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Tiny amps...tiny power amps?

#21
I do own a Baby Sumo and it's a sweet little amp. I really dig the simplicity of having just an on/off switch and a master vol. IMO the size is just right. It is heavy enough to sit tight on a cab even when there is a a bit of tension on one of the cables.

But I don't use it as much as I thought I would. I take my Tonehammer on lots of occasions and plug into the FX return.
The Tonehammer has two features that make it a bit more useful to me:
1. Two speakon outputs. Sounds trivial, but I often rehearse in a place where the cabs I need to use are set up for the guy who owns them and plays them with a non bridged poweramp, so there are two speakon cables to plug in or re-routing the cables which is a PITA because the cabs are semi built in to the room and their backs are hard to access.
2. Another DI out. This comes in handy when a) I need to send 1 signal to FOH and one to IEM or
B) when I have pedals after my preamp/DI and only one wet signal that comes out of the last pedal.
 
#22
Mushroo said:
Most players it seems would rather buy something like a Quilter BB800 and use it as a power amp by patching into the Line In.
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Exactly this. It’s what I’ve been doing for the last year or so. Why settle on just one integrated instrument amp when you can have a half dozen for the price of a preamp pedal for each additional flavor? The effects in jack is the keys to the kingdom.

Think modular! :thumbsup:
 
#24
Mushroo said:
There's not much market for it, so most bass amp manufacturers are smart enough not to develop a product that isn't going to sell. There's an Acoustic Image Focus SA (best bass-specific mini power amp EVER!) that's been sitting in the Classifieds since last year and nobody's bought it despite multiple price drops. Most players it seems would rather buy something like a Quilter BB800 and use it as a power amp by patching into the Line In.
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There may not be much of a market, but I feel like this topic comes up often. I also would love to see something like the OP is referencing as well, since I rarely ever touch eq on my amp. I like my bass’ eq and pedals to do the heavy lifting.

You do have a point though, because for the same price as all the small power amps, you can get a fully-featured bass amp- that Acoustic Image included (even though the one in the classifieds is a stellar price). I think what’s missing, is an affordable mini power amp only. You’d think there would be some cheaper ones around since it’s just a power module with a volume knob.
 
#25
MXS2800_head_on_1-display.jpg
 
#27
Ross W. Lovell said:
I'm not sure if I was a manufacturer that I'd want my product ON THE FLOOR!

Are you kidding Me?

People kicking, tripping, and knocking my "floor amp" would not do well for my company's reputation nor would I opt to subject my product to these NEW harsh conditions all while hoping the money I spent on the company's logo was well spent.

A few years back, someone I played with decided to get a tube pedal to drive his guitar amp. I can't be the only person that thought having a pair of preamp tubes installed in something called a "stomp box" was an insanely stupid idea.

Don't think it's any better idea if it's solid state, especially when I look at the inside of most PCB equipped amps.

Can you say "Recipe For Disaster"?
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Not a problem if the product is designed for this kind of use. I've designed and/or supported a variety of tube pedals (commercial) that are certainly used on the floor, and there are many thousands of these out there that are over 20 years old with no problems at all. And yes, these used PCBs too, which can be more rugged and robust construction than any other assembly method.
 
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#31
Bassbeater said:
I would be very excited to have a reliable 300-600 watt pedal sized amp on my pedal board. That would make life much simpler.

Anybody stepping all over my PB is going to get punched. Touch a knob without permission and risk death.
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Still wondering why anybody wants to, on purpose, put knobs you need to adjust, on the floor, unless you have the arm length of a chimpanzee?

We wear watches on our wrists, we put the speedometer in front of the driver, etc, etc, etc.

I'm old, but even in my 20's, my effects board was on a stand, they were actuated by foot switches.

I tend not to willingly put things on the floor if I don't want them touched, tripped over, or stepped upon.

Bassbeater, no one is ever going to mistake me for Kissinger, but to risk inflicting grievous bodily harm based on poor placement, I'm going to guess you're kidding.
 
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#32
I was going on about needing more rackmountable D-amp options a couple of weeks ago. Now I want one on or under my PB. I could lose the rack completely like this!
I'd wear one on my chimpanzee wrist if it moved the cones! :D
 
#37
basscooker said:
*sigh*

.........
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Shouldn't you be happy, actual progress is being made these days? Personally, I'm really happy to see that at least a few more of these are even legal in the US (i.e. FCC approved) now. If I were in the market that would always be the very first question I asked.
 
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#40
Passinwind said:
Shouldn't you be happy, actual progress is being made these days? Personally, I'm really happy to see that at least a few of these are even legal in the US (i.e. FCC approved) now. If I were in the market that would always be the very first question I asked.
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I'm never happy unless someone looses an eye... and that someone is not me.
 
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