Tag: Bass combo amp

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My Search for a Gig Worthy Bass Combo

As I’ve gotten older I have come to realize that I no longer have a need for a large bass rig.  For years I’ve relied on my trusted Ampeg SVT-410 HLF cab paired with an Ashdown EVO II 500 head.  While I love the tone I get from this setup, the size, volume and weight have become more and more of a downside for me.  In fact I haven’t used this setup in a band situation for quite some time.

I’ve decided to bite the bullet and sell off this rig, instead finding a lightweight, gig worthy combo that will better suit my needs.  At this point I would prefer a combo over a head/cab setup for ease of transport and setup.  I’m kind of at a less is more point in my life.  Downsizing will make things easier.  I do have a few requirements, however; I want something that I can use for band band practice in a small space, yet something loud enough to be used at small to medium sized gigs.  It should be light, high powered and have an external speaker option in case I ever need more.  Of course tone is of the utmost importance, but at the same time I don’t want to break the bank buying this thing.  Lastly I don’t want to buy it online.  I need to be able play through the actual amp I settle on, putting it through it’s paces and listening to it’s tone.  It’s not like I am gigging regularly right now, but when I do I want to be prepared. 

I am currently using a GK MB200 head with 1×15 MBE Cab at band practice and am fairly happy with this setup.  It is light and expandable, but only 200 watts.  While this is enough for band practice, I fear that it may not cut it in a live situation.  As such I hope to check out the GK MB210, assuming I can find one locally.  This is of course the key, I know I will be somewhat limited on my options by what is available locally, but am fairly confident that I will find enough options to get a good feel for what is out there.  If not, I guess I’ll just continue my search until I find what I am looking for.

I can honestly say that this is not a decision I have taken lightly.  In fact I talked about this very same scenario two years ago in my post The Downsize Dilemma.  The thing is, since I wrote that post two years ago, I have not used my full rig once.  This is why I feel that the time is right.  In fact I have already sold off my full rig.  So at this point I’m pretty much committed.  I’m either going to stick with my MB200/115 setup or get a new combo, either way my days of stadium worthy rigs are over.  As always, I’ll keep you posted on my journey.

 

 

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The Downsize Dilemma, Pt. 1

For a while now I’ve been thinking about downsizing my bass rig, which consists of an Ashdown EVO II 500 head and an Ampeg SVT 410HLF Cab.  Now I really love this combination as that I feel that I finally found the tone I have always been striving for.  Problem is I haven’t really used it in over 2 years and I hate to see it sit.  In all honesty chances are I won’t be playing in a band where I need this much amp anytime soon.  I’ve been wanted to get a nice combo, most likely in the GK or Fender variety, for quite some time but have resisted as that I haven’t been using the rig I have.  At this point I have made up my mind to first sell the Ampeg 410, even though I love this cab dearly. Seriously, it is the best cab I have ever had, tone to die for, so I hate to part with it, but . . . I’m thinking sell the cab, keep the head, at least for now, paired with an Avatar 210 I also have, and use the cash from the Ampeg to partially fund a new combo. This way if I find a combo is not enough for some situations I still have the Ashdown head, and if the 210 cab isn’t cutting it for me either I can alway rent something bigger when I need it.  So now the fun begins, checking out combo amps to find the right one for me!  I’ll be sure to keep you posted on how it goes.