Very small combos

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

As a PJB user, I agree with Bill and others who suggest that a decent 1x10 is probably your best option. There are plenty of quality 10" drivers that work well for bass. If you go the PJB route, even their 2x5 combo will cost you £400 and up, unless you find a used one at a bargain price. Those 5" drivers are great for their size, but if you're planning to jam with friends and do the odd open mic' night, I think 2x5 might struggle, especially against drums, unless the other instruments are all acoustic. I use at least two PJB 4x5 cabs (I have five, so take out as many as I need) for all but the quietest gigs. They are also quite inefficient, so take a bit of driving.

 

I'd add a Barefaced 1x10 and something like a TE Elf to your list of things to consider. That would be light/portable and give a good account of itself. Someone I know uses an Elf with two BF 1x10s and it's surprisingly pokey.

 

Yeah this, the BG-400 or BG-450 might make a good small gig amp however at double the weight and price you'd have to really like the sound of the thing. Having said all that I'd swap my very capable neo 1x10 cab out for a red C4 in a heartbeat.

 

[ossyrocks]

10 hours ago, Dan Dare said:

As a PJB user, I agree with Bill and others who suggest that a decent 1x10 is probably your best option. There are plenty of quality 10" drivers that work well for bass. If you go the PJB route, even their 2x5 combo will cost you £400 and up, unless you find a used one at a bargain price. Those 5" drivers are great for their size, but if you're planning to jam with friends and do the odd open mic' night, I think 2x5 might struggle, especially against drums, unless the other instruments are all acoustic. I use at least two PJB 4x5 cabs (I have five, so take out as many as I need) for all but the quietest gigs. They are also quite inefficient, so take a bit of driving.

 

I'd add a Barefaced 1x10 and something like a TE Elf to your list of things to consider. That would be light/portable and give a good account of itself. Someone I know uses an Elf with two BF 1x10s and it's surprisingly pokey.

 

I was going to say Barefaced One10 too. I have one, and have had two in the past, I also have a TE Elf as well as other higher powered small Class D heads.

I would add that in my opinion, a single BF One10 with a TE Elf, whilst capable (just) of playing with a small ensemble in a small room, is really on the limit of what you can do with it. A second cab makes a huge difference with the TE Elf, but I think this defeats the object of the OPs exercise.

 

I do use a single BF One10 for gigs sometimes, even as "backline only" with no DI, but I use it with a higher powered head than the TE Elf, and at the moment that's a GK Legacy 800. It really works well for such a tiny setup.

 

Rob

[Hellzero]

Not very small at all, but it's a great choice for what you want and really cheap: 

 

[Hellzero]

For £130 GBP delivered to you in the U.K., you won't find a better combo and it ticks all your boxes @sshorepunk ... it also has a tilting handle on the underside to use it as a wedge.

 

Really the best buy for you.

 

I toured with just this and a fretless in a fusion band (two electric guitarists and a light touch drummer/percussionist) for a year, and was always complemented for my tone by everyone including the sound engineers.

 

 

[sshorepunk]

Thanks for all the help

Ir has swing me away from the shoe box size boxes with tiny speakers 

 

@Hellzero your input is much appreciated 

The SWR is a nice option but lacks aux in, so I will be having a bid on the the TC combo on eBay 

 

[Bankai]

It’s discontinued now but the Warwick Blue Cab 60 may suit.

 

Should be loud enough and has an aux input. 1x10 with a rather loud 60W.

 

I found one second hand being sold by a shop (possibly a pawnbroker?) online:

 

https://own4less.co.uk/product/258818/disc-warwick-blue-cab-60-bass-combo-amplifier?srsltid=AfmBOoo6sjgx9Y1uIqw6WB1S88hn3v2yO5U91RnFrEUf1ntquCl084wRcpA

Edited yesterday at 14:04 by Bankai

[soulstar89]

On 26/07/2025 at 14:21, sshorepunk said:

Been mulling this over for a while, much head scratching 
 

Now I’m retired and have more time to play / practice, I’m looking for a small bass combo, for portability around the house, bottom of the garden in the gazebo etc instead of heading up to our very well equipped music room 

 

Got to be portable but able to hold its own if I have friends round for a jam, the odd open mic night and also with the Mrs when she decides to have a honk on her sax or Akai ewi! 

Also needs aux input for my MPC which I use to write on and provide beats etc and I can also plug my Mrs Akai EWI into it

 

Was considering a Phil jones BG-110

Also the BG-120 which pushes the price up a fair bit

But I have no experience with those tiny drivers 

Then there is the Phil Jones bass engine, 7” driver but bigger than the BG range

Comparing bass engine to the BG range, it’s cheaper but bigger, I’m guessing the higher price of the BG range is because of the smaller drivers and overall size being smaller ? 

 

I just saw a GR Bass cube 110 on the bass direct website, it’s pushing the budget but takes me into more familiar territory as far as speaker size goes with its 1x10 driver

Seems a good size and lightweight, not heard any GR Bass but seems to have a good reputation 

 

Whilst looking at other small 1x10 combos, saw the Markbass Marcus Miller CMD 101 Micro 60 which seems to tick all the boxes 

 

Any other options? 

 

Thanks

 

Tony

 

Edit - worth adding, been at this for years, owned some epic Rigs including Aguilar DB750 and 2 Aguilar 4x10’s, a Matamp rig of doom, loads of stuf, currently have a couple of vanderkley 2x10 with a genzler head 

, but never ventured down the small combo route 

I’ve just bought a genzler Magellan 350 combo. It’s a separate head and a 10” array speaker. They are connected with a mount. Extremely compact and the tone is killer. 
 

As I see you have used genzler so you know the tone and quality 

Edited yesterday at 21:09 by soulstar89

[Dan Dare]

23 hours ago, lemmywinks said:

Yeah this, the BG-400 or BG-450 might make a good small gig amp however at double the weight and price you'd have to really like the sound of the thing. Having said all that I'd swap my very capable neo 1x10 cab out for a red C4 in a heartbeat.

 

The red ones do look good. I was tempted by one recently, but mine are all black and the gear tart in me wouldn't have allowed it.

[Rosie C]

On 26/07/2025 at 18:29, Stub Mandrel said:

The 'cheap as chips' option is an Orange Crush 20, 8" speaker and decent sound.

 

 

Which is what I was playing in church today - alongside piano, electric guitar, drum and cornet. OK the volume was set to '9', and the acoustics are fantastic, but it was loud enough.

 

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, Dan Dare said:

 

The red ones do look good. I was tempted by one recently, but mine are all black and the gear tart in me wouldn't have allowed it.

 

 

Well I have a PJB C8L with a TC BH800 head and a BG-75 combo all in red, so getting a matching C4 for my TC BH250 seems like the right thing to do!
 

There was one for sale in the town I work in recently but it was a little overpriced for me (about what I paid for the C8L), sold quickly enough though.

[Stub Mandrel]

 

Gratuitous green and red 🙂

 

 

 

[soulstar89]

28 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

Gratuitous green and red 🙂

 

 

 

Oh I’ve heard such great things about the elf amp. 

[BassmanPaul]

Those systems are hardly worth setting up!!

 

[StingRayBoy42]

The Markbass CMD 101 Micro 60 is a cracking litle amp - more than enough for living room/garden noodling and enough for an open mic night.

An easy one hand lift, too!

[Stub Mandrel]

35 minutes ago, BassmanPaul said:

Those systems are hardly worth setting up!!

 

 

The top one is my practice rig at home.

The bottom one... I had to park over half a mile from the city centre venue, and I had PA support so it was just a monitor (hence up on a stool).

[lemmywinks]

1 hour ago, StingRayBoy42 said:

The Markbass CMD 101 Micro 60 is a cracking litle amp - more than enough for living room/garden noodling and enough for an open mic night.

An easy one hand lift, too!

 

 

One on eBay if the OP fancies a bit of a drive, could go cheap due to not having the model in the title.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187443720508

[StingRayBoy42]

6 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 

 

One on eBay if the OP fancies a bit of a drive, could go cheap due to not having the model in the title.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187443720508

Shh! I've got my eye on that!

[ezbass]

On 26/07/2025 at 14:21, sshorepunk said:

Was considering a Phil jones BG-110

I had one of these, or at least the original Cub. It was bought for home use and proved perfect. I then coupled it with a PB300 powered cab and used the combo for gigs. I took it to a full rehearsal and it wasn’t able to keep up with the acoustic drums, but that didn’t come as big surprise. Since then I have become a complete Phil Jones fanboy, I bought and used a Bass Buddy with the PB300 live of many gigs, then I I sold the Cub and BB and currently use a Phil Jones Flightcase, which is great for home, keeps up with a drummer in the studio, used it for a recording session and, again with the PB300, live on many gigs. Those 5” neo drivers are brilliant. The BG110 could definitely be louder, but that’s down to the small enclosure, not the potential of the drivers, IMO. If you can find a used Flightcase, I’d recommend one of those without hesitation.

[sshorepunk]

32 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 

 

One on eBay if the OP fancies a bit of a drive, could go cheap due to not having the model in the title.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/187443720508

I saw that one! 
update soon

[sshorepunk]

After getting outbid on the BG-208 on eBay last night, I just got one for £160, pickup in Sheffield which means I can go visit one of my mates over there! 

[sshorepunk]

43 minutes ago, StingRayBoy42 said:

Shh! I've got my eye on that!

I’m Sorted now 

[JoeEvans]

I really like my TE Elf 1x10 combo. Great on its own for rehearsal or small gig, run DI from the back into PA for bigger gig to maintain a familiar tone. I might get a 1x10 cab to make a mini stack at some point but might not bother, bigger gigs always have good PAs these days...