Lookie what the postman brought :)

[derrenleepoole]

At last it's finally here, my brand new Ibanez Promethean P5110 combo

Thought I'd post some pictures and give some first impressions. I'm at work at the moment, so a sound review will follow later.








First Impressions:
[list]
[*]Build quality - built like a tank. Similar in many ways to the original SWR Workingpro 10 combo, but smaller!
[*]The handle is sturdy and the recess for it is a very good idea. Allows items such as effects units to be placed on top with the handle out of the way, a big plus.
[*]The foot for tilting back the combo is strong and requires a satisfying click to position it in place.
[*]The head is comparable in size to the Mark Bass LM series of heads and the weight is approximately the same.
[*]The function controls are very satisfying to use and feel sturdy and well made. For example, the EQ sliders require a nice push to move, so you know they'll stay in place once set.
[*]The buttons have a nice click and don't feel too weak, unlike the Ashdown LG heads for example.
[*]The rotary knobs are also solid, but are perhaps a little too smooth and may be difficult to position in sticky and sweaty gig situations (just a minor observation)
[*]The DI out is well though out with lift, ground, post/pre selection and -20db pad.
[*]The removal of the head is straight forward, but there's always that rick of losing the bolts!
[/list]

[Musicman20]

Thats one compact little combo! I look forward to your thoughts on the sound

[elliswasp]

thats a nice looking little combo amp got a mean look to it i would hope it has the sound to match its brutish looks.

Markus

[largo]

Mmm, I've been looking at one of these too and very interested to see how it sounds. Can I ask where you got it from? Thomann?

[derrenleepoole]

Hi guys, bought from Thomann - cheaper by approximately £80 from most dealers within the UK, and with free postage!

Just did a quick dash home to try it out on my lunch break, and all I can say is WOW! This is a great little combo. As you would expect for a 1x10 combo it's not going to be delivering masses of earth shattering low end. But it does deliver a very articulate and clean lower mid punch that really drives well. The amp can certainly handle the lows, but it'd not going to be as deep as with a 12, 15 etc... The amp is super quiet with only the slightest of fan noises that is barely audible. There's no annoying pops or clicks when you switch it on. And if that wasn't enough, it's bloody loud for it's size!

I'll write a move in depth review once I've had a few days with it, but so far so good.

[Cygnus x-1]

Hi, i've been after a small powerfull combo but can't realy afford a Markbass cmd 121p and have been looking out for this Ibanez and would probably buy one (un-heard) from good things i've read in mags/ internet etc. The thing is i'm wary about is buying fron Thormann incase anything went wrong, you can't just pop it back to the shop, none of the music shops my way have it in.

So, am I being over cautious, is the fact it's from Germany incidental, obviously the guy that started the thread wasn't bothered, any opinions, good or bad?

[Marvin]

I've just run through the promo vid on the Ibanez website. How small is that? It is unbelievably small and some really good features. Have to admit I'd be really tempted.
Maybe on its own for small gigs and put it together with an external cab, you've got a lot of volume.
You lucky man

[acidbass]

[quote name='Cygnus x-1' post='754129' date='Feb 22 2010, 05:52 PM']So, am I being over cautious, is the fact it's from Germany incidental, obviously the guy that started the thread wasn't bothered, any opinions, good or bad?[/quote]

I've used Thomann many times and never had a problem with the delivery (touch wood!). I think they have a returns policy too if there is a problem with your product but thankfully I've yet to use it.

[derrenleepoole]

Delivery was very quick, about 4 days altogether. This is my first Thomann purchase, and the transaction was faultless. Like all big companies that primarily have internet trading as their major sales outlet, there are return policies in place to ensure full refunds etc are given and the buyer is protected. It's probably a much safer bet buying off a company like Thomann than anything of eBay for example. Obviously if there was a problem with a shipped item, it could be expensive to return it for a refund or replacement. But a good courier will do it at a fraction of the cost of Royal Mail.

[derrenleepoole]

Well, I've had time to sit down and tinker with the new combo, and I thought I'd give some further impressions.

[list]
[*]Tonally, very varied and capable. But like I mentioned above, the single 10" driver isn't going to get you masses of low end, but for a small compact combo the tone is strong and articulate. However I'm using an OLP with humbucker and Audere pre mods - this has quite a sharp attack and tone, and perhaps isn't best suited to the combo. I'd be interested to use it with a P or J bass for example with much mellower tones by comparison.
[*]Bloody loud for it's size - but my bass gives a very hot output. You'd easily manage a small gig with it on it's own with a little PA support to fill out the low end. I think a bass with a tamer output than mine might suite the combo better - you'd probably get more from the EQ as well as I have every thing I need on the Audere
[*]Absolutely quite as a mouse.
[*]Built like a tank... my comparison to the original SWR Working Pro series (pre Fender) is a good comparison - but quieter
[*]Tone controls and knob features are very good and feel secure and well made - it doesn't feel like it's going to break.
[*]The recessed handle is a good idea and is strong and sturdy.
[*]The underneath foot is very secure and useful.
[/list]

I'm gigging with it in a couple of weeks, so I can do a proper evaluation then and hopefully grab a recording too, but so far so good. I think this would be a good combo for upright players too, the small footprint and versatile tone controls would be very useful. Perhaps the next version could do with an integrated down firing sub like a Walkabout Scout

Edited March 1, 2010 by derrenleepoole

[ashevans09]

That's a purrdy little amp you got there , quite interesting too! Any chance of sound clips?

[derrenleepoole]

[quote name='ashevans09' post='760583' date='Mar 1 2010, 11:45 AM']That's a purrdy little amp you got there , quite interesting too! Any chance of sound clips?[/quote]

I'm going to try and get some, but I think I need a more neutral bass to do it properly. I'll try and get a P-bass borrowed and do it with one of them. It annoys me when you see amp testing etc, and they use an absolute state-of-the-art bass to do it. It becomes more a sound test of the bass rather than the amp when that is the case. A straight forward P or J is the way to go IMHO If you scout around on Youtube there are some interesting clips.

[gjones]

This does look like a very versatile little amp with big potential. I'm planning on buying a new amp this month and it's certainly something I would consider. I'm interested in it's connectivity with other cabinets. What kind of speaker outlets does it have. I'm assuming they're jacks or speakon connectors? The reason I ask is that on the Ibanez site there's no diagram or manual available showing the back panel and I'm worried that if I wanted to connect it to another bigger cabinet I'd have to buy an Ibanez one (hope this isn't the case).

[clauster]

Looks like there's both a speakon and a jack.

I can't see an FX loop though. Am I right in thinking there isn't one?

[harmonicfish]

[quote name='clauster' post='775085' date='Mar 15 2010, 11:47 AM']Looks like there's both a speakon and a jack.

I can't see an FX loop though. Am I right in thinking there isn't one?[/quote]

Correct, speakon and jack, no fx loop. There is a tuner out though.

Very nearly bought one of these, and then my band kinda collapsed the day I was going to go into the shop and buy it, so I have less of an excuse now :-S

[RussFM]

Strange that it doesn't say Ibanez anywhere visible on the amp or cab! Noticed the same thing with a few of their basses.

[throwoff]

[quote name='RussFM' post='775285' date='Mar 15 2010, 03:56 PM']Strange that it doesn't say Ibanez anywhere visible on the amp or cab! Noticed the same thing with a few of their basses.[/quote]

I think it was in bass guitar magazine this month (if not then definatly one of the major mags)

They said it was them trying to distance the amps from the rest of the range and build a good rep with what is a very new product idea for them.

Would love to hear one im off to MusikMesse next week and its up at the top of my list of things to see/hear

Edited March 15, 2010 by throwoff

[escholl]

are these multi-voltage, does anyone know? from what I've read, and the manual, it looks like they aren't, but I would like to be wrong!

[Grand Wazoo]

Interesting review here:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzal2VXmpQ4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzal2VXmpQ4[/url]

[Marvin]

Just flicked through a few reviews on YT, and I've got to say it seems mighty impressive. For the price I would seriously consider this.

[gjones]

An excellant Australian review [url="http://australianmusician.com.au/DisplayStory.asp?StoryID=345"]http://australianmusician.com.au/DisplaySt...asp?StoryID=345[/url]

I was planning on buying a Fender TV fifteen or An Ashdown klystron combo this week....................now I'm not so sure because this makes so much more sense.

Take this little fella to the smaller gigs bring a 15" cab for the bigger ones.

Edited March 16, 2010 by gjones

[fxpedal.co.uk]

Glad to hear that those that have tried them are liking the Promethean. We have these in stock and think they're fantastic amps. While I can't promise that we'll match the Thomann price, if anyone is interested and mentions Basschat, then I'm sure we can have a sensible conversation.

Richard

[Smash]

How are you getting on with this?

I have one on order and should be with me in the next day or so, I really wanted a Markbass combo but there was always this niggling factor that you couldn't remove the head. So hopefully this will give me a good quality bedroom amp and acoustic gig amp then I can always use the head for other bigger rigs or I fancy running my Yamaha Attitudes in stereo with my Markbass head Just hope buying blind will be ok :/