Small practice travel amps

[keith_h]

I went ahead and ordered the Markbass. It is under 15 inches cubed so will fit the area and with the holiday discount was $382 before taxes and free shipping.

[Glynn]

Barefaced One 10 cabinet (8 ohms) is small and light.  Not the quality of Berg. and Genzler but good enough for the weight at 16 lbs and £419 UK. I team it with a Genzler Magellan 350 (175 w at 8 ohms ) but it doesn't like the GenzBenz Streamliner at 500 watts into it - despite the Barefaced claims!.
Glynn

[cozmik_cowboy]

I'm not worried about what to do if I didn't like the Blackstar Fly as I could return it for free. I'm just not going to mess around with another micro amp with tiny speakers. I know what to expect out of a 1X10 and know pretty much any of the amps I've looked at in that style would meet the tone/volume  requirements I'm looking for. I did give the Fender Rumble 40 a serious look. It has a great price, controls and features I like and appears to be a solid little amp but it is too large for the on the road storage area in the trailer. That is why I decided I would up what I'm looking to spend and get something a bit more versatile I could use for other situations.
Granddaughter is 11 1/2 months old and lives with us. She has been walking for about month now. That is the problem. No matter how much I pushed her down she tried to stand up anyway. Well she's reached the point where she has learned how not to be seen especially when she is interested in the floor vents for the central air. Fortunately I own an endoscope for periodic inspections of said vents but I'll admit I'm a bit trepidatious over what I might find.

On a different note we are going to be up that way in early October to see the wife's family. Her dad in particular due to onset of dementia. When we go we park the trailer in Union and drive into St. Charles where her folks live. I'm not sure of how much free time we will have but was going to give you a holler if I had a chance after we arrived to say hello and maybe drink a beverage or two of your choice. 

Yeah, I'm sort of amazed I'm speaking up for the Fly myself; I tend to think that 10s only belong in a bass rig on top of 15s or 18s - I want to feel an air column, ya know? - and a 15 is my preference for guitar.  But Bill's just completely blew me away; if you had told me before hearing it that a 3" speaker could sound for anything, I would have quoted the immortal Dick Martin:  "I laugh on your mustache; HA!" But it sounds seriously good (as Bill said, the only micro-amp that's an actual amp, and not a toy).


We're planning to head to Denver to hang with grands #1 & #2 in October, but I don't know which week; by all means,[/size] give said holler, and if we're in town we'll lift a few (and/or, if you are so inclined, set something on fire).

[/size]Peter

[keith_h]

Peter,
I'm surprised to see someone else that likes 15 inch speakers for guitar. I've always preferred the sound of playing, I use the term loosely, my guitars through a D130 or K140 cabinet.

[cozmik_cowboy]

Peter,
I'm surprised to see someone else that likes 15 inch speakers for guitar. I've always preferred the sound of playing, I use the term loosely, my guitars through a D130 or K140 cabinet.

We are everywhere!  Stevie Rave On played through 2 '64 Vibroverbs (basically a 1X15 Super Reverb); alas, the only year they made them, except for a modded "reissue".

Peter 

[lbpesq]

O.K., you guys certainly got me thinking.   Then I remembered that the former “Jerry” in Sonicus’ Dead band also played through a 15 and it sounded quite good.   So I checked out reverb today and pulled the trigger on a 1x15 loaded with an Eminence 1518.  It’s supposed to be similar to a JBL.    We’ll see.

Bill, tgo

[cozmik_cowboy]

O.K., you guys certainly got me thinking.   Then I remembered that the former “Jerry” in Sonicus’ Dead band also played through a 15 and it sounded quite good.   So I checked out reverb today and pulled the trigger on a 1x15 loaded with an Eminence 1518.  It’s supposed to be similar to a JBL.    We’ll see.

Bill, tgo

We await your report with baited breath (that's what we get for eating worms.....)

Peter

[rv_bass]

I’ve always liked 12” speakers for guitar, currently use Tone Tubby (Red Alnico and Purple Haze) and like them, and although their cube cab is not micro it is compact, light, and easy to transport.

[lbpesq]

I’ve always been a “12” guy, too.  My main rig is two 1x12 cabs loaded with JBL K120’s, one of which was reconed with hemp by John Harrison himself.  In the last couple of years I’ve ventured into 8” and 10” territory with my Quilters.   Both sizes sounded much better than I expected, though I’m sure the Quilter design certainly helps.   So I’m curious and keeping an open mind about the 15.  This should be interesting.

Bill, tgo

[cozmik_cowboy]

My first choice would be, as noted, 1X15.  Then 4X10, then 2X10, then 1X10.

So of course the onliest guitar amp I currently own is a 2X12.........

Peter (who does sometimes plug a guitar into his bass amp, despite its lack of tubes & reverb, just for the 15" speaker)

[keith_h]

Well Bill I didn't plan for this thread to turn out to have you spending money.

I use an old Yamaha B100 head from my 1970's bass rig for guitar. I don't play guitar well enough or often enough to justify an actual guitar amp. I also like the clean jazz guitar tone which this amp does a decent job of doing paired with a 15" cabinet. 

[cozmik_cowboy]

Well Bill I didn't plan for this thread to turn out to have you spending money.

I use an old Yamaha B100 head from my 1970's bass rig for guitar. I don't play guitar well enough or often enough to justify an actual guitar amp. I also like the clean jazz guitar tone which this amp does a decent job of doing paired with a 15" cabinet. 

My first in-person experience with an Alembic was playing a Spoiler through a B100-115 II; completely changed what I thought "bass guitar" meant.  If you should ever want to sell that......

Peter

[keith_h]

I had one of those at one time too. Then needed to be able to keep up with two full 4X12 stacks when playing out. That's when the rig became an Acoustic 370 with two 301 cabinets and the B100 with two single K140 cabinets.

I also owned the PA. It was built by a local builder called Blondella Sound. 3/4" plywood finished in fiberglass and heavy as hell. Fortunately my back was a lot stronger back then and friends of the band were willing to work for beer.

[hydrargyrum]

I used one of these for a classic rock/country bar band I played with for several years.  https://www.ztamplifiers.com/old-lunchbox-amp.html

The diminutive size belied the fact that it was a 200 watt amp.  The only occasions I found it wasn't loud enough were rather large outdoor gigs, and at that point I just ran direct from the amp to the PA.  The early versions of these amps were popular with people like Nels Cline of the Nels Cline Singers and Wilco fame. (https://equipboard.com/pros/nels-cline/zt-lunchbox-200-watt-amplifier)   It doesn't look like they still sell the 200 watt version, which is a pity because at 6.5 pounds it was a lot more back-friendly than my silverface Pro-Reverb. 

[Glynn]

The Hofner -