Loud but compact Combo in the EU? GR Bass, Ashdown or MarkBass?

Hi guys,

so far I am reigniting my spark with Josh’s course and it’s a blast. I have as a bass a Fame Baphomet which is Warwick Corvette lookalike with two jazz pickups.

Amp-wise I have a NUX Mighty Headphone Amp and a small Warwick BC 10. The Warwick is fine for the bedroom but not worth the travel to play with others.

Since my first rehearsal experience I would like to change the amp to something bigger but not heavier, rather used and as light as possible. This is what I got, all between 350 and 400 Euro.

GR Bass Cube 350, 12" Speaker with 350 Watt RMS, roughly 12kgs, one owner, about 5 years old.

Ashdown Studio 15, 15" speaker with 300 Watt RMS, also below 12 kgs, one owner, 5-10 years old

MarkBass Little Mark, 12" speaker with 550 watt (taken from the back plate, could be less RMS if it’s alike the current MarkBass Mini models), 13kgs, multiple owners and roadworn, 20 years old.

Anyone has experience with one of these? What would be your pick? Since I have no chance of traveling and testing all of them, I would have to buy blind.

Thanks to all of you.

PS: if my budget permits, I will upgrade my bass to a Sandberg VM or TM with a humbucker at the bridge position in the near future.

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Aren’t those made by Mayones in Poland??

Sorry, can’t come with much input for the models you mentioned, by if you come across a Laney combo those are good as well. (Laney is UK-based).

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Well, I rely on the 2nd hand market. Got a model to look out for from Laney?

And for the Fame Bass. It’s about ergonomics really. They are well built but Sandberg has a different feel.

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Yeah, I wasn’t questioning your choice of “upgrades” - just wondering about that Baphomet…

Nah, sorry - again, just wanted to throw in another option for you. Laney makes good stuff!

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If you’re looking for light and used don’t overlook the Fender Rumble V3 or Boss Katana as solid alternatives.

They’ll be cheaper than the Mark Bass stuff.

Although the Mark Bass stuff is nice :blush:

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My choice would be the GR Bass Cube 350 (wood enclosure). I have an AT Cube 500 (carbon fiber enclosure) which is the best amp I’ve ever owned. The custom Jensen/SICA 12" is fantastic, and the amp in the combo is the same as the one in my AT 500. The low-mid and high-mid tone controls have 3-position switches for the center freqs. Very flexible, handling almost any room/space you can throw at it. I love the clean, neutral sound. I have pedals and amp sims if I want a certain tone.

I have found the 12" speakers from GR Bass to be a great do-all size. They move more air than 10"ers and are faster responding than 15"ers. I used to own a v3 Rumble 200 with a 15"er and loved it, but now, I wouldn’t trade my GR Bass AT Cube 500 for anything. It took months to track down an AT Cube 112 cab to go with it, but now I’m set. I don’t anticipate ever needing more than that, but if it happens, I’ll get an GR Bass 800 head and a pair of AT 212 cabs.

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The Rumble 100 v3 has less wattage, the other 200 and 500 combo amps are above 14kgs, only the 800 would fit in there. But with 800-900 Euro and used/new it is out of range.

The Katana’s were my first thought as well, but also heavier with the 110 at 17kgs and the 210 above 20kgs.

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Was just too late for the GR Bass but keep my eyes peeled on one in the upcoming weeks. Wood Cube would be enough for me (350 or 500) since I would like to not pass 500 Euros for a used amp.

My goal is to have enough power in one combo and still small enough to haul with my cargo bike.

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Time to hit the gym :wink:

Also the Rumble 100 is pretty loud (I have one). If your drummer isn’t going nuts it’s loud enough for small gigs and used it’s affordable :man_shrugging:

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Yep, Fame basses are made by Mayones, but they are sold under the “Fame” brand by the Music Store in Cologne, Germany.

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Clever boy.

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Thanks for the video.

Anyone has a comparison to the MarkBass? Is it worth the investment over the Rumble 100?

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Since these are not compact then I’d recommend the Katana 110. It’s plenty loud. If you can afford a few more inches on either side the 210 is pretty much all you need. At one of my gig they have both 110 and 210. 110 is plenty loud for the venue.

If budget is not the issue the loudest and most compact not to mention kick a$$ sound is the Genzler BA 10-2 array combo. It’s not cheap but it has a pretty expensive tone.

Thanks for bringing Genzler to my attention. They are very hard to find around here.

For the weight of 12kgs or less, the Katana is out of scope.

Also a Trace Elliot Elf 110 speaker allows to channel up to 300w and weighs 7,5kg. This combined with a micro amp of max 2kgs would be interestingly light.

Any experiences here? Is the 10" speaker a downgrade to the 12" in the combos listed above?

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10” speakers are just different than the 12” and 15” the popular size among bassists. 15” is probably best in a large outdoor venue, 12” is more for most people across genres, but the latest and greatest for me is the 10”. It’s deliciously fast and tight suits my style of playing as well as my hearing preference.

Can we get anything good smaller than 10”, sure but you’d be paying through the nose to get the same high quality bass tone on a smaller speakers, for gigging, of course.

Why specific size and weight?

Usually, the two out of three rule applies. In your case, Price, size, sound quality. Pick TWO.

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I traded my Orange Crush 100 (15 inch) for a TE Elf with a Darkglass Microtubes 200: runs well and very light. I think you might be able to get a bag for the speaker but I haven’t found it yet - I was carrying it around in an IKEA bag

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Easy. I am old enough with money put aside for leisure to disregard the price tag since it is a once in 10 years investment. Looking at gear up to 1.200 Euros combined. Nevertheless, if 2nd hand is preferred, sustainability and such things do matter.