• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Need amp advice

Rip Topaz

Rip Topaz

Aug 12, 2005
8,664
918
Willow Street, PA
#1
I'm in the process of re-working my entire rig in order to come up with something a little easier on the back.

I'm currently using an Acoustic B200 combo (200 watts, 73 pounds) and it sounds great, but it's not exactly super portable.

I need an amp that I can play through at church, and use as a personal monitor while sending a direct to the FOH. I do the same thing now with my B200, but it's a bit too large and powerful for my space on stage at church.

I've been seriously considering the Line6 Studio 110. Does anyone have any experience with this amp, or have any warnings as to why it won't work for my situation?

I was hoping to try one today at my local GC, but not only did they not have one, but almost NONE of their amps even had a power cord attached. I don't wanna start a rant on GC, but come on. How the hell are you gonna sell an amp that I can't try?

Anywhoo, any opinions on the Studio 110 are appreciated. Thanks.
 
#3
Line 6's bass stuff way doesn't impress me... It's like an afterthought of their guitar stuff. Eden has a couple small tiltback combos, Same with SWR. I haven't played any of them, so I can't vouch for how they sound, but the form factor you're looking for is there.

Might also try the mesa walkabout stuff. Or any of the million and one tiny heads and 2x10 cabs that get raved about on here.
 
#5
The reason I've been looking at the line6 is that the ability to tweak the settings and save them is a plus. We use a relatively small PA for the size room we have, and with all the other instruments, the bass has a tendency to get lost in the mix. I'm hoping to be able to add a bit of support to the PA for bass. Odd, but if you saw the system you'd understand. Basically, we have a ton of subs under the stage, and four small 15"+horn cabs for the top end.

In all honesty, the B200 would be perfect for this if it weren't for the carrying part.

We use in ears for monitors, with each of us getting our own Aviom pod to set our mix, but the church provides the earbuds, which are the stock single driver models. Needless to say, monitoring bass through them is horrible at best.

Our guitarist uses an amp, and it's close enough to me that I use that more than the in ears to hear what's going on, but if I can get an amp on stage without scaring the villagers, it would be great. 200 watts might cause the musical director to have a coronary before I even plug in!!
 
#6
If you have IEM, why not get a DI box. It wont add anything from stage volume, but maybe having someone mix out the mud is a better idea?


Rip Topaz said:
The reason I've been looking at the line6 is that the ability to tweak the settings and save them is a plus. We use a relatively small PA for the size room we have, and with all the other instruments, the bass has a tendency to get lost in the mix. I'm hoping to be able to add a bit of support to the PA for bass. Odd, but if you saw the system you'd understand. Basically, we have a ton of subs under the stage, and four small 15"+horn cabs for the top end.

In all honesty, the B200 would be perfect for this if it weren't for the carrying part.

We use in ears for monitors, with each of us getting our own Aviom pod to set our mix, but the church provides the earbuds, which are the stock single driver models. Needless to say, monitoring bass through them is horrible at best.

Our guitarist uses an amp, and it's close enough to me that I use that more than the in ears to hear what's going on, but if I can get an amp on stage without scaring the villagers, it would be great. 200 watts might cause the musical director to have a coronary before I even plug in!!
Click to expand...
 
#9
Rip Topaz said:
We use in ears for monitors, with each of us getting our own Aviom pod to set our mix, but the church provides the earbuds, which are the stock single driver models. Needless to say, monitoring bass through them is horrible at best.

Our guitarist uses an amp, and it's close enough to me that I use that more than the in ears to hear what's going on, but if I can get an amp on stage without scaring the villagers, it would be great. 200 watts might cause the musical director to have a coronary before I even plug in!!
Click to expand...

If this were your only concern I would suggest getting yourself a good set of earbuds... You can get the dual driver livewires for $250 and pretty much never need to replace them. There's a couple other options out there as well.

As for the wanting to reinforce the PA part... I understand that the size of the amp is the only problem you have with it? If that's the case, then I would definitely suggest one of the microamps and a 2x10 cab. A 2x10 cab might help you get forward in the mix a bit without increasing your volume too much. But GC would have to have power cables for you to audition amps and cabs, eh? :p

EDIT: If you aren't trying to support the PA, then a good DI + good earbuds is an easy choice.
 
#10
That's the dilemma. If I use an amp, I can kinda give the bass a little help in the room, which wouldn't necessarily be bad as long as I keep I under control.

I loathe in ears. Without fail I end up turning them up too loud every stinking time, and spend the next two weeks with a buzzing head.
 
#13
JimWasHere said:
I would suggest getting yourself a good set of earbuds...
Click to expand...

+1
This is one of the best investments I have ever made. I bought a set of Westone UM2s and it was a night and day difference. I can now add whatever instruments I want to my mix and not worry about losing the bass. Check amazon for good deals, that's where I got mine. You may also want to try a different set of tips, I use the triple flanged silicone ones and I also like the comply foam tips. Unless the venue you're playing is really small (around 50-100 people max) you wont get very good results with trying to run your amp for additional FOH support.
 
#14
It's possible, although you're probably still in the hundred dollar range for something good enough, and the chances of the isolation being that great are still not that high. A good set of headphones is one of those purchases you never regret though, even if they aren't the best answer for this particular situation.
 
#15
Another thought, after rereading this whole thread... One possibility with having trouble getting an even mix out in the house might be that your stage volumes are interfering with FOH. It very well may be that if you ditched the amp completely it would make the entire world a bit more clear. Same principle with the guitar amp, if it's being miked. Turn it down, turn it around backwards, move it offstage, cover it with a blanket... anything to control how much it's putting into FOH. It's really amazing how much it helps to clean up stage volume. And those might be things that can be experimented with at a rehearsal without spending any money.
 
#16
As of now, the one guitarist is the only one using an amp, and it's not going anywhere.

We also have a grand piano on the other side of the stage. The system is actually quite elaborate, but because of the cheapie earbuds that they provide, bass is completely distorted and unusable as a monitor source.

I plan on eventually getting a set of the Westones, but for occasional church use only (we use wedges with my band), it's hard to justify a $250 purchase when I'll only be using them once a month or less.

That's the problem. I gotta do this cheap cuz I don't play often enough for it to be worth a major purchase.
 
#17
Rip Topaz said:
As of now, the one guitarist is the only one using an amp, and it's not going anywhere.
Click to expand...

I wasn't suggesting getting rid of the guitar amp, by any means. There's just a lot of other options for controlling where all that amplified guitar sound goes if the amp is miked and can be piped back at you from the monitors.


Rip Topaz said:
The system is actually quite elaborate, but because of the cheapie earbuds that they provide, bass is completely distorted and unusable as a monitor source.
Click to expand...

If they sound good playing full range music from an ipod then they should sound good as monitors. If they can't do that, then perhaps go to the local radio shack and pick up a $10 set of earphones just to make sure that's really where the problem lies?


Rip Topaz said:
I gotta do this cheap cuz I don't play often enough for it to be worth a major purchase.
Click to expand...

This makes complete sense to me. I hope some of this stuff you can try without spending any money at all. :p

EDIT: I've run some quiet stage type stuff for musicals... From the engineers perspective it can get crazy complicated with all the different monitor mixes and monitor vs foh interference and stuff like that. Sometimes it can boil down to 1 gain stage somewhere that you got out of order, or a compressor or gate that shouldn't be on, and the person hearing it ends up putting up with something like a fuzzy monitor because they think it's equipment and they're stuck with it. Also, a lot of times in a church a pro is hired to come in and do the setup, and a volunteer gets trained on how to operate it, which makes troubleshooting problems like that a bit rougher. All that considered, I'd definitely not like to see ya spend money you don't need to.
 
#18
I'm not entirely sure about who set up the system, but here's the deal: we broadcast our service to a local theater for their "satellite" service, as well as the church's website and a local radio station.

So playing is actually really cool, cuz people can listen (and watch) without actually being there.

I'm going to take a pair of earbuds with me tonight, and try those instead of the ones they provide. Maybe that'll give me a better idea of which direction to go with this.
 
#19
Looks like the Studio 110 is around $300, new, online.

If I were considering that, I would definitely have a look at the Promethean 110 combo.

It will give you a 1x10 combo that weighs 33 pounds (mine, in its carry bag). And I think it will likely give you all the FOH bass reinforcement you're looking for. By itself, it puts out 250W - and puts out an amazing amount of bass for only having 1 10. With an extension cab (or, running at 4 ohms, however you do it), it's 500W.

The head detaches (with no tools!) from the combo enclosure, so you can use it with one or 2 other cabs. With that head and a pair of 8 ohm 410s, you could pretty much play any gig anywhere.

The cab has a built-in tweeter, too. So, with the Aux In jack, the combo is a one-stop shop for practice. I plug an MP3 player into the Aux In and can play along with good full-range sound of whatever tracks I want to practice with.

So, you could get the combo now and just buy a cab later and be totally set for your gigging rig needs.

And, there's one for sale in the TB Classifieds right now. (not by me - no affiliation at all)

I bet your MD would be totally pleased by the size of it. You don't have to tell him (or her) that it's 250W. :D
 
#20
There are lots of nice, small, powerful combo amps out there these days. I used to have a Roland DB500, that sounded very nice. It was a little heavy, and I'm sure there are lighter options today. A friend has a Hartke Hy-drive combo, that is a tilt back 2/10 and sounds amazing. There is a smaller 1/12 version I think if a 2/10 is too much. Most all have a DI or pre-amp out.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back