Mini Bass Amp Shootout! - Amps that can Fit in Your Pockets!

[@PushSueAside]

The best bass duo on KZbin. Thank you every time you press record when these 2 are in a room. Cheers

[@caprise-music6722]

Yes! It’s so entertaining. I’m looking forward to every weekend to see these guys. Hopefully there will be more bass videos. I’m not even a bassist, but I love bass and this channel

[@isaachristlove]

First time I played the elf live I immidately bought one after could not help myself. The tone is beautiful and makes you feel like playing whole day.

[@chrisb48907]

good for small venues ?..

[@Surfer8652]

I just picked up an Elf yesterday and was playing it all night. It's one helluva little amp. Playing through my Bergantino AE112 cab (8 ohms) it's surpringly loud even with volume at 9 o'clock. It has a bit of a midrangey voicing so I'm guessing it can get louder with less wattage.

[@richardscottoakes4027]

The Elf has a built in compressor that kicks in when the gain is dialled up which is indicated with the led changes colour

[@UBRLND-X]

God, Andertons proves over and over to be the best source for instrument and amp reviews. Fantastic shootout. thanks as always, guys!

[@manny75586]

I honestly like the Gnome the best followed by the ELF. Proof that highest price doesn't always = best. On a side note, I love these little amps. Basically just power amps tuned for bass. If you use preamp pedals and other pedals, it makes so much sense. I sound essentially the same out of most amps if I have my pedalboard with me.

[@scarey2me]

Had to watch this with my sunnies on. Those legs need a volume control. As always, a pleasure to listen to you two.

[@spookyverb]

Nice! I went the Micro Elf and 2x8 cab. I doom the crap out of it with the nastiest fuzz on the planet and it delivers. Love it.

[@nbl95]

Couldn't tell if it was just the EQ choices but the Elf sounded the best by a mile

[@edbrito-swdev]

When your amp is in the pocket, as well as your bass playing.

[@paulyb-englishmaninhangzho3609]

Haha, nice!

[@caprise-music6722]

😹👌

[@nym053]

Hahaha. And sometimes it's actually a banjo (for some reason 😅)

[@twin2k]

I use the Elf for over a year now and i am still impressed was this tiny amp can do. it is a great amp.

[@mavmarkproductions2473]

How loud does it get? Loud enough to play a live heavy metal show?

[@twin2k]

@@mavmarkproductions2473 Well i use it at home in my living room in combination with a Zeck 18 Subwoofer as speaker that has 600 Watts RMS @ 8 Ohms and it is really loud. It is amazing what this little black and green box can do. If you like the "british" sound like Trace or Hiwatt, go for it. I wanted to buy a Hiwatt B300 MK2, but it was too bulky for my room and hard to transport. So the staff gave me a tiny black and green box. I asked "what is that?" and the guy just said "an amp, have a try and give it a chance." I plugged in a Precision and played some licks and it sounded awesome! 269€ or 219£ is an amazing price for an amp that you can carry in your gigbag. It is just 1.60 lb or 730 gramms!!! A Jack-to-xlr-cable is all you need. Just a great amp. I don't think that metal sound good on that amp. For really loud stuff go for a bigger one, but maybe it works. I don't play metal.

[@TheAlfaproyect]

Keep coming with these kind of comparison videos!!! Just like the Captain and Pete does. An idea: compare different Jazz basses from each brand.

[@james1939-s1c]

I preferred the Trace Elliot Elf, do a demo on their bass pedal it looks great.

[@jameslewis2635]

My initial impression from the demo is that the Ant had the nicest tone, it also has the smallest name but is the biggest size which seems wrong. I would assume from the size that they were class D amps and as such can be smaller and lighter than older types.

[@johnfleming5797]

Compared to the other two with their inherently scooped sound, the Warwick Gnome has some nice, sweet mids with the EQ controls flat. I recently obtained one and couldn't be happier. I also think it looks a bit more classy than the rest ;)

[@walterwhite2640]

The Trace is definitely the best amp. I was actually quite surprised by just how different each amp sounds. But the Trace has a much more complete sound to it. It's definitely made of higher quality components than the other two. I'm a little surprised that the ashdown seemed to me to be the worst of the three, and I mean by a long way. The Warwick sounds like a significant step up in comparison. This is more of a surprise when you consider that Ashdown was started by former Trace engineers. In all honesty though, I've never liked Ashdown stuff at all. I don't know why, some of their EVO line amps were very impressive but looks wise they've never been something that I've ever found attractive.

[@joshelrod1456]

Really? I know it comes down to personal preference, but what style of music do you play? While I do not have a gnome, I do have the Ant and the Elf. I'm trying to sell the Elf. The Elf sounds good, but is limited in the sound I can get out of it. The fan is also quite loud when practicing. I get a fuller sound from the Ant and sounds amazing.

[@walterwhite2640]

@@joshelrod1456 I play everything. I don't change my sound to the music really. I generally don't have to. I almost never touch my tone knob. I honestly think a lot of that stuff about tone is kind of overstated. I keep mine dialled far enough away from all the way off to have some bass in there without cutting out the highs. And I keep my amp EQ at 12 o'clock across the board. It's a perfect bass tone that sits nice in any situation. If I want to slap on my Jazz Bass, I just dial both pickups full volume. I don't slap on my P-Bass so it's not a concern. Other than that everything stays the same. If I need a fat sixties sound I just play on the neck. If I need a treble sound I play at the bridge. It's got less to do with the amp and what it can do and more to do with your fingers. My reasoning behind preferring the Trace is that it's got a solid high fidelity sound. It doesn't try to do too much and just replicates the sound of the bass when it's not plugged in very well. That's what I prefer. Something very transparent that's high quality. The Trace seems to do that better than the others. I don't use or ever find myself having the need for fancy amp features or effects. I use a couple of pedals and that's about it. Some distortion, a nice light chorus occasionally, and an octaver. That's it. Simple & easy to manage.

[@joshelrod1456]

@@walterwhite2640 Thanks for the reply. Well said, and told me where you're coming from. Though I don't think the Elf will give you a transparent sound if that's what you want. Of these three, it does have the most colored sound to it. It's not a bad sound, but not transparent.

[@Bassdriver]

I have never been a fan of the EVO or MAG series (I know what I'm talking about, I had an early UK-made EVO head) but the Spyder 550 was a completely different beast. One of the best amps I've ever had. But yeah, the Ant doesn't make much for me. As for the Elf - mine has just died on me after 5 years and I'm unhappy as I like liked a lot. But I think I'll get the Gnome this time - the Elf's price has gone up in the recent years, at least here in Poland, and the tonal quality (especially when flat) isn't that different.

[@MisbehavingChild]

Boys, would you consider making an episode about short scale vs long scale basses? I love playing short scale basses but long scale sounds better, for example the Sire P7 vs U5

[@NelsonMontana1234]

That Trace Eliot sounded great but since I had bad luck with them in the past I'm a little spooked.

[@lh3146]

Love it. Lee is such a player. Great review guys!

[@MartinTurnerBassist]

Love those NS1000..... you guys are great to watch (and hear) - fun and educational. Am off to get one....

[@chrisggoodwin777]

Woohoo! First like! Glad it's a slow day at work 😂🤘 I was considering the Warwick but haven't had a chance to hear it. Thanks gents!

[@andertons]

Rock on! Glad you enjoyed the video 🔥

[@scottnelle]

I'm pretty impressed by the tone that you achieved from all three of these. It's wild that the Trace has a bit of the distinctive Trace mid rattle. I'd be happy to have any of these.

[@scottnelle]

Also, that Sire is a cool bass. Looks great, sounds great.

[@enricgmajoral5300]

I love the Trace Elliot beefy and sparkly tone. Thankfully that’s the one I have (2nd hand for 200€). The volume is enough for a rock band. In my case a Queen tribute with loud guitar, loud drums and loud keyboards. The volume stays just at 50%. I must say though that I have two great 1x10 cabs (Barefaced) which are tiny but deliver deliciously.

[@GtwoManila]

I liked the Warwick Gnome, nice growly tone and reminds me of an Ampeg tone.

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

Me too.

[@juanfranmar]

Me too. I wanted to buy green Elf 🧝‍♀️, but now I want to buy the Gnome…

[@pacislav]

Same here. I was surprised the cheapest of the bunch got the best tone.

[@mickford1000]

I have the Ashdown Ant and it is amazing, great review guys 😎👍

[@goosegaskins]

Is the Ant a head or pedalboard addition? I'm kind of confused by it. 😂

[@marcusdluxe]

15:19 the display stand is made by me! Thanks for the compliments

[@benmeier5199]

That opening jam was CRAZY

[@TraneFrancks]

Would have liked to hear how the preamps grind when pushed a bit. Do like the Ashdown sound. I have one of the last UK-made Electric Blue EB 12-150 combos. Great mids in that little beast. Quite pokey for a 1x12 and works just as well on a gig as for recording.

[@ileutur6863]

They don't. Unfortunately

[@twitchbook-1]

Wow pretty good playing dude, cheers

[@Dempo1000]

Always good videos, great presentation

[@Shiro128b]

Why not include the T.C. Electronic BAM200?

[@davidlamb72]

I'm glad at least someone can get hold of the Sire bass, everything seems to be not available for another 3 months!

[@telecasterbear]

I recently purchased a Warwick Gnome head and a Gnome 10/8 cabinet. I like them so much that I purchased another of each and sold my Fener Rumble 200.

[@-whiskey-4134]

Nathan seems like that chill and fun uncle everyone wishes they had lmao

[@Mark_Ocain]

I like the ANT I think..seems more rumble. Then the Gnome...then the Elf

[@ianjohnson4987]

Really excellent comparison. Great stuff. Thanks

[@lenkybasscustombassguitars9381]

Where’s the TC Electronic BAM 200 ?

[@chrisg0001]

That ELF is beefy

[@crustyjusty7]

Really good review. I would have liked to see you crank the gains into OD, but I guess you can only do that with two of them. I already bought the gnome and thankfully that is still the one I still would pick 👌

[@paulsummerside]

Some nice diminutive little amp heads. The Ashdown Ant certainly seemed to have more different sound possibilities. The Warwick had some nice Motr tones that worked. And the Elf could get that nice Muffled thing. Wouldn’t say which I would consider better than the other. Each was pleasing in its own way. 200 watts of D class power for when you want to just throw something in a gig bag and go.

[@ioncewas]

Hey guys! Great demo, but how do they sound when pushed into overdrive?

[@steveeckert8396]

Big sounds and short shorts😳😳😳

[@PingPongPix]

The Warwick Gnome is available for £109.00 online at the moment (6 Aug 2021), even more reason to buy this one 😀

[@paulshephard1907]

........ From Germany with no VAT, so don't forget to add the taxes and import costs on top :-)

[@chriscuthbertson]

@@paulshephard1907 The £109 is for the version without the USB interface, but the price does include VAT

[@Waggel86]

@@paulshephard1907 If you mean the German retailer I think you mean, no. Price includes VAT and fees. Delivery is £8 extra up to 31kg. So £117 total. A bit cheaper but I guess returning items to a UK based retailer, as a UK resident, might be a bit simpler?

[@danielelise7348]

You missed the tc electronics Bam200.

[@figureheadguitars]

Which ones the loudest?

[@DIVA-MC-7]

i find the elf really well defined, i like the gnome's grain that the elf can't have because of the compressor. Ant is too warm and muffled to me, i like the definition and warmth of the elf, wish it could have that punch of the gnome

[@ianchisholm9260]

Could you also mention the output thru one 8 Ohm cab ?

[@ThePaivarinne]

Is it possible to use them without connecting a cabinet..just DI out straight to tascam multitrack recorder?

[@derkchurk5879]

Was hearing that fan noise is an issue, especially when beating on it. Is that true?

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

Warick is the winner for me. Ant lacked roundedness and warmth. TE was good.

[@ooinvsaoo]

Isn’t the ant a sort of a power amp for a preamp pedal?

[@EntropiaGuitars]

No Markbass nanomark II?

[@jszack]

I've been comparing these, all of which I have, and one thing I didn't hear mentioned about the ANT (and perhaps justifying the higher price point) is the fact that it has the controls on top, so it really is designed to be put on a pedalboard, rather than simply used as a micro-head. What other pedalboard (top-control) bass amps are there with so many features and as much power?

[@Pepper-cd9yr]

Quilter Bass Block perhaps. Higher price point though.

[@book3100]

Ok. It's the Ant for me. They do all sound great, but the Ant is going to be more usable for me.

[@brucepiland]

Love my Elf. 😂

[@PoppaWoodiE]

I literally her little to no difference between the 3 amps. Very impressive

[@PlayWithYourThumb]

I downsized from a Mesa M9 to a D800. Smallerer is betterer when it comes to bass amps, unless you can afford your own roadie. Trace Elliot the winner for me.

[@ludekrauer5705]

Trace Elliot Nr.1

[@ProDigit80]

You should have added the Warwick Gnome i PRO (280W, for 50 more), Valeton TAR-20B, and the TC electronics BAM 200 / BH 250. Ampeg PF-350, and Peavey MiniMAX 600, TC Electronics BAM/BH 500, Quilter Labs Bass Block 802, are slightly larger amps, but still fit in a gigbag front pocket. The Darkglass Electronics Alpha Omega 900 looks like an old school HD entertainment system, or apple TV media center unit.

[@Bobby-wn5yr]

I have the Warwick Pro I … I pro.. which ever way it is; the 280w one. Tbh it sounds exactly to same to me as the 200 tonally. The base model without the audi interface is half the price of the elf here in Australia, which is just nuts to me. The pro with the interface and the 280w was about 75% the cost of an elf when I got mine. I find the gnome to be a very clean amp that doesn’t colour the tone very much, which is defo what you want in an AI, but might not be for everyone. I think the elf has some nicer tones, but is overall a bit more limited in tonal range IMhO

[@juanfranmar]

Warwick Gnome and Ant for me. I liked Elf months ago but now I prefer Gnome. I could not find Ant So I’ll buy Gnome I Pro.

[@pman7154]

Well, I kinda zoned out reading the comments, and every time I heard a tone I liked, I'd see what was playing. Ant each time I looked. All subjective taste I guess, but sounds great to me.

[@niccololaforteza7983]

I know that drummer in the opening demo, its my guy jesse 😂 If you know, you know

[@thraumaband]

Elf mais top

[@JohnDSmith-po4nu]

Frankly, I missed the TC Electronics stuff... even though those aren't as tiny... but cpable and in the same price range...

[@dmosier]

I have a BlackFly mini amp for my base. Great sound and very affordable. 👍

[@mrbungle7586]

Thought The Chicken would have been played after seeing those lilly white chicken legs lol.

[@alessandrorossini8704]

Warwick

[@Mephilis78]

Unfortunately this isn't the type of mini bass amp I was trying to look for. I was looking for a battery powered combo that I could take outside to annoy my neighbors, like a mini vox or marshall.

[@MegaTerryNutkins]

Try the Joyo MA-10B, the best of the mini battery powered bass amps IMO and dirt cheap too.

[@bassmandudge]

The Ashdown had way to much low end in the intro jam...no articulation at all through decent system at home...literally couldnt hear what you were playing ...I thought the other 2 sounded great in am.mix.... Warwick and Trace..what great value for money.

[@Skadiowo]

Saludos desde Argentina, tengo el ELF y lo vendo, algun interesado?

[@Tony-Jabroni]

The elf wins by a mile

[@nashz4772]

Trace elliot....

[@jarthursands]

I did not like the ELF it is very underpowered for live play, I took it back and shelled out the extra $$$ for the Orange Little Bass Thing instead.

[@santrixhimself3679]

I'd get a second guitar strap ans hang a roland micro cube on my shoulders all day

[@williamcampbell7387]

The Farmer & Fishbelly Show. ;)

[@lazaroskeramefs9591]

Bad comparison!! The ashdown costs 3 times up of other amps

[@glennselwitz1377]

Class D amps just seem to be missing something....I like big transformers..yes they are heavy...but worth the girth..

[@Thisonegoestoeleven666]

It's true. And I own an old MoMark 600W Class D which is still going strong and sounds great, but I have to put a Sansamp in front of it to make it sound more Ampeggy, otherwise it sounds hollow. With that combo it's a light killer package though. Gotta get a vintage Ampeg or Mesa and an 8x10 for the studio one day.

[@wolfram4321]

6,3 headphone jack is very uncommon. I would prefer 3,5. A small, compact, easy to carry amp for practicing. …. But damn … they don’t have a Aux in. Hey designer, wake up. For live and Gig and reharseal they have not enough power. I tried and was disappointed. .

[@jonathanarleys]

The Ant Preamp, That Subs Frequencinessssssssssssss..... Lovely.... 🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤🤤 I was reading the manual, each of them and I understand about that subs freq. Gnome and Elf have 80Hz at Low band, 400Hz at Mids, and 4.2kHz at Hi Band/Shelv. The Ant have 100Hz, 660Hz, and 7kHz and also boost 50Hz and 10kHz for the shape button.... Lovely... Lovely... It also being good for slaps technique...

[@mcd5778]

Remember back when these were this cheap?? 🤣

[@ATreeForFive]

The Gnome and the Elf look like a rebadged version of each other

[@tiagopeixoto1974]

I was gonna watch this until I saw it wasn’t guitars

[@hunterbrown4585]

Big guitars

[@alastor1052]

Long guitars with fewer and thicker strings.

[@tiagopeixoto1974]

@@alastor1052 ahhhh thankyou

[@Vikkk1978]

Warwick