Double Bass My new "combo amp," LOL

[fdeck]

I've always wanted a combo amp, but have stuck with separates because I like messing with homemade speakers, and the market for small, high-performance combos has had its ups and downs. Well, with a little bit of creative cabling, and a large bungee made from an old bike innertube, I now have a combo amp.

Seriously, I don't really "need" a combo, but when has need ever been an impediment to tinkering with gear? But things have changed in subtle ways since the pandemic. For one thing, I'm in two bands that rehearse, meaning that my gear is going in and out of the house a lot more, up and down narrow basement stairs, etc. And my upright is already enough to manage. Gigs are cropping up in tiny venues that don't have a "stage" and space is tight.

In place of the usual handle, my speaker has a piece of nylon webbing that's long enough to go above the head. It makes the whole "combo" idea possible, plus it saved me a few bucks.

 

[Ketbass]

Love it. Still using my AI Coda combo for the same thing. In and out of the car/house/narrow basement steps and a couple of gigs a month.

 

[Jefenator]

You're giving me ideas...
I've got this head & cab and a nice full roll of gaff tape, all within arm's reach. In 5 minutes I could have the beefiest sounding 32# combo on the west coast!

But I should resist; I mix & match all my stuff a lot. And the amps stay a lot younger, living & traveling in a padded shoulder bag.
It does feel like there's a hole in my life since my handle little MB150 died...

 

[buldog5151bass]

I've never liked combos. What I like doing is keeping one cab where I practice, and one where I rehearse (for a while, I had a cheap Kustom wedge monitor for the jazzband). This way, other than a gig, I just carry bass, and head and cables in a backpack.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

I'm with Francis. Before I found my PJB combo, I used to experiment with ways to attach my AI head to various cabinets for ease of setup.

 

[Ric Vice]

Same here, but a bit different approach, using MAS powered 1/8’s I could just carry a bass preamp like the EDB-2 H.E. In the bass case. Until I got one of these.

Now it’s just a one handed 12 lb lunchbox. Pretty remarkable sound and footprint. I used it outside on a patio gig.

 

[fdeck]

Dang it all, Traynor has me beat by a pound.

Is it sealed or ported?

 

[Don Kasper]

Include me Out...
I still prefer carrying my BELOVED WW Electracoustic amp (wrapped in a towel!) in my GigPurse (tm).
Thanks.

 

[Ric Vice]

Dang it all, Traynor has me beat by a pound.

Is it sealed or ported?

It’s rear ported on the bottom of the back.

 

[JBarz]

It does feel like there's a hole in my life since my handle little MB150 died...

I’ve got a little 150w PJB mini head that I’ve been considering ‘semi permanently’ attaching to an old busted and stripped down GK MB150 112 cab because they work so well together as a easy low volume leave-at-rehearsal-space combo rig. This thread might push me over the edge

 

[fdeck]

Include me Out...
I still prefer carrying my BELOVED WW Electracoustic amp (wrapped in a towel!) in my GigPurse (tm).
Thanks.

Good point. I should have mentioned that the GK MB200 head is far from precious, and also, is handled quite gently. Also, I can quickly disassemble the rig and throw everything in a bag if the load-in is in any way dicey.

 

[Don Kasper]

Good point. I should have mentioned that the GK MB200 head is far from precious, and also, is handled quite gently. Also, I can quickly disassemble the rig and throw everything in a bag if the load-in is in any way dicey.

Thanks, fdeck.
I knew you would handle fragile electronic gear with appropriate caution.

 

[brianrost]

While I've always appreciated the flexibility of a head and cabs, I've used combos for both DB and BG many times over the years.

The one that has stuck like glue is the AI Coda. It's got just the right set of features that I don't have to add anything. Even with my Walter Woods/Bergantino rig I need an external preamp.

Gee, imagine Walter and Jim B. collaborated on a combo amp and borrowed fdeck's HPF design

 

[Martin Beer]

I have a little homebuilt 1x10 cab that lives in a cajon bag for portability, that I also use with a GK MB200 that fits in the bag with it. I've certainly thought about doing something like this for quicker setup but never got around to it. I notice the MB200 has threaded inserts on the side (presumably for rack ears), and I feel like it would be possible to come up with some sort of mounting bracket for those

 

[Ric Vice]

Include me Out...
I still prefer carrying my BELOVED WW Electracoustic amp (wrapped in a towel!) in my GigPurse (tm).
Thanks.
View attachment 5040382

With the new GR Carbon Fiber Cabinets
and Fuchs amplification able to do some repairs I’m considering bringing the Walter Woods Ultra out of mothballs and gigging with it again. GR’s 1x10 weighs 10 lbs.

 

[Ben Esparza]

So your setup can’t really be called a “combo”, but it is a combo, as in combination of a head and a cab, in the truest sense of the word. I’m currently laid up with a total knee replacement so pulling stuff out to snap pics is not an option. However, my GK MB-E head and SWR Baby Blue Monitor clone are a luggage cart with bungee cords away. The amp head in the pic is not mine; the cab is.

 

[Ben Esparza]

I have the padded bag that GK offers for the MB head and a LeCover cover for the cab.

 

[JBarz]

I’ve got a little 150w PJB mini head that I’ve been considering ‘semi permanently’ attaching to an old busted and stripped down GK MB150 112 cab because they work so well together as a easy low volume leave-at-rehearsal-space combo rig. This thread might push me over the edge

I got tired of carrying around 2 cabs, a head, and pedals all the time so I finally ‘built’ this little combo unit using duct tape, lol.

It’s pretty great - I thought the duct tape would dampen the aluminum cab enclosure in a bad way, but I was wrong- it absolutely improved the tone. Works great direct with the Yamahiko dual element, but the Vic’s needs a preamp to really get anything out of this rig.

Grateful for the ease and simplicity.