I just moved out of the Seattle area earlier this year. There is a small shop in downtown called Bass Northwest. Go there. Talk to them. All they sell is electric basses and bass amps. I had a great experience once I found a spot to park and got inside. There are a lot of bums that loiter around that area, so keep valuables out of sight and prepare to just say no when they ask for money. Once you say no, they leave you alone. They're looking for suckers.
To give you an idea on the
place...
A half stack should do you well. If you got the money, get a high end 4x10 (SWR, Eden, Genz Benz, etc etc.) The nicer 4x10 cabs will hold a low end just fine while also allowing for higher notes. SWR's have a horn so that helps with highs. The horn is also adjustable by a knob on the back of the cab to control how much "high" it puts out. I run an SWR Triad. It has a 15", 10" and horn. There's no frequency I can't hit.
As far as the head... Again, stick with the higher end companies. With cabinets and header amps, you get what you pay for as a general rule of thumb. If it's dirt cheap, it will end up crap. If it cost you a second mortgage and your first born, then it will melt your face off.
Also, do a thread search for "rigs of doom" and "mini rigs of doom" here on TB. There are a lot of nice set ups on there and a few crappy ones. Read the comments from other TBer's. Based off the responses people post about other member's rigs. That will give you a good idea if a certain rig is nice or not. Good luck, and enjoy the shopping! Be sure to post pictures of the beauty when you finally decided and bring one home.
