Hi all,
I posted the answer below into
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/bg250-208.1112110/ - question about whether the BG250 208 could hack it in a live jazz environment. Thought that it might be of interest to the wider (not in the context of too many pies consumed of course) BG250 audience. Anyway my 2p /2c worth on the subject.
I'll jump into the mix here. Having played bedroom bass for too many years to mention (used to be a drummer) into a little 30w combo I recently took the plunge to get back into playing in public. Auditions went well - rehearsal studios had various amp/cab configurations so I was able to play without my own back line. I didn't have a lot of cash, and was wary of buying from ebay/gumtree etc. for something that might be absolutely perfect, or just buying someone else's problems. I did the usual trawl of local music shops and played a variety of stuff before settling on the BG250 208. Loads of reasons, but primarily I just liked the tone I got from it (and the price), it's diminutive size and weight sealed it for me. I got a customer return for GBP190, which I still think was a pretty good deal.
So first gig depping for a bunch of kids (ok I'm an old git and anyone in their 20's is a kid in my book lol) 2 guitars and drums playing recent rock / pop in small venues (100 bods) and the little combo stood up reasonably well playing with only vocals (and bass drum) through the PA. Didn't have to dial much past 2 o'clock to be heard. Feedback from the audience was that the bottom was a bit absent but mid and highs were fine (Spectracomp set at about 10 o'clock certainly helps on the volume front).
Depping for a Heavy rock covers band made me question my original 'yeah 250w will be plenty' thoughts. This band had a loud drummer, and two guitarists, one blackstar and the other marshall valve. I had to max the little thing all the way to eleven. Only time I heard myself was when I hit a bum note, or when the song meant only one of the guitars (or less) was playing. I promised I would sort out my lack of noise in time for the gig and borrowed an 18" sub and power amp from a DJ friend and DI'd the BG to the power amp. Problem solved but not really the solution I was looking for. I then found a really tatty well gigged (and probably abused) 2x10 behringer cab on gumtree for GBP40. OMG what a difference. All of a sudden all this stuff about Ohms and pushing air made sense. Not only was their an appreciable difference in volume, the bottom end really came to life. The band noticed the difference immediately both in terms of tone and volume. The slight tube growl and the sustain from the compression software really worked for their sound. Playing in a live situation with these guys to 100-300 people venues my mini stack performed really well, and only with the 300 strong crowd did I have to go to 3 o'clock or a little beyond on the volume.
I have now got myself a band, we play traditional heavy rock covers (zep, sabbath, ACDC, lizzy and the like), we are essentially a trio (bass guitar drums) although our vocals occasionally jumps in on rhythm guitar for a couple of numbers, and all are happy with the volume/tone I deliver into the mix. I rarely go above 12 o'clock (around 10 if I use the extension cab) in our rehearsal situation so I'm pretty confident that my current set up will hold up in a live situation without having to call on my borrowing skills with my DJ friend.
One thing to add. It makes a real difference which bass I use to the overall tone / volume I get out of the cab. My passive, an old Hohner Arbor P copy - loud but boomy and under-defined lows (as others have mentioned on the BG250 threads), Vintage Bubinga V940 Active - way quieter, but great tone and a more even delivery between highs and lows (almost rickenbacker like), Traben Neo Active - much louder than the Hohner even when going through the low gain channel, and a really nice well rounded tone (my drummer said 'wow - that sounds mighty'), and my 'comedy' Vintage Metal Axxe Wraith again Active - somewhere between the Traben and Hohner in terms of volume and tonally - well it's an acquired taste, If I spent the time messing with the amp and bass eq I'm sure I could dial in something I'm happy with, but for now its use is the two Stone Sour covers and then more for the visuals rather than tone.
So - long post, to answer a fairly straightforward question. To summarise:
The Spectracomp toneprint makes a big difference to boosting the volume
The 208 on it's own is fine although there is a definite roll off at the bottom end (and don't even try to run an octaver through it on the E string - I presume all you 5 stringers out there would suffer massively in this area but then again I doubt if this little beast would be anywhere near your shopping list far less be on it).
The 208 coupled to a 210 (or I would imagine 410, 115 or even 112 as long as they are 8 Ohm) would probably suffice in the majority of situations.
The caveat of course is that you are not competing with a loud drummer and a couple of ramped up guitars, but you are playing in a band that understands how a live mix works and can rely on a FOH PA when the venue demands it.
From the sound of your situation (jazz - assuming keyboards, drums and some brass/woodwind) I reckon this would be fine.
Oh, one other thing, I believe that the 208 is the only BG combo that allows connection to an external cab, just make sure it's an 8 Ohm one.
Oh.. and another thing - I play with a plec rather than fingers - just prefer the attack and the way it sounds.
