after doing some research, and actually trying out one those little boogers, I have found that it IS more of a lil beast than credited for. It is a quasi-clone of basically 3 different amp lines, yet presented at an affordable price for studio/practice/small venue type work. The output of the amp to the 12" is of course under curcuit control, else most would be blown to hell right after purchase. The subsonic option is a manufactured emulation of (mod) a larger bin via an inexpensive octave generation. A decent sound but not enough acoustical energy is generated with the 12" to move the small however developed waves throughout a large room. The output of the ext speaker allows the amp to stretch its legs, breaks the curcuit to the internal and offers a considerably greater dynamic output, especially into
a 2 x15" cab. With an 4x 10", 4x 12", or 2 x15" at the rated ohm level on an extension cab you should to be able to hang ok. It`s more about moving air efficiently with minimal electrical energy, not how much availible power you have to apply to a load. Power is no good to you if at the point of transfer of the electrical energy to acoustic energy the transducer is inefficient whether due to size, power handling restrictions, or efficiency in design.
Of course if $ conditions improve, moving to a more professionally proven amp built for playing live mid-size to large club and greater venues with efficient bins capable of handling the output is the best route to take, even if buying used but proven components. The GK`s , Ampegs, SWR, Mesa`s, etc...
I have owned and or played through nearly all of the commercial professional bass amp lines and several boutiques in over 30 yrs. Over time I learned that power means nothing without efficient bins, bins mean nothing without efficient power. I dont like big rigs anymore since I`m old and lazy. My favorite at this time is a 1970`s Bassman 135 head with a 4 x 10 cab. I also have a 2 x15 cab with EVM-B speakers, one with JBL's, one with Fender 15's. I also have 2 Gallien- Kruger bass amps, I can use the little 100 watt with several cabinet options, or if I want to rock the block I can use 2 cabs or a sub. A special cab I built myself so I could fit it in the front seat of the car, is a small folded horn bin ( an old Pete Traynor design) with a 40 watt Fostex horn mounted in the mouth of the cab. Using this cab With the Fender or gk amp I can hang with pretty much whatever a guitarist wants to drag onstage for any club work. If it gets any more demanding, then thats what reinforcement sound systems are for.
