I'm now doing the occasional gig playing bass and looking for an "affordable" solution for playing live.
I'm a guitarist and already have plenty of gear so not looking to get anything big or expensive, in fact the cheaper and smaller the better. Products that have caught my attention so far:
TC Electronics BH250 - Loosk great , but can't find one second hand to sit within my budget.
Ampeg- SCR DI - Love the look and sound of this, would be great for going direct into a desk and home recording but would still need something for onstage monitoring (should the PA not provide any feedback).
Eden WTDI - As above and falls into budget brand new.
Eden WC10 - Small enough a combo that I could squeeze it in the house, in theory it would serve well for home practices and small gigs (?) and could use the send to my DI box and into the desk for extra volume when needed. But is 50w and a single 10" speaker in a small cab going to cut it? Sounds great on the product demo video though.
Please shout up with any other suggestions, cheers
Comments
The tc electronic BG250 is offered in assorted loudspeaker configurations. The -208 version skimps on controls but has the advantage of an easily accessible Neutrik Speakon jack socket. The latter would be handy if you wanted to use a larger format loudspeaker array. With a four-pole plug, it might even be possible to drive internal and extension loudspeakers simultaneously.
If you only want an amp head, I have a tc electronic Classic 450. £300. Pics on request.
Note - it's not as Ampeg-y as a sansamp, but it is a nice gritty vintage tone
I largely play with an acoustic player or he uses not so great Vox solid state or 5w valve amp. And he's never loud, we're always telling hime to turn up. So volume isn't a massive concern... for now.
My wife, who's singer, has a Laney A1+ which is an acoustic style busking amp/monitor which I could use for plugging into if I had an Ampeg SCR, sending the Line out to the amp and DI balanced output to the PA. That could work.
@Bridgehouse I hear mixed reviews about the SansAmp Bass Driver DI even though it sounds more Ampegy do you prefer the SCR over it?
I would avoid the TC, I have seen several faulty ones, as seems sadly common with all their modern products.
The 50W Eden might be enough at the sort of volume you're talking about. If not, you can pick up a large number of older bass combos in the 100-300W range, usually with either a 12" or 15" speaker, for very cheap nowadays. Laney, Peavey, Trace Elliot and others all made many models in this sort of size and most are easily available in good working order for £100 to £150. The reason they're cheap is that they tend to be heavy.
Also avoid all Ashdowns - they aren't nicknamed 'Breakdown' for nothing.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
The tc gear is fine and I’ve seen the 1x15 bc combo go pretty cheap used.
If if you aren’t trying to keep up with a loud drummer then there are plenty of practise amps that go for a low price as most people want something louder. Laney, Hartke etc kickback combos could all do the job.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
nice and portable and plenty loud enough.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
One important point to note. The Rumble 200 only gives 200w with an extension cab connected. Otherwise, it is only working at 120w. D'oh! The retail price of a Rumble 200 + the cheapest matching Fender extension cab is greater than the price of the Rumble 500.