Hi, I am professional bass player and had to sell my Markbass CMD121P combo and EBS Neo112 cab yesterday because of the virus. I am looking for a cheap replacement combo which is loud enough and can be used for smaller gigs. After some research I found these 3 combos which could work for me. -Fender rumble 200 -Ashdown studio 15 -Hartke KB12 which one would you take and why? Thanks
Get something with at least a 15" speaker and 200w, with at least 150w watts going into the internal speaker. The Fender is only 140W internally. It's fine unless things get loud. The Peavey Max 250 might be better. Compare the two.
This one has all 250W going into it's speaker. Reviews are all great. Cools features. I'd spend the extra few bucks for this one myself. Blackstar Unity Bass U250 1x15" 250-watt Bass Combo Amp
How does the drive circuit differ from the rumble 200 and the ashdown studio 15? Does somebody know that?
Sorry to hear about any virus-related downsizing Im not crazy about Hartke personally, but a lot of folks seem to like em. Haven’t tried any Ashdown... I own a Mark 121p and a Rumble 100. I flip between the two pretty seamlessly. And if you set the Rumble EQ to 10/2/2/10 it cleans them up considerably and they just sing. I love the 200 as well, it’s my go to “bass testing amp” at my local shop. The 500 is a downright beast. Id add GK MB 112 or 115 to your list; if you can find one used that should be in your budget, cleaner and more headroom than the rumble. good luck!
Of those 3, the fender. Are you ruling out used gear? There are some good deals on GK MB combos in the classifieds...
SB115 – Traynor Amps 200w, 31lbs, loud and sounds great, made in Canada by Traynor/Yorkville, great warranty, built like a tank {}
Hartke KB12 gets my vote. Why? The form factor. I'm a BIG fan of the angled cabinet and I owned the old version. Only parted with it when I jumped into the world of lightweight cabinets and class D amps a couple years ago - but I do miss it. The 12 sounded clearer to me than the 15, but much warmer than the 10. I've only tried the rumbles at Guitar Center, and never had the opportunity to try the Ashdown - but I will pick up the new version KB12 if I come across one for the right price.
yah ...I've rented one a few times, very powerful..I have the sb200h head which is what is in this combo, let me tell you it kicks butt
I got at Rumble 500 for that purpose... unfortunately I’ve only gotten to play a couple of gigs with it. Light with a lot of power. The 200 would probably do many small gigs, but “small” is subjective. I wanted enough power in a light package that wouldn’t fall short if I had to get a little louder.
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