The Combo Club

[iagtrplyr]

Pre-Foxy photo. Even pre-BM500HD, so a few years.
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I’m so used to your photoshopping skills I figured you’d just add her in! Fine-looking lineup, G’Dog.

 

[ElectricBass72]

My two combos.... Line6 LD300 Pro and Fender Rumble Stage 800. Also have an Ampeg practice combo... BA-108.

 

[iagtrplyr]

My two combos.... Line6 LD300 Pro and Fender Rumble Stage 800. Also have an Ampeg practice combo... BA-108.

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EB72, nice entrance! You’ve got a great lineup of combos, including two in my own stable, the Stage 800 and baby Ampeg. I respected the Low Down series though. They helped usher in the modeling age and are a part of what we see today.

If you’re looking for a membership number let me know and your wish to belong to the coolest club in TB will be granted.

 

[GonePlaid]

Very cool, Monet! Looks like a simpler cross between my 39 lb. Bassman 150 1x12 and my 63 lb. Bassman 250 1x15, which came with casters. Their covers have been gathering dust the last few years since getting the Rumble 500 and Bassman 500 w/115 Neo. But, I just this morning installed the 150 in the sanctuary of the church for my regular ongoing gig. Whew! Hope I don't have to move it for at least a few more years.

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If yer down my way, I'll let you roll the Kasino out in front of the garage door for a fresh pic.

 

[iagtrplyr]

If yer down my way, I'll let you roll the Kasino out in front of the garage door for a fresh pic.

Take the offer because it may never come again!

 

[iriegnome]

This little rig was impressive

 

[JakobT]

Jakob, thank you for your usual detailed review. Very thoughtful. Don’t give up on it being your ears may find something you like about it with maybe a certain bass.

You said what I tend to think about these one-button effects options. As you said, it comes on and there’s no way to make even slight adjustments. I rarely use the Rumble 100’s three buttons because of that very thing. Gimme something to work with and I’ll dial it in. That being said, I am curious about the Superbeetle’s fuzz button. It’ll probably be a “meh.”

Jakob, if you’re me (and God forbid you’re anything even close), you’ll use it for a bit, move it to the corner, and sell it to explore for the next option to please your ears. It’s a never ending quest. Be strong.

Thanks again!

Thanks for those kind words, @iagtrplyr! It’s certainly not going out the door just yet, I’ve discovered that it can take quite a while for new gear to «settle», and first impressions can easily be misleading. There are lots of things about the Unity 60 I like, and there may well be ways of getting around the things I don’t that I haven’t discovered yet.

I disagree with you on the three voicings on the Rumbles, though. Like the ones on the Blackstar, they are affected by the EQ, they just provide a different baseline for EQ’ing your signal to your preferred tone, and as such are useful shortcuts.

Effects like compression, on the other hand, are practically useless without options to adjust gain, amount of sustain, and attack independently. I once owned a TC SpectraComp pedal which promised ease of use through having only one knob. I soon discovered that what this meant was that the ratio between several of these parameters was fixed, and could not be adjusted independently other than by accessing its internal settings via an app. That was far to fiddly for me, so I sold it. Since the compression feature of the Blackstar allows no adjustment at all, and adds noise and unwanted gain to your signal as well, it seems to me that it’s more of a talking point for shopfloor salesmen than something that would be actually useful to a bass player.

The chorus effect, too, seems more like a novelty feature without options to adjust the effect. I also have a little trouble seeing what these features are doing at all in what is clearly a practice amp (the powered cab option notwithstanding). Some of the Unity 60’s larger siblings do have these features with adjustability, which is reasonable, as they are more gig-worthy amps to begin with.

 

[bhendrix]

The chorus effect, too, seems more like a novelty feature without options to adjust the effect

You get the ability to adjust chorus level on the U250 and U500 only. BUT, the adjustment knob is located on the BACK of the amp and not easy to get to whilst playing. I actually liked the effect, but pain in the arse to adjust!

 

[GwenOnBass]

Engineers, meet marketing. Engineers, meet bookkeeping.

<our fine product>

 

[G-Dog]

I got this folding stool at Walmart. There is also a shorter version.
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If yer down my way, I'll let you roll the Kasino out in front of the garage door for a fresh pic.

Take the offer because it may never come again!

I was actually beginning to wonder how the garage door was doing, when "there she is" with the folding stool!

Thanks! It's a very tempting offer. How much for a pic of one of my amps next to The Kasino in front of the garage door? And can I get The Kasino's autograph?!?

Then a little side trip to visit my hero, and close personal friend, again! Felt like looking in a mirror when we met. Ah-hiilk! Gawrsh!

.​

 

[iagtrplyr]

Engineers, meet marketing. Engineers, meet bookkeeping.

<our fine product>

Hey M, is it done yet? Is it home yet? Am I too repetitive yet? Curious minds want to know.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Hey M, is it done yet? Is it home yet? Am I too repetitive yet? Curious minds want to know.

No, and I miss it. It's my "work" amp!

It's all well to have the rigs to play the gig ... yet it's the BA108 that I use to get (and keep!) the gig. A practice amp. What a concept! And to read round these parts, the common "wisdom" is "get a real amp" (that you can gig with). The BA108 (and similar brethren, Rumbles etc.) is kind of like a favourite metaphor. And yeah, it's probably "giggable" if we're talking a very small room. Or maybe a line out and make it my personal stage monitor (except the PJB Ear Box would be dope).

What I wonder is if some genius at the workbench is angling to rig a 4 ohm load out of the 8 ohm speaker LOL

 

[iagtrplyr]

No, and I miss it. It's my "work" amp!

It's all well to have the rigs to play the gig ... yet it's the BA108 that I use to get (and keep!) the gig. A practice amp. What a concept! And to read round these parts, the common "wisdom" is "get a real amp" (that you can gig with). The BA108 (and similar brethren, Rumbles etc.) is kind of like a favourite metaphor. And yeah, it's probably "giggable" if we're talking a very small room. Or maybe a line out and make it my personal stage monitor (except the PJB Ear Box would be dope).

What I wonder is if some genius at the workbench is angling to rig a 4 ohm load out of the 8 ohm speaker LOL

Couldn’t agree more. To some, a practice amp is heresy, but to you and I (and countless others) it’s a unique opportunity to “gig” at a level that not even the dog is bothered by.

I always say, if I could find a full-size gigging combo that could take the little one’s mojo and just play it louder, thought I do like your idea about a DI to the board, I’d grab it!

Finally, the argument goes, “just use your playing-out combo for smaller room practice.” IMHO, it doesn’t give me what the practice amp does, no matter how I adjust it. My Stage 800 sounds hollow because its volume is sitting under 7:00 on the knob. Yeah, I can fatten the tone, but I do that with the BA108 and it is perfect. A wonderful partner with my Fender Jazz.

I hope you get it before Thanksgiving so you can find a little free time to loosen up that Eminence.

 

[GwenOnBass]

Yeh, I know, who would want a combo amp that sounds great at practice volume? /snark

 

[G-Dog]

 

[ElectricBass72]

EB72, nice entrance! You’ve got a great lineup of combos, including two in my own stable, the Stage 800 and baby Ampeg. I respected the Low Down series though. They helped usher in the modeling age and are a part of what we see today.

If you’re looking for a membership number let me know and your wish to belong to the coolest club in TB will be granted.

I'm amazed at the sound the Ampeg 1x8" puts out. Great practical little amp for $100 and it sounds better than any combo I had in the 80's and 90's!

 

[RodRy]

Engineers, meet marketing. Engineers, meet bookkeeping.

<our fine product>

Yep, we struggle with great ideas that Marketing nixes, and that the accountants tell us are too expensive. Sigh.

 

[Flamingo21]

Congrats everyone, on reaching 6000 posts!

 

[GonePlaid]

Yeh, I know, who would want a combo amp that sounds great at practice volume? /snark

I have the 'advantage(?)' of living alone in a detached house, so, other than local noise ordinances, I don't need to be quiet. Practice amp:

 

[RodRy]

Submitted for your approval, a vid that I think is one of the best combo comparisons. Let me know what your favorite is out of this batch, and what little combo you would love to see added to this.

:-]