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Who uses small combo amps?

#21
twangchief said:
Hey BMC,

I was looking at the 210 nemesis. Which one are you using?

How roady worthy and roady proof do you think it is?

Thanks
Click to expand...
I bought mine when I was living in the Middle East. I read reviews in Bass Player in a combo shoot out. I checked Harmony Central, and BGRA.net.

I was looking for:

- 200 watts min
- 2-10's
- DI, effects send/return
- as lightweight as possible
- wide range of usable sounds
- max $USD 700

I got a very good price in the states.

I had it modified for 110/240 volt operation and it bought it on the net. Shipped it across.

While in the Middle East, I did gigs twice a month in rooms for 200 people. The PA was small and not capable of running a bass through it. It was used outdoors in 120F temperatures and shut down only once due to heat.

Brought it to Europe with me and it has been extremely reliable. I find that when I push it, it growls. It has a tube like grit that sounds natural, not synthetic. I can stand it on end on small stages. I usually put it on a stand that is 8 inches high in front and 6 inches in the back.

I do run a preamp between the bass and the amp and that gives it a kick that it needs.

I am always able to dial in a sound that suits the room acoustics.

It is not the best looking amp on the market. It is well made. Very reliable after five years of regular use. I have no reason to change other than GAS, which I have not succombed to. Sure, an extra couple of hundred watts and another speaker would help out in the 1-2 gigs per year when you wish you had it. For me, it has been a very good compromise purchase. Very pleased.

bmc
 
#23
Every Sunday morning my main amp is a GK150S (24lbs). I rotate every other week playing at church with the orchestra and the praise team. The GK gets it done. I do run it through the system but that's primarily for live radio and TV broadcasts. We don't play real loud and it's very portable to bring back and forth to church in a gig bag. On the other hand, the GK doesn't provide enough headroom to play for the youth service on Wednesday night. I have to use either my Mesa M-Pulse 600 or SWR SM400S for that gig with either SWR or Avatar cab's. I've tried the "small combo only" scenareo (several times) and it just doen't work for me. You can only get certain levels of clean sound out of a small combo and when the weight of the combo reaches the weight of a 2-10 cab or a racked bass head, the advantage of the combo disappears.
 
#25
Adding my 2 cents to the small combo thread.
I play Kirtan devotional music with a mostly acoustic band; guitar, tabla, mandolin and vocals, often without any PA. So I need a good clean sound at lower volumes. I use only small combos and get a pretty decent sound out of my well used Peavy Minx and Fender P-bass and 5 string Jazz. The 10 inch speaker can handle the low B ok. I am looking for a clean and articulate sound and get it. I have to really watch the volume least I blow everyone away, no rumbling the ground with my thunderous low end. There are actually low volume gigs out there. But we have played bigger places, I turned up and it farted out. So I am currently negotiating for a nice used GK 200mb. Time to upgrade the sound with a classic small combo. It can power and extension cab if needed. You need a bass to make it groove, Siri.
 
#27
I've been using a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0-10t combo on top of the STL10t extension cab for a little while now. With the extension, it's 300 watts into 2 10" cabs, and total weight is 33 pounds. Last night I had to park 5 blocks away from the club we were playing, and I was glad to have lightweight gear!

The band I'm using this with is a fairly loud blues band with guitar, vocals, keyboard, drums and latin percussion, plus bass. Stevie Ray, John Mayer, Hendrix, Clapton, etc. This rig is handling things perfectly so far, and I'm not even pushing that hard (pre level around noon to 1:00, master between 10:00 to noon).

I also use the rig, either with extension or just the combo, on my upright gigs. I love having an ultralight combo that I can add an extension to for fairly loud gigs. Using this rig is one of the things that convinced me to become a Genz endorser.

Here's a cameraphone pic of the rig with my Stingray 5 fretless in our rehearsal space:
shuttle-ministack-scaled.jpg


Cheers
 
#29
Granted, I play jazz, but a GK MB150E combo has been my mainstay for a decade.

However, the advent of "micro" heads adds a new dimension to the age-old "combo vs separates" dilemma. My "big rig" consists of a GK Backline 600 head on top of a 1x12 neo cab, but I just got a EA Micro 300 head. The new system will be slightly larger, but lighter, than the combo. And a bass head that fits in my cord bag seems hardly less portable than one that fits in the speaker box.

I will continue to be drawn to separates, because of the attractiveness of a DIY speaker. But even using commercial gear at higher volumes, the micro heads seem to open up a lot of attractive alternatives to combo amps.
 
#31
Interesting to read my post from four years ago. Since that time, I sold the Nemesis and went to a separate head/cab with a LittleMark (older European model) and an SWR Basic 2 Way. More recently, I bought a Roland CB-100 combo.

I have to say I am shocked that I am getting away with a 100 watt combo. For years I have been operating on the notion of needing at least 200 watts. I love both set ups. The head/cab sound really good. Really good. But I've done a number of small gigs lately that enable me to do one trip from car to gig with the Roland.
 
#33
With PA support i see more and more Combos in my local scene lately. I have used a GK BL210 combo for years mostly with a extention cab but sometimes alone. I also have a Eden Nemisis 410 combo which is 200 watts and real nice kinda big but nice. Now im using a Ampeg B2r with a Carvin ported 15 cab kinda like a combo and i like it alot.
 
#34
bmc said:
Interesting to read my post from four years ago. Since that time, I sold the Nemesis and went to a separate head/cab with a LittleMark (older European model) and an SWR Basic 2 Way. More recently, I bought a Roland CB-100 combo.

I have to say I am shocked that I am getting away with a 100 watt combo. For years I have been operating on the notion of needing at least 200 watts. I love both set ups. The head/cab sound really good. Really good. But I've done a number of small gigs lately that enable me to do one trip from car to gig with the Roland.
Click to expand...

With the RIGHT small combo, it is amazing what can be achieved - my Roland DB500 is only 160 watts with a single 12, but with the technology involved and the great design, it sounds WAY louder. For small to medium gigs (with PA support), I can cut any gig.

A smal head (i.e. Markbass) and cab though would be my preference....might go that route if I start gigging regularly again...

Jamie
 

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