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.Â
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.