One of the biggest headaches of being a gigging musician is lugging around all of that equipment. You’ve got the instruments, the numerous cables, the hardware, microphones and worst of all – those really heavy amplifiers. The problem is even worse if you’re a bassist as the cabinets and heads tend to be massive and heavier than their guitar brethren in order to get the volume and tone required for the instrument.
The good news is that much like plenty of other gear, the progress in technology has gifted us with smaller and sleeker designs that retain all – if not more – of the power of their bigger counterparts. In comes the TC Electronic BH250 – a 250 Watt ultra-compact bass head weighing in at a meager 4 lbs.! If combos are more you’re thing, TC’s also got you covered with the BG250 which clocks in at a very manageable 35 lbs., boasting a 15-inch speaker and an incredible 250 watts of power.
Both the BH250 and BG250 both feature gain and output controls, intelligent contouring three-band EQ, a built-in tuner (supports 4, 5 and 6 string basses), a headphone out and an aux in (for your MP3 player), and more. And for the more modern musician, you’ll be glad to know that both of these fully-featured amplifiers take advantage of TC’s Tone Print technology which essentially lets you fine tune your specific needs through downloads of effects presets using you iOS or Android smartphone. For example, let’s say you need a particularly gritty distortion effect or a rather specific chorus, but the amp has them nowhere to be found? Not a problem – all you have to do is load up whatever effect you want in an instant from your phone (or computer using USB).
We put both of these amps to the test just to see how well those 250 watts can sing and long story short – we were more than pleasantly surprised! Even though either amp (the BH250 head was paired with a TC RS212 cab) was competing directly with two piercing guitars, drums, dual vocalists and keyboards, the amp had no trouble cutting through and remained consistently clean and clear, despite being pushed to its limits. The head itself was also able to connect directly to the PA thanks to the built-in DI output, which also gave us a consistent response.
All in all, both the BH250 and BG250 are remarkable mixtures of power and technology that won’t break the bank, just don’t let their petite size and weight fool you – these amplifiers definitely pack a wall rumbling punch! The BH250 250 Watt Bass Head is available at $299.99 and the BG250 250 Watt Bass Combo Amplifier is available at $349.99. Check out the features and specs below.
BG250 Combo Amplifier Features:
Input Section
Tone control
BH250 Bass Head Features:
BH250 Tech Specs:
Input:
Tone control: