I’d forgotten all about the Danelectro HoneyTone (pictured here). Thanks to Jemimah Knight (@jemimah_knight) for setting me off down this path. Of all of the Bass Amp Set Ups, the bass combo has a history and richness of variety that could fill several books.

For about $40 you get this little piece of musical history. Of course it isn’t going to reproduce the fat B string of a five string bass (not even sure it would even manage the D string), but it has a very unique sound all of it’s own. Fun for home practice, and if nothing else, it will look very pretty sitting on the side!

That’s one of the things about combos. They have a sound all their own. You know what it will be. Yes, you can replicate that idea with set combinations of an amp and a speaker, but that’s just a combo in two boxes.

Brian Sharples comment about his 1974 Fender Bassman modular setup reminded me of a wedding I played at many (many) years ago. It was in the south of France, and I was told that an amp would be provided, but not what it would be. As I drove the hundreds of miles south, I worried about what I was going to find on my arrival. I was show into the venue, and there in the corner was an original Fender Bassman. Very dusty, but very much in working condition. I pulled a bit of a face – it was probably older than me. It had an open backed cabinet (I’ll explain that in my next post) and 50 Watts of power, but a wonderful tone.

I’ve mentioned the SWR Redhead I had for a number of years. A very different sound. Big and modern, at least relatively, and it could fill a big venue – 400 Watts, more with an extension cab. The Redhead combo is twenty years old this year. Happy birthday.

Related Bass Posts

• Fender Jazz Bass – Road Worn