The Combo Club

[Doctor Intrepid]

Yeppers. It is their $125 off or back or credit on anything if you sign up for the Am Prime cc. Saw a $25 item ‘pay$0 on arrival’

Cool

 

[iagtrplyr]

Yeah, I saw that too and I'm also thinking of getting it! Maybe it's a combo? They are meant to go together, and I recall us allowing another similar head/cab combo that are meant together.

Yeah, now that’s what I’m talking about! We may be the only two in the club who make the purchase, but that’s okay. At the. At the very least, it’ll make for a great conversation piece with a certain famous bass shape alongside.

I’m not interested in the cc myself, I think it’s a great deal if you’re looking for one.

Let’s keep our collective eyes on this one, Doc. And as for our amp rig clause, a very famous B-15 has been allowed to join so why not a Vox? I’ll ask our Fearless Leader about it...

 

[bhendrix]

Just gotta share with fellow combo clubbers - cause you guys are old enough to know who this is. Twas a stellar day in Hotlanta!

 

[GwenOnBass]

Just gotta share with fellow combo clubbers - cause you guys are old enough to know who this is. Twas a stellar day in Hotlanta!
View attachment 3483263

If this is a photo you took, there's a lot more ink to be spilled here....

 

[bhendrix]

If this is a photo you took, there's a lot more ink to be spilled here....

That's me talking to him (in the Fender shirt) - fans were taking pics for each other. Was getting my "Big Beautiful Book of Bass" signed!



Hundreds of folks were there, so you were kinda herded through like cattle - but I'm good with that and had a great time - was a pleasure to meet him.

Wish I had taken a better pic of him here....

As I would love to know what his shirt said. Was such a brief encounter and being a bit star struck, didn't even notice it til I looked at the pic later.

 

[bhendrix]

Oh - and we were just about to "fist bump" in the first pick. Kinda looks like I was gonna take a poke at him!

 

[G-Dog]

My next purchase...and it's NOT a combo so I can hold up my pledge to not buy one for the rest of '19. Check it out and tell me what you think. Yahoo! ... ... Invalid Link Removed

OoooOooo! That looks SO cool! However, as I read the specs, it seems to be just a dressed up Vox VX50BA, but at almost twice the weight! That, and they renamed the Overdrive to Fuzz!! For $150 bucks more!!! Think I'll pass . . . for now.

I'd like to get the opinion of @Killed_by_Death on this.
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Yeah, I saw that too and I'm also thinking of getting it! Maybe it's a combo? They are meant to go together, and I recall us allowing another similar head/cab combo that are meant together.

I'm witchoo, Doc. We made an exception for an Ampeg head & cab hardwired together. If this head & cab are bolted together, (are they? I can't tell), but still allowing use of other cabs (25 watts at 8 ohms!), well maybe an exception can be made for it, too. I dunno. I feel strongly both ways.
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Yeah, now that’s what I’m talking about! We may be the only two in the club who make the purchase, but that’s okay. At the very least, it’ll make for a great conversation piece with a certain famous bass shape alongside. ... ..., a very famous B-15 has been allowed to join so why not a Vox? I’ll ask our Fearless Leader about it...

Since someone has vowed not to buy a new combo this year, I vote "No" to the exception at this time. That someone, or ones, could go ahead and purchase it and have until the end of the year to campaign for a reconsideration. Then, early next year, a revote could be taken in light of more enlightened experience. There, now, is that political-speak enough for you?
.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

Just gotta share with fellow combo clubbers - cause you guys are old enough to know who this is. Twas a stellar day in Hotlanta!
View attachment 3483263

That's my bass hero!

 

[GwenOnBass]

Gee M, I think you just about have all the bases covered except for a vintage Peavey weighing 800 lbs! BTW, digging the 108 occupying some prime real estate. There's just something bewitching about that amp. Reading your earlier post about running your VT pedal through it might sound, to some, unusual, but I think it makes perfect sense. A B-15 flavor for three bills. Why not?

The part of me who would like the old Peavey back is countermanded by that part of me who never wants to move it again. And yet, if in the knowledge that I could put it There and it would Stay There, yeah. Just to plug in and feel again what it's like dimed.

As far as I can tell from browsing TB, there just aren't that many solutions besides an actual B-15 if looking for the B-15 tone. Not a clue what's under the hood of the VT Bass, but it sure works for me. Well, actually I do have some idea, having read the fine manual. Again and again until time on board and time in the book began to come closer together.

Before I shove off to bed in my Imperial Suite, I thought I's share a summary of tonight's rehearsal and a pic or two. I'm sure I come across pretty nerdy because the majority of you people have more gigs in two weeks then I have in a year, but fun I had tonight just the same. For you bedroom players who wonder if it's worth finding a musician or two to see what it's like playing with humans and not just your computer, the answer is a resounding YES! I was like a crazed meercat tasting his first Big Mac! These folks play all the time so it was no big deal, but after the third song I said, "I promise I'm not blowing smoke up yer hineys, but I think this sounds fantastic!"

The music is a mix of secular and worship, and I know that playing Americana stuff is what I want to play in the future. I enjoy the worship music as well, but our folk stuff was, IMHO, really good tonight. From John Denver tunes to Simon & Garfunkel, the Rogue bass running through the Stage 800 was what my brain has been trying to explain to my ears what it wants forever! Yeah, I had fun this evening.

Speaking of the combo, your first thought is with 400 watts it'll be the rock band with a vocals-only PA system, but it's a lot more than that. I'm running between 8:30-9:00 (sometimes 9:42 if I'm feeling really frisky) on the volume and not only is there excellent tone, I've got headroom up the Andrew Yang! Dig in a little and the sound blooms right out the two tens and into the waiting ears of the audience. Yeah, gobs of watts is a good thing and this is not a loud group with two acoustic guitars and a uke. Oh yeah, Rev. John's flute, but a thousand watts isn't gonna quiet that baby down...

And for you Stage/Studio fans who haven't tried this, the sucker can cop a fairly decent hi-fi tone (not PBJ, but not bad) too. One of my presets uses the Fender acoustic amp with reverb and only the combo's tens and it is clean, smooth, and sweet. Playing a D or E on the G string was like eating a delicious grape. (sue me, I'm trying to paint a picture for ya). I have the gain set low so it's a model you have to run the volume up a bit, but if you're looking for a tone that sits with your two acoustic buddies (one of these guys plays a 12-string), it's perfect to me.

Click two presets up the line and it's a terrific fuzz tone for Spirit in the Sky. That one received the best compliments of the night which tells me these people need to get out more often. I know modeling amps can be a pain in the neck and I do like the simplicity of plugging in and playing but with a little patience and effort by your ears, this amp has converted me into a total believer that the technology is out there to create a satisfying dining experience while sitting on a stool. I'd really like to play through the Studio 40 now to see how close it'd compare to the 800 in overall vibe. What a wonderful alternative for a lightweight carry.

That's about it. Two hours of magic and then it was time to head out. Some of the members worked a hot week and were ready to relax at home. I felt sorry for them. Not. Don't worry, they'll be laughing when I'm staying up until midnight in October correcting written assessments. Tomorrow, the expected hottest day of the week in Columbus, we'll arrive at 3:30, start at 3:45, go to about 5:15 or so and then be the music for the Saturday worship service at 5:30. Somewhere in there, I think we're supposed to eat, but I'll leave that up to the details people. In honor of GP, I'm donning my blue Hawaiian shirt and will try to get a pic of it for his bulletin board. I shared a few setup pics with ya. We're far from Three Dog Night, but dang, there's an awful lot of music stands and stools, isn't there?

Goodnight, my bass brothas and sistas. I'll be on before liftoff to Dreamlans tomorrow night. Rock on!

Waiting for the hot weather warning to drift to "shorts on stage" .... This is very good stuff here, IA, and ain't that the funniest thing using a VT Bass to cop a vintage tone on a PBJ rig? That VT Bass "Fat Tube" setting is pretty darn good (to my ear) and get a whole lot of thumping out of a semi-hollowbody with that setup .... mwahaha And a funny thing that when this whole thing started for me a few decades ago everyone was going hifi where they could afford to. Aren't some future Brothers Grimm going to make a story out of this sort of thing to scare the kids for years?

 

[GwenOnBass]

That's me talking to him (in the Fender shirt) - fans were taking pics for each other. Was getting my "Big Beautiful Book of Bass" signed!

View attachment 3483283 View attachment 3483284

Hundreds of folks were there, so you were kinda herded through like cattle - but I'm good with that and had a great time - was a pleasure to meet him.

Wish I had taken a better pic of him here....
View attachment 3483286
As I would love to know what his shirt said. Was such a brief encounter and being a bit star struck, didn't even notice it til I looked at the pic later.

:: awe ::

Been looking at that book at the local B&M and saw someone bought it .... it's not in the shop window now

 

[GwenOnBass]

/

More mystery Pink Things for the other side of the stool (symmetry is paramount).

It's really just a stoopid bass player trick.

Right. What I had in mind (and brought into "reality" somehow) is a dedicated Bass Space. When I am in my Bass Space there is only what I'm doing with The Bass. And in that, everything I want or need for The Bass is in reach - metronome, drum machine, Tascam, headphones &c. There's a music stand just out of sight for the tablet and for sheet music. The Ampeg is for quiet hours with or without headphones, and as a primary AUX IN.

If any are looking for the first syllable of "foolproof" ... for Odin is a 3 year old standard poodle who is sometimes jealous of the bass. The top rungs on the musician's chair are made to stay right there where they were put. A pretty good footrest if the seat is elevated to maximum height. Otherwise the ends can be highly unfavourable points for a bass to encounter when ... oh like putting it on the stand when Odin requires my immediate attention.

The purpose of the mystery pink thing is solved. It's foam padding from the insert at the bottom of a Gator gig bag. Pulled the pink foam out of the bag that's velcro'd to the bottom of the gig bag. Filled the bag with the right amount of styrofoam peanuts to make the space a perfect fit for the Chowny. Nice and snug. But the back of the Chowny already bumped the foot rest once. No real damage, a minor thing, but .... you know, instrument owners ....

Just stuck the insert on the end of the footrest until I find a more elegant solution. There are certain to be many elegant solutions possible. Just two thick discs of black closed cell foam would do it.

I think, though, if I'm going to take a musician's chair to a gig it'll be a lot more portable than this one. No real hurry for the pink thing. Or, hey, a matched pair of tennis balls from a walker from the second hand store?

 

[GwenOnBass]

Hopefully your Hawaiian shirt isn't louder than yer rig.

Where there's a Hawaiian shirt there's sure to be an accordion....

My next purchase...and it's NOT a combo so I can hold up my pledge to not buy one for the rest of '19. Check it out and tell me what you think. Yahoo!

PS: I know right where it's going too...

Invalid Link Removed

Now that is cool. Major cool. Mind-bogglingly-cool.

Of course the price changes when the cost of a new Beatles bass is factored in ...

 

[Haroldo]

It's really just a stoopid bass player trick.

Right. What I had in mind (and brought into "reality" somehow) is a dedicated Bass Space. When I am in my Bass Space there is only what I'm doing with The Bass. And in that, everything I want or need for The Bass is in reach - metronome, drum machine, Tascam, headphones &c. There's a music stand just out of sight for the tablet and for sheet music. The Ampeg is for quiet hours with or without headphones, and as a primary AUX IN.

If any are looking for the first syllable of "foolproof" ... for Odin is a 3 year old standard poodle who is sometimes jealous of the bass. The top rungs on the musician's chair are made to stay right there where they were put. A pretty good footrest if the seat is elevated to maximum height. Otherwise the ends can be highly unfavourable points for a bass to encounter when ... oh like putting it on the stand when Odin requires my immediate attention.

The purpose of the mystery pink thing is solved. It's foam padding from the insert at the bottom of a Gator gig bag. Pulled the pink foam out of the bag that's velcro'd to the bottom of the gig bag. Filled the bag with the right amount of styrofoam peanuts to make the space a perfect fit for the Chowny. Nice and snug. But the back of the Chowny already bumped the foot rest once. No real damage, a minor thing, but .... you know, instrument owners ....

Just stuck the insert on the end of the footrest until I find a more elegant solution. There are certain to be many elegant solutions possible. Just two thick discs of black closed cell foam would do it.

I think, though, if I'm going to take a musician's chair to a gig it'll be a lot more portable than this one. No real hurry for the pink thing. Or, hey, a matched pair of tennis balls from a walker from the second hand store?

Or, hey, a matched pair of tennis balls from a walker from the second hand store?

Odin you'd be all set, there.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I'd like to get the opinion of @Killed_by_Death on this.

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There's conflicting information on the SweetWater site, they claim it's a 8" driver in the cabinet.
They also did this nearly useless video about it:



Not what I was wishing for, I was hoping for a higher Wattage head, like the MVX150H:

Invalid Link Removed

It's also too bad they didn't make the cabinet 8 Ohms so you can add a 2nd one. That's sort of what I had in mind for a MV50 head, a 2x8" cabinet.

 

[Doctor Intrepid]

There's conflicting information on the SweetWater site, they claim it's a 8" driver in the cabinet.
They also did this nearly useless video about it:



Not what I was wishing for, I was hoping for a higher Wattage head, like the MVX150H:

Invalid Link Removed

It's also too bad they didn't make the cabinet 8 Ohms so you can add a 2nd one. That's sort of what I had in mind for a MV50 head, a 2x8" cabinet.

Premier Guitar did a brief video on it and claimed it was a 10" driver. I agree about the wattage. If they really wanted to enter into the bass amp market they should have went with a 200 watt with a 15" driver. I would buy that for sure. 50 watts will work for guitar but not bass.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Or, hey, a matched pair of tennis balls from a walker from the second hand store?

Odin you'd be all set, there.

Aye, well seen. For Odin is very clear about his wants and needs. We have our routines

And in the "what's next category", so long as we're playing Vox sing-a-long ...

The BA-108v2 is the practice amp. An Eminence Alpha 8a is held to be a direct drop in. The speaker is half the price of the Ampeg .... Open up the 'peg and while it'll still be a 20 watt amp, it'll be a bulletproof 20 watt amp. So maybe it could see duty as a personal floor monitor?

The intent of the Elf was to work as a stopgap for the period the BG-400 and I were in different countries. Have the PJB C4 here, need something to make it go, and also just plain old gassed hard on the Elf. Figured it's a perfect backup amp, and means I I can drop it in my gigbag for those juke joints with a backline cab. Next as regards the Elf would be a cab just for the Elf. A rig for when all that PBJ stuff is overkill.

Which of course begs the question of why I don't have a sub-10 pound Vox VX50BA. <ahem>

The other logical next is a pedalboard. The VT Bass is also a DI and means I can gig ampless where there is a FOH. And use my [smaller] rig as a stage monitor [yay]. A HPF seems a fine idea. The cab sim on the VT Bass acts as a LPF. So what else on the pedalboard? The limiter on the PJB is fantastic, so no real need for a compressor as a limiter. The VT Bass adds "enough" compression. That leaves? Tuner. Headstock tuner. Overdrive, got that. Fuzz and more fuzz? Kind of limited but fun. Fun is all the other stuff. So looking at a very simple board .... very simple until Mind gets a hold of it....

 

[iagtrplyr]

It's really just a stoopid bass player trick.

Right. What I had in mind (and brought into "reality" somehow) is a dedicated Bass Space. When I am in my Bass Space there is only what I'm doing with The Bass. And in that, everything I want or need for The Bass is in reach - metronome, drum machine, Tascam, headphones &c. There's a music stand just out of sight for the tablet and for sheet music. The Ampeg is for quiet hours with or without headphones, and as a primary AUX IN.

If any are looking for the first syllable of "foolproof" ... for Odin is a 3 year old standard poodle who is sometimes jealous of the bass. The top rungs on the musician's chair are made to stay right there where they were put. A pretty good footrest if the seat is elevated to maximum height. Otherwise the ends can be highly unfavourable points for a bass to encounter when ... oh like putting it on the stand when Odin requires my immediate attention.

The purpose of the mystery pink thing is solved. It's foam padding from the insert at the bottom of a Gator gig bag. Pulled the pink foam out of the bag that's velcro'd to the bottom of the gig bag. Filled the bag with the right amount of styrofoam peanuts to make the space a perfect fit for the Chowny. Nice and snug. But the back of the Chowny already bumped the foot rest once. No real damage, a minor thing, but .... you know, instrument owners ....

Just stuck the insert on the end of the footrest until I find a more elegant solution. There are certain to be many elegant solutions possible. Just two thick discs of black closed cell foam would do it.

I think, though, if I'm going to take a musician's chair to a gig it'll be a lot more portable than this one. No real hurry for the pink thing. Or, hey, a matched pair of tennis balls from a walker from the second hand store?

Morrighan, if this post doesn’t prove you are by far the most complex women in our club, then I don’t know what would prove it better. The scary thing is I understood her thinking. Yikes!

 

[iagtrplyr]

Where there's a Hawaiian shirt there's sure to be an accordion....



Now that is cool. Major cool. Mind-bogglingly-cool.

Of course the price changes when the cost of a new Beatles bass is factored in ...

Thank you...wha??? New Beatles bass? You jean the $2,800 500/1 lefty they’ve got with my name on it? Details, M. Details.

 

[iagtrplyr]

There's conflicting information on the SweetWater site, they claim it's a 8" driver in the cabinet.
They also did this nearly useless video about it:



Not what I was wishing for, I was hoping for a higher Wattage head, like the MVX150H:

Invalid Link Removed

It's also too bad they didn't make the cabinet 8 Ohms so you can add a 2nd one. That's sort of what I had in mind for a MV50 head, a 2x8" cabinet.

Partial agreement with ya, KBD. I’m not bummed about the power because I probably would use it for home anyway, but I expected at least a 10” driver for the extra cash I’d have to pony up for it. The eight may be okay, but for a separate cab I thought it’d be nicer to have the ten. I wonder what the head would do with a 112 or 210 cab meant to be driven?

 

[iagtrplyr]

Premier Guitar did a brief video on it and claimed it was a 10" driver. I agree about the wattage. If they really wanted to enter into the bass amp market they should have went with a 200 watt with a 15" driver. I would buy that for sure. 50 watts will work for guitar but not bass.

Now I’m all confused. Eight? Ten? Carrots? What’s a boy to believe? I’ll wait until September and see if some begin getting into showrooms and wait for reviews. Doc, stay with he in this one. We may be the only two...except for M. She thought it was mind boggling you cool!