TC Electronic Bass amplification

Self-contained combo amps: 210 or 115 configuration with 500 watt head. Carpet- covered cabinet. 70 pounds. Reviewed a demo unit from TC Electronic, the BG500 115. Street price on both combos is $650. Ease of use and lots of feature: Built-in tuner; SpectraComp compressor; TubeTone to dial in just the right touch of grunge. TweeterTone oput the tweeter volume on the front panel witha touhc of EQ that appears to sweeten the sound at higher tweeter levels. Three user defined-presets. Headphone out and stereo Phono in for silent practice. 500 watts in a relatively small combo. Loud and deep for its size. Projects well. The only downside for some players might be the BG500's 70-pound weight and the fact that the two side-mounted, spring-loaded handles can make it awkward for a single person to jockey the amp into a van or car trunk. But, coming from an era when a bassist had to lug around an SVT head and two 810 cabs or an Acoustic 360 folded horn, I think the BG500 looks like the Stonehenge prop in 'This is Spinal Tap' by comparison. Solidly built and covered in carpet to take road knocks. Good control layout and ease of use. It's very hard to believe that so much sound comes from a relatively small box. It's a warm, defined, friendly sound, too, one situated comfortably between TC's RH450 and Staccato '51 heads -- not really hi-fi when set flat, but certainly not muddy or woofy. And it's affordable -- less than $700 USD street. Packing 500 watts into a mid-sized cabinet, the BG500 would be perfect choice for a blues or rock player in small club settings without PA support, or one in larger venues with PA support. I never ran the master past noon with the Gain control set around 11 o'clock in a room that seats 500 and, in fact, found myself actually turning down a few times. Even a jazzer would find a pleasing tone in the BG500. I might add that the BG500 combos are covered in durable carpeting, which should please those who think the painted finish on the TC RS cabinet series is too fragile. It's small but mighty combo for the working bassist. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com