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what amp for small jazz gigs

#41
Stewart PA-50B
100 watts bridged into 8 ohms....

Hmmm; that's pretty neat mate!

nic salsus said:
Just re-read the OP and saw the ideal amp is a separate head/cab. I don't know if this would apply to you but I went one further and went for a separate power amp/preamp/cab. Whenever I can I will blow off an amp altogether and play through the PA. The preamp makes this very doable. This rig of a Bag End S10-C, Stewart PA-50B power amp and a Raven Labs PMB preamp is compact and versatile. I have around $650 in this it with the amp and cab being purchased used.
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#42
Chef said:
Stewart PA-50B
100 watts bridged into 8 ohms....

Hmmm; that's pretty neat mate!
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I also have the PA-100B that's 180 watts bridged at 8 ohms. The 50 is a little smaller though and has been adequate for most of my needs. The 100 with 10" tannoy studio monitors and a little Tapco mixer is the core of my home stereo/practice system. I bought these Stewarts several years ago used on ebay....$50 for the 50B and $80 or so for the 100B. I like them so much that even the $350 a new 100B costs seems a very fair price.
 
#44
pfschim said:
But an old, but very good piece of advice applies here - don't skimp on the quality of your gear. Over time, you'll rarely be unhappy with a good piece of gear (even if it pushed your wallet a little), but a cheap piece of gear will haunt you every time you turn it on.
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The flip side of this is the confidence you gain when you know your gear is reliable and sounds good. I'm typically playing 4-6 gigs a month, and what I love about my little 1x12 Markbass combo is that I can carry it in one hand (bass in the other, gig bag/pedal board over my shoulder) and make one trip from car to stage, set up in a few minutes, and dial in a solid tone to suit any room that I play in seconds.

I used to spend a lot of time trying to coax a lot of second-tier gear into doing what I wanted it to do. I am really enjoying this new no-muss no-fuss approach to gigging. It's seriously making me a better player, because I'm focusing zero attention on my gear once I'm set up.
 
#46
FromTheBassMent said:
The flip side of this is the confidence you gain when you know your gear is reliable and sounds good. I'm typically playing 4-6 gigs a month, and what I love about my little 1x12 Markbass combo is that I can carry it in one hand (bass in the other, gig bag/pedal board over my shoulder) and make one trip from car to stage, set up in a few minutes, and dial in a solid tone to suit any room that I play in seconds.

I used to spend a lot of time trying to coax a lot of second-tier gear into doing what I wanted it to do. I am really enjoying this new no-muss no-fuss approach to gigging. It's seriously making me a better player, because I'm focusing zero attention on my gear once I'm set up.
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That's easily my favorite thing about my Markbass gear. I don't have to think about it, I just use it. Plug 'n play. No tweaking necessary for me even with a wide variety of basses and gigs... and I get the best live sound I've ever had. It's almost too easy.
:D
 
#51
Chef said:
If you don't have the coin for the walkabout, it's true that the GK MB150 and Ampeg B100R are both tasty little units that can be fairly cheap used.
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i was about to recommend the B100R, which is what I use for this purpose. You can find lighter amps with more options, but you won't find one that sounds better for the price... they go for 2-300 used

Ampegs in general can be good for this - a BA115 wouldn't be the worst choice either, and these are plentiful in pawn shops, on craigslist, etc
 
#54
jtc_hunter said:
Before you buy anything, go try the new GK MB115 , 200 watt combo. You wont believe it.
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+1

Search the forum for the GK MB 210 and 115 thread. I have the MB 210 and love it. 350W (500W with an extension cab) 33 lbs $599 new. It also sounds great at low volumes though I cheat and run my passive bass through the active jack to keep the volume down when I play at low volume. The only problem you may have is finding one to demo, they're in short supply. The 115 has been getting a lot of good feedback too and it's less bucks.
 
#55
So many suggestions here that sound perfect for what I am looking for (quality sound in a small, light weight package)! I am playing a Spector Legend 5 Classic and am wondering if the fact that I am using a 5 string would eliminate any of the suggestions or conversley, make some of the suggestions more attractive for me than some of the others. Any thoughts?
 
#58
pbass888 said:
Do you have any reservations about buying used stuff? esp amps... im not concerned about basses but never bot a used amp before?

Thankyou for your suggestions!:)
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I bought my B100R used at least 10 years ago and have used it regularly the entire time. Check out whatever you buy as thoroughly as you can, test it at the volume you plan on using it.

I''ve also bought most of my other amplification used over the years and rarely have had a problem. Saved a ton of money.
 
#59
A lot has happened equipment-wise in 20 years. I just started playing again, too.

You might even find that the Phil Jones Briefcase will be enough for your ensemble. Far less than the price of a Mesa Walkabout.
 

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