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Small bass cab for travelling

jazzgrowler

Guest
Aug 5, 2018
24
13
Yet another small bass amp discussion, done to death I know, but with a twist. My "manager" (wife) finally said OK to bringing my bass on trips, but the amp has to fit into a certain space, designated by her. The opening is 17 inches wide by 11 inches high.
I want the best sounding cabinet or combo to fit that space, and also would like to use it for small gigs and jamming. I mostly play fretless.
Power: 50 watts minimum, more is better (says he, grinning) Driver size: 12" won't fit, 10x1 or 8x2 would be tight. Form: Combo amp or separate head and cab are both OK.
Prospects I have found so far:
Markbass minimark 802 will not quite fit - or I would have already got one!
Markbass micromark 801 works
Markbass minimark 602 would fit, if I could find one!
PJB Breifcase fits, but the port is in the back, and this would probably sound muffled.
PJB Double 4 or Bass Cub will fit.
Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0 8T might fit, if I take the bracket off and run the cab and amp separated.
I haven't been able to find one to measure the cabinet.
Vox VX50BA sounds like crap, in my opinion.
So, my three questions maybe you guys could help?
1) Among the 801, Double 4, and Bass Cub, which sounds best at decent volume? How does the Shuttle 8 sound? I've never even seen one in person, much less heard it.
2) How does the Markbass 602 sound? Should I get one of the ones I mentioned, or keep looking for a used 602? (Ha! Those are like hens teeth!)
3) What have I missed? Any suggestions? Maybe you know of a good sounding 8x2 or 10x1 cabinet, or even a 6x2, and I can run a head separately? The head can stash anywhere when not in use.
Many thanks!
 
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Yet another small bass amp discussion, done to death I know, but with a twist. My "manager" (wife) finally said OK to bringing my bass on trips, but the amp has to fit into a certain space, designated by her. The opening is 17 inches wide by 11 inches high.
I want the best sounding cabinet or combo to fit that space, and also would like to use it for small gigs and jamming. I mostly play fretless.
Power: 50 watts minimum, more is better (says he, grinning) Driver size: 12" won't fit, 10x1 or 8x2 would be tight. Form: Combo amp or separate head and cab are both OK.
Prospects I have found so far:
Markbass minimark 802 will not quite fit - or I would have already got one!
Markbass micromark 801 works
Markbass minimark 602 would fit, if I could find one!
PJB Breifcase fits, but the port is in the back, and this would probably sound muffled.
PJB Double 4 or Bass Cub will fit.
Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0 8T might fit, if I take the bracket off and run the cab and amp separated.
I haven't been able to find one to measure the cabinet.
Vox VX50BA sounds like crap, in my opinion.
So, my three questions maybe you guys could help?
1) Among the 801, Double 4, and Bass Cub, which sounds best at decent volume? How does the Shuttle 8 sound? I've never even seen one in person, much less heard it.
2) How does the Markbass 602 sound? Should I get one of the ones I mentioned, or keep looking for a used 602? (Ha! Those are like hens teeth!)
3) What have I missed? Any suggestions? Maybe you know of a good sounding 8x2 or 10x1 cabinet, or even a 6x2, and I can run a head separately? The head can stash anywhere when not in use.
Many thanks!

I'm looking at similar conditions for traveling with a fretless and amp.

A crazy 8 and a class D amp might work for you.
 
Will the cab have to be played in that space or is that its home for storage and transport only? What is the third dimension (depth)?

Depending on your answers maybe one of the Trace Elliot Elf cabs would work or perhaps a Barefaced One 10 or Super Midget. With any of those options you could bring along a small class D head in a bag and have something that presents no compromises and possibly offers options for use with your regular gear.
 
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Depth is angled, 12.5 inches near the left, 16.5 inches from the middle to the right. It's a shelf with a lip on it in an RV, hence the odd shape.
The cab will be played in place most of the time, but not permanently attached or anything, so can be removed just by lifting it out when I get home or if I go to a jam or something. While playing in the RV, it stays on the shelf.
 
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The barefaced bass misses it by 1/2 inch, and I don't think I can get that by removing the handle. Also, if I did that, it wouldn't have a handle.
The Elf cab is 10.3 x 21, so just misses it in the 17 inch direction. Same problem as the Markbass 208.
MAS 16, (actually MAS 1,6) looks very interesting! Never seen that one, I believe it might do nicely! Looks very capable (in the photos, anyway) There must be dozens of class D amps that would work just fine.
I saw that Crazy 8 online, Barry Audio Design. It would also fit the space. Is that some kind of custom build shop, or do you just get components and build it yourself, or what? The website isn't very informative. Also, no info on the drivers, or power ratings. Or prices.
 
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Genzler Magellan 350 combo. That would be an awesome combo. Would definitely meet performance needs and be superior sonically. Dimensions, don’t know if you could squeeze it in, but would be worth it if could plead for a little more room?
 
Traynor Amps

Cabinet Impedance (Ohms) 8 ohms (internal) 4 ohms (external)
Power @ min. impedance (Watts) 200 watts
Minimum Impedance (Ohms) 4
Burst Power - 2 cycle 250 watts
Speaker Configuration 6.5 / 150W
Inputs Passive 0 dB, Active -6 dB
Aux Input (media) 1/8-inch TRS Stereo
Controls Gain, Bass, Low Mid, High Mid, Treble, Low Expander
Mute, Ground Lift
Line Out (type / configuration) XLR DI Out (Selectable Pre/Post EQ)
Line Out Sensitivity (Vrms) 1 Vms
Other Features 1/4-inch Headphone Jack, ¼-inch Tuner out
Dimensions (DWH, inches) 9 x 9.5 x 12.5
Dimensions (DWH, cm) 22.9 x 24.2 x 11.5
Weight (lbs / kg) 15 / 6.8
Specifications subject to change without notice
 

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