Combining an amplifier and a speaker cabinet into one luggable unit is a popular notion for a lot of bass guitarists. Christopher Holder sneaks a peak at this selection.

Tone is the key word here, and it's a feature we can't put a tick or a cross next to. It's a matter of taste you see; that's why you might want to mix and match an amp head you're particularly keen on with the qualities of your favourite bass cabinet. But with this selection, the manufacturers have tried to do that for you, coupling what they believe to be a compatible amp with an appropriate speaker — a spot of glue here, a few wires there, and whammo... it's a bass combo. Whether there's a valve stage in the amplification, what sort of EQ control you have, the type and control of compression available to you, and whether there is an HF driver loaded into the box, all play their part in moulding your tone. The combos here are on the large and more powerful side, and all eminently suitable for stage use. When you're out shopping, keep in mind the type of bass you're playing, the music style you're into, the size of venues in which you perform, and even whether it slots into the boot of your Metro. There's a wide range of prices, and of course, this will be a major factor as well as tone. Get down to your dealer and take a test drive.

Marshall have produced two similarly specified combos with different driver configurations. The 72115 features a 1 by 15-inch speaker and HF horn unit, while the 72410 is fitted with a 4 by 10-inch speaker configuration plus HF horn. On both units, the preamp features a combination of valve and solid-state circuitry, with a preamp blend control on the front panel doing what you might expect. The HF horn aims to add extra brightness and percussive attack, which can be rolled off to suit your style using the rear mounted rotary attenuation control. Also around the back, Marshall supply jacks for buffered tuner output, effects send and return, line out, graphic on/off footswitch, balanced XLR DI output, along with level and earth lift selection switches.

Marshall Ltd — (Contact Details)

There are four combos in Carlsbro's Viper range, with our focus turning to the more powerful Viper Bass 100 and 150 models. The Viper 100 offers 100 Watts RMS of power, a footswitchable compressor, nine-band illuminated graphic equalizer (also footswitchable), a DI output, and effects loop jack I/Os. Its bigger brother, the Viper 150, is a 150 Watt model, with variable frequency bi-amp section, low and high-pass jack outputs, and integral digital chorus (with rate and depth controls), as well as all the features included in the Viper 100.

Carlsbro Electronics — (Contact Details)

Hughes & Kettner have four combos on offer, ranging from 40 to 260 Watts. The largest of the four, the BassBase 400, features extensive frequency control, including bass and treble controls, a two-band swept 'varimetric' EQ section, and a notch filter that offers up to 16dB of cut on frequencies from 30 to 500Hz, a setup that Hughes & Kettner believe to be superior to the likes of a nine-band graphic equalizer. EQ is again interesting on the 150 Watt BassKick 505. It has a four-position Sound Matrix switch, which is described as a sound-shaping tool that accesses different sets of useful EQ settings. Hughes & Kettner use a type of power amp compression called Dynaclip, that serves to increase useable output power by "up to 30 percent", while the tube preamp on the BassBase offers you the delights of tube compression if desired.

John Hornby Skewes — (Contact Details)

Torque have 30, 50, 100, and 200 Watt bass combos in their range. The largest, the T200BG, packs a 15-inch Celestion driver, compressor, noise gate (both with on/off switching), and a footswitch jack to switch the pre-shape EQ and graphic off and on. The T100BX is fitted with the same speaker, as well as four-band graphics, treble and bass controls, and compressor, at a lower power rating of 100 Watts.

Barnes and Mullins — (Contact Details)

Laney's British made range of bass combos is extensive and all the models are loaded with HH drivers. The larger BC 120 and BC 250 are equipped with six-band graphics, high and low boost EQ switches, and XLR-type balanced DI as well as switchable compressor. Furthermore, the BC 250 also has a Dynamics section that consists of Full, Bright, and Horns switches. The Full switch engages a speaker control system, which regulates the tightness of the bass response, the Bright switch adds attack and sparkle to the upper frequencies, and the Horns switch activates the fitted HF units.

Laney — (Contact Details)

Fender invented the electric bass guitar, they did. We are not worthy. There are six combos in the BXR series, ranging from the 300 Watt version to the BXR 15, a 15 Watt model with an 8-inch driver. The BXR 200 uses Fender's own Delta Comp limiter, high/mid/low enhance switches, and in-built electronic chorus (with rate and depth controls), which is switchable via a foot controller. The BXR 100, which is probably Fender's most popular combo, is similarly specified, but notably, without the chorus. Additionally, if you're after the taste of retro, have a look at the '59 Bassman, a 45 Watt, 10-inch speaker reissue, that promises to "take you on a tweed carpet ride back in time", no less. Fender pride themselves on keeping it simple and getting the results very right.

Arbiter — (Contact Details)

The Combo 115 and Combo 210TX are Peavey's answer to the bass players amplification needs. The 115 uses a single 15-inch Black Widow driver, while the 210TX uses two 10-inch heavy-duty speakers and high frequency horn with attenuator. Both include a footswitchable compressor/limiter that features ratio and output level control, plus good EQ facilities, as well as low and high crossover outputs. The T-Max combos take it one step further, offering more power as well as valve and solid-state amplification. The amp head is removable, and also offers variable crossover with low and high outputs.

Peavey — (Contact Details)

Trace Elliot, another British company who seem to be going from strength to strength, have been making gear for the bassist for 20 odd years now and have a great range of amp heads and combos. In the SMX Series, there are three variations on the one theme, with three different driver configurations. They offer 290 Watts RMS, continuously variable mixing of valve and solid-state input stages, low and high frequency compression, 12-band graphics, and two switchable pre-shape settings, while the cabinet is dual ported. There are four units in the SM Series, offering similar features to the SMX, without the valve input stage and compression. The SM Series employs a tunable cabinet and features a pre/post EQ DI output. Also of interest are the V-Type combos using valve-based amplification.

Trace Elliot — (Contact Details)