Bass Combo/Rig recommendations/advices for a bass noob?

[Kidneythief]

Last year I bought myself a 5-string bass, and I'm slowly going to the direction, that it is time to get a decent gig or band together and finally use it in practice/live. Not just in my bedroom

However I'm having trouble deciding on what to play.
At home I had my L6 Pod HD500 to plug it in, and then just used headphones, that was okayish.
I'm thinking about keeping it for the effects, might be useful for starting out.

But what is a more pressing matter is what to get for band practice and smaller gig situations?
Combo, or head&cab? I know it also depends on what I want to play with it, so far seems that we are going for a stoner/sludgy metal direction with a couple of guys from work

I have to confess I don't really want to spend that much money on it (who does heh...), so I'm looking through the used market over here.
What cought my eyes are two combos (from the same seller actually):
Gallien Krueger MB 112 (200W) seller including a case for it, seems to be lighter and smaller.
Hughes&Kettner "Basskick" BK-300 (300W), wich is according to description a combo, but can be seperated so I have a head and a cab all-in-one(?). And heavy as f*ck if I read correctly.

Anyone had a chance to try these? Either the specific model or what is the general thoughts on the manufacturers?

 

[A-Branger]

whatever you do, remember you are going to be carrying that thing in and out of your house/car/gig/venue, and you dont need a 8x10 monstruosity. You only need to hear yourself as a monitor, you would be amazed at how loud some combos can get.

I played all my giging life back home in different scenarios of small stages/big/reharsals/jazz/metal/funk/bar with a Crate BX50 a 12" speaker combo. Mind you in a few gigs I have the poor guy at 80-90% level, but that was it. It weighted a few, heavy as to carry mostly because the shape of it. But small and light-ish enough that I could do it without help or a trolley. So really think about the size/shape/weight of it if you are going to be moving it around a lot. Also if it fits into your car too lol, it happens too

if you can, go and try them and see which one you like the best sound. But take your bass to try them, dont use one from the store as the sound of it would be different

 

[Mwoit]

How much money can you spend and what is the used market like where you live?

 

[Kidneythief]

I'm thinking about spending 250-300$ in my countrys currency, from what I'm seeing in the used markets around here that should bring me a "decent" amp, but I'm kind of new on the topic. Hence the hesitations.

 

[rob_707]

id suggest the traynor small block 110 comes with a tweeter is 125 watts at 4 ohms i have one and love it, also has an aux input to practice.

 

[Beheroth]

this : https://www.thomann.de/fr/ashdown_toneman_c115_evo_iii.htm
180 watts with the 15inch speaker, 300 with another 8 ohm cab. 5 band active EQ (bypassable) + deep and bright switches. onboard compression, OD and octaver. DI and FX loop.
sounds good, kinda rock voiced but you can make it sound however you want with the 5 band EQ (each band freq is spot on).
best bang for bucks out there. 349 new, can be found for less used

 

[Grand Moff Tim]

Power-wise I wouldn't want less than 250w, and for speakers I'd shoot for either 2x10 or 1x15. Anything less than 250w might struggle in some venues if you can't go DI to the PA. My personal rig is a 500w head and a 2x10 cab, but most of the time I end up using amps provided by the venues. The amps they provide are usually close in wattage to 250, and are nearly always combos. I rarely struggle to be hard without PA support in those venues, accept at one with an amp that's only 200w.

 

[Kidneythief]

Yeah, I'm aiming to have something around 200W, still on the lookout. The Gallien Krueger has been bought by someone else, so the search continues. I'd love to try out something from Orange, but they are just damn pricey at the time.

I'm honestly thinking about looking for a practice space, where you can rent an amp aswell. That would "save" some money, and if the thing doesn't really get serious I won't have an amp standing in my flat collecting the dust when not in use.

 

[Chiba666]

Got myself a TC Electonic bg250-12, woks ok. Ive always used it with a di box though

 

[Screamingdaisy]

If this is a gigging amp I'd be looking at 400w and above, particularly with a 5 string as the low B takes more power to amplify than standard E.

 

[alekosh]

Sorry kidneythief for hijack this thread a bit, but what do you guys suggest of an active loudspeaker like the Alto TS212 as a bass rig?

I am kind of in the same boat as the op, and leaning towards that option as from my youtube/internet/forums research I am getting the vibe that I am not getting something great for around €300. Will a bass combo be that much better for bass than a powered loudspeaker that can be used for my guitar purposes as well?

 

[A-Branger]

maaaaybe??.... I would think not, but if you are planing to use it as a guitar, then it can be a good solution

BUT

you would need an EQ pedal as minimum. Also check if it takes instrument input. Best bet would be for you to also need to buy a DI box. And I wouldnt really use it for guitar unless you own a POD/Helix/AXE FX/Something kinda thing. This is more of a PA FRFR-ishish speaker, so you still need your "amp" sound and your "cab" in order to have a good guitar tone. Bass is more simple and you can get away without a preamp sound or cab. Most of PA settings and recordings are direct line (sometimes mixed with the amp signal), but you would still need an EQ and prob a DI box too.

if you can, go to a store and try it. See what else is available at the same price range and what would you like more in sound

 

[A-Branger]

something like this would be the perfect settup with that PA speaker

but it would be extra $$$ that might blow up your budget, or put you in a territory from where you could buy a dedicated bass rig. BUT, you could still use the PA speaker with a guitar modeler, and use this pedal for live settings. Specially in places where they supply the backline, you just rock up with this little guy and presto

 

[dax21]

A lot of people on talkbass don't really like the scrambler overdrive on the ampeg unit, something to keep in mind. Also its pretty damn big in size.

 

[alekosh]

Thanks guys. I am already using my bass with pod hd500 like kidneythief and i am really happy with my bass tones. Also i plan on getting the kemper as i am a guitar player and mainly i record my own staff at home. I am playing bass with a friend as a side project. So i thought of getting the kemper unpowered, and buy the alto to use with both bass and guitar. The thing that worries me is that i might loose two many low frequencies and i love sub bass

 

[Exchanger]

Howdy folks I have a similar search going on :
A combo that is not too pricy for home practice mostly but that I can take up against a drummer and guitar amps without struggling. And most of all, lightweight (like less than 15 kg if possible).
I did consider head+cab as some small heads are really light and then you can carry things separately anyway, but single cabs tend to be quite heavy anyway and the price of head + cab tends to be much higher than combos.


I'm hesitating between several options :

-Gallien Krueger MB110 - 100W - 9kg
Super light, enough power for small gigs and jams. If I understand correctly, you can couple it with another powered speaker from GK, so that rig can be extended should I need more power. I do like the idea of a modular setup a lot. But that's an extra 450€

-Gallien Krueger MB112 - 200W - 13kg
A bit heavier but I guess still doable. Same story, can also be extended. It basically comes down to starting at 200W with 4 extra kg. Is it worth it or will 100W already take me enough places that I don't have to worry ?

-tc electronic BG250-208 - 250W - 12kg
Lighter than the previous option for even more power, a bit cheaper too. I understand you can also hook up an extra cab to it although info on this is less clear. To me the biggest question with this one is : is 2x8" good enough for a modern sound / low B range ? I'm not worried about 10" but 8" seems much less common.

-tc electronic BG250-112 - 200W - 16kg
A bit over my weight budget, but cheaper than the GK, and has a tweeter.

I can try out both the GKs at a store nearby this weekend but not the tc's.
TLR :
-is 100W enough for small gigs / jams or likely to be overwhelmed ?
-is 2x8" ok for 5-strings basses ?