Small, light, loud and good!??

[Albert Smith]

Congrats on the new rig Ronson, now groove hard.

[Christopher Rhodes]

It seems this topic has gone silent. I believe it continues to a viable topic of discussion. As of March 2009. I see new "head" developments.

The GK MB2 - is a 500 watt feather weight amp that is a real contender.
The Genz Benz Shuttle with 600 watts!
The Eden WTX 360 is now pumped up to 500 watts! Now the WTX500.
My personal favorite is the LMKII, which now upgraded to the LMKIII with 800 watts at 4ohmns.

My last gig I used my smith + LMKII + 2 4x10 Bagend cabinets! There was a crushing low tone throughout the gig!. I cannot say enough about the full range tone of this setup.

My question for the forum is: What are your experiences with the above heads and your Ken Smith bass?

[Christopher Rhodes]

I am still awaiting the experiences of other Smith bass owners with these new "lightweight" amps with ample power; 500 or better watts.

I believe this is a viable topic of discussion, since your rig, Head+cabinet, is a part of the sound that your Ken Smith bass produces. Guitar players seem to understand this concept, but us bass players rarely discuss this connection.

I hope to hear your experiences.

I am currently using 2 4x10s on stage, with a 500 watt head.

[Roosevelt Allen]

I've been waiting for th Eden WTX500; but the delivery date keeps being pushed back. Because of some upcoming gigs, I will probably go with the Shuttle6.0 because of the tube pre. I will post results later.

[Roosevelt Allen]

The Shuttle 6.0 arrived today. I used it at a gig this evening and it was awesome! I used it with an Ampeg 410hlf which of course is a 4 ohm cab; so 600 watts of power was available. The Ampeg cab has nice bottom end; so the sound was nicely balanced with the amp set flat and the gain at 12 o'clock. There was more than enough headroom. The drummer and keyboard player were amzed at the tone, volume and the ability to cut through the mix. Now I need to locate a light weight cab with acceptable lows. I am open to suggestions. So come on and give some responses.

[Tim Bishop]

Originally Posted by Roosevelt Allen

Now I need to locate a light weight cab with acceptable lows. I am open to suggestions. So come on and give some responses.

Eden 210XST. It's always better to stay with 8 ohm cabinets. This way you can always add more cabinets and get way more coverage when you need it.

[Kirk P Brosius]

Hello all,

Schroeder Mini12+ 4o
" 1210R 4o
" 410L gen II 4o
Eden 210XL 8o (not very often)

I've been using a MarkBass SD800, with any of the listed cabs, at different sized gigs for about a year with great results.

The Mini12+ and the SD nake a truely "mini-rig" and works very well for small to med sized gigs. The 410L is just a monster!!!! It weighsjust 56# and is a very east load-in. The rig works very well for the med-to large sized gigs. I tilt the cab back with a 2X4 and never have an issue with hearing just what I put into it. Most of the medium-sized gigs get the 1210R. The EQ on the SD is easy to work with and the power is just about amazing!! The could easily push two 410's or a couple of 810's!!!! YIKES!!!!!!!

Thanks for moment of your time, Kirk

[Tim Bishop]

My newest favorite Eden head is the WT-405. Wow! It may not be the lightest head on the market, but the flexibility and options are well worth the extra weight. I'm glad I purchased this amp while it was still made in the U.S. Now, Eden is sending their stuff to China . Because of this and going forward, I won't be sending any $'s to China to support their booming economy. Fortunately, I have all the Eden gear I'll need going forward: U.S. made and proud of it!

[Keir Riggs]

Well, I guess it's time to speak. I have had the opportunity to play practically every brand of amp out there. I currently use an SWR rig ( grand prix preamp) carvin DCM 1000 pwr amp, SWR Triad cab. But I must say, I took Mr. Chris Rhodes' advice and tried the Markbass LMK II w/ the 2X10 cab............. I played my custom Burner 6 through it. I experienced the most incredible sound from that thing! The clarity, tone , bottom end, was just amazing! I sat in GC for 2 1/2 hour just playing with the knobs and I just didn't want to stop playing, My friends had to drag me out of there. I'll sell every piece of gear I own to get one of these amps. Hands down the most incredible clear true tone I have ever heard!

[Clay Upton]

So this is a pricey option, but I am absolutely in love with my Bergantino IP112, which is an HT112 cabinet (Jim's custom Eminence 12" and proprietary tweeter) coupled with an onboard 500W digital power amp (1000W w/extension cab) complete with cabinet tuning DSP and compression. The whole enchilada weighs 42 lbs and the volume is insane. I also have an HT112 extension cabinet which adds up to a 1000W mini stack from hell.

What's great is that different basses and preamps shape the sound as they're supposed to, without interference from the amp. My Sadowsky p-bass with flatwounds sounds equally at home through this rig as does my Smith, even though the two sounds are very different.

I think the only downside is the price...about $1900 for the IP112 and another $600 for the HT112 extension.

If bang for the buck is the order of the day, I vote for the new SWR 1x12 Working Pro combo. At $550, it's got everything you could ask for, including a side mounted input if you wanted to feed an line level source like a monitor mix and blend it with your bass). The tilt back cabinet makes it a bit bulky to transport, but it sounds good and it's relatively cheap.

[Roger Vaughan]

Just because I got a notification of Tim Bishop's newest post this came to mind: A fellow who goes by the moniker "Greenboy" over on'Talkbass.com' (I know, a site of some notoriety around here!) has come up with what is reported to be a stupendous design inroad for a front-firing, small, potent, bi-ampable cab. See the humongous , 2-part thread on it to get the lowdown. It's a DIY, but you can probably find a cabinet-maker in your area to build you one. I can also build it, but I'm not advertising myself- just saying.

Heads... there are a million of 'em! GK's MB502 (or something like that) gets the newest raves.

[Rainer Bastian]

Just got my TecAmp Puma 1000 !!!!

2*500 Watt / 4 Ohm at 2,8 kg !!! Seems to have a Powersoft DigiMod Module in it.

Recently I paired it with two Epi UL cabs on stage and the sound with my BMT Elite V floored everyone in the house. I play soul and funk in a VERY loud soul band and I had no problems to cut through. Other basses deliver also their unique characteristics through that amp without any discoloration.

Normally I play an Epifani 902C (also light and loud and a perfect match for Smith basses !) or a Glockenklang HeartRock through an Epi 410/212 UL pair. The TecAmp Puma delivers just a similar tone - creamy, clear and deep low end and tons of attack and .... LOUD ! - unbelievable !