Hey all.. Probably asked a thousand times, and I've been through quite a bit of the forum pages here with a search, but most information is either incomplete, or based off of the old technology - 1st generation stuff and of course, may not have been specific to my exact inquiry ;-)
I am in the market for a new combo amp..
Typically, I am in a cover band, that performs material from the 90's rock era such as :
STP
AiC
Tragically hip
Wallflowers
Audioslave
Various other popular bands / hits from that time area, etc...
Anyhow,
I'm in need of a combo amp that will be able to cut through a band that plays at reasonable , but in yoru face volumes, and usually frequents a mid-size bar with a PA system (so it needs to be able to perform in an outdoor gig (without PA to a mid-size (200 people crowd), and to a mid-size venue (stage monitoring) with PA)..
Currently I am considering the following (but I haven't been able to compare as my local music shop doesn't have them in stock.... )...
1. GK MB212-II
2. GK MB210-II
3. Fender Rumble 500 v.3
4. Fender Rumble Stage 800 (although I'm not a big fan of modeling amps, I love the volume as aspect)..
I enjoy the sound of the Rumble series, but I don't find it superior to the GK and vise versa.. so It's not a tone'al consideration here... I enjoy both sounds (if I could I'd get both)..
As well, I do not plan on getting an extra cab for any of the amps mentioned above.... that would defeat my purpose here... I just want one that will do 99% of all my gigs (which consist of the examples listed above)..
Sorry for the long explanation, I just wanted to lay it all out..
Because I can't a/b the amps, I'm looking for your expertise to help me decide and I'll take it from there.. ;-)
Thank you all for helping.
The only amp here I have any experience with is the rumble 800. I’ve owned one now for about three months and played a few gigs with it.
Of course it’s a modeling amp and many folks don’t like them.
I could be wrong but I think most who are unhappy with digital modeling have not experimented enough with tailoring each ‘component’ to their liking.
Most modelers arrive from the maker with ‘bedroom patches’. I go through each patch, pick the ones with characteristics I like and groom them by optimizing each aspect and parameter, e.g. I dislike speaker sims most of the time because they were not created with the cab you’re using in mind. Big mistake. This alone kills most modeling experiences right off the bat.
The Rumble 800 is different than most of my personal modeling experience (with flat full range powered speakers) in that the ‘cabinet’ is part of their design and the sims are matched well to the speaker function in a way that makes the ‘digital cabinetry’ actually useful. Cab sims are often the downfall because the intended output is changed by the physical cab’s ‘voice’ in unplanned ways.
All the amps and cabs sound good to great when using the adjustable clean XLR p.a. send.
I’d suggest spending some time with a Rumble 800 because it’s a pretty impressive package even if you use it like a ‘normal’ amp. Somewhere in the 100+ patches you’ll find a combination that just works for you with no editing.
Versatility-wise the amp does modern well with the typical 2-10” w/switchable horn setup but is also great at vintage sounds and some very useful bass-focused effects. I’m actually quite impressed by Fender’s neo cab design on this combo.
400 stand-alone watts. 800 with external cabs (yes it can handle 2 external 8 ohm cabs added), 39 lbs, full remote editing from tablet or cell phone, recall patches and effects instantly with included heavy duty foot switch, the list is quite impressive.
edit:
I felt it important enough to add; the 800 has a 3 position high-pass filter function that I LOVE. I usually tighten the bottom with a parametric or similar e.q. This amp frees up the global equalizers for dealing with room anomalies or more fun purposes!
