Lightweight Portable Amp Suggestion

[pjmuck]

I'm running a TecAmp Puma with either 1 or 2 M-210 cabs. It's a great set up light and powerful great sound, I'm doing a lot of blues and funk.

I'm not familiar with that company, Paul. Looks like a nice setup. Where'd you find their stuff?

[ptbass]

I'm running a TecAmp Puma with either 1 or 2 M-210 cabs. It's a great set up light and powerful great sound, I'm doing a lot of blues and funk.

I'm not familiar with that company, Paul. Looks like a nice setup. Where'd you find their stuff?

Bass boot camp I met the rep through Mike Tobias if you are intrested I can give you the reps info. Mike Tobias is a big endorser and Andrew Gouche switched over.

[pjmuck]

Thanks Paul.

Well, change of plans. I went ahead and ordered the Fender Rumble 500 combo. Couldn't help myself, as I got a very good deal. Should be here in the next few days. I'm sure there are better setups out there, but I really did like the tones and lightweight of the one I tried, and for this weekend warrior bar stuff I wasn't looking to break the bank. I may opt to pick up the additional 1x15 cabinet they make for it too. I still have my Eden stuff on hand and can pick up a bass amp head or get my old GK fixed down the road for larger events, but for now I'm hoping the Fender fits the bill nicely.

Thanks to everyone for your input and advice. It's been a LONG time since I went shopping for new bass amp gear.

[Frenchy-Lefty]

Heck they even sell the preamp only for $200 (Ampeg SCR DI) and it seems that the TB Effect pundits like it so it must be quite good. Looks like a great little combo. Congrats!

[andrew]

Let us know how you like the Rumble 500 combo when you get it.

I personally think it's got a lot going for it: tone, portability, price, volume; it checks a lot of the right boxes.

[pjmuck]

Did my first gig this past Saturday with the new band and Rumble 500. Overall? VERY impressed! All I had was the 2x10 combo and there was no lack of low end or clarity whatsoever. The on board EQ and different voicing options are very musical, and with the added tweeter on/off option there's no lack of crisp top end. In fact, midway through the set the percussionist asked if I could turn down a bit. (Still getting my feet wet with overall band blend, various rooms, etc). I ran the Eden Navigator through it, and that only helped tighten up the sound. I also went DI into the board, but one caveat of the Rumble series is the DI is post preamp, so I ended up going DI via my Eden Navigator instead (which has multiple DI post/pre options). Yesterday, I received the matching 115 cabinet (which also has a tweeter on/off option) and combined with the Rumble 500 the sound is absolutely monstrous. Plenty of power and volume, especially for a class D. It's probably way more than I'll ever need, though we do have an upcoming outdoor beach show so I might need to bump it up a notch.

It doesn't quite compare to my Eden Navigator/Eden 4x10XLT (If only that damn thing wasn't 98lbs!), but it's respectable in it's own right. I highly recommend the Fender Rumble series for someone looking for a good, powerful, and "organic" sounding lightweight rig on a budget. And it looks so cool too with it's retro Fender blackface appointments

[andrew]

Glad it's working for you Peter.

[pjmuck]

Well the honeymoon's over. I got my old GK 400RB head fixed and when A/B'ing the GK/Eden Navigator preamp + Eden 4x10" to the Fender Rumble setup, the improved sound was noticeably apparent: tighter low end, improved clarity. I returned the Rumble 500 but kept the 1x15" Rumble cabinet only, since I am still in need of a lighter weight setup for those occasions. (I still recommend the Rumble series for anyone loping for a good amp on a budget). The GK head straight into either cabinets sounded pretty awesome too, so I may decide to just leave the Eden Navigator at home for certain gigs. I do like it's on board compression and EQ though, so maybe I'll be looking for a good compression pedal instead.

Any suggestions? I like a clean transparent comp, not too squishy.

[AzWhoFan]

There's a good recent discussion in this thread -> http://www.leftybassist.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6070.
I still haven't had time to properly mess with the FEA DE-CL I picked up a few weeks ago ... where does the time go???

[andrew]

Well the honeymoon's over. I got my old GK 400RB head fixed and when A/B'ing the GK/Eden Navigator preamp + Eden 4x10" to the Fender Rumble setup, the improved sound was noticeably apparent: tighter low end, improved clarity. I returned the Rumble 500 but kept the 1x15" Rumble cabinet only, since I am still in need of a lighter weight setup for those occasions. (I still recommend the Rumble series for anyone loping for a good amp on a budget). The GK head straight into either cabinets sounded pretty awesome too, so I may decide to just leave the Eden Navigator at home for certain gigs. I do like it's on board compression and EQ though, so maybe I'll be looking for a good compression pedal instead.

Any suggestions? I like a clean transparent comp, not too squishy.

Check out http://www.ovnilab.com for a wealth of info on bass comp pedals.

For passive basses I like the Diamond bass comp and the new Tech 21 CompBoost is good too. But I don't care for either with my Spector; I find the hot output of the bass hits them too hard and they squish excessively quite fast. Given the variety of your collection it might be something to keep in mind. I think the EBS Multicomp is a good sounding comp all around. The Empress comp is very nice but a bit pricier.

What about the Eden WTDI pedal? Might give you enough of the quality your Navigator pre is giving you in a smaller footprint.
http://www.edenamps.com/products/pedals/WTDI.html