Advice on first good amp and cab
 

I was wanting to seek some advice on buying my first good amp and cab rig. I'm looking for a solid setup that Ill be able to expand on later down the road. As of right now I'm thinking about getting either an Aguilar TH500 or an Orange TB500 for the amp and the Avatar B210 for a cab. Though, I'm not set on anything in particular and definitely open to suggestions. The types of music I'll be playing most often will be a lot funk, with some post-rock, and some prog-metal too. So tight, punchy tone is what I'm after. I appreciate any advice. BTW, my budget is around $1000.

Cheers, John.

Here's how I bought my first non-combo bass rig.

Play everything you can get your hands on. Don't look at brand or price. Take your bass if you can.

Find what sounds good to you and what doesn't. Is it a hifi sound, lowfi, 4x10, 1x15 etc.

Once you find what you like then deal with price. A brand has the general same tone in all price ranges. "The Aguilar sound", "Ampeg sound" etc.

if you going to pay cash, good for you. I financed my rig so the difference between between the mid line and top of the line was about $2 USD a month. Guess which I got?

It doesn't matter what I or anyone else thinks. And genre of music doesn't matter either. For example, the core of my rig is a powered Bag End 4x10 and an EBS Micro Bass 2. This and some pedals and I get me anything I want tone wise.

1000 scones gets you a whole lot of amp and cabs shopping used.

You might want to stretch the budget to get two 210's, or build yourself some cabs. One 210 isn't enough for a lot of players.

Are you wanting to buy new only, or is used ok? I highly recommend used, because speaking from experience it may be your fist buy but it won't be your last. :D It's a lot easier to realize you don't like something and flip it for little or no financial loss.

As for the heads I cannot comment as I have no experience. I have however had an Avatar 210neo, and a 212 neo. Both are excellent cabs. I kept the 212, sold the 210. Take that for what its worth. :cool:

And whatever you do, if you're only getting one cab, get one of the 8 ohm variety. You WILL want the room for expansion eventually.

Yes, unless you start with an 8x10, be sure the cab is 8 ohms. I would be thinking 2x12 for a start, as it's more capable on it's own than a 210. 2 of them would kill.

For the tone and genres in your post I'd say take a look at GK stuff. All of the amps in your OP are good, but be warned, the Orange is a very dirty amp, if you want clean stuff for funk I'd look elsewhere.

I'd recommend a Carvin BX500 head (~$350) and then spend the rest on the best cabinet that fits your needs. I love my MarkBass cab but if I had the $$ I'd get a Big E cab from Mike Arnopol.

Both sound like nice amps, slight preference toward the Aguilar (more versatile amp IMO). I'd probably go with a little more cab like others have suggested. Nothing wrong with getting something quality used because it'll probably retain its used price value better. I don't see ya selling an Avatar for much more than 1/2 the new cost with shipping.

I'd get one of these if they are still available ;) KILLER rock cabs, so-so for middy funk but the 1x15 has pretty burly mids. Aguilar stuff is often on TB classifieds too.

I'll step it up and go with the Avatar B212 @ 8 ohms since their cabs seem to be a great deal. Also, my town just got a Guitar Center so Ill plan on going there this weekend to fool around with some different amp heads. Is there any quintessential setup for funk tone or is it mainly just figuring it out for yourself by adjusting the EQs? Thanks for the responses, this site kicks ace!

Is there a difference in tone between the Delta LF 212 cab vs. the NEO 212 cab?

I find neo's have a generally slightly different, slightly more forward, midrange. You'd probably be happy with either cab.

Cool, thanks man.

Advice: Buy used.

There is very little difference - if you didn't know which cab you were playing, your mind probably wouldn't subliminally trick your ears into hearing a difference strictly because of the neo magnet.

There is very little difference in either choice's mechanical power handling capability either - don't fall for the "500 watts vs 1000 watts" BS.

You've probably guessed which drivers I would choose.........:)

Thanks guys. So, NEO seems to be the way to go. I've been browsing craigslist and the for sale threads here for some stuff. Another thing I've just recently considered is the fact that I still live at my parents house, so noise level will be an important factor when I'm playing late at night. Given that, would a 212 cab be too much for a late night sesh, or should I be able to turn the volume down enough so that I don't disturb my "room mates". Cheers.

You can turn down until you can barely hear a practice amp and it will still disturb sensitive types in the next room. Such is bass. You can always unplug and practice scales and rudiments.

Still, complaints from unamped electric basses are not unheard of, such is bass.

Slap tones are usually midscooped a little. I'm no slapper myself. I hit the one hard and funk the rest, playing a little closer to the bridge with a strong but fleshy finger attack.