New miniMEGA and miniMAX rigs from Peavey are small but mighty!

Rich Menga
Guest contributor

February 20, 2014

Peavey introduced two bass amplifiers at NAMM 2014, the miniMEGA and the miniMAX. The miniMEGA puts 1,000 watts of goodness into an ultra-small 8-pound package, and the miniMAX (which is even smaller!) runs at 400 watts.

Is the miniMEGA “just another small-and-powerful” rig? No, it’s better than what you’ve seen before.

The “Kosmos” knob is the most interesting thing on the miniMEGA, as it allows you to get more low-end out of your speaking without taxing them. Whatever magic Peavey puts in their heads to do this, it does actually work.

Have you gone small yet?

Small tech is nothing new to bass rigs, but small and good is. Only in the 2010s have we seen some good innovations on the small side concerning bass amplification.

Peavey is obviously not the only offering for small bass heads or cabinets, as there are several companies who go the itty-bitty route while still producing plenty of power and sonic goodness.

What’s the problem then? Why haven’t more bass players gone small? It’s mainly because there are many gigging players who simply don’t know any different. Why? Well, to be blunt, only until very recently, there really hasn’t been anything different other than big-and-bulky. What bass players are used to are the refrigerator-sized cabinets and the big heads that go on top of them. This has been the standard bass player rig since the 1970s. True, there have been some variations such as cube-shaped Hartke cabinets along the way, but by and large, the standard is the “fridge rig.”

As stated above, only very recently has the small stuff really started to get good. Peavey with their miniMEGA and miniMAX really made a good showing, and it appears to be a good, solid rig.

Video: Overview of the miniMEGA

Don’t be fooled by its size, and it is one of the best small-form-factor bass heads out there. Peavey should sell a ton of these once it’s officially put to market.

What do you think? Has small finally turned a corner that makes it truly usable for the gigging bassist so he can have a transportable rig that doesn’t break his back?