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Double Bass Traynor Sb106 or MarkBass 801

B

BassDaddy11

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May 23, 2021
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#1
I’m needing a small amp for practice and to use as a stage monitor (mainly for just myself). We wear in ears but I leave the left one out to hear the amp. I’m considering the Traynor sb106 or the MB801 because of size and weight. Can anyone comment if you own either one, or maybe make a different recommendation for me? Thanks!
 
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#2
I own and gig with the Traynor SB 106. It’s great for Duos and Trios, extremely lightweight. On a large MainStage with monitors and drums it would get
buried quickly, but for small clubs and casuals it’s ideal. I always use my a Red Eye preamp in conjunction with the Traynor. The Markbass MB801 is something I demoed at GC years ago and couldn’t get the timbre of my DB dialed in. Just my take of course. mileage may vary.
 
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#3
Thanks Ric,
I wouldn’t need tons of volume on stage with our bluegrass group (NO drums )
Most of the bass comes through the in-ears . I was just hoping for something lightweight to set close by to use as a type of bass monitor. I also have a redeye and am glad to hear that they work well together.
 
#4
I often use my Markbass 801 as a monitor as you describe, but I'm not picky about the stage sound. With only a filter and no EQ, the 801 is plenty loud but sonically only adequate with DB (however, I love it for BG!). You can improve the sound with a preamp/DI (I sometimes use a Fishman Platinum Stage), but that's another piece of gear to carry.

I've never owned an SB106 but a couple years ago my luthier gave me one to try out at home. I found it absolutely awesome at lower volumes but a little shaky when turned up. This might be a problem when using it as a stage monitor unless you also want to drag along an extension speaker, which kind of defeats the purpose of using a lightweight amp.
 
#5
Thanks Bob. That helps. I’m kind of torn between the 2. The eq options on the traynor seem nice but I imagine either one would suit my purposes. Does the 801 have the capability of going to the house?
 
#8
BassDaddy11 said:
Thanks Ric,
I wouldn’t need tons of volume on stage with our bluegrass group (NO drums )
Most of the bass comes through the in-ears . I was just hoping for something lightweight to set close by to use as a type of bass monitor. I also have a redeye and am glad to hear that they work well together.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the Traynor would be a good fit for you! It is very light weight and compact, in addition to the Red Eye I have the "Little Amp Wedge" from Thunderbolt Audio that serves as

a tilt stand for the SB 106. Point the amp up really helps with stage volume. I don't generally ascribe to the "put the amp up on a chair option" as with most bass combos"the higher off the floor you go, the less bass response you have. Just my take though
 
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#12
BassDaddy11 said:
I see them both @ gollihur but the PJ is abit cheaper. Any idea why?
Does the PJ have the capability of running to the house?
Thanks
Click to expand...

From my point of view (I'm sure others will chime in with their favorites) the Traynor SB 106 sits in a sweet spot between the 801 and the Double Four.
You would have to cart around a DI or use the house DI De Jour with the Double Four. I'm quite familiar with that situation because my Walter Woods 1,200,00
Electroacoustic has one and they can be fairly noisy.
 
#13
The Double 4 needs a preamp in my experience. I've been using the red eye. It does have an XLR out, but I don't know if using it would allow you to plug the 1/4 inch into an amp at the same time. Someone here must have the answer to that. FWIW I've found that little preamp to be a great purchase. I have no experience with that Traynor amp, but I have used that little Mark and I don't like it as much as the PJ.
 
#14
Well I just went to the Red Eye site and in the FAQ section there's info that running an XLR to the house and a 1/4 inch cable to an onstage amp can sometimes cause a 60 cycle hum in the amp. Apparently this is no problem if you're amp has a ground lift switch, which the Double 4 does not.
 
#16
Don Kasper said:
Does the Ground-Lift switch on the Red Eye Balanced XLR output not solve this "....hum" issue?
Just wondering.
Thx.
Click to expand...
No idea. I have no understanding of electronics. I'm just reporting what the Red Eye guys replied to a FAQ about hum. They posted a link to a cheap ground lift gadget you could put in between the preamp and amp if your amp lacks a switch.
 
#18
Ok, just to clarify. The traynor wouldn’t need a ground lift or anything to be able to go to the house, correct?
I would just go:
PU to redeye (instrument port)
redeye (effects loop) to traynor
Traynor as monitor and to house

that’s what I’m doing with my bigger amp now. Hoping for a similar (lighter) set-up.
Thanks everyone.
 
#19
BassDaddy11 said:
Thanks Bob. That helps. I’m kind of torn between the 2. The eq options on the traynor seem nice but I imagine either one would suit my purposes. Does the 801 have the capability of going to the house?
Click to expand...

Yes, it does, and it's not a bad sounding DI, but I usually use my Fishman preamp to go into the house so I can send the signal "pre" rather than "post." 801 DI is post-only.
 
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#20
lurk said:
The Double 4 needs a preamp in my experience. I've been using the red eye. It does have an XLR out, but I don't know if using it would allow you to plug the 1/4 inch into an amp at the same time. Someone here must have the answer to that. FWIW I've found that little preamp to be a great purchase. I have no experience with that Traynor amp, but I have used that little Mark and I don't like it as much as the PJ.
Click to expand...

I’ve done that at home with the DI into a recording console and the 1/4 into an amplifier. Their is no way to attenuate the volume back to the amp vs the DI level but it does work.
 

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