Question on speaker size for upright bass

[Brian Glassman]

Originally Posted by Jim Hines

Hi guys,

I'm in the market for a small amp for my upright. I'm primarily an electric player and have a great Eden combination but I'd like to find something that would do the job in small settings and especially one that would fit the upright more.
I have a Shen 1800 hybrid so.....
The amps I've been looking at (and they are not that high end but I have a budget are: Ampeg BA112, Ampeg BA115 and Ampeg B50R
The BA112 and B50R are 50 watt models with a 12" speajer whereas the BA115 is 100 watts with a 15".

Could you give me your preferences? Thanks .... I don't know if a 10, 12 or 15 would be better.

Jim

Jim, Check out Yorkville (now Traynor again) bass combos

http://www.traynoramps.com/default.asp?p_id=2

They're great for not alot of $. Can't say enough about them for value, durability, portability AND tone.

I have several of posts about their stuff in these threads http://www.talkbass.com/forum/search...archid=5833648 on Talbass.com.

Run a search in the amp threads w/ "Yorkville bribass"

That being said, if you have the budget Acoustic Image heads (Focus or Claris) or a (any) legendary Walter Woods head w/ a Euphonic Audio Wizzy M-line 12" cab is about as good as it gets for double bass amplification IMHO.

However, ALOT more $ than a Traynor bass combo.

BTW, all the above would be great for bass guitar as well.

BG

[Eric Hochberg]

I used a Yorkville Block 40 for many years and thought it outperformed the much more expensive GK combo. I did blow the 10" speaker a couple of times but not a big deal to replace it. Sad to say, I had it out on a gig a couple of weeks ago and it was stolen when I left the room to play in a second location.

On the Walter Woods, I used the 100 watt two channel version for many years but was never crazy about the sound, especially with BG. I ended using it with an Alembic preamp which sounded better to me and finally sold it after the power supply blew for the second time.

[David Powell]

You listed several Ampegs and I don't know the budget size you have, but I think the best small Ampeg combo for DB might be the PBC228, which is a two channel model designed with doubling on double bass and electric in mind. The big head (PB 800 with a 212H cab) in that series is one I have and it has a real nice tone for upright. I haven't played through the Ampeg combo, but I have found that speaker design and cabinet design are more important than the speaker diameter. That amp is 16 x 16 x 10 inches and the whole thing weighs just 30 lbs.

My personal favorite DB "little big guy" is the Acoustic Image Coda. The Contra model is the one channel model (less $$) and these have a much deeper sound than many small combos. It's largest speaker is a down firing 10 and this amp has a lot more bottom end to it than my old Fender RAD with a 10 in a ported reflex. There might be some good deals on the series I and series II of these since series III is being distributed now.

[Tomas Bouda]

i have a GK microbass amp, and i swear by it. there is a single 12" speaker, 100 watts, etc. here's a link:
http://www.basscentre.com/bass-combo...ies-combo.html

there is a lot of power here - more than enough to play over the drums and fill a room. also, i tune in fifths so i've got a c below e that rumbles like you wouldn't believe out of the GK. although my preference lies in 2X10" speaker size, the portability and power of this little guy impresses me every day!

ps: it only weighs 26 lbs!

[Dave Martin]

A few weeks back I got a Fender Bassman TV Twelve. 150 watts, 1x12" speaker. The cabinet is a little on the large side for a 1x12, but I've been really happy with the sound I've gotten from it. And it looks really cool for the western swing gigs I do.

The only downside for me is that this amp isn't powerful enough for electric bass in an R&B band, but I've still got the SWR for that.

As an aside, I have yet to be really happy with the sound I've gotten from an Eden (I've got a Metro here), for either electric bass or double bass; is it just me?

[Eric Hochberg]

Originally Posted by Dave Martin

.

As an aside, I have yet to be really happy with the sound I've gotten from an Eden (I've got a Metro here), for either electric bass or double bass; is it just me?

I've used a WT300 for years and am happy with it as a doubling amp. I get good usable sounds out of it with a variety of speakers. But, I bought it as a compromise between size, sound and cost. I know there are "better" sounding amps out there.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Dave Martin

As an aside, I have yet to be really happy with the sound I've gotten from an Eden (I've got a Metro here), for either electric bass or double bass; is it just me?

Dave, I cannot imagine why you would not like an Eden set-up. The Metro (I'm assuming it's the 210 combo?). Eden, provides a very clean output of any of my basses: Very clean; just set flat. Is it just a 210 combo? If so, is it enough coverage with just the 210? Is it possible the Metro is not functioning properly? What is it that you don't like?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Dave, I cannot imagine why you would not like an Eden set-up. The Metro (I'm assuming it's the 210 combo?). Eden, provides a very clean output of any of my basses: Very clean; just set flat. Is it just a 210 combo? If so, is it enough coverage with just the 210? Is it possible the Metro is not functioning properly? What is it that you don't like?

They are talking about the Double Bass here just in case you weren't aware of it.

[Dave Martin]

Originally Posted by Tim Bishop

Dave, I cannot imagine why you would not like an Eden set-up. The Metro (I'm assuming it's the 210 combo?). Eden, provides a very clean output of any of my basses: Very clean; just set flat. Is it just a 210 combo? If so, is it enough coverage with just the 210? Is it possible the Metro is not functioning properly? What is it that you don't like?

I know - it's a puzzler that I've noticed numerous times with different Eden amps. I'll try to get enough low end to please me and it just doesn't happen - even though Ill look back and see the speakers moving a LOT. Since the sound I look for in an amp is pretty much what I hear with a fine ribbon mic on the bass, I want a lot of lows and not a lot in the way of mid and upper range frequencies. The Metro is more or less configured like an SWR Super Redhead (2x10, more than 300 watts), but the Metro hasn't made me smile with either a Realist pickup or the Fishman Full Circle I'm using these days. The SWR sounded fine with both.
I'd LIKE for the Eden to work - after all, my Eden still has working wheels, while the SWR's wheel have long since gone away.