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The Combo Club

#21,921
The Trace Elliot Elf 1x10 combo is arguably a bargain, as it costs less than the Elf and the Trace 1x10 cab separates. That's what you're getting — as a combo!

The Elf sounds like a Trace Elliot amp. If you like the Trace tone, you're in luck. It has a mild scoop (that pairs quite well with my StingRay). The Elf's gain and master functions are also "their own thing". If you like it, you like it. I would not use the Elf with an upright. IMO.

For our unfortunate readers at home: I bought the Elf to drive my PJB C4 when my PJB combo and I were in two very different places. The Elf is at home here with two PJB Cab 27s (~30 pounds each). That's about double the weight of a Trace 1x10 but the PJB is a full range cab.
 
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#21,922
RodRy said:
Hmm, your criteria is: lightweight (what is light to you?), power (say, at least 200 W?), speaker output, lower price than an Elf combo (currently $600 at Sweetwater), and smaller in size (the 10" is 13.3x12x14 = 2234 cu in, and 18 pounds).

Those are tough parameters to hit.

Setting Sweetwater's site for between 170 - 500 W, and sorting for prices at $600 or less, I get the following:
Peavy Max 250; 250 W, $480, 7165 cu in, 44.4 pounds
Hartke KB12 Kickback; 500 W, $500, 4200 cu in, 28.2 pounds (only a single speaker output)
Peavy Max 300; 300 W, $500, 7165 cu in, 44.6 pounds
Ampeg Rocket RB-115, 200 W, $550, 6289 cu in, 34.2 pounds
Fender Rumble 200; 200 W, $580, 6118 cu in, 34.5 pounds​

Happy hunting!
Click to expand...
Thanks, but most all of those are way too heavy. I'm thinking in the 5-18lbs range... What about the PJB small combos; several of them look to have a 'line out' jack; is this a DI to a mixer or PA system, or could it plug into an addl cab?
That Trayner is nice tho, but it's perhaps a little too awkward in shape for my purposes. But they sure have the right idea; ~why don't more small combos have jacks for addl speakers?

If I can't find what I'd like in a small combo setup I'll probably settle for maybe getting a TC Bam 200 head (now $169) again, and Velcro'ing it on top of my Elf cab to use this as a small combo setup when needed. It's $200 less than Elf's mini head and IMO has a cleaner sound than the Elf does...

What I'd really love to do tho would be to get the new PJB X4 (or even their Dbl 4) if they had speaker o/p jacks so I could use them plugged into a bigger cab at home, but then also travel with them in their smaller configurations...
 
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#21,923
Greywoulf said:
Thanks, but most all of those are way too heavy. I'm thinking in the 5-18lbs range... What about the PJB small combos; several of them look to have a 'line out' jack; is this a DI to a mixer or PA system, or could it plug into an addl cab?
That Trayner is nice tho, but it's perhaps a little too awkward in shape for my purposes. But they sure have the right idea; ~why don't more small combos have jacks for addl speakers?

If I can't find what I'd like in a small combo setup I'll probably settle for maybe getting a TC Bam 200 head (now $169) again, and Velcro'ing it on top of my Elf cab to use this as a small combo setup when needed. It's $200 less than Elf's mini head and IMO has a cleaner sound than the Elf does...

What I'd really love to do tho would be to get the new PJB X4 (or even their Dbl 4) if they had speaker o/p jacks so I could use them plugged into a bigger cab at home, but then also travel with them in their smaller configurations...
Click to expand...

The Elf absolutely can be played clean. The Trace Elliot tone is baked in, same as an Orange tone is baked in. At higher gain settings, the Elf emulates a ̶v̶a̶l̶v̶e̶ tube amp. Again, depends on needs and taste.

The PJB BG-400 combo is musical in a most different way. Good choice for a doubler!
 
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#21,924
Greywoulf said:
Thanks, but most all of those are way too heavy. I'm thinking in the 5-18lbs range... What about the PJB small combos; several of them look to have a 'line out' jack; is this a DI to a mixer or PA system, or could it plug into an addl cab?
That Trayner is nice tho, but it's perhaps a little too awkward in shape for my purposes. But they sure have the right idea; ~why don't more small combos have jacks for addl speakers?

If I can't find what I'd like in a small combo setup I'll probably settle for maybe getting a TC Bam 200 head (now $169) again, and Velcro'ing it on top of my Elf cab to use this as a small combo setup when needed. It's $200 less than Elf's mini head and IMO has a cleaner sound than the Elf does...

What I'd really love to do tho would be to get the new PJB X4 (or even their Dbl 4) if they had speaker o/p jacks so I could use them plugged into a bigger cab at home, but then also travel with them in their smaller configurations...
Click to expand...
As @Morrighan has mentioned, the Double Four headphone line out can be used to feed a powered speaker. I ran my D4 while accompanying a full-sized acoustic guitar, and I can say it was plenty loud. Not sure what powered speaker would work best as a support for the D4, but it's worth considering.

If you can find a used Gallien-Kruger MB 150S/112 or MB 150E/112 those are good bets. Surprisingly useful at 150 W, 26 pounds, super small for a 12" speaker cabinet. I've used my MB 150E/112 for many years and been happy with it. Most often, it was used for coffee-shop gigs. Only it's newfound desire to go silent after about 5-10 minutes of playing has me searching for a new cab.

Phil Jones Session 77 is a nice 100 W unit, with 2x7" speakers, but weighs 28 pounds and has no speaker out. The Bass Cub Pro is a tiny 120 W with 2x5" speakers weighing 16.7 pounds and it has 2 speaker outs. At $750, it's outside your indicated price range.

I think if you are looking for a combo less than 18 pounds, your power level will probably be somewhat low.

That TC Bam head looks hard to beat at $170. Stories of terrible customer service mean yellow flag.

Happy hunting, and let us know what you find!
:D
 
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#21,925
When I was younger I used to lug 18" drivers, then I downsized to 15s then 12s then 10s now 5s. I was extremely skeptical because my mind was always stuck on bigger is better however I decided to give the PJB philosophy a try. Since 2019 I have only used the PJB BG400 combo with the C4 extension cab. To my surprise these small cubes have been able to handle all my gigging needs. I've been so impressed that I have decided to sell off my 15s, 12s and 10s. Who knew?
Aguilar.jpg
Cabs.jpg
FairLawn.jpg
Gear1.jpg
LiveSetup.jpg
 
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#21,930
alotabass said:
When I was younger I used to lug 18" drivers, then I downsized to 15s then 12s then 10s now 5s. I was extremely skeptical because my mind was always stuck on bigger is better however I decided to give the PJB philosophy a try. Since 2019 I have only used the PJB BG400 combo with the C4 extension cab. To my surprise these small cubes have been able to handle all my gigging needs. I've been so impressed that I have decided to sell off my 15s, 12s and 10s. Who knew?
View attachment 4725902 View attachment 4725903 View attachment 4725904 View attachment 4725905 View attachment 4725906
Click to expand...
Great setup!
 
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#21,934
RodRy said:
As @Morrighan has mentioned, the Double Four headphone line out can be used to feed a powered speaker. I ran my D4 while accompanying a full-sized acoustic guitar, and I can say it was plenty loud. Not sure what powered speaker would work best as a support for the D4, but it's worth considering.

If you can find a used Gallien-Kruger MB 150S/112 or MB 150E/112 those are good bets. Surprisingly useful at 150 W, 26 pounds, super small for a 12" speaker cabinet. I've used my MB 150E/112 for many years and been happy with it. Most often, it was used for coffee-shop gigs. Only it's newfound desire to go silent after about 5-10 minutes of playing has me searching for a new cab.

Phil Jones Session 77 is a nice 100 W unit, with 2x7" speakers, but weighs 28 pounds and has no speaker out. The Bass Cub Pro is a tiny 120 W with 2x5" speakers weighing 16.7 pounds and it has 2 speaker outs. At $750, it's outside your indicated price range.

I think if you are looking for a combo less than 18 pounds, your power level will probably be somewhat low.

That TC Bam head looks hard to beat at $170. Stories of terrible customer service mean yellow flag.

Happy hunting, and let us know what you find!
:D
Click to expand...

The Fender Rumble is ~$350 but weighs 23 pounds and has no speaker out. It does have a balanced out to feed a PA. Mine's out of warranty so I'm considering adding a speaker output.
 
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