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What's up with the Combo negativity?

#81
nortonrider said:
CL400Peavey:
You trying to start an argument?
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Nope, not at all. Just trying to gain some insight, as your profile doesnt list any gear. If your only experience had been with the first bass you played, along with the first amp you played, I could take your questions one way vs another. You have a multi effects pedal, that gives you a lot of tonal variance. There are some that dont like to use multi effects, and would rather get different sounds out of different pieces of gear. That said there are more than a few people that would say that you cant replicate certain things with effects. You may come close, but there is no substitution for an all tube head.
 
#83
Redundancy is so redundant.

Actually, I was kind of glad to have a backup a month ago when my SVT sloughed off a power tube and went "BZZZZZT" every time I hit an F#. Could have done the show without fixing it, though...I don't even know that we do any songs in F# ;)

But it was nice to fix it after the first set. But I know some of the biggest pros on earth who bring only one bass and one amp. Not since I was 30 have I had a bass crap totally out on me in the middle of a show, and 8 or 9 years ago was the last time I broke a string, and that was only because that bass had a whammy bar on it. Used to bring two basses everywhere, including flights, and I hated life. One bass and I'm happy. I hate switching in the middle of a show anyway.

But even though I still just bring one bass most of the time, I have taken to bringing a backup micro, extra strings, and an extra cable or two. Now if I were out on the road for weeks at a time with all our own gear, might be a different story. But I just don't get too worked up when something goes on the fritz to go all crazy with backups. It's rock and roll.
 
#87
I've got an old Tube Works 300W/210 combo that I bought new and has always been a PITA for move around. It's heavy and awkward to lift. The main reason I bought it back in the day was that it was a few hundred cheaper than the seperate head and cab route.

It still sounds great but I tweaked my back the last time I moved it. Thinking of selling it and get a new Genz Benz rig that I can carry to a gig without any help. Just gotta scratch together the cash.
 
#88
swift.jpg


"But which end of the soft-boiled egg does a truly civilized person open, the big or the little?" asked Jonathan swiftly. :scowl:
 
#89
I hate it when people start hating people for hating other people's combos.

nortonrider said:
In every "what amp should I buy" thread, there are always the guys commenting to not buy a Combo but a separate head and cab (mix and match, interchangeability, etc...) and pretty much hating on the combos.

I happen to think that if they were really not that user friendly, manufacturers wouldn't still be making / selling them.
Somebody is buying them and it can't be just "noobs" who don't know any better.

I also believe that these comments dismissing Combos are just a bunch of people regurgitating stuff they have heard others say.

Personally, I like combos.
My main amp is an old Genz Benz combo, it has a DI and the ability to add an extension cab should I care to.

My Peavey tube amp / SWR rig is packed away in the closet.

Anybody else dig their Combos?
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#94
rsz_614.jpg


Hartke VX3500 is my combo of choice. Heavy (107 lbs), but it's on casters so it's not so bad. Sturdy as rock and as loud as I'll prob ever need to be with 350 watts. Both tube and SS pre amps that can be mixed together, or not, if wanted. The direct out has gotten lots of bad reviews, but I've never used it.
Anyway, it's a powerful beast and I love it!:D
 
#95
I wish Peavey would come out with a VB-2 powered 210 combo. While I currently run combos, sooner or later it will probably come down to an all-tube head and some 210 cabs. For me, ease of packing gear into my Mini Clubman is the overriding concern, and my bigger combo takes up most of the cargo room and at 89lbs. is just too heavy. Separate components might weigh as much or more, but I wouldn't need to carry them all at once. Luckily, I don't need massive power as my guitarist runs a Gibson Goldtone, all of 15 watts, and my drummer doesn't feel the need to play as hard as he possibly can, so the 210 watts my combo has, without an extension, is more than enough for the blues we play. In fact, I never get it past 3 on the post gain.
 
#97
CL400Peavey said:
Here is a better set of questions from me to you.

Why does a combo work better for you than separates?

Why would you recommend a combo over separates?
Click to expand...

OK, fair enough questions:

I like my GB ML 200 210T combo the best because it does everything that I want it to. Sounds good, Is plenty loud enough, Tilt Back, effects loop, clean DI, expandable (it is actually 2 100 watt amps biamped), durable, looks good (subjective I know), and is easy enough to move around (60 lbs. I think)

Next, I like my GB 6.0 12T because it is small and easy to handle, Loud, Genz Benz quality. My neighbor actually plays it more than I and is in the process of buying it from me.

Then there is my Peavey AlphaBass / SWR Goliath rig. It sounds good. downside: Heavier than the others, must make 2 trips when moving it. needs speaker cable so there are actually 3 components required for operation. Tubes, more fragile. It is my spare and is packed away (just in case) I don't play it much anymore.

Lastly, an Ibanez 10 watt practice combo that is right now being used to power a couple of Fisher stereo speakers. I've got this laptop plugged into it and listening to the Bass on the Broadband radio station as I type this.
My guitar player buddy will plug into it now and then, it works fine for that and for what I'm using it for.

I don't go out of my way to talk anyone into buying a combo but I don't try to talk them out of buying a rig either.

That's my take on my gear. any more questions, feel free to ask.
 
#98
nortonrider said:
OK, fair enough questions:

....

That's my take on my gear. any more questions, feel free to ask.
Click to expand...

So your combo is lighter and more transportable than your separates. Its loud enough, and has the right features for your use?

Sounds like you have a good set up.

For me I can basically take your post on your 210 and do this.

I like my fEARful 15/6 - PF-500 combo the best because it does everything that I want it to for practice. Sounds good, is plenty loud enough, effects loop, clean DI, expandable should I ever want to add a 15sub, durable, looks good (subjective I know), and is easy enough to move around (45 lbs. I think).
Click to expand...

The pro for me on separates is I can take PF-500 and replace it with Mark VIII or Classic 400, or I can take 15/6 and replace it with 1515/66 should my volume needs be greater. I have my larger heads solely for the tone they give me, they are not specifically about power. I use the cabs I do because they give me the low end response I want combined with present mids. The 15/6 is great, but just barely falls short of what I need for a show as we only run vocals through the PA. I actually got the 1515/66 first as it was supposed to be the last cab I would ever need. The 15/6 came second as it was a great deal used.

If I could get all the sound and feel I want out of a 3 pound head combo'ed with a 210, all weighing under 30 pounds, I would buy one. That isnt physically possible so I have different heads for different sounds. I also have different cabs for different volume needs.
 
#99
Separates typically offer more flexibility. You can have one head that works with several cabs, a cab that works with several heads, a pre and power amp that are interchangeable with other pres/power amps/ cabs and so on. If you don't need or want any of that it's moot.

I own a couple of combos, an Ampeg B-100R 1x15 that I don't gig with and an AER Basic Performer 4x8 that I do sometimes gig with. There's no sacrificing of tone with either of them since I use them because of how they sound. For gigs with unknowns, to be prepared for worst case scenarios I take separates. Funny thing is that my current rig for those scenarios is now smaller and lighter (by close to half) than either of my combos... an Acoustic Image Focus 1R head (600w, 4 lb.) into a relatively tiny Glasstone Lil G 2-12 cab (1k+w, 32 lb.).

Use what works for you... and last I checked, not recommending something does not equal condemning it.
:cool:
 
#100
Brad Johnson said:
Funny thing is that my current rig for those scenarios is now smaller and lighter (by close to half) than either of my combos...
Click to expand...

My practice rig is lighter than any combo I have ever owned.

Use what works for you... and last I checked, not recommending something does not equal condemning it.
:cool:
Click to expand...

Exactly. I think there is some skewed perspective here on TB. There are a lot of "what is the best rig for metal with three guitarists all sporting full 812 stacks and 200 watt heads? Can I get by with a 108 combo?" At which point there is the obvious statement of "No, that combo isnt enough get yourself 500+ watts and as much speaker as you can muster!" There is also this skewed idea that everyone has killer PA support for every gig. This isnt the case. I bring enough rig for every scenario. I bring enough rig that if the PA isnt enough we can scrape something together and run the Keys player through my rig. I like to be prepared.
 

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