The Combo Club

[Count Bassie]

Hey, just thought I'd throw this into the mix...
At a gig where we played on a wide, narrow stage, I'd brought along my handy Hartke Kickback 12. I set it up on the guitarist's side of the stage and ran to it's input from the Direct Out of a GK 700RB, my regular amp driving a small 215 cab. I also ran a DI to the small pa from my SansAmp Bass Fly Rig. Worked like a charm- the guitar player said later he really liked being able to hear the bass, it kept him "on a leash" as it were, meaning that the bass wasn't lost or blurry, he was sure we were on the same page with arrangements.
I'll be doing a lot more of that for larger stages.
Side note, that Kickback 12 is a very able amp on its own for smaller, even for mid size rooms.

Wide, shallow stage...

XLR out...

Hartke combo. Guitar player is able to adjust volume and EQ to taste. Really worked out, and reasonably easy cartage...

 

[Count Bassie]

Hey, just thought I'd throw this into the mix...
At a gig where we played on a wide, narrow stage, I'd brought along my handy Hartke Kickback 12. I set it up on the guitarist's side of the stage and ran to it's input from the Direct Out of a GK 700RB, my regular amp driving a small 215 cab. I also ran a DI to the small pa from my SansAmp Bass Fly Rig. Worked like a charm- the guitar player said later he really liked being able to hear the bass, it kept him "on a leash" as it were, meaning that the bass wasn't lost or blurry, he was sure we were on the same page with arrangements.
I'll be doing a lot more of that for larger stages.
Side note, that Kickback 12 is a very able amp on its own for smaller, even for mid size rooms.

Wide, shallow stage...
View attachment 5446758

XLR out...
View attachment 5446759

Hartke combo. Guitar player is able to adjust volume and EQ to taste. Really worked out, and reasonably easy cartage...
View attachment 5446760

View attachment 5446761

I meant wide, *with no depth* stage...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I meant wide, *with no depth* stage...

That's how I took it.
I've long thought it's a good idea to do stuff like this.
I usually stack my two Rumble 100s, but on the rare occasion I'm in a situation like yours without in/on-ears, I split them across the stage like this. Not quite the same, but same general concept.

 

[Starfleet007]

I am new to the club!! I gig with a few combos. I own a Rumble 60v1 and just got an Rumble 800 combo. Also played on a 1970's 30watt Kustom 1. That was the amp I learned on at a friends house and gigged with in the 90's. In the pic, I took my 60 and lined it into the Kustom (also a small pic insert of my 800). Worked good for some practice fun. The 800 is primary for most gigs unless it is a small venue, then the 60 comes along. We run ourselves thru the FOH.

 

[Miles_ONeal]

I am new to the club!! I gig with a few combos. I own a Rumble 60v1 and just got an Rumble 800 combo. Also played on a 1970's 30watt Kustom 1. That was the amp I learned on at a friends house and gigged with in the 90's. In the pic, I took my 60 and lined it into the Kustom (also a small pic insert of my 800). Worked good for some practice fun. The 800 is primary for most gigs unless it is a small venue, then the 60 comes along. We run ourselves thru the FOH.

I take it you’d like a number?

 

[GonePlaid]

I am new to the club!! I gig with a few combos. I own a Rumble 60v1 and just got an Rumble 800 combo. Also played on a 1970's 30watt Kustom 1. That was the amp I learned on at a friends house and gigged with in the 90's. In the pic, I took my 60 and lined it into the Kustom (also a small pic insert of my 800). Worked good for some practice fun. The 800 is primary for most gigs unless it is a small venue, then the 60 comes along. We run ourselves thru the FOH.

What's an FOH?


(I know what it is, there just aren't any where we play)

 

[Starfleet007]

I take it you’d like a number?

Yeah, I would like to be a part of this group. Thanks!

 

[Nuage420]

small 215 cab.

 

[Count Bassie]

Har-de-har...
Well it's not real tall, and it's shallow...

 

[Miles_ONeal]

Yeah, I would like to be a part of this group. Thanks!

You are now Combo Club member #323 with all rights and duties (assuming you can find any) pertaining to membership. We'd love to hear more about your bass, amps, and musical journey. Actually, any of your journey, whether going boldly where no human has gone before or otherwise.

 

[G-Dog]

Yeah, I would like to be a part of this group. Thanks!

You are now Combo Club member #323 with all rights and duties (assuming you can find any) pertaining to membership. We'd love to hear more about your bass, amps, and musical journey. Actually, any of your journey, whether going boldly where no human has gone before or otherwise.

Woo hoo! Welcome to The Club, 007!

After the celebration, be sure to check out your Combo Club wiki page of Club information, to learn more about us. Your suggestions for content there are also welcome.

And now, by the authority vested in me by ... ... well, ... no one, really, I just started doin' this one time and nobody told me to stop, so I still do it now and then, ... I hereby present you with your Official Combo Club Communicator pin. "As seen on TV!" Wear it in good health, but just don't call The Fearless Leader on alternate weekdays or weekends when he's having his beauty naps, ... uh, ... that is, his Administrative Meetings! It also grants you automatic electronic access to all the best parts of the Combo Club Clubhouse!

No, Starfleet, we didn't make this just for you, though it fits pretty good, huh? We been doing this for over 5 years!

.​

 

[Starfleet007]

You are now Combo Club member #323 with all rights and duties (assuming you can find any) pertaining to membership. We'd love to hear more about your bass, amps, and musical journey. Actually, any of your journey, whether going boldly where no human has gone before or otherwise.

Woo hoo! Welcome to The Club, 007!

After the celebration, be sure to check out your Combo Club wiki page of Club information, to learn more about us. Your suggestions for content there are also welcome.

And now, by the authority vested in me by ... ... well, ... no one, really, I just started doin' this one time and nobody told me to stop, so I still do it now and then, ... I hereby present you with your Official Combo Club Communicator pin. "As seen on TV!" Wear it in good health, but just don't call The Fearless Leader on alternate weekdays or weekends when he's having his beauty naps, ... uh, ... that is, his Administrative Meetings! It also grants you automatic electronic access to all the best parts of the Combo Club Clubhouse!

View attachment 5453623​

No, Starfleet, we didn't make this just for you, though it fits pretty good, huh? We been doing this for over 5 years!

.​

Thanks a lot folks!! I will do my best to honor and respect the duties that have been entrusted upon me. Rock on!!!!

 

[66 Fender Jazz]

Hoping a club member can help member 322. Am reading page 1177 of the Combo Club and would like to initiate a new question for members (opinions and recommendations for 2024 combo amps of a certain nature) but the only place I see to type is at the bottom where it says 'write your reply'. How does one initiate a new question??
Apologies for lack of understanding.

 

[Deleted member 268085]

Hoping a club member can help member 322. Am reading page 1177 of the Combo Club and would like to initiate a new question for members (opinions and recommendations for 2024 combo amps of a certain nature) but the only place I see to type is at the bottom where it says 'write your reply'. How does one initiate a new question??
Apologies for lack of understanding.

In the box where it says "Write your reply"! The Combo Club is a thread over 1000 pages long (1177 now) with thousands of posts. I you just write your question in the box and click "Post Reply", it will get added at the end of the latest page. If you are commenting on an existing post by clicking on the "Reply" icon on the bottom-right of the post, you will be using the same Reply box, but the contents of the post you're replying to will be quoted (copied) into the Reply box, and then you type your text after the closing [ / Q u o t e ] (won't have the spaces). The "+Quote" icon is for multi-quoting (replying to multiple posts with one post). Don't worry about that one now.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Greetings and happy wishes to the CC! It is I, your long-lost prodigal son who's been planning on posting for some time now but hasn't gotten around to it until now. Better late than never, I guess. I see we're continuing to grow in membership, and that's fantastic. Very nice work, Miles! I try and send over those when the opportunity arises.

I'm here today because I posted some comments in SR's "Bassists of the 60s Club" recently, but it has more to do with combos so here I am. Honestly, I've pretty much gone to separates now (working on assembling a third amp/cab rig as I write), but we recently visited Ohio for a week-long stay where Jackie (her first time for this trip) and I played, recorded, jammed, and ate way too much food. We had a blast and yes, I have the pics to prove it.

It's what I brought with me to use for all this musical stuff that I thought might interest my fellow comboites, members who love a good tale, and even those who have nothing to do and wish to be entertained. So fasten your seatbelts and join us on our trip to the Buckeye State! Enjoy the images at your own peril...

 

[iagtrplyr]

Upon hearing where we were gonna be playing, both Jackson (Rev's church) and Columbus (Rev's living room), I decided not to haul the Rumble 115 rig or Ampeg RB-112 combo because I thought them to be both overkill and, more importantly, room in the back of the SUV was at a premium. Man, no one told me all the "girl" stuff that was coming was so gonna be space-consuming. Well, it'd been a while...

The most obvious choice, though I wasn't too happy about it, was my still new Fender Rumble 40 which I bought because I A) didn't want to admit I couldn't make a Rumble sound good, B) felt a little guilty for dumping my R100, and C) thought it would be perfect for trips just like this one; lightweight and not too much space-consuming. Having owned it for about a year, I still couldn't make it sound anything better than a plywood box full of old rags. Regardless of how I dialed it, there was little clarity, no punch, and about as exciting as a four-hour life insurance presentation.

Morrighan, I'd seriously considered taking our Ampeg BA-108 V2+, but I wanted the DI out option since no pedals were accompanying me on the trip. Plus, I worried I may not be able to project as much of myself through that sweet eight-inch speaker. So, like it or not, the R40 was going southeast with us whether I liked it or not. I mentioned in the other thread that there was a Peavey (GP's favorite company) Max-112 combo at the church. It was used by their praise band's bass player, a session pro who had toured with the late great Jimmy Buffet. Yeah, I wasn't gonna mess up his settings AND for the fact it was their old Max series and I felt the Rumbler could probably hold its own.

Four days at John's church in Jackson where various combinations of us practiced, recorded, and gigged the Sunday service and the R40 was just gonna have to come through for me. Lord, if I could get a little help here...

 

[GwenOnBass]

Morrighan, I'd seriously considered taking our Ampeg BA-108 V2+, but I wanted the DI out option since no pedals were accompanying me on the trip.

I would like a DI from the Ampeg BA108v2 too!

Essential combo work here is the PJB BG-400 DI to the DAW, and on along to the computer and Webcam. The combo runs in silent mode with the Master off, which is perfect for my needs.

 

[iagtrplyr]

As you can tell by the pictures, I lucked out and had my own little spot by myself, with only one of the acoustic guitarists playing alongside me during a rehearsal and the Sunday service. He was harmless enough though and I graciously welcomed him. The little rumble was behind me and tilted, but as mentioned, I DI'd for our recordings and got some fine tracks out of it. As far as how it sounded at church, and I know this is the reason you still may be hanging on, it was truly wonderful! My dinky home studio with little to no acoustics to it is most likely the major culprit to why some of my amps don't sound as good as I thought they should (sorry R100). Out in the wild though, it sounded much like how everyone who loves this line says it sounds to them. I had a traditional Fender bottom which for this type of music is perfect, with solid punch in the mids, thanks to continued tweaking of the tone controls, and more than enough volume, though I'd liked to have had the Rocket Basses' 12" speaker for a little more fullness. Was it perfect? No, I still could hear some wooliness in the lower mids that I never get with my Ampeg (sorry, GP), but overall it was an absolute pleasure to use during my stay in Jackson.

 

[iagtrplyr]

It also came to play during the church recordings we made, again with several combinations of players. My favorite was with one of John's and my old bandmates who drove down from Columbus mainly because of the acoustics. We recorded seven pieces and even though I was limited with mics, they turned out pretty well. Jackie added a ton with her harmony vocals and it gave her needed experience before the church service where singing in front of an audience makes her nervous. all in all, it was possibly the most fun we had, and makes me wish I could find an acoustic guitarist around here to keep it going. Off to lunch, will finish the Columbus leg in a bit. Stay tuned!

 

[iagtrplyr]

Okay, we're heading towards the stretch. After the church service and lunch, we drove up to Columbus where we were gonna hang around for a couple of days sightseeing, sampling deli foods, and jamming with John's old band at his house. This was just about having fun and seeing how Jackie could fit in, vocally speaking. even though not everyone from the group could attend, we had a fantastic time bringing up the oldies and adding a new flavor to them.

Room volume was manageable, though the uke player, Nate, plays at one volume...loud! Still, the R40 was exactly what the doctor ordered when it came to fitting in. I still have reservations about getting lost once the band's volume takes off, but at low to medium levels, it's great in the mix. My tone controls were with the Vintage engaged, bass at 9:00, lower mids at noon (give or take a smidge), high mids around 1:00, and highs at noon. The difference between these settings now and say a year ago was the bass was as low and I also was dropping the low-mid control. Bad mistake as I found out. for you newbies to the series, if you're finding the tone too woofy, lower the bass but raise the low mids as it'll add the punch without all the fur. Gee, it only took how many years to figure this out? Again, not my Ampeg tone, but it allowed my Hofner and me to sound like us, and at 18 lbs in a small package, it was a no-brainer.