tall (with the extension cab, highly recommended, it's just under chest-height on me, and I'm 6'1; without that cab, it makes a good playing stool). It's also HEAVY; about 80 pounds.
That's all fine for an amp that, for the first three years or so that I had it, sat in a corner of my bedroom and maybe made one or two trips a year to church. However, now the praise band is going to be gigging once a month and practicing at least that much, and on top of that, instead of being up front, we'll be using one side of the choir loft. So, instead of wheeling it into place on a hand cart, I'd be lugging it up a narrow staircase once every two weeks. Not my bag.
Solution: buy a second, more portable amp, and either travel with that, or keep that one in the bedroom and the Peavey at church (or vice versa). What I end up doing with the two amps depends on what I get as my second amp; the better of the two amps will be the church performance amp.
So, I did check out the portable amp list, and concerning combos there wasnt much, and some of the "portable" cabs push the term. What follows is what I've tried. They've all had something I liked, and yet they all made me glad I have my Peavey (which is why I probably won't trade in). Skim my likes/dislikes, and tell me: Is there something else I haven't seen yet that you think should be looked at?
MarkBass 1x12 500W combo:
+ Small and light. This thing's about a quarter the volume of my current rig, with proportional weight. No trouble at all to throw it in the back seat (or even my trunk, which my current amp can't do no way no how)
+ Powerful. 200 more watts than my Peavey, with a more high-travel driver than the paper-ringed 10s in mine. Plug in an extension cab (I tried a MB 2x10 nearby) and this thing can hang with any serious head-cab rig you compare it to.
- Expensive. $900, when my Peavey cost half that, is a bitter pill to swallow. It also really needs a second cab for maximum depth of sound, whether an extra 12, 2 10s or a 15, and that's $300-400 on top of the combo.
- Overly simple. Though I've warmed up to MarkBass tone, I've found that the LMII, which they basically copied for the Combo heads, to be a little difficult to dial in for "my" sound (I like the TA501, for that and other reasons, but that's $1200 just for the head). I also cannot find one setting that I like for both g****r and bass, meaning changing between the two takes a bit more effort than just hitting my tuner mute and swapping axes.
MarkBass 2x10 combo:
+ Great sound. I just think my sound comes from 10s; 15s are great for a little more rock rumble, 12s are decent for just about anything, but like I was saying, clean, high-fidelity tone while still maintaining a solid deep fundamental just seems to beg for 10s.
+ Tiltback. Another thing this MB has that I like is the ability to kick back to bounce my tone off the ceiling instead of the front rail of the choir loft. It also gives me more of me so I don't overplay.
- Even more expensive. $1200. Ouch. And you probably want two more 10s or a 15 just like with the 1x12.
- Portability. Though a significant improvement over the Peavey, it's not as good as the 1x12 or the GK tiltbacks.
- Limited flexibility. Same head as the 1x12 with the same shortcomings.
GK Backline 600 2x10:
+ Affordable. $500 is a little more comfortable ballpark than $1000.
+ Portable. Smaller than the MB 2x10 combo, and beats the Peavey all day on size and weight.
+ On-board DI. No more fudging it with the effects send. MBs have them too but it's rarer to see them on something in this price range.
+ Tiltback. Like the MB 2x10, this one kicks back. It's something I wish the Peavey had, as it would be a major advantage in the choir loft when trying to hear and be heard over a drum kit and PAed keyboard.
- Power handling. Either the speakers or the head itself is way underpowered for use by itself. My Peavey's also a 300-watter, but you can really punch my combo whereas this one farts out rather quickly. You really need an extension cab, complicating portability.
- Sound quality. Related to its power handling, the Backline's tone leaves something to be desired at performance levels even when the cones aren't distorting. Maybe swapping for better cones, like GK Paragons or Eminences, would improve the sound. If that's the answer, it's really a $650 amp instead of $500.
- Crappy drive channel. If I pay for on-board distortion, it better be worth something. This combo's distortion has no highs to speak of even when clean tone has highs to spare. It's bass-oriented distortion and is decent when limited to that use, but my ODB-3 does the job for either and I use drive more often on g****r (obviously).
GK 700RB/2x10 Combo
+ Portability. The thing is its own roll-around, no hand cart necessary, no where, no way.
+ Good power handling. Not as good as the Markbass, but you can definitely thump this amp.
+ Decent controls. A little more flexibility than the Backline series, without that gawd-awful distortion channnel.
- Cost. It's almost as good as the MB 1x12 and costs as much. I think if I'm going to spend this much I'll go MB.
- Power Handling. Haven't had a problem so far, but a lot of reviews say the head is overrated. They'll push the cones, sure enough, but again, MB does the better job.
GK Backline 1x12 Combo
* A quick note, for those wondering about a $250 amp next to $500-$900 amps; the only option here is to use it as a bedroom amp and my Peavey gets carted up the stairs at church and stays there.
+ Affordability. The cheapest amp yet at about $275. I could write a check for one right now and not feel it.
+ Size. The smallest amp yet, easily able to handle a flight of stairs.
+ Sound. For a 100W 1x12 I was pleasantly surprised at its tone on both g****r and bass. It can handle my fiver without breaking a sweat, and it sings beautifully with a g****r. The distortion channel is actually decent, meaning I can leave my pedal board at church too if I wanted.
+ Tiltback. It's designed to be a monitor more than anything else.
- Power Handling. A 100W amp, no matter how good it sounds, is a 100W amp. This is probably not a viable option outside my bedroom, though it could possibly do the job as a g****r amp at the church if/when we get a dedicated bass player (who will likely use my rig).
Line 6 LD150
+ Sound per watt. For its cost, power rating and speaker size, it makes a pretty big sound.
+ Tonal versatility. Obviously, if you buy Line 6 you're getting bookoo built-in sounds. Here, they have a rather useful amp modeler that, in and of itself, allows for one-touch tone changes.
+ Tiltback. Another amp I can lean to get my sound out of the loft and into the sanctuary and to give me more me.
- Cost per watt. Obviously, the extra doodads are where Line6 adds value to its amp. I'd rather have more boom for my buck.
- Complexity. 4 presets, built-in tuner, amp models, built-in effects, turn one knob one way and the tone drastically changes, so it can be arduous dialing in your tone (which is why they give you presets).
- Borderline power handling. Good as a bedroom amp, marginal against drums. I think I could be drowned out against our drummer during our more enthusiastic songs.
- Native tone very dark. With everything set flat, the "clean" amp model is pretty dark. There are brighter, and of course there is a treble knob, but I'm used to a flat EQ that gives a little more body and sparkle and a bit less boom.
Others I haven't tried recently but would like to:
SWR WorkingPro 1x12 - sufficient wattage for guitar or bass in my setting, tiltback, piezo tweeter for better highs. However, it's more expensive and less powerful than the Backline 600 2x10 tiltback.
Eden Nemesis 2x10 - a very compact 2x10 with more power through 2 speakers (320W) than my combo puts through 4. However, it's expensive, and though cheaper than the MB 2x10 it's 180W less powerful and not a tiltback (though probably the easiest amp of the lot to put onto a tilt rack).
Now, these are all combos. There are definitely other options, and I'll look at almost anything. I could, for instance, take the Peavey to church but keep the extension cab home with a decent amp head like an LMII or a GK 1001RB. That would allow me to build that better rig component by component and opens up the possibility of head-cab rigs that break down into portable parts, like a 2x2x10 MB setup. In the meantime, my current extension cab can only handle 175W so the head would need to stay turned down, but when do I ever turn up the amp past 3 in my bedroom now anyway? I could then also take the extension cab to church much more easily than the combo (it's about half the weight and size).
