TC bg250 2x8

wrinkleygitwrinkleygit Frets: 255
edited December 2019 in Bass
Anyone tried or using the above combo, are 2 x 8 too “toppy” for a decent bass sound ? My current SWR 2 x 10 setup gives me the tone I like but it’s getting a bit heavy in my advancing years.
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Comments

  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    No, 8s are not necessarily 'toppy' these days - speaker and cabinet technology has changed a lot, and you can get plenty of low-end from small speakers - but I wouldn't buy a TC BG250... known to be unreliable.

    Phil Jones bass amps use 5" speakers.

    "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

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    What drivers are in the SWR? Would a change from alnico or ceramic magnets to something with neodymium save enough weight?
    Be seeing you.
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  • Have thought about changing to Neo spkrs, but I think the overall saving in weight would only be about 5-6 lbs.
    Another option might be a Trace Elliot Elf head but I’m not sure they have been around long to gauge reliability?
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Another option might be a Trace Elliot Elf head but I’m not sure they have been around long to gauge reliability?
    No experience of reliability problems yet, but I found the one I tried sounded extremely underpowered for its supposed rating. It is truly tiny, but unless you need something that literally fits in the pocket of your gig bag I wouldn't bother.

    "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

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    Anyone tried or using the above combo, are 2 x 8 too “toppy” for a decent bass sound ? My current SWR 2 x 10 setup gives me the tone I like but it’s getting a bit heavy in my advancing years.
    When I had a Marshall DBS 7400/7210/7115 rig, the solution was heavy duty removable castors. Would this idea work for the SWR?
    Be seeing you.
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  • Get a seperate head cab for the amplifier and neo speakers. 
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  • wrinkleygitwrinkleygit Frets: 255
    edited December 2019
    When I had a Marshall DBS 7400/7210/7115 rig, the solution was heavy duty removable castors. Would this idea work for the SWR?
    I have thought about wheels or a trolley arrangement but then steps become an issue. As I like the sound of the current setup, plan B is to strip out the amp section of the combo & pair the cabs with a lightweight head.
    Forgot to mention my setup is a Working Mans 1x10 combo plus matching 1x10 cab.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    As I like the sound of the current setup, plan B is to strip out the amp section of the combo & pair the cabs with a lightweight head.
    Forgot to mention my setup is a Working Mans 1x10 combo plus matching 1x10 cab.
    You’d probably be better keeping the head section and getting a pair of lightweight cabs. The weight in the SWR gear is mostly in the cabs, I think - the amp section and the speakers are solid but not unusually heavy.

    Barefaced 1x10” cabs are astoundingly light and efficient, although not that cheap.

    "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

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • I can only dream of Barefaced cabs at the moment, the SWR 1x10 isn’t too bad to carry it’s the combo that weighs a ton ( about 40lbs in reality)
    Also the s/h value of the current setup is next to nothing so selling that on & buying a new rig isn’t really an option.
     
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    I can only dream of Barefaced cabs at the moment, the SWR 1x10 isn’t too bad to carry it’s the combo that weighs a ton ( about 40lbs in reality)
    I'm puzzled that it's that much heavier than the cab, because there really isn't a lot to it - I was actually surprised by how small the transformer is when I found a pic... that will be the heaviest component, the heatsink will be aluminium and weigh less.



    I was also a bit surprised that the amp is only 80W/100W, although that does explain the transformer size. There isn't even a fully-enclosed box section containing the chassis, as I expected.

    Unless there's a different model? This spec says it's 32lbs - https://reverb.com/item/4879690-swr-workingman-s-10-combo-bass-amp-1998

    Given the low power of the amp you may be better to sell the combo, buy a small high-powered head and replace the speaker in the cab with a higher-powered one - you can easily get neodymium 10s in the 200W range.

    "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

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • There were two versions, mine I believe is the later one, back panel is completely different although power rating I think was still the same. Believe me if it weighed 32lbs I wouldn’t complain.

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    There were two versions, mine I believe is the later one, back panel is completely different although power rating I think was still the same. Believe me if it weighed 32lbs I wouldn’t complain.
    In that case I won't be surprised if they did beef up the physical construction - according to the thread I found that picture on it failed because the transformer physically vibrated and snapped its mounting bracket, then pulled the wires off.

    A 100W amp that weighs more than 32lb is certainly too heavy by modern standards - my 500W Promethean 1x10" is just under 30lb I think, and that's not even with a neodymium speaker.

    "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

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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