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For me there's not just one tone. I get very much satisfaction from my Ampeg PF350 head and 112 cab's 'almost tube like' tones. And the 'lil Orange sounds much different from these, but is just as appealing to me. -In fact I probably like most bass tones; ~just don't go much for the static-y, fuzzy o'drive stuff, or the growling storm-of-a-thousand-nails sounds. I guess I'm much more into mellow or 'velvet fog' tones...
Well, am giving up on my rather exotic quest for a small lightweight bass combo with a speaker-out jack... Have decided instead to go for a more standard type of 1x8 practice combo. And I don't really want it for practice either, as I have my larger Ampeg home stuff for that. -What I'd mostly use it for would be at an acoustic garage jam, and also at a church performance with one acoustic guitarist, a tambourine player, and 3 to 4 folk singers.
IMO the PJB dbl 4 stuff is real nice, but a bit costly? (And very low to the ground for this bad back guy too...) I also seriously considered the Vox B50 bass combo, but some of the demos I've heard of it's sound have turned me off..
~So far, what is leading in my search is the Orange Crush 25W 108. ~I've heard lot's of good things about the Orange sound; it's not overly pricey, has a built-in tuner, and at 22lbs is a manageable size that's only a little over my 18lb limit. And I feel it's 25W sh be enough for my needs in this situation. Any other suggestions re 1x8 combos (and/or opinions re the Orange) will be greatly appreciated...
Mine was so long ago... But I suspect it was a small 15w Peavy that weighed like a lead brick!And that's a very fine first combo!
My first combo was so <ewww> that the Peavey was a major league upgrade
I read somewhere not so long ago that the smaller Markbass combos were prone to quitting early... In fact there's one for sale on Reverb now that's not very old but no longer has decent volume, and the seller says he was told by a tech it would cost more to fix than to buy new. ~And at $500 or so it cost's plenty too, IMO! (Probably too much, as it cost's more than the PJB Dbl four.) Also I'll probably never be using a pedal on a mini 1x8 jam/practice and very small gig combo; -not when I've got my Ampeg bigger stuff for that...
I realize I seem to be talking myself into the Orange here.-But it can't be helped, as I just get so addicted to any right-sounding bass tone I chance to hear in my head...
I've made a conscious decision to avoid the PJB's. This being due to 2 factors: A) I'm quite pleased with my 3 (40/100/200c) Rumbles, and 2) Mufunzalo.Actually, the Markbass combos I've owned played very well with pedals of all types. My current one, the Marcus Miller CMD-101 sounds terrific with my Ampeg SCR-DI. What's cool about it that the Orange cannot do is take an ext speaker and run full power to it or split the 60 watts into both the combo and other speaker. I used that combination for a church gig with a 115 cab and it knocked it out of the park.
I love its versatility more than anything. I've had mine for a while now (for me) and it never showed any less than what it sounded like the first time. Maybe I'm just a little gunshy with Orange products now, but I'd continue the hunt for what might be around the corner. The PJB Double-4 is a remarkable combo that swings for the fences each time you turn it on, and it is one of the best-built pieces of equipment I've ever owned. Slap the SCR-DI in front of that and you'll be pleasantly surprised, trust me on that.
And yes, owning equipment is one of my other hobbies...
And to all you curious types who actually read every one of the posts here in the CC, NAD will be in two days...
That is all.
Interesting... A lot depends on who's playing the demo... I checked out 3 web demos on the PF20T wearing good top notch headphones. In two of them, when the bassists weren't too busy showing off their slap-twang skills, the bass tones they played sounded brittle and sharp. ~And I seriously considered that my PF350 amp actually sounded better! ~But with the 3'rd demo, an Ampeg rep who obviously knew what the PF20T was all about and how it was meant to be played and enjoyed, pumped out on his P-bass some of the most beautiful honey-like tones I've heard from any Ampeg amp! And when he cut the mids and treble and maxed the bass on the amp's EQ, it was pure Motown heaven! ~I could definitely see (and hear!) what you like about the PF20T!
YES! The people who do a lotta the demos don't seem to understand that I'm(we're)auditioning the gear, not the player. Play the same riff with different settings-and basses?-so I can hear the gear, not the player.[end rant]
Seriously, IDGAS how good the player is, if they're trying to sell the amp, play similar-at least-patterns with each/both pups, adjust the tone knob, pick vs fingers, sustain vs staccato, etc. I've seen a (very)few good demos that made me want whatever item they were promoing. Now, where's that "Prize Patrol". They said they were coming...
Ever since I found out about them, I've been drooling for one of the Greenline models.
