First one lasted maybe a week, second one is still going but rarely used (backup in the gig bag).
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Poll: Did your BAM200 fry?
- Thread starter Snarf
- Start date
I got one when they first came out... maybe Sweetwater? I've gigged with it several times with no problems. Now it stays in the trunk as a last resort amplifier.
I had one from the Amazon batch that lasted about 3 weeks. I liked it but....
I went with an Alto TX310 for my small gig and practice solution.
I went with an Alto TX310 for my small gig and practice solution.
I got one before the Bad Batch, it's held up really nicely. I gigged it a few times, yeah, you need to bring more speaker cabs because it really is NOT a 200-watt amp in any sense of the word, but it's been quite reliable and it sounds good.
I’ve had two BAM 200 / 2x8 setups on two different occasions. Both worked nicely. They were good for the small weekly duo gigs at the bar.
Makes me sad to see they’re crapping out. I liked the setup for a small head / cab.
Makes me sad to see they’re crapping out. I liked the setup for a small head / cab.
I bought mine used, no idea how many previous owners or how old it is.
I've only used it at 8ohm for home practice and a few 2hr rehearsals w/ a 40's era big band (14 horns & rhythm section) and it has done fine, so far.
Based on reputation alone, I'm kind of afraid to take it as the primary amp for a show.
I'll take the Genz for the main and the TC will remain the backup.
I've only used it at 8ohm for home practice and a few 2hr rehearsals w/ a 40's era big band (14 horns & rhythm section) and it has done fine, so far.
Based on reputation alone, I'm kind of afraid to take it as the primary amp for a show.
I'll take the Genz for the main and the TC will remain the backup.
Pretty loud drums next to me. Also, the louder your level is, the less you end up digging in, and the better your technique is. But as levels on stage rise, the louder you have to be in your ears to overcome what's going on around you and preserve your technique. At the end of a gig my head just feels stuffy. Really bad sign.
I feel like in-ears are ideal for very large stages, because you're going to be further away from the drums. My main band is mandatory in-ears because the band leader uses a god mic to direct everything. If I can get air moving at me, the impact of that will allow me to drastically reduce my volume in my ears. I've got everything else at very comfortable levels, it's just the bass that needs a volume reduction.
Based on what I'm reading, maybe the 300 watt Gnome is the best idea. I'm used to a Backline 600 which is 300 watts at 4 ohms, but I'm only doing an 8 ohm load. Has always been plenty of power for these private event spaces that I play.
Bought on Amazon, July 15, 2022. It lasted about 30 minutes before it burned up. Returned to Amazon for full credit.
Mine fried up with the first serious use, which, fortunately, was a rehearsal. It filled my house with a foul, chemical smell. Enough of that.
Bought one off Sweetwater 2 years ago as a practice / backup rig. Ended up using it as my main amp. Never use it past 12:00 on the master. Always drive it with gain at 3:00. Clipping LED always on. Played a gig this past July 1. 105 deg, direct sun (102 deg in the shade). The amp was HOT, but never shut - down, to my surprise, driving a 2-10 cab. Loud enough with single cab.
I really like this little amp. I usually use it with a pair of BC208 cabs.
I really like this little amp. I usually use it with a pair of BC208 cabs.
Mine has held up for about 3 years now, without a glitch. Has been used to its limit regulary too. It has done several outdoor gigs and I use it to replace the foul sounding house amp at the rehearsal studio. Great little amp, bit it needs serious eq for electric bass. The voicing is very good for DB.
Got mine before the fire sale, paid $200 for it. I only use it a few times for practice and never in a band situation so not so far.
Sounds somewhat good and I’ll keep it for a backup.
Sounds somewhat good and I’ll keep it for a backup.
I've had mine 2+ years, and it's still holding up. I normally don't push it too hard, but the several times I did, it held up fine.
I got one of the early runs from Sweetwater absolutely no issues with mine for 2 years. I’ve owned SMPS bass amps since I bought my first Walter Woods MI-100-8 in 1980. That amplifier had to be sent back to Walter when a component in the power supply failed. He repaired it and it’s still in service. My take is that any run of bass amps can have issues due to faulty parts overheating. The Ampeg PF 500's had a component issue several years ago, and as far as I can tell they fixed the problem. If you look at the TC Electronics Bam 200 you'll see what's common to most newer Class D power amplifiers designs. For the most part they are all sealed boxes
with a internal fan to prevent overheating. This seems to work well for a large portion of the newer amps, but if the heat sensor is defective then the amp will likely over heat and fail. Older designs like the Walter Woods have large heat sinks to wick heat off the amp and are top vented so there is no heat build up. They were
designed to be repaired. The BAM 200 is a "throwaway amplifier" as far as I know. Just my take of course. I felt the Bam 200 was a great little Double Bass and Electric Bass amp. That said I also felt that it had the potential to fail because of the design was so small.
with a internal fan to prevent overheating. This seems to work well for a large portion of the newer amps, but if the heat sensor is defective then the amp will likely over heat and fail. Older designs like the Walter Woods have large heat sinks to wick heat off the amp and are top vented so there is no heat build up. They were
designed to be repaired. The BAM 200 is a "throwaway amplifier" as far as I know. Just my take of course. I felt the Bam 200 was a great little Double Bass and Electric Bass amp. That said I also felt that it had the potential to fail because of the design was so small.
It sounds like your drummer needs to learn how to control his own volume a little bit, and you need better quality IEMs that actually create an isolated environment.
Loud drums should be nice and quiet if you’re wearing sound isolating IEMs, even if you stand right next to them.
Then you can run your iems at very low volume.
Loud drums should be nice and quiet if you’re wearing sound isolating IEMs, even if you stand right next to them.
Then you can run your iems at very low volume.
Bought my BAM around 2019 from Sweetwater.
Used it, sold it and AFAIK it's still running okay with my friend's setup.
I jumped into the Gnome bus, loved it from the start, tried all versions of them and now I'm very happy with my 300-watt version.
Used it, sold it and AFAIK it's still running okay with my friend's setup.
I jumped into the Gnome bus, loved it from the start, tried all versions of them and now I'm very happy with my 300-watt version.
