Double Bass so many choices,,,, confusing

[lefty5]

gotta bite the bullitt and replace the amp we use with our kay upright bass,,, small venues and a 40 to 60 watt 10 to 12 inch speaker will be plenty.... these are the ones i have researched,

ashdown perfect 10 249.00

fender rumble v3 40 watt 199.00

ampeg BA-110 v2 1x10 179.00

eden ec10 199.99

traynor TB 50 279.00

whats the best most reliable bang for the buck...... weight is also a factor





terry m

 

[cdavisshannon]

What amp are you using currently? Honestly, none of those choices are really so hot for upright.

 

[lefty5]

an old cheap johnson that was a spur of the moment type deal,,,, never liked it any way


terry m

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Of the amps you have listed, I would choose the Fender Rumble. There are a few threads in this forum where others have mentioned that these amps, with their 1 Meg Ohm input impedance and fairly neutral sound, work well for a double bass with a piezo pickup. I recently purchased a Rumble 25 as an electric bass practice amp, but it does indeed sound good with my upright bass and Eminence EUB. The Rumble also meets your requirement for a lightweight amp. All of the amps in this series are surprising lightweight for their size and wattage.

- Steve

 

[bassfacer22]

I second the fender..

 

[lefty5]

i like the looks of the fender also, (always had a thing for those silver grills since i had a super reverb) and sometimes she and i have gigs in different directions and she has to carry the amp to the stage of wherever they set up,,, so weight is a big factor,,, fender has a good rep and plenty of service locations. the rumble has good reviews and is cheap .
just wondering if the rumble 100 with the 12" is worth the extra 100 bucks?

18 lbs verses 22 lbs


terry m

 

[rickwolff]

Try them both at the store. If you can't I'd probably go with the 100/12.

 

[DoubleMIDI]

I would at least recommend 100W. The Polytone Mini-Brutes were 80 to 120 (100?) watts without an extension speaker.

My Genz-Benz Shuttle 3.0-10T is just a bit lighter (21 lbs) with 185 watts which works for almost all of my double bass needs. Not a completely neutral sound but nice for double bass and also bass guitar and pushes through very well. But it's discontinued and even used about twice as expensive as your choices. There is an 8 inch version (-8T) that is even lighter than the -10T (about 15 lbs) but not as loud and probably missing some bass if it gets a bit louder.

 

[Feral Feline]

From the list...

...TRAYNOR!​

18 lbs
Still, it's a discontinued product and though it fits your needs I'd still suggest a bit more headroom in the power department.

The newer SB110 is 21 lbs, yet still very compact and 120w will ensure that it'll cover your needs and then some.

Having said all that, you like the aesthetics of the Fender and it's been getting love and attention around here, so if you truly don't need more than it affords you... get that.

​

 

[bassfacer22]

If the option exists you go with the 12.. better rounded and warm sound.. You will regret if you don't go with the 12.. remember you play bass..

which means you needs watts and the quality of the cone/magnet/coils matters..

if you care about sound..

A company like Bose is a great example of powerful bass with small speakers if you are into that.. but then look at the power rating of them and the cost..

 

[Ric Vice]

If the option exists you go with the 12.. better rounded and warm sound.. You will regret if you don't go with the 12.. remember you play bass....

A company like Bose is a great example of powerful bass with small speakers if you are into that.. but then look at the power rating of them and the cost..

+on the 10 vs the 12. My Audiokinesis Thunderchild 112 is the best sounding bass cabinet for doubling I've ever owned and weighs 30 lbs. I owned a pair of Bose 802's that required a minimum of 400 watts to drive them. Euphonic Audio's VL 208's had a transmission line design, similar to the Bose, but sounded far better. They also were very power hungry, because they had extended low frequency response. They also weighed 48 lbs. So there's better options out there even the Bose L1's aren't as easy to transport as the Thunderchild or MAS 4x5.

Ric

 

[Eric Hochberg]

Traynor gives a lot of bang for buck. I used a Yorkville 50 (became Traynor) for years and preferred it to the much more expensive GK150 mini combo popular with many.

 

[Feral Feline]

Well, Traynor became Yorkville, and down the road Yorkville resurrected the Traynor brand name.
Still giving big bangs for small bucks...

Need a bit more power and more cone area to shift more air?

The Traynor SB112 only weighs 25 lbs, 2oow/4Ohm, headphone, defeatable tweeter...

Traynor SB115 comes in at 31 lbs, 250w/4Ohm. Shares a lot of the same specs as the other Small Blocks mentioned

• 4-band EQ w/ Low Frequency Expander
• Active and Passive Instrument Level Inputs
• XLR Balanced D.I Output
• Tweeter Defeat Switch
• ¼-inch Headphone Output
• ¼-inch Auxiliary Input
• All Metal Chassis
• Solid Plywood Cabinet Construction
• Made in Canada

 

[Ric Vice]

Well, Traynor became Yorkville, and down the road Yorkville resurrected the Traynor brand name.
Still giving big bangs for small bucks...

Need a bit more power and more cone area to shift more air?

The Traynor SB112 only weighs 25 lbs, 2oow/4Ohm, headphone, defeatable tweeter...

Traynor SB115 comes in at 31 lbs, 250w/4Ohm. Shares a lot of the same specs as the other Small Blocks mentioned

• 4-band EQ w/ Low Frequency Expander
• Active and Passive Instrument Level Inputs
• XLR Balanced D.I Output
• Tweeter Defeat Switch
• ¼-inch Headphone Output
• ¼-inch Auxiliary Input
• All Metal Chassis
• Solid Plywood Cabinet Construction
• Made in Canada

Nice to see something that's economical, lightweight, and practical.

 

[Mark Gollihur]

The SB110 and SB112 are both really great with upright. Both have an input impedance >1 Megohm. They're also both far louder than they have a right to be at the ratings they've been given. When using one for upright, I recommend turning the "Expander" circuit all the way off (counter-clockwise) as it imparts a "scooped" and "enhanced" tone that makes it sound much more electric - with that function off, the amp is surprisingly/pleasingly transparent.

 

[Ric Vice]

Nice to see something that's economical, lightweight, and practical.

Recently, I needed a practice/small gig amp for teaching and playing "light duty" casuals. I didn't wan't to invest a lot of cash in this unit, so I purchased an Ibanez Promethean 20 and I have to say
that for it's form/factor it's pretty impressive. The Promethean 20 wouldn't be practical for your needs, but they did build a Promethan 3110, and a 5110. Whether or not you can locate one is
hard to say. A 5110 recently sold here in the Talkbass EB threads for $300. It has a graphic eq, a nice touch vs typical tone controls. So, for what it's worth IME the Promethean is a pretty nice amp.You would have to use an FDeck HPF/Buffer PreAmp because the input impedance is to low.The Traynor is the best bang for the buck however.

 

[neddyrow]

i've been thinking about the carvin mb 2x10 for about $400

looks like a good combo and i love carvin stuff. curious if anyone uses one of those for DB. seems like a clean class D amp in there. too much color?

looks like it may bee a good option

 

[PaulJSmith]

I have the Carvin MB10 and 115 extension that I've been using with my electric. Haven't tried it yet with the DB. I have to say (as a long-time Ampeg guy), I like it a lot. Very clean sound. It has become my home studio amp.

 

[neddyrow]

i was on the carvin site yesterday and saw the mb 2x10 was on sale for $100 bucks off so i pulled the trigger.

i report on the amp when it arrives....might be a good option....especially for $300

caveat: the amp i ordered will take a little longer because i went with the tweed. when you have the option, you always go tweed!

 

[Ric Vice]

i was on the carvin site yesterday and saw the mb 2x10 was on sale for $100 bucks off so i pulled the trigger.

i report on the amp when it arrives....might be a good option....especially for $300

caveat: the amp i ordered will take a little longer because i went with the tweed. when you have the option, you always go tweed!

+1 Nothing like tweed, the case for my 1959 Precision Bass is something to behold. I'm also a fan of Blue Check Vinyl. Something about that period in amps, cases, and basses that's unique.

Ric