chrisanthony1211

Thanks, I'm really happy with the finish it really does look quite professional. I've put a JB systems AVM 1 in the back of it, it's actually a PA amp to turn passive PA speakers active, it's 300 watts at 8 ohm. Im taking the signal from the line of my amp one which is post eq so all I want to do is reproduce a transparent sound, the amp doesnt know that it's bass or not! I shall upload a photo of the back

Thanks Al, i really enjoyed the festival. I think that the bar is being set pretty high for small lightweight combos, the likes of AER and Markbass are demonstrating that bass combos haven't got to be so big and heavy, it will be interesting what comes out over the next couple of years.

Al, below is a link through to a few videos that my mates girlfriend took on her phone so not the best quality, decent PA but I thnk the amp one sounds pretty good! https://www.dropbox.com/sh/anz7lsfelbsqc68/AAAA0tnMQYYfwTPS-j_l5DH5a

Thanks for that, it seems to work either way I wire it up, but I shall wire it up as though black with red strip is negative.

I'm connecting a single speaker to a amplifier, the speaker terminals are clearly marked positive and negative, the amp is not, one wire is black with a red stripe and the other is red, I'm guessing that the solid red is positive but if not does it make any difference when wiring up an amp with just a single speaker?

Ok, so here is my second attempt at making myself a powered speaker clone of my AER amp one. I used 15mm ply as oppose to 12mm and I've made it so that I can insert a proper AER grill which I have purchased for £45 from AER. I have painted with tuff cab which I'm very impressed with as it gives a very professional finish not dissimilar to the finish on my amp one. I have also purchased a recessed handle for the top as I want to be able to stack my amp one on top. I think you will agree that this looks rather splendid! Just need to put the speaker and amp in it now. The perfect minirig, this also fits perfectly in amp one bag. http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/chrisanthony1211/library/AER%20clone/Clone%20mk%202?sort=3&page=1

I'm with Phil on this one, 20 years ago i had the great big stack which I had to carry around everywhere, and I honestly think it's not necessry these days. On its own my AER with its single 10 inch speaker is louder than the SWR redhead i used to have 10 years ago, and matches my mesa walkabout I sold a couple of years ago (although I did absolutely love the sound of the SWR) once I plug in my powered 10in sub, coupled with my AER I'm pretty much good to go anywhere, practise or small gig AER on its own, need more umph, plug in the sub and this absolutely thunders out the bass. I don't really even need the sub but the AER has a sub output, and i read that this is an awesome addition which I couldn't resist. I think that we bassists are of the verge of an evolution, the quality of speaker design and the electronics that goes inside are getting better and smaller. Bass amp evolution has not progressed as it should since the 1960s, but things are changing, if you think of how technology is progressing even in the last 10 years, mobile phones, iPads, the internet, 20 years ago you would have thought this stuff was from another planet, and now we have micro bass amps that can compete with the rest of the band. I'm pretty sure that there's a lot of clever electronic trickery going off inside this amp, and that there are no wasted watts or speaker movement producing frequencies that only dogs can hear, but whatever they are doing works. AER will not be the last company that produce a killer micro combo, and as more companies are building these things they will only get louder, smaller, lighter, better sounding and definitely more expensive. But if this is the way bass amp manufactures are going I think it's great news for us.

I saw a YouTube video of Brian May a while ago, the interview asked him if it hurts his ears being stood in front of a stack of amps playing at his concerts, he laughed, then said he has an AC30 either side of the stage and everything else is out in front through the PA, I agree with phil that as long as you can compete with the drummer you have enough power. I'm not saying that something like he amp one is always the answer to every occasion, I have a powered 10 inch sub (which I built myself, and I'm very proud of, there is a basschat thread discussing it, although ii am about to start mark 2 just to iron out a couple of flaws!) http://basschat.co.uk/topic/238643-aer-amp-one-clone/ which I connect to the sub out on the amp one if I feel I need a little more, it gives me the flexibility needed. One thing to be aware of with the amp one is that you cannot line out into a passive extension cab, it has to be a powered cab I.e another amp, or a subwoofer which really does throw out those brown notes.

I had a bam which I sold here on basschat and definitely had no problems getting bottom end out of it, I did no tweaking and just used the SWR preset. If this amp weighed half what it does I think it would be considered to be one of the best combos out there. It was only the weight that put me off in the end.

Mesa M3 Carbibe.....oh yes I bet that is very nice indeed.... 300 watt at 4 ohms, I would love to sit this next to my amp one and compare the two. Check out the article below, it makes some interesting reading. http://www.matthelm.co.uk/what-size-amp-do-you-need-for-gigs/

Are your gigs generally through a PA, if so you really don't need all these watts as you only need your amp to be able to generate the high quality sound you want, and to be able to hear it yourself on stage, the PA will do the work and being loud on stage will only annoy the sound guy and mess with the balance. The whole issue around watts can be a little misleading as you need to multiply your watts 10 times to double your volume, so a 500 watt amp is not 5 times louder than a 100 watt amp, you would need 1000 watts to be twice as loud as your 100 watt combo, and you would need 2000 watts to be twice as loud as my 200 watts! of course speaker quality and surface area has a big role to play in how much air is shifted and how the sound travels and feels, the whole thing is quite subjective. In my youth I had a 4x10 on top of a 1x15 with a 500 watt head sat on top and whilst it looked cool I wouldn't be going back, my little combo is not only a breeze to move around but actually sounds better too. As I said its all very subjective and everyone has there own opinion, I think most of us do the research and still end up buying and selling amps for years until we stumble across what it is we really want.

Hi, just had a quick look on google and the bass gallery in London sell the amp one if you want to give it a try. The UK distributer is westside distribution in Glasgow so a little out out of your way! The only reason I'd fancy the amp three is that I can imagine that those 8 inch speakers give you a really tight sound and like most people I always want what I haven't got! To answer your question regarding whether it is better than the walkabout, I was recently offered a trade on my amp one with a walkabout here on basschat, and although it took some serious thought I stuck with the AER. I don't like saying it is better than the mesa because the mesa is great, but I believe that the amp one is no less great! We're playing at the littleborough festival 25th - 27th July, get ready for funk....

I've also heard good this about the techamp but never tried one, unfortunately I don't have any clips of me using the Amp one but I have a gig end of this month when I shall get some. When I decided to sell my markbass I was initially only ever interested in the mesa walkabout as I had one before my daughter was born which I loved, unfortunately young child meant no band so I sold it. It was after I saw the bass whisperer review that I seriously considered the amp one. I love the fact that if I'm playing at rehearsal or a medium venue I can rock up with guitar in one hand and amp in the other in one trip! And anywhere bigger I stack it on my powered sub or just go through the PA, but this is very very loud for a 200watt 10 inch combo! If you type in amp one in the search on here you can read a few reviews made by fellow basschatters! I did like my markbass CMD 102p, and it does sit in the mix well, it is an excellent amp, but if you want a top amp, which can be carried in one hand which sounds great, the amp one is definitely worth considering, but they are like rocking horse poo! If weight is not an issue for you ! And you just wasn't a great sound I still think that one of the best sounding amps is the SWR super redhead. There are loads of great combos out there at the price range your looking at, light good sounding and loud, I think much of it is down to personal preference. Below is a link to bass whisperer review, and yes I do prefer it to my old walkabout! The only thing I would consider changing for is an AER amp three which is 2x8. 200watt Good look in your search for combo heaven. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/223359-bass-whisperer-aer-amp-onetwothree-reviews/

Hi I'm a combo man and I'll give you a quick rundown on my experience for what it's worth. -If you have a budget of £1000 I would certainly take a look at the AER Amp one (which is my current rig). It is a superb little amp which really does surprise due to its rather compact appearance. I play in a funk band with a pretty loud drummer with my little amp one on half volume, and it cuts through beautifully, I also have a powered sub which I can stack it on if I'm playing a larger venue with no PA and require some more uuummmph, but this gives me lots of flexibility. It has a single 10inch speaker at 200 analogue watts, but don't be fooled this will surprise you, check out the bass whisperer review on YouTube and the reviews on line. - I have owned mesa boogie walkabout 12 (12 inch speaker 300 watt, great all rounder but bigger and heavier than AER) - SWR Redhead (2x10 speakers 240watt, probably the best sounding amp I ever played through, but needs more power, super redhead would probably be better, but these are heavy), I don't think this was any louder than my amp one. - Peavey Bam (2x10, 300 watt, great sound, great on board effects, cheap and very very very loud, but weighs an absolute ton which is the only reason I sold mine) - Mark bass CMD 102p 2x10, 300 watt, which I recently sold here on basschat, I agree with Loz that this is an excellent amp which is very loud and light, but I always thought it just sounded a little sterile, and I wanted something even lighter and more portable/flexible. Because I'm lazy! Check out the AER amp one.........it may not be for you, but it may be the one amp to rule them all..!!!

Thanks for the advice, I've got some spare plywood kicking around so I shall try the tuff cab on that and see how it compares to the truck bed liner.

I've already completed one amp which I'm pretty happy with but I'm going to have another go just to iron out all the little flaws in my first attempt. My first amp project I sprayed with black truck bed liner which has given the amp a pretty professional looking finish, however I wondered if anyone has some other suggestions that may look even better.

For those of you that don't know, although the amp one has a line out, and a sub out, these need to go into a powered speaker and are not suitable for passive cabinets. I took my amp one in pieces and I wrote down all the measurements, even the depth of the reflex port, and with some help of the AER website I was happy that I knew precisely what I needed to build myself the perfect cabinet for the perfect mini stack. Up steps B&Q FREE cutting service! Double ding dongs and bingo bongos for B&Q, I will admit to reducing the depth and width of my measurements by 1mm to try and round most of the cuts down to the nearest 5mm, I also used 12mm ply as oppose to 15mm birch ply but that's all they sell. When I asked Mr B&Q how accurate his measurements were he said that it would be to the mm...... I was a little sceptical but when I got my wood home and measured up, it was perfect, and it made putting the cabinet together a very simple process, just a bit of wood glue and a few screws and job done. I sanded down all the edges and cut out the hole for my repaired speaker to go into. Next, what finish to put on my lovingly crafted cab, my mate said gotta be tolex, Internet said acoustic felt, however I found a forum that suggested truck bed liner spray, I did a little research and purchased a couple of cans of hoytes truck bed liner spray and I must admit to being very happy with the finish, it's very similar to the acrylic finish on my amp one but without the splatter effect! Time will tell how durable it is, but two cans gave me about 8 coats so I'm quite optimistic. Next the difficult decision of how to power this little beauty. Initially I was fancying a subwoofer plate amp, however I thought that if I could get something a little more transparent then the quality of the amp one may just shine through. After much research and consideration i plumped for a JB systems AVM 1. This is designed to go into a JB passive speaker and give it some power, it throws out 300watts at 8 ohms which is just what I needed, it fits nicely flush on the back of my amp, and the result!!!!??!?!?!?!?!!! I took my half finished clone to practise this week, I was optimistically hopeful, but also a little concerned that something may blow up. Powered from the sub output from my amp one this gave ,me loads and loads of extra bottom end, my amp one is not shy when it comes to producing those low notes, but this really does improve the overall package, it's a definite thumbs up. I've fitted some corner protectors purchased through eBay and I'm now just awaiting the arrival of the leather handle and speaker grill to finish this girl off. I now have the perfect set up, my amp one for practises and small gigs, and just add my little clone for anything else. I also really like the idea that if this does get a little battered, I can visit B&Q to get all my wood cut for £15, two cans of spray for £18 pound, a few screws and wood glue, then just take all the hardware out of my current set up and I basically have a new amp again! I will admit that when I do this again (and I will because I really enjoyed it) I will do a couple of things differently, I ended up using far too many and unnecessary screws which all needed countersinking and filling, when I could have hidden all the screws under corner protectors or on the inside of the amp and let the wood glue do more of the work, so less work for next time! There is a link below to photos and my schematics but the definite lesson of the day, is that making a decent amp to the spec and size you want is not as hard as you think, and very enjoyable to make as well. Photos below for anyone that's interested, will put some more photos on once grill and handle turn up. http://s1161.photobucket.com/user/chrisanthony1211/library/AER%20clone?sort=3&page=1