Why Combos?

[1n3]

I believe combos are slowly becoming a thing of the past.

Where are you from? I find it 100% the opposite of your statement.

Might have more to do with the type of music and venues you play than where you live.

 

[steelhead2]

one heave and i'm loaded,i've owned a few(combos) takes a while to get up thru the small ones and own one that really burns,,,now i'm onto a thousand watt head,going to be good fun once i get those 2 4x15 cabs to go with itbut,,i still love my 200 watt combo(handy real handy)

all about what you are attempting to do with your gear,myself i like having an `amp'i can dive on at a moments notice and work on a song i heard while working my day job,that alone will keep a combo near me

buying a new class D head that delivers 2-300 hundred watts,a 2x10 neo cab is def. something i want,after i build up the STACK!!!!!!!!

 

[WoodyG3]

My Markbass CDM121P combo is 29 lbs.

This is the combo I use, too. Of course, I have that heavy Sansamp BDDI box to carry, too, which adds another pound.

Separates would actually weigh 6 pounds more according to Markbass specs, and would cost $200 more.

 

[seamonkey]

Yamaha has a new series of powered cabs and they are great. DSR 112, 115 and 118 sub. I played bass with a 112 and it sounded darn good. 1,300 watts, can be used as a monitor, but I wish it was lighter.

I'm not quite ready yet (but I'm close) to using one for my rig, but if I was going to buy a PA, I'd get two DSR112's, two DSR118's and a nice Yamaha board like we just got at church. Can't remember the model. That and a few MS100's for monitors and you'd be set.

And the Peavey Impulse 12D looks like a possible killer cab. Plug in DSP modules. I bet we see more offerings from Peavey soon.

 

[vin*tone]

Some people really need some reading comprehension lessons. I am not asking why use a small rig vs. a monster stack. My question was why a 200 watt 210 combo instead of a 200 watt head and separate 210 cab.

Your question was answered several times: Because it's convenient.

Right now I'm considering getting a 'small rig' combo, Promethean, CMD121 or similar. Something I can throw in the car, rock up to a party, sit in the corner ready to play, plug in and go. Alternately I could get a lightweight micro, stick some velcro on the bottom and attach to an Eden 110. This would be OK but not as convenient and possibly run the risk of damage to the amp or connections. Why not just pack the amp/cords in a bag and set it up every time I move it? Because when you do this 12 times a week it gets pretty damn boring and you start to ask yourself "Why didn't I just get a combo in the first place??".

I have a question for you BassBoySam. How often do you move your rig every week?

 

[bassboysam]

well lets see my MB210 weighs 33lbs, fits in the trunk of my civic, and is 350 watts as is, loud enough to use as a monitor in a bar situation, seems to me the advantages speak for themselves ohh and I got it for a like $500 plus if i need more I put an extension cab and go to 500 watts. My question is why dont you use one?

I can't play without my 810. It Is the one price of gear that I must have. If they made an 810/ 200-300 watt all tube combo then maybe Keep in mind I play in a fairly loud band, a lot of places we play PA support is limited to some drum mics. Also playing heavy music through an SWR combo just doesn't look right

 

[Freddels]

This is the combo I use, too. Of course, I have that heavy Sansamp BDDI box to carry, too, which adds another pound.

Separates would actually weigh 6 pounds more according to Markbass specs, and would cost $200 more.

I still can't figure out where that extra 6 lbs comes from. Is the separate cab that much better built that it adds 6 lbs?

 

[bassboysam]

Your question was answered several times: Because it's convenient.

Right now I'm considering getting a 'small rig' combo, Promethean, CMD121 or similar. Something I can throw in the car, rock up to a party, sit in the corner ready to play, plug in and go. Alternately I could get a lightweight micro, stick some velcro on the bottom and attach to an Eden 110. This would be OK but not as convenient and possibly run the risk of damage to the amp or connections. Why not just pack the amp/cords in a bag and set it up every time I move it? Because when you do this 12 times a week it gets pretty damn boring and you start to ask yourself "Why didn't I just get a combo in the first place??".

I have a question for you BassBoySam. How often do you move your rig every week?

My stage rig stays at the rehearsal space and I move it only for shows. My more portable practice rig or impromptu jam rig is a yorkville 115 and any one of my regular amps. I don't see what the big deal with making two or three trips is?

So from what I have read the advantages of me getting a 115 combo to replace my current 115 and amp are:

One fewer trip to the car.
One less cable to carry.
A bit cheaper.

The advantages of the separate head cab option are:

Lighter load per trip to the car (potentially)
Easier to fit into a car
Use any amp I want including a big tube head.
Change the cab if I don't like the sound without changing the amp or vice versa.

I did not start this thread to bash combos, just truly curious. I thought about it for about a week before posting.

 

[Freddels]

I can't play without my 810. It Is the one price of gear that I must have. If they made an 810/ 200-300 watt all tube combo then maybe Keep in mind I play in a fairly loud band, a lot of places we play PA support is limited to some drum mics. Also playing heavy music through an SWR combo just doesn't look right

Have LDS build you an 810 deadhead cab and put together your combo.

 

[Joe Nerve]

It took me a long while to realize that a combo was far less convenient for me than a head and cabinets. Some things I realized:

It's next to impossible to find a combo that'll give me the volume I need without farting out or giving me the headroom to dial in a sound I'm really looking for.

All combos are bigger and heavier than the speaker cab alone of the same caliber.

Most combos are waaaay harder to lug around than a cab that's designed for easy transportation. While the idea of one of the GK micro amps sounds awesome at 30 lbs. I'd much rather pull my NV610 behind me for two blocks than carry the GK.

When you have to strap a combo onto a handtruck to transport it, it become a lot more of a hassle than an amp and cab.

With all the awesome micro heads out there now a head (more powerful and versatile than most combos) can easily fit into a napsack. Again, making the cab easier to lug around than a combo.

Way more versatility with a head and bottom.

Lots of clubs these days have bottoms but ya have to bring your own head. With my head in my napsack that makes things really easy.

It believe it's even cheaper in most instances now to go with a head and cab than a combo.

I also agree that combos are quickly becoming a thing of the past. In my case I really think it was the idea of carrying around an extra 30 lb. head that put me off and had me reaching for the combos. Now that that's not the case, combos seem pointless.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Different strokes for different folks.

I'm a seperates guy, but now that I've not been gigging as much, the SVT+810 is seeming a tad overkill, so looking at combos!

 

[bassboysam]

Different strokes for different folks.

I'm a seperates guy, but now that I've not been gigging as much, the SVT+810 is seeming a tad overkill, so looking at combos!

Is there a reason you wouldn't just get a smaller cab to use with the SVT. Or buy a cab and a light weight head?

 

[Swift713]

Combos really cheeses your hunger away.


Sorry, reflex.

 

[GBassNorth]

For me it's all about getting from the car to the stage in one trip with one person. I can easily do that with a combo and bass as long as the combo is on wheels.
I do have seperates also and have often thougt about building a custom cab with an airhead space to mount my amp/tuner/power cond. in. Of course the weight would be significant if I fixed my SVT-VR head to my Bergantino NV610, but I've thought about it.

 

[Kraken]

I switched to seperate head and cab due to the combo I had failing.

I shan't name the company or the type of combo, but at the time they were well know for the cheap chinese transformers failing.

so I was stuck with a speaker cab that I couldn't plug anything into and a dead amp.

so I bought the same amp and speaker as seperates on the basis that should one fail, it was much easier to borrow just one or the other (and cheaper to replace just the failed one should it break again).

I'm a few years down that path and using an SVT4 Pro with a SVT 610HLF and although I'm not too worried about that failing on me, I have another head as a backup and I am fairly certain that I should be able to cope.

that in my humble opinion is the only reason that you SHOULD take seperates over a combo, there are other good reasons in both directions as well, but that is all it took for me.

 

[praisebass]

I keep one of two combos semi permanently set up for my P&W band at church. Bassman 250/220 & Ashdown ABM 500 115 w/ 115 ext. Play for as many as 500 ~ 600 people at a time every week. Either combo would do (the Bassman just barely) but they both get PA support.
I let a lot of youth and other people play through my combo so its fewer thing to mess with our go missing than a separate amp/speaker setup.

Also, there is a lot of movement around the equipment during service and a lot of muting and un-muting and playing during prayer and just generally a lot of hands on the equipment during service. A combo makes this simpler.

Nothing against separate amplifiers, I'd have one if I had a use for it but I guess I'm just a combo guy.

 

[finalrequiem]

Speaking of the WA- I can pull the head and use it as a separate if I want. In fact, I've done that almost exclusively because my regular gig is an IEM gig w/ no backline so I use my head's DI. I get all the advantages of a combo and the option to have the advantages of a head/cab setup, if I wanted to own another, bigger cab. It's "only" 300 watts so I guess there is that. It gets plenty loud for me though. I guess the answer is this: Why a combo? Because it meets your needs more efficiently/effectively than separates. Why NOT a combo? Because it doesn't lol.

To be fair- I spent about 3 months waffling back and forth between a combo and separates when it was time for me to upgrade from my Acoustic half-stack. I evaluated my needs and decided the WA was what would suit me the best, in my playing situation.

 

[SteveC]

Speaking of the WA- I can pull the head and use it as a separate if I want.

The Genz Benz as well - even easier I believe. 2 knobs and you're good to go. I believe the WA is a little more involved.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

Is there a reason you wouldn't just get a smaller cab to use with the SVT. Or buy a cab and a light weight head?

Would rather just have a combo, the SVT would be overkill for anything for home practice!

Don't really fancy a lightweight amp, looking at a 30 watt tube combo

 

[dvh]

I can't play without my 810. It Is the one price of gear that I must have. If they made an 810/ 200-300 watt all tube combo then maybe Keep in mind I play in a fairly loud band, a lot of places we play PA support is limited to some drum mics. Also playing heavy music through an SWR combo just doesn't look right

You'll get tired of it someday. It's how things go. Lot's of gear to choose from. GAS. Your music tastes change. Your requirements change.

Never say never.

As for my set up, I play in a couple of bands. I have three different cabinets. One stays at home, another each at their respective rehearsal spaces or out for whatever gig might be happening. I drive them all with my LM II which can be carried out easily in a bag with one hand.

Simple.