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TC Electronic BG250 208 for double bass?


sunfish

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Has anyone used a TC Electronic BG250 208 combo for double bass?

i use the RH450 head for my electric bass gigs and love it. So I wondered about getting the 208 for DB and use it with or without my Berg 112

 

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Hi Ive been using the 2 x8 with the 250 head for over year.Not sure if its my ignorance but the so called DYNAMIC TONE CONTOURING FILTER SECTION really doesn't work for me be.(eg by reducing the bass frequency in the -db direction your overall volume drops dramatically I want to loose the frequency not the volume level !!) and with no standard 1/4 trs  fx send or return there is no alternative input (for say a mic ) The inbuilt tuner is great although doesn't fully track the signal from the upright p/u 

 

If I were to buy 1 of these again( not sure I would)  I'd make sure I had

 

1) an additional quality PRE AMP TO boost the piezo p/u level and a high quality p/u .......

2) or top quality mic and pre amp 

These 2 items alone would cost you the price of a dedicated 2nd hand acoustic combo  !! 

Finally if you get a high quality p/u and adequate pre amp I'm sure this combo would be fine for most small gigs but I'll be looking for a dedicated amp that can cope with the input of an acoustic instrument ..I've not mentioned any brand names but they'll be easy enough to research on the web...

 

Hope this helps ?

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I've heard the Gallien Krueger MB combos are very good for double bass and acoustic bass. I am looking at the MB110 for my Uke bass. Phil Jones Bass Cub is on my list but worried is will be too small and may get a little lost volume wise.

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I’m also considering the Markbass 802 combo. Both the Markbass and the TC have just a gain control with no master volume control which worries me about controlling the distortion at higher volumes should I need it.

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I use an AER BassCube, I don't think there's something better even for electric bass, but it's very very expensive and too heavy for my broken back (25 kilos). 

I'm waiting for this GSS 06B400 combo (7,5 kilos complete) to be delivered http://www.guitarsoundsystems.com/catalog_gss-bass-and-upright-bass-combos.htm

Cheap and according to all I've heard and read, quite impressive for both double bass, EUB and electric bass and there are plenty of add-on cabinets available... 

To be continued.

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I concur with the AER, although I play a Rob Allen Mouse through mine (an AER  Basic Performer) and not an upright it sounds amazing and over the years, both at small local gigs and large Jazz gigs I have noticed just how many people use them for acoustic and electric uprights.

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On 12/08/2018 at 19:35, Hellzero said:

I use an AER BassCube, I don't think there's something better even for electric bass, but it's very very expensive and too heavy for my broken back (25 kilos). 

I'm waiting for this GSS 06B400 combo (7,5 kilos complete) to be delivered http://www.guitarsoundsystems.com/catalog_gss-bass-and-upright-bass-combos.htm

Cheap and according to all I've heard and read, quite impressive for both double bass, EUB and electric bass and there are plenty of add-on cabinets available... 

To be continued.

Hi This looks great and extremely cheap....!! Thanks for posting this !!   I for 1 will definitely be looking into getting 1 of these and would love to hear about your experiences with it ... 

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Ok, after a few days here are my impressions, tried at home for the moment in a 40 square meters room.

Let's start with what it's been designed for in first place, double bass :

With my short scale (34" or 1/8) Berne Harpobasse (Savarez Corelli 350 C Medium 1/8 Tungsten) and a Schertler Basik Reso (harp table on this strange instrument) coupled to a Schertler Stat Pre, the sound is powerful (mid volume and flat EQ), very respectful of the way you play and the Schertler system which has a tendency to boom the bass. By adjusting the mix between acoustic and amplified sound, you can counterpart the lack of very low end of this instrument and get a kind of Ron Carter sound.

With a very good quality massive woods Chinese 3/4 double bass (D'Addario HH610-3/4M Helicore Bass 3/4) equiped with a David Gage Realist piezo pickup and no preamp, you clearly hear the pickup weakness and its tendency to be harsh, way far better with the Schertler Stat Pre, again with that boominess, so very transparent, and that Ron Carter sound.

With my Leduc Contr-U-Basse 6 L-009 (D'Addario NSFW610 Electric Contemporary 6 strings set), beware not to go any higher than mid volume or you'll destroy the PHL Audio 6,5 inches single speaker especially when hitting the low B, and again very transparent and respectful of the EMG magnetic pickups in the end of the fretboard or the RMC piezos in the bridge. Powerfull EUB here, which can sound like a double bass when cutting the mids and lowering the bass a bit. 

With my Leduc MP 628 SF 6 strings fretless (Fodera nickel strings), I'm in heaven at 3/4th of the volume, which is the maximum, and flat EQ, but I would say that the volume won't be enough for a gig without having a PA.

With my fretted basses, again that transparency is there (no slap as I hate this, but tapping is great fun) so I'm very happy. 

Now this combo has only 100 Watts RMS power and a 6,5 inches speaker, so the laws of physics are applicable. At low to moderate volume, it's really transparent giving you what the instrument you plugged in is really capable of without cheating. If you want more power,  just add another speaker to the other channel and you'll get 200 Watts RMS which will be more than enough according to what I've heard so far with half the power and speakers.

Compared to my AER BassCube v1, it's quite similar sonically, but the 400 Watts RMS of the AER makes the difference in terms of headroom and low B power of my EUB or other basses. The AER is also more versatile especially on the first channel which can accomodate all kinds of signals including low level piezos as there is a dedicated input for that. 

I've ordered the battery pack for the GSS, so it will be the perfect small amp for practising, rehearsing and small pub gigs.

I'll come back later when rehearsed with guitar and vocals and even later after a small pub gig. 

Edited by Hellzero
Slight grammar corrections
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  • 4 months later...

I use my own TC Electronic BG250-208 with my NS Design CR5 upright bass, as well as with different electric basses. 

I did the speaker upgrade as recommended here on Basschat (changing the stock speakers for a pair of Fane Sovereign 8-225 units). The output volume was significantly increased, and the range of tones widened too. 

I've had no problems at all using the amp in smaller venues. You obviously don't get the full, bottom end "oomph" that you can get from larger speakers, but the combo handles bass surprisingly well. Add in the fact that you can lug the unit around with one hand, and it's a no-brainer as to why it's been such a hit with me. 

 

IMG_20190110_115657.jpg

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On 07/08/2018 at 16:26, Linus27 said:

I've heard the Gallien Krueger MB combos are very good for double bass and acoustic bass. I am looking at the MB110 for my Uke bass. Phil Jones Bass Cub is on my list but worried is will be too small and may get a little lost volume wise. 

The GK amps are good; i've used the mb112 in a practice studio and quite liked it.  the old mb150 is a classic used by loads of pro dB players.    PJB are better still  but the cub will be too small.  I have a pjb flight case which is just loud enough for the double bass and sounds great (transparent). Not much punch for electric bass though. Try Markbass micromark or markbass mini too if you can find one ( I couldn't, hence the pjb ).

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