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TC Electronic's biggest mistake on BG250 combos

deff

deff

Oct 15, 2018
2,827
4,160
Gloucester, MA
#1
Seriously no extension cab out? WTH were they thinking? I played one in a store the other day against a Peavey MAX 115 which I wanted to like more. The TC wiped the floor with that thing. The TCE combo was voiced appropriately, the Peavey was hot trash. The PV could barely handle low volumes and voiced with too much low end which just rumbled badly. I feel despite the 50 watt advantage in power, the PV would have died a swift death and wasn't as loud as the TCE.

Would have bought it right then if I could have added an additional cab, no such luck. What were they thinking? This should be a feature on all combos above 100 watts.
 
#3
JimChjones said:
Well, another buyer might think "why should I have to buy another cabinet before my amp will deliver full power? If I wanted to cart lots of boxes around I wouldn't get a combo amp."
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ImI sure that's what they were thinking, except while it isn't needed, why have such a feature rich set and not add in something so simple yet incredibly useful? My biggest fear with any combo amp is, if I push it too hard, will I trash the speaker? I'm a fan of lightweight combos but I have to keep up with a 100 watt JCM800 full stack. My Ashdown 2x10 combo is already showing signs of abuse. I'm probably loading too much signal into the front end.

Plus combos are price friendly. I basically get a cab and an amp for a steal. What's a broke father of three living in expensive Massachusetts to do? I would have plunkex down the money right then if it had an extension out. The 1x12 sounded great plus the other features and weight are really nice.
 
#7
Mushroo said:
The amp is rated for 4ohms minimum, so an extension speaker would potentially damage it. It would cost a lot to re-engineer it to be 2-ohm stable.

There is also the issue that if you connect an 8ohm extension speaker, it would only get half as much power as the 4ohm internal speaker.
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That's what it is. Some people will complain that you have to add an extension to get the 250 watts, which IMO goes against the convenience of a combo. I like the fact it does full power by itself. GK does full power also but added the function of powered extensions. My friend gigs with the TC combo and that thing cranks. Not sure what they do, but it's loud, punchy and clear all the way back in a decent size bar un-mic'd. Might have something to do with their multi-band compression.
 
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#8
deff said:
Seriously no extension cab out? WTH were they thinking? I played one in a store the other day against a Peavey MAX 115 which I wanted to like more. The TC wiped the floor with that thing. The TCE combo was voiced appropriately, the Peavey was hot trash. The PV could barely handle low volumes and voiced with too much low end which just rumbled badly. I feel despite the 50 watt advantage in power, the PV would have died a swift death and wasn't as loud as the TCE.

Would have bought it right then if I could have added an additional cab, no such luck. What were they thinking? This should be a feature on all combos above 100 watts.
Click to expand...
Did you try the NEW version of the Peavey Max? This is the new one.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Peavey...clid=ADL-4ce9b65b-b61d-44d7-b29c-8c00097bd05e
 
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#10
deff said:
I'm a fan of lightweight combos but I have to keep up with a 100 watt JCM800 full stack.
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Abarson is right. In that case you're going to need at least 4 tens (however they're packaged). You'll beat the crap out of 2x10 or 1x15 no matter who makes it. Your Ashdown should be a warning to you. You'd be well advised to double the power too. Otherwise you'll have a future thread about "not enough headroom with 250 watts" or something similar.

If you're broke you should be looking at used gear.
 
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#12
okcrum said:
Abarson is right. In that case you're going to need at least 4 tens (however they're packaged). You'll beat the crap out of 2x10 or 1x15 no matter who makes it. Your Ashdown should be a warning to you. You'd be well advised to double the power too. Otherwise you'll have a future thread about "not enough headroom with 250 watts" or something similar.

If you're broke you should be looking at used gear.
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I have been looking at used gear. Unfortunately not all 4x10s are created anywhere near equal. I tried out a used Genz Benz 4x10 which probably had less power handling than the 1x12 in the combo even though it was rated at a higher wattage capacity. I was thinking of adding a 4x10 to the 2x10 in the combo for pwer distribution to help out, but so far no luck.
 
#14
 
#15
deff said:
Seriously no extension cab out? WTH were they thinking? I played one in a store the other day against a Peavey MAX 115 which I wanted to like more. The TC wiped the floor with that thing. The TCE combo was voiced appropriately, the Peavey was hot trash. The PV could barely handle low volumes and voiced with too much low end which just rumbled badly. I feel despite the 50 watt advantage in power, the PV would have died a swift death and wasn't as loud as the TCE.

Would have bought it right then if I could have added an additional cab, no such luck. What were they thinking? This should be a feature on all combos above 100 watts.
Click to expand...
I killed two PVs Max 115. They can't go louder than 5......trust me. jumped to a Fender Rumble. At low volumes the PV sounded good, but I don't play that low.
 
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#17
deff said:
I have been looking at used gear. Unfortunately not all 4x10s are created anywhere near equal. I tried out a used Genz Benz 4x10 which probably had less power handling than the 1x12 in the combo even though it was rated at a higher wattage capacity. I was thinking of adding a 4x10 to the 2x10 in the combo for pwer distribution to help out, but so far no luck.
Click to expand...

A 4x10 is not necessarily what you need, especially as an extension to a 2x10 combo. In most cases you end up with half the power to the 2x10 in the combo, and the other half to the 4x10. I'd say go for separates (2x2x10 or 4x10 plus a head) or a used combo with 500 watts and 2x12 or 4x10 like the G-K MB212 or MB410. If a combo is all you'll consider, then a 500 watt 2x10 combo with a 2x10 extension cab is what you want. I've been down this road myself, and it'll be cheaper in the long run to assemble the more capable rig.
 
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#19
The Ashdown already keeps up. That's with only the 2x10. The problem is that I'm worried about speaker wear. Also the amp was a pawnshop special, maybe approaching it's end of life.

Downunderwonder said:
A full 100w JCM stack has 8x12 guitar speakers. That is loony toons loud and belongs outdoors on a huge concert stage with the bottom cab unplugged.

There is no keeping up with it without giving you blurred vision and making everyone deaf.

If you go down that road it won't be with a pissant combo.
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