The Latest, Lightest Bass Combos

#21
Greg Scheer said:
I play regular jazz gigs on my upright as well as big band/pop/worship on my Fender Precision. I long ago gave up lugging massive bass rigs to gigs, opting instead for small combos that can hold their own in a jazz trio or acoustic coffee shop. If it's a bigger venue, my combo becomes my monitor and I give the house a line out from a Fishman Platinum (string bass) or Tech 21 (electric).

For the last few years, I've been using a Line6 LowDown Studio 110. It has worked surprisingly well for a $150 amp. 70 watts of power through a 10" speaker is enough for much of what I do, and 24lbs is reasonable to carry in one hand. But on some gigs, the LowDown just can't produce the volume I need. And the sound isn't topnotch: It lacks the clarity I need for the upright, doesn't give much body on the low end, and often sounds boxy.

All that to say that I'm on the prowl for a better combo amp. I want at least 100W, under 25lbs, and less than $500. Here's my shortlist:

Ibanez P3110 Promethean Bass Combo
300W, 10", 23lbs, $450 new
This seems like a winner. It's light, yet has enough power to run a bigger cab if I want to expand it down the road. My main question is whether this will let my upright sing, or if it's just a lot of power without any clarity.

Trace Elliot ELF 1x8 // 1x10
200W // 200W, 8" // 10", 17lbs // 18lbs, both $600 new
The ELF looks scrumptious. 17lbs?! But I don't know anything about the Trace Elliot sound.

GK MB110
100W, 10", 21lbs, $500 new
GK has a good reputation and there seem to be lots of used options. Once again, I don't know the GK sound. I tend to go for a Jaco sound on my electric, with a round mid-range punch. I don't primarily need heavy metal lows or pop/slap highs.

Phil Jones Bass Session 77 Bass Combo Amp
100W, 2x7", 28lbs, $370-450 used
If I had all the money in the world, I'd probably get a high-end PJ and be done with it. The Session 77 seems to be a good balance of power, weight, and cost.

Does anyone have any insight into any of these options? Anything you love or hate? Any combos that you would add to the shortlist? I'm driving myself crazy and not getting any work done because I'm spending all my time researching light bass combos. I'm hoping that submitting my search to the collective wisdom of talkbass will ease my burden. Thank you for your help!
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I play my upright through a TC BG250-112. It's light, loud, and full-sounding.
 
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#22
This could be your winner..
Screenshot_20211116-154416.png
 
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#26
On
KJMO said:
That's a great deal. I actually tried out the lowdown 110 and the MB 108 back in the day, side by side, and they were similar volume (and tone, oddly enough) but I would guess this one would have a little more oomph, at least.
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One of the reviewers bought both the CMD801 AND CMD101. He preferred the tone and output of the CMD101 and returned the 801 even though he liked it also. The CMD101 has a more flexible EQ section in addition to the benefit of a 10" speaker. And it's currently on Sale for $50 LESS than the 8" combo.
 
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#27
In this category you definitely need to try before you buy. I had a Promethean and it was an excellent amp, but didn't need much size of a room to be lacking in power. I now have a PJB Bass Cub (BG100) and have yet to find its limit but I've only used it for rehearsals with a quiet drummer. I also had a PJB Session 77, plenty of volume but it's not small. Small and loud is a still a difficult challenge.
 
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#29
After years of trying- and sometimes feeling almost satisfied with my amplified upright sound, I discovered why I have never been fully satisfied. Bass amps are horrible for amplifying a string bass. I have a carved Lowendall about 100 years old, I'm using Fishman Full Circle, and an Underwood, and an ATM 350. All work well, in different situations.
I did a gig once, and used the bassists little Behringer 1-12 combo. A terrible experience, until I noticed there were at least 4 open channels on the PA mixer, right next to me onstage. I plugged in my bass direct, no preamp. Speakers were facing up on each side of the stage. They were those older gray JBL EON powered ones. WOW!
I finally understood why bass amps suck for upright. They are not really designed to capture all the nuances and components of an upright bass. My bass soundes like, my bass.
Recently, I purchased an Alto TS315 15" woofer, 1100 watts! BOTH my electric, and my upright sound amazing through that speaker. I want to buy the TS 212- with the 12" woofer. THAT is smaller, obviously, and it weighs only 28.4 pounds, according to Alto. You can buy these new for about $349. and used, all day for $200 and under. All you need, is your preamp, and the speaker. It has 2 mic/ line inputs, a volume for each, and a ground lift, and contour switch. It has a DI out, as well.
It's a LOT better for upright bass amplification.
 
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#31
LHbassist said:
Recently, I purchased an Alto TS315 15" woofer, 1100 watts! BOTH my electric, and my upright sound amazing through that speaker. I want to buy the TS 212- with the 12" woofer. THAT is smaller, obviously, and it weighs only 28.4 pounds
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This is an intriguing idea. Is there a specific reason you recommend the Alto, as opposed to a powered speaker from JBL, EV, or whatever?
 
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#32
The coax 10 in the promethean is pretty sweet. The EQ is good, just resist the urge to twist the “phat” knob in a live setting. It’s effortless to move and the 300w with an external speaker is pretty great power on tap. I’ve had mine in regular use for years and it has been very reliable.
 
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#33
Greg Scheer said:
This is an intriguing idea. Is there a specific reason you recommend the Alto, as opposed to a powered speaker from JBL, EV, or whatever?
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Probably bang for the buck. For more money, you can't go wrong with QSC, and I have a Yamaha I really like (really good warranty). The DBR is lightweight. But no reason it has to be Alto, although I think it is a really popular choice.
 
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#35
PJB SuperFlightCase. 2 upward firing drivers for UB playing. Loud enough for many venues, not all.
May be a little heavy but heavy is a relative thing. If you can find one and try it out, you might like it.

Good luck with your quest.
 
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#38
Greg Scheer said:
This is an intriguing idea. Is there a specific reason you recommend the Alto, as opposed to a powered speaker from JBL, EV, or whatever?
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Greg, I personally would stay away from EV unless you can hear it first. One of the venues I play has a full modern EV system, and the EV monitors don't sound very good for instruments--they seem more tuned for vocals. The EV tweeter sound in the venue's wedges is horrible.
 
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