The Combo Club

[iagtrplyr]

And while on spin cycle without having to load-in and load-out a Hammond and a Leslie, you're invited to present your invisible combo club ring to any usher for free admission the the cinema for Elvis movie night. First mug of beer is free, the second you gotta pay.

Spoiler alert: I’m home again for another day today! Little bit of school work to do, but I will be putting out my latest installment of “As the Stage 800 Turns” later today or tonight. Spent some time on Tuesday with my sweetie and have things to discuss.

Spoiler Alert 2: just so y’all know, the first mug is usually free but the next one is twice that of the normal price. How’s a playa gonna afford color-coordinated cables any other way?

 

[GwenOnBass]

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.

Quality post.

And well-seen that when an amp, cab and drivers work together in a single implementation for optimal performance you get -- a combo.

 

[iagtrplyr]

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.

+1,000

Listen to this musician. He is my guru of whom I have great respect For because he’s using the 800 in gigs, not currently at home in a 9 X 11 bedroom. Ghost hits on all the key points of the modeling angle, so I will refrain from duplicating his thoughts. All I’ll say is you owe it to yourself to audition the Stsge 800 before you purchase a new amp. Read my reply though, as you may find it interesting as well.

 

[GwenOnBass]

How’s a playa gonna afford color-coordinated cables any other way?

That looks suspiciously like a Fender Hendrix tribute coil cable in hazy purple? The one swinging on display at the doorway to the room where all the basses and amps are?

Spoiler Alert 2: just so y’all know, the first mug is usually free but the next one is twice that of the normal price.

But it comes with a bowl of Beer Nuts.

 

[GonePlaid]

That looks suspiciously like a Fender Hendrix tribute coil cable in hazy purple? The one swinging on display at the doorway to the room where all the basses and amps are?



But it comes with a bowl of Beer Nuts.

I wish you hadn't posted that(2nd part). Now I gots a craving for Beer Nuts. To The Supermarket! [or convenience store]

 

[iagtrplyr]

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.

Ok, Canuck, here’s my two pennies. Though I just wrote a heartfelt reply to Ghostie’s comments, and I do think you at least need to hear the 800, I’m gonna vote that you also try the GK MB212 II, if you can get to them somewhere.

In fact, after reading your first paragraph I immediately thought the 212. I’m okay with the 210, but, to me, it likes having that extra cab to blow doors off, whereas the 212, in my opinion, doesn’t seem to depend as much on a second cab, yet still gives you the option to run a powered cabinet with it if you ever get the hankering to use a thousand watts and four 12s!

For the music you’re playing, the GK is a no-brainer because it’s got more bite to it. I never had trouble cutting through with my first gen 210. The Stage 800 does have GK models, but so far I haven’t been as impressed with them, but admit I haven’t spent any time either. Ghost is right when he said you have to tweak each offering to get it to sound good the way your ears will like it. I haven’t found a model yet I haven’t changed some parameter. If that’s more work than you want to deal with then go for the GK series.

Keep us posted on what you decide to do. Then post a pic and become a member to the coolest club that’s legal even in Nevada!

 

[iagtrplyr]

That looks suspiciously like a Fender Hendrix tribute coil cable in hazy purple? The one swinging on display at the doorway to the room where all the basses and amps are?



But it comes with a bowl of Beer Nuts.

True dat with the beer nuts.

I hear ya, M, concerning the cool cables. My buddies at Frnder sent their obligatory email yesterday showing off their color cables (fiesta red, sea foam green, and daphne blue) and I became all giddy over them, especially the daphne blue one. Forty bucks, I believe, but extremely tasty to gander upon.

You probably know more about them, how are they to run through? I have my trusty Fender tweed cable that has never let me down at any gig or rehearsal. How would these coiled cables compare?

 

[Devon Bustard]

Me thinks a Fender Performer Mustang might look good by my Stage 800 been writing a lot of original stuff that my band might put out soon, and I think a 90’s style might go well with the look

 

[GonePlaid]

Me thinks a Fender Performer Mustang might look good by my Stage 800 been writing a lot of original stuff that my band might put out soon, and I think a 90’s style might go well with the look

How 'bout a nice TBird?

 

[GonePlaid]

Got a strange one today. Country Club cocktail 'hour'. 5 'til 8. Home early.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Got a strange one today. Country Club cocktail 'hour'. 5 'til 8. Home early.

Oh the country club is it? Maybe they have a grand piano over there over there on the other side of the bowling lanes. We need to annex this joint for combo club use.

 

[G-Dog]

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.

Okely dokely, Dave.

I've sat patiently while Ghosty and Iago have given you their recommendations and, I have to admit, I can't argue with a single thing they say. They are good recommendations.

I did drool a bit while reading Ghosty's recommendation of the Rumble Stage 800. Sorry, but, I do lust after that amp. I do. Lawdamighty, please hep me, I do. Iago's recommendation of the GKs sobered me up, though. I've never played one, but they get a shipload of good press here at TB, and I respect that.

But I come to speak for the workin' man. I have used the Rumble 500 combo, for a few years now, without no slips, drips or errors. And no concerns for either getting the tone I'm after, nor being heard in a loud band. I'm tellin' ya, man, this has absolutely got to be The Best Value in a high powered, lightweight combo bass amp today!

It's a straightforward plug 'n play amp. Lots of people set all the knobs at noon for audition and end up never moving them! The baked in sound can take you a long way toward gettin' the job done. It's an eye-opener, for sure, when your band hears that amazing sound and volume from such a small package.

And those that do tweak the knobs find even more tone goodness. From the 3 button presets for Bright, Contour and Vintage for quick setup to the interactive Gain control and to the highly adjustable and blendable Overdrive, which goes from just a touch of warmth to all out grit on your command!

It ain't all fancy with different voices, but it's got a wide ranging voice. It won't cost an arm and a leg, but it'll get loud and can work with whatever kinda music you go for.

That said, I will someday have the Stage 800's little brother, the Studio 40. Then I can run it through the 500 for big gigs!!

Happy hunting, Dave!

 

[GwenOnBass]

Just when I think ... woah there partner. [QuickDrawMcGraw] I'll do the thinn'ing around here, Baba Louie! [/QuickDrawMcGraw] But it is El Kabong who carries the guitar.

Should have been a bass.

So I'm setting up my bass space, as distinct from where I normally practice. There's this metronome over there and this thing and that stuff all over the place, and all part of a problem I worked to solve. How do I watch and play along with something on the computer? Because there's a volume problem with a conference call headset and what a tablet computer can push.

In putting everything in the same place, behind my practice chair, we find the strangest pairing one might guess



What it means to me is I place the tablet on the music stand and run a line to the AUX In on the BA-108. All the volume I can reasonably ask of a video right there. Can run my bass trough the Ampeg and to the headphones for silent practice. Or play along with my bass plugged into the Elf on top out the PJB C4 on the bottom.

All striking me very funny that my PBJ BG-400 combo isn't as tall as the back of my knees, and neither is the Elf + C4. The "full stack" is still less than half the height of the 2 1x15s I called mine, a fraction of the weight and better sounding than your favorite metaphor.

Before ye ask the pink thing there is a bit of foam to keep my bass from colliding with the end of the footrest of the practice chair. It came out of the bottom of a gig bag padder for basses too short for the bag. That's the Gator gig bag for ES-335 guitars that fits Solstice Eve. Replaced the foam pad and filled the empty bag with a few styrofoam peanuts so the bass is perfectly snug.

 

[G-Dog]

Just when I think ... woah there partner. [QuickDrawMcGraw] I'll do the thinn'ing around here, Baba Louie! [/QuickDrawMcGraw] But it is El Kabong who carries the guitar.

Should have been a bass.

Sure looks like an acoustic bass guitar.

​

But sure didn't sound like a bass.

. . . . Before ye ask the pink thing there is a . . . .

The pink thing I was gonna ask about is coiled on the floor! Does it have a hazy purple companion yet?

NAMM ALERT! THIS JUST IN: A NEW COMBO FOR US TO DISECT!!

Invalid Link Removed​

I, for one, am torn between this and the Rumble Studio 40.

 

[GonePlaid]

Sure looks like an acoustic bass guitar.

View attachment 3294953​

But sure didn't sound like a bass.



The pink thing I was gonna ask about is coiled on the floor! Does it have a hazy purple companion yet?

NAMM ALERT! THIS JUST IN: A NEW COMBO FOR US TO DISECT!!

Invalid Link Removed​

I, for one, am torn between this and the Rumble Studio 40.

Baritone uke maybe?

 

[GwenOnBass]

Woah this Fender Rumble LT25 is a serious piece of kit. Okay I'll bite. WhatDoYaDo with a modeling practice amp. Besides have fun?

El Kabong sure looks like he's swinging an ABG. Can't be one of those uke basses because they have rubber strings. The kabagong is definitely roundwound territory for tone and really let's look at this for second.

Producer says: I need you to record the sound of smashing an acoustic guitar. How many takes of acoustic guitars getting smashed? Do they have some lackey running around town looking for smashable guitars? Or does someone like Tommy Tedesco walk in and say, I can do that for you. And it's one take and no actual guitars are smashed.

That's some pretty good gig there, I reckon. And we didn't even look at the the engineer's side ....

 

[G-Dog]

Woah this Fender Rumble LT25 is a serious piece of kit. Okay I'll bite. WhatDoYaDo with a modeling practice amp. Besides have fun?

El Kabong sure looks like he's swinging an ABG. Can't be one of those uke basses because they have rubber strings. The kabagong is definitely roundwound territory for tone and really let's look at this for second.

Producer says: I need you to record the sound of smashing an acoustic guitar. How many takes of acoustic guitars getting smashed? Do they have some lackey running around town looking for smashable guitars? Or does someone like Tommy Tedesco walk in and say, I can do that for you. And it's one take and no actual guitars are smashed.

That's some pretty good gig there, I reckon. And we didn't even look at the the engineer's side ....

My money's on Tommy! Heck, I've heard similar sounds from kids with acoustic guitars, at least those sounds created the same feeling.

 

[GwenOnBass]

My wager is Tommy would make the take sound better than an actual smashed guitar. Take that to the bank!

Edit.

We're talking Tommy Tedesco. For Tommy it's not important to make what he plays sound better than an actual guitar being smashed. Tommy's genius is making the producer believe it sounds better.

 

[iagtrplyr]

Just when I think ... woah there partner. [QuickDrawMcGraw] I'll do the thinn'ing around here, Baba Louie! [/QuickDrawMcGraw] But it is El Kabong who carries the guitar.

Should have been a bass.

So I'm setting up my bass space, as distinct from where I normally practice. There's this metronome over there and this thing and that stuff all over the place, and all part of a problem I worked to solve. How do I watch and play along with something on the computer? Because there's a volume problem with a conference call headset and what a tablet computer can push.

In putting everything in the same place, behind my practice chair, we find the strangest pairing one might guess

View attachment 3294845

What it means to me is I place the tablet on the music stand and run a line to the AUX In on the BA-108. All the volume I can reasonably ask of a video right there. Can run my bass trough the Ampeg and to the headphones for silent practice. Or play along with my bass plugged into the Elf on top out the PJB C4 on the bottom.

All striking me very funny that my PBJ BG-400 combo isn't as tall as the back of my knees, and neither is the Elf + C4. The "full stack" is still less than half the height of the 2 1x15s I called mine, a fraction of the weight and better sounding than your favorite metaphor.

Before ye ask the pink thing there is a bit of foam to keep my bass from colliding with the end of the footrest of the practice chair. It came out of the bottom of a gig bag padder for basses too short for the bag. That's the Gator gig bag for ES-335 guitars that fits Solstice Eve. Replaced the foam pad and filled the empty bag with a few styrofoam peanuts so the bass is perfectly snug.

Folks, pay her a visit at the laundromat sometime soon. There's a new attraction entitled, "M'S Museum of Music" where she gives the viewer an opportunity to see how one of our favorite bassists lives when the spotlights are off. I felt it gave me a better understanding of the complexities of one Morrighan, but more importantly, it also gives us a peek at her gear and how she has it set up. Digging the seafoam coil too!

 

[iagtrplyr]

Sure looks like an acoustic bass guitar.

View attachment 3294953​

But sure didn't sound like a bass.



The pink thing I was gonna ask about is coiled on the floor! Does it have a hazy purple companion yet?

NAMM ALERT! THIS JUST IN: A NEW COMBO FOR US TO DISECT!!

Invalid Link Removed​

I, for one, am torn between this and the Rumble Studio 40.

Fender...why do you do these things to us??? Just when Doggie had the Studio 40 in his sights, you toss him (and the rest of us) with a brand new, lower-priced combo that should do the trick at home. Decisions decisions. Well, I checked it out, as I'm sure GP did too, and I think for two bills it's probably a great buy. My only problem is I want something small for the music room, but powerful enough to jam and/or rehearse with others. I don't know if the single 8" speaker will do that as well as the 10" driver in the Studio 40, but I love its simplicity. Much shorter learning curve than with either the Stage or Studio models. Right this minute, I say spring for the Studio 40 (an extra 200 Washingtons, I know) and enjoy the many extra benefits unless this is for home only. Then someone take the plunge and grab this 25-watt rascal when it hits the shores. I'll be waiting to read the comments!