Nice setup! That Sandberg 
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Here are my two companions : a Fender Rumble 100v3 and a Spark Mini from positivegrid.
I got the FR100 for the price of the FR50, so I … couldn’t resist much. And that was a good idea : the thing packs a punch, plus it sounds just awesome in a lot of ways.
The positivegrid might be an overpriced gadget, but some features are top notch, absolutely excellent and fun :
- smart jam, an IA that create a backtrack after your riffs
- acts as an audio interface with great mobility (that works with linux, usb-class compliant)
- simulate renowned amps and pedals that can be downloaded and tweaked from a mobile app.
Despite that, it also has some issues sound wise (unexpected white noises etc). I don’t have that much problem with it myself (i feel quite lucky) but forums are filled with it.
So considering the hefty price and the possible issues, keep in mind that I don’t recommend it unless you know when you’re stepping into. That’s it ! Thank you for reading !
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Positive Grid replaced the Spark for me 3 times because of the input failure. My 4th and the Mini have been fine. That said the Spark was my Daily Driver for the most part of the first year of lockdown.
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No issue with my Mini either. I tend to avoid being an early adaptor and wait for the second batch.
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Ampeg RB108 that is basically brand new and that I practically stole off a guy on Marketplace for £65. Next to it is a Behringer Bass Overdrive BOD400 that a friend gave me broken (as he knew I would fix it) and plugged into the amp is a Lekato wireless transmission system that came from AliExpress.
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This is my Rumble 40 v4.
Yeah, there’s a v4, but you have to build it yourself. Stock speaker gets replaced with Eminence Basslite S2010, ports get changed to 2.00” id x 2.63” deep.
The big muddy peak of the v3 is all gone, the amp sounds great and it’s noticeably louder.
The idea came from a helpful person on Talk Bass. See here.
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I went to shop that had the Ampeg Micro CL on display to test out. I wanted to love it. In fact, I do love it. The sound is awesome, but my god what a loud setup to have as a practice amp. I was testing it out and had the volume at one the whole time, and even down at one it filled the large room at the store. I also tried out the Ampeg RB-108 and -110.
Between the three, I like the sound of the Micro CL the best, but I couldn’t justify paying that much for a practice amp I’d be keeping turned down to 0.5 out of 10. As great as the sound was, I wasn’t sure why I’d buy this to only ever use a single digit percentage of its output.
I ended up buying the RB-110. It still sounds very good. I didn’t like the 108. Even with all EQ settings the same, the tone from the 108 wasn’t as good as what I was hearing from the 110.
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@CoolCat I just read that thread. That’s really cool. I haven’t seen anybody talk about doing speaker/cabinet mods on BassBuzz before.
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@TroyMcClure, you didn’t mention the RB-112, so I guess you didn’t try it, or they didn’t have one to try. I’m curious as to how that would sound, since you didn’t like the RB-108’s tone.
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Ha. I just got a RB-115. I liked the way the 15 lets me feel it more. Brought my bass in (left handed) to try it and new it would just be a matter of when, no longer if…got it home, shook the windows, really enjoying it.
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@cbaray A couple of months ago I saw a listing at Guitar Center for a used RB-115, in either great or excellent condition, selling for the price of a used RB-112. Hmm. . . should I have jumped at it? Well, I didn’t, because I’m not ready for it yet (don’t ask). Needless to say, that listing went pretty fast. The RB-115 was tempting, having a feature or three that the RB-112 doesn’t have, but I think when I do get an amp, the RB-112 would be more realistic for my needs.
But I do congratulate you on your RB-115! Very nice.
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Guitar center is pretty good about giving 10-15% off if you call in. And can then do in store pick up. Helps feel a bit better about buying new gear.
I doubt I am ready for a 15 inch speaker either. But there’s talk about a St Patrick’s day gig with some folks in my last session of school of rock and an appropriate amp would be more fun. Plus, reading up on how PA speakers (drum amp for electric drums we have) need a subwoofer made me understand why the bass was lacking when I played through it.
So the Rocket 115 fit the bill.
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Yes… sorry so late… I recently sold the ampeg as my ear and style have changed. i now own the PJB bp800 class d mono amp connected to two PJB c4 cabs and quite honestly the cleanest bass I have ever played/heard,
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Love PJB stuff. I have the BG-120. Use it for bass, keyboards, drum pad and even guitar. Sound is nuts!
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That head is so underrated. Amazing piece of gear!
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I don’t think they are underrated. I think they are ignored by the “must be a 10 inch or bigger cause it’s a bass” thinking and “that’s too small to be good” tribe.
It’s ingenious engineering but it’s a different concept than the normal which instantly makes it a hard sell to Mr. average Joe Lunchbox.
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Agreed. The combo amps are more popular in Europe, but you don’t see the bass amp heads in stock often. I had the D-400 bass amp head which had 1 bad review on Thomann which was total bullshit. That was an amazing head, but it never caught on with the rest. The BP series is the only head being sold now. Didn’t they recently released a cute 200W version too?
I assume PJ has a better market in Asia and America.
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I kinda want a Rumble 100 right now. Not really a dream amp, but still a very rational and efficient amp, with a great form factor and an effect loop to take my preamps. That’s pretty cool already.
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The EQ on the BP-800 is terrific. This video does a good job of showing a lot of different tones and sweeping through the controls. I was a little shocked at how long this amp is behind the front panel. It’s a banana.
He also mics up the cabinet so you can hear how low it can go. Most of the video is a mix with the DI though. Gregor almost never mics the cabinet.
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