Just noticed that Musicians Friend has the BG250 in stock and is running a 15% Memorial Day coupon code: FREEDOM15. That makes it $340, no tax, free shipping to CONUS.
Tempting, no?
Tempting, no?
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New TC Electronic bass combo - BG250
- Thread starter 4-string
- Start date
Nope,, Fed Ex did not deliver
Tracking listed it as "on the truck out for delivery",,,, so I guess that means they got it all ready and loaded up for a Tuesday drop-off.
Cheers
Davyo
I would assume that there is no "hole". Rather, the 15 might not be ideal at reproducing tones in the midrange.
One of my local Guitar Centers had one today and I tried it out briefly. Wasn't quite my voice and I'm really not in the market for a combo, so I bailed on it. Seems to be well worth $399. They should sell a lot of them.
Bought one today with 15% coupon at GC. Not a bad amp for the money. With no ext. speaker out, it is only going to be a small combo amp. I plan to use mine for mostly at home. I will have to take to practice to see what it can do opened up. The Tone Print app is kind of fun to play around with. I will be curious to see how big the library gets for this amp. I will be able to give you a better idea of the pros and cons after next weekend.
Looks really interesting, but....
Having the "toneprint" multi effects system in the amp is great, but not having access to directly control/edit the settings is nuts. While I'm sure that there are plenty of pros who can come up with great settings, those are great setting for their gear. If you want me to pay for the circuitry, then I want to be able to control it directly - don't weld the hood shut. (I assume they are working on it, but it seems odd to release the hardware without the software to go with it.)
Also the system to upload settings seems iffy - producing sound from the phone, which moves the strings, which is picked up by, well, the pickups, which is then sensed by the amp... it's cool, but it seems more like a "hey, look at this cool trick we can do!" than a good way to control an amp. (There is a USB jack, but I'm not 100% sure how to do an iPhone-->USB connection for this - does the charging cord work?) I wonder how well this would work in a noisy environment or does it mean that you can't put a bunch of pedals in the signal chain - fuzz and distortion would obviously have a chance of "scrambling" the signal.
In general, I think all these multipurpose touchscreen devices we're running around with (smart phones, tablets, etc.) will be doing more and more of this function of providing a nice multi-device interface. Some keyboards are doing more of this, but even the "smart" thermostat in your house is a great opportunity. This amp is an example where the issue of making the connection between the phone/tablet and the device to be controlled is a little complicated. (Specifically, I would prefer that the amp have bluetooth to interact with the phone.)
Someone else here pointed out - it would be nice to have several settings pre-loaded and then be able to switch between them on the amp itself. And "little" normal things like the lack of an external speaker out, are bummers.
Having the "toneprint" multi effects system in the amp is great, but not having access to directly control/edit the settings is nuts. While I'm sure that there are plenty of pros who can come up with great settings, those are great setting for their gear. If you want me to pay for the circuitry, then I want to be able to control it directly - don't weld the hood shut. (I assume they are working on it, but it seems odd to release the hardware without the software to go with it.)
Also the system to upload settings seems iffy - producing sound from the phone, which moves the strings, which is picked up by, well, the pickups, which is then sensed by the amp... it's cool, but it seems more like a "hey, look at this cool trick we can do!" than a good way to control an amp. (There is a USB jack, but I'm not 100% sure how to do an iPhone-->USB connection for this - does the charging cord work?) I wonder how well this would work in a noisy environment or does it mean that you can't put a bunch of pedals in the signal chain - fuzz and distortion would obviously have a chance of "scrambling" the signal.
In general, I think all these multipurpose touchscreen devices we're running around with (smart phones, tablets, etc.) will be doing more and more of this function of providing a nice multi-device interface. Some keyboards are doing more of this, but even the "smart" thermostat in your house is a great opportunity. This amp is an example where the issue of making the connection between the phone/tablet and the device to be controlled is a little complicated. (Specifically, I would prefer that the amp have bluetooth to interact with the phone.)
Someone else here pointed out - it would be nice to have several settings pre-loaded and then be able to switch between them on the amp itself. And "little" normal things like the lack of an external speaker out, are bummers.
Calebmundy
Supporting Member
- Apr 5, 2007
- 1,135
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- Endorsing Artist: DNA Amplifiers, Lākland Basses
I think it's more of a computer-USB connection. I haven't worked on editing the sounds yet, but they are adding a bunch of features as they go. The latest firmware update adds the compressor mentioned earlier.
My household has gigged this out now a few times between me and my little brother, and I'm really pretty impressed. It's got some really solid sounds, and I used it on an outdoor gig (which I didn't know was outdoors until I got there) and had it cranked. It kept right up with a six piece band. The weight surprises everyone when they pick it up. I'm definitely starting to get sold on it.
My household has gigged this out now a few times between me and my little brother, and I'm really pretty impressed. It's got some really solid sounds, and I used it on an outdoor gig (which I didn't know was outdoors until I got there) and had it cranked. It kept right up with a six piece band. The weight surprises everyone when they pick it up. I'm definitely starting to get sold on it.
This thread:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/tc-electronic-bg250-883013/index3.html
has been more active recently.
I know folks there will want to hear your experience with this live and outdoors.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/tc-electronic-bg250-883013/index3.html
has been more active recently.
I know folks there will want to hear your experience with this live and outdoors.
Im a recent noob to bass, I have a small ashdown tourbus 10 for practising in the house and it is superb for that, I fancied a five fifteen mini stack for if I end up jamming with people but popular opinion was that the 100w 5:15 would not keep up with a drummer. I recently saw the tce bg250 advertised in bass guitar uk magazine and it seems ideal as a second amp, my factors are low price/light portable not take up too much room and suitable for playing van halen and 80s hair metal like ratt crue etc. I had a quick look in the new bass guitar magazine where they have a review but could not buy it today but it looks a promising review and I seem to remember the reviewer mentioning rock and metal. cheers....paul
I just had mine out for the first time with my banging drummer, and the BG250 totally stands up.
If you're comparing BG500 to BG250, both with a 15's (my speculation is that the speaker setup is going to be a primary limiting factor), I really don't see how the 500 could be much louder...and the BG250 is simply sufficiently loud for a multitude of scenarios where any other combo is going to be a solution.
I don't see the tone print effects doing much for me, but if they're something you're interested in, I'd say go for it. The weight is a nice bonus too.
If you have PA support when necessary, I'd think it's a no-brainer.
Edit - And the tone and fullness are just fantastic. I'm very impressed and now wondering about some of my other gear.
Thanks alot for the info buddy. I was figuring the same thing about that 15 inch speaker. And yeah I will have PA support. The toneprint effects do seem like something to just mess with rather than use in a live scenario . But the bg250 it is. Thanks alot man
Owned a BG250 for a couple of weeks now and it is the answer to my prayers. If I were the praying type. I traded in an Ashdown Electric Blue 180 which weighed 27kgs and was really starting to annoy me. The Tonerpint is only 16 kg and an extra 70 watts. Fantastic punchy unit. Can't recommend it highly enough. And the built in chorus means not having to carry around extra unit and cables. Great little power combo!!
Got a BG250 combo this week after using a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 for the last few years. The TC fits the bill for what I need -- lightweight, and the 15" speaker gives me a little added depth that I like in a small room. I downloaded the Spectracomp Toneprint and used it along with a light bump in the Tubetone for a short gig of mostly '50s and '60s rock and pop, from Fats Domino to "Beginnings" by Chicago. Keys, guitars, drums & bass, and it did a great job.
I'll use the Shuttle for larger gigs with 2 112 cabs, but the BG250 is the go-to amp now for small venues. I demoed the BG500 last year and it is probably a bit louder, but it also weighs twice as much as the BG250. The built-in tuner works great and although the BG500 has presets and more tone control options, I can't argue with e features, weight and price of the BG250.
I'll use the Shuttle for larger gigs with 2 112 cabs, but the BG250 is the go-to amp now for small venues. I demoed the BG500 last year and it is probably a bit louder, but it also weighs twice as much as the BG250. The built-in tuner works great and although the BG500 has presets and more tone control options, I can't argue with e features, weight and price of the BG250.
