A small combo or a PA-monitor?

[Jouni]

Hi you all!

I've got gigs behind and gigs coming at me.
I've been pondering on what to drag with me to the average, PA-assisted small-stage club gig.

I'm sick and tired of hauling my rig to those gigs, it takes stage space, and is best to turn away from audience anyway..

So, I've been thinking.. I never get enough of what I need from house monitors anyway, so I need a small combo or a monitor to myself.
the bass is usually DI:d to FOH anyway, but the stage...

-minimum watts?
-angled?
-most lightweight and portable?

A programmable sansamp and Apex bass exciter have DI:s, don't think I need much else for sound...
Cheap, so i can keep my foot on it and spill beer on it!

[Fusioninspace]

Is this amp for bass, guitar, vocal? All of the above? If you're looking at first going through a sansamp or whatever, then I would suggest a small solid state amp designed like a floor monitor.

Two that come to mind are the Crate Taxi and a Roland drum amp. The Roland drum amp will cost more - but it can probably handle a lot more of whatever you throw at it. AND it'll have A LOT more bottom end. But it will weigh more also.

another thought is to buy a small floor monitor and drive it with a small head (like the Crate PowerBlock) after your Sansamp.

In any case, it sounds like you could split the signal out of the Sansamp - one to the house system and other to your monitor/amp deal. I've got a Trademark 10 where I used to routinely use it's internal DI out for the house and then just use the cheesy little 8" as my guitar "monitor".

[witzendoz]

Hi,

I assume we are talking about bass here.

This depends a little on how loud the rest of the band is and the size of PA, if the stage volume is quite low I would use a small amp and DI to the PA. By using a small amp you have control of your stage sound. Remember, unless the fold back is multiple sends, the whole band gets the bass in the fold back and the fold back eq may not suit the sound of the bass.

I have toured with no amp (to save weight for flights etc) and some gigs are fine cos the fold back and PA are good, and others are a pain as the PA is rubbish (depending on the venue). My last tour I used a small 25 watt combo (crate) with a single 10" speaker, this did not move the earth but with the bass through the front PA and with this little amp .I could hear myself on stage no problem. By the way at home I use a GK800rb head with 1x15" or 2 1x15" cabs and sometimes a 2x10" cab as well depending on the venue, but I just use what I need depending on the band volume, music type and quality of PA we are using.

If I had the money I would buy one of these for touring, check out the weight specs. This amp also has a good sounding DI out, I know as I am also a sound guy and have mixed bands using these amps.

http://www.gallien.com/products_mb_com.html

Cheers
Alan.

[Jouni]

Yes, bass is what we are talking about.

Thanks, the GK looks like it could be the bees knees here, but does cost a fortune!..

I made a mini-tour with a guy (and some other gigs) that plain DI:d the bass with a box before the amp, some two-bit DI-box with no name... My active bass sounded fine, not great, but ok.. So, I'd think my Programmable Sansamp can handle the FOH.

Foldback... well the drummer is the only one that wants the bass, and usually gets it in the monitor.
So, I only need to hear myself, and drums.

A cheapo active monitor? minimum watts?

[Jouni]

Something like this, 120W, cheap, lightweight, rugged..??

http://www.dv247.com/invt/60405/