Any images of Sly Stallone that the name of this amp conjures up are quite apt because a low E slapped through this sucker full up is not unlike being iced with a .357 from point blank (er, or so I imagine).

This represents Carlsboro's attempt to muscle in on the semi-pro end of Trace Elliot's market — the musician who plays regularly but can't afford a fully pro bass rig. This combo, of comparable quality, undercuts Trace's cheapest by a large margin and l'm sure will cause a few hasty meetings at Mr Trace and Mr Elliot's HQ.

Carlsboro, conscious of their down-market image, have redesigned the facia for all their new amps and the Cobra comes in a fetching elephant grey wedge-shaped reflex cabinet, which looks as though it has been built to survive the rigours of transit touring, with its chunky nylon corners and solid chipboard construction. The only problem on this point lies with the speaker grille, which is a rather flimsy nylon mesh — it could have stood being metal, as a misplaced foot (or beer bottle if you're not going down too well) could see the end of the cone.

No matter what bass you are using, from lofty Steinberger to lowly precision copy, it's virtually impossible not to get a really tasty sound out of this amp. The eq section is extremely impressive. Together with the standard bass and treble pots is a crucial six-band graphic and an onboard compressor, all of which add up to a system good enough to rescue the worst of basses. The sound really is very good indeed, fat, meaty and clear, especially when you consider the size of the combo — the cabinet stands barely two feet tall and contains just one 15" speaker. When you slap a low E you get that feeling that you've just dived into a swimming pool full of tepid custard that straightaway makes you want to play the theme tune to the Grand Prix programme. The combo doesn't weigh very much and it's a reasonably comfortable one arm lift (although you have to walk funny and there's an interesting expression on your face), another factor which will endear it to touring bassists. Bass amps can weigh so much.

On the front of the combo is a DI socket which will please engineers everywhere, and on the back a line out for slaving it to other amps, a headphone socket (unusual, but a good idea and my neighbours love it) and an effects loop capability.

The Cobra performs like an amplifier costing much more (you're looking at least to the mid-£300s) and at well under £300 RRP (you could probably get it for a lot less), it's a price tag that bass players everywhere will find almost impossible to resist.

Carlsboro should clean up with this one.

CARLSBRO COBRA 90W BASS AMP £288.77