Yes! I was just thinking about my teacher who has big powerful tube amps and plays loud for us sometimes and between him and the amp it just sounds so good.Agreed, and it even more depends on who's playing.
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The Combo Club
- Thread starter ChefKen
- Start date
I guess he is. Unfortunately with COVID I haven’t seen him in a while. He doesn’t do online lessons.Sounds like a good teacher to me!
I've selected most of my basses on their natural unamplified sound, If that's good, I know It will sound good trough my amps. I try to find the setting near the natural tone, and than I start to flavor it to the mood I'm in.I was thinking something similar. I do not have a tone "in my head" but rather I just listen to what a given amp, cabinet (often within the same enclosure) and bass give me. If I like it during the time I'm playing it, I'm happy. Maybe my memory of a tone is not very good? So that each time I plug in and click "on" I respond to what is happening now, rather than what I vaguely remember.
Ah well, to each their own. Still thinking of a super mini combo in a mint tin...
This has never let me down... for now. (Pls. notice that I play more without amps on my sofa than plugged in.)
It’s my wish that they hold onto the Ampeg mojo, the growl, the “manly” Ampeg bass authority [whatever the devil that means; I read it in an article years ago]. Refinement and consistency I think will be the future of Ampeg. I believe that Yamaha MI gets it and they won’t do what has been done to other brands in the past, like CBS engineers treating the iconic Fender blackface series as hi-fi gear or what Thomas Organ did to Vox.
An XLR from line in to line out, and you'll have a bi-amp. That will give 100w more headroom, or EQ one for deep thump and one for the highs. The balanced line will be lower in noise than unbalanced.So- made the move to ‘consolidate’ my equip... sold my MB Nano 300 head (as I, almost, never used it) & my MB NY121 cab (as I almost never used it)... got a second CMD121P- will serve as both! Had a cable made which enables both cabs to run from 1 head so, if I take both combos- I have ‘all-in-one’!
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Curious how this went? I am still on the fence with downsizing, and grabbing a studio 40. I picked up a Markbass Jeff Berlin combo ( not player's school) last November when Musicians Friend had them as a "Stupid Deal of the Day" for $749. It's a fantastic combo, but probably a bit too much for my needs. Even before covid my gigging had dried up considerably. There are still a few basement jams here and there, a couple coffee shop/small brewery gigs - but, mainly just going direct for recording, etc.
I know the rumble club has pages of people touting these amps, but I wanted to post here to get some unbiased thoughts. Thanks!
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,133
- 256,261
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
It's Phil's "The Godfather" and "Mission Control" what proved to be the vectors of my chronic bass syndrome. I recall Phil said he doesn't remember how to work the controls on The Godfather (AKA Big Brown) today. It was all a revelation to me in the 70s. Clean, HiFi and gobs of power. ̶I̶ ̶s̶p̶e̶n̶t̶ ̶a̶ ̶l̶o̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶i̶m̶e̶ ̶s̶t̶a̶r̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶t̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶M̶a̶c̶i̶n̶t̶o̶s̶h̶ ̶p̶o̶w̶e̶r̶ ̶a̶m̶p̶s̶
All that made my Stingray pretty rad when new in 79, and I and everyone I knew was on about clean power. (Not the six-stringers) A bass with active electronics, a solid state combo ... heaven-sent!
Here in retirement after said [alleged] career [/alleged] and picking up my Stingray again, the move to the
:: cough, cough ::
boutique-y PJB combo makes sense to me. The VTBass Deluxe to the signal chain means six different tonal options under my foot. The bonus to the VT, I learned, is going ampless. No live settings right now, so it's the
VTBass -> PJB combo -> DAW
and it's a take. Well, not really. I haven't done anything on a single take, ever
The right combo amp for me now — the presumption being there are coffee house acoustic level gigs begging to be filled when The Thing That's Still Going Around breaks — is under 30 pounds, can hang with an acoustic guitar or two, and is under 30 pounds
Arguably that's a Rumble right there. Where are the other players in this? Sounds a whole lot like a PJB Double Four, too. Lots of Brand X amps need the keto diet. 
- Oct 22, 2015
- 21,133
- 256,261
- Disclosures
- I am an affiliate for Ari Cap.
I was thinking something similar. I do not have a tone "in my head" but rather I just listen to what a given amp, cabinet (often within the same enclosure) and bass give me. If I like it during the time I'm playing it, I'm happy. Maybe my memory of a tone is not very good? So that each time I plug in and click "on" I respond to what is happening now, rather than what I vaguely remember.
Ah well, to each their own. Still thinking of a super mini combo in a mint tin...
I've a friend who says the same thing about beer. Drink one brand of beer every day for a week, and by the end of the week you'll say it's pretty good
Time was, I found most beer repugnant. Now, with the profusion of craft beers, and nearly all being good, I do have a similar take on beer. I can drink a local-brewed (this is a beer-friendly town) stout, follow with a pilsner, follow with an ale, follow with a porter, follow with woops! That chair got away!I've a friend who says the same thing about beer. Drink one brand of beer every day for a week, and by the end of the week you'll say it's pretty good
And I'm likely to enjoy each one, while recognizing the differences along the way. Maybe not so much enjoying the floor...
I had a Guinness once(back when I drank only lagers). Hated it. Nowadays I only drink porters/stouts. Times and tastes change.Time was, I found most beer repugnant. Now, with the profusion of craft beers, and nearly all being good, I do have a similar take on beer. I can drink a local-brewed (this is a beer-friendly town) stout, follow with a pilsner, follow with an ale, follow with a porter, follow with woops! That chair got away!
And I'm likely to enjoy each one, while recognizing the differences along the way. Maybe not so much enjoying the floor...
I'm not a stout fan myself. Mostly lagers and ales. I have a winter beer and a summer beer. Both brewed in Alberta where I'm currently living. I like to support local economies when I can.
<not exactly unbiased>
The jazz gig went fine. We actually had some people there. For awhile. First break, mass exodus. The R40 more than held its own. G@9, Vol@10ish.(o'clock, of course). Buttons/knobs in different positions as the evening wore on(tweaking). The place is a repurposed house and definitely not configured for live music. They're planning some renovations that should improve the acoustics.
Anyhoo, both the Bassman 25 and the R40(both have 10" spkrs)were plenty for the room. I wasn't 'pushing' them at all. Plus, I've used the R40 in much larger rooms than this one, again with no problems. I'm generally not required to be LOUD. Just to provide a nice, solid foundation for the other guys to build on.
We have a gig Wednesday night at a place we haven't played before. It's less than 2miles from the house so I'm going over there tomorrow to check out the space to see what I'll need. I'll prolly take the R200c, but if the R100 is sufficient, it'll get the call.
Count off: One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor!!Time was, I found most beer repugnant. Now, with the profusion of craft beers, and nearly all being good, I do have a similar take on beer. I can drink a local-brewed (this is a beer-friendly town) stout, follow with a pilsner, follow with an ale, follow with a porter, follow with woops! That chair got away!
And I'm likely to enjoy each one, while recognizing the differences along the way. Maybe not so much enjoying the floor...
I live in Craft Brew Heaven, the PNW (Pacific Northwest). My younger brother went through life drinking just two brands of bland, mass produced beer while I rarely drink two glasses of the same beer in a row.
There are definite tonal ranges / feelings I like. (By feeling, I mean physical impact on my body.) Another fave is from early southern rock- Berry Oakley, and Leon Wilkeson- era Skynyrd. When that’s what the song wants, nothing else will do. That said, I’m happy getting close. I just want to nail the vibe.
So- made the move to ‘consolidate’ my equip... sold my MB Nano 300 head (as I, almost, never used it) & my MB NY121 cab (as I almost never used it)... got a second CMD121P- will serve as both! Had a cable made which enables both cabs to run from 1 head so, if I take both combos- I have ‘all-in-one’!
View attachment 4140943 View attachment 4140944
An XLR from line in to line out, and you'll have a bi-amp. That will give 100w more headroom, or EQ one for deep thump and one for the highs. The balanced line will be lower in noise than unbalanced.
Huh? Wha...? When did I...? Wait a minute! I didn't post that!! Hey, mickey, what are you doing putting @stegosaurusjohn's words in my mouth? How did you even do that?!? Hmmm... ... . . .
Now let me see ... ...
Why, thank you. You make me blush.
.
Thank you, Your now Ex-Excellency. I promise to be an awesome SR Fearless Leader!
Alright, you Comboites! On your toes! There's a new regime in town. Heh heh heh ... ...
.
I'm still trucking along with my sounds from, the Epi EB-0, and the Fender Rumble 100 C. Jack Bruce had his famous sounds from the Gibson EB-3, running mostly through the Marshalls, that were a copy of Fender Bassman heads, by Jim Marshall.
ah crap. I was afraid that the power would eventually go to his head and he'd stage a coupe. OK, all we need to do now to stop him isHuh? Wha...? When did I...? Wait a minute! I didn't post that!! Hey, mickey, what are you doing putting @stegosaurusjohn's words in my mouth? How did you even do that?!? Hmmm... ... . . .
Now let me see ... ...
Why, thank you. You make me blush.
Thank you, Your now Ex-Excellency. I promise to be an awesome SR Fearless Leader!
Alright, you Comboites! On your toes! There's a new regime in town. Heh heh heh ... ... .
