Bass rig ---- help needed ---lots of (dumb) questions

low-down&dirty · #1 05-24-2011, 04:33 PM

Hi & thanks for taking the time to look at this,

I realize there may be some other threads that are useful, I have searched around but still have many questions.

I'm not really a gear guy. I'm playing both Electric & upright bass in a few bands. So far I've been using my vintage Traynor bass master combo which sounds great & has been loud plenty for all the places I've been playing (bars & small concert halls). I love everything about it except that thing is heavy (!) & sometimes I wish I could dial in some different sounds. I also have another traynor bass heads (yba-1) that I use mostly for recording guitars (WOW!), and I have an old ampeg 215 that I match with a Traynor yba-3.....but I feel may be badly matched because I don't get great volume or detail out of it & my bass master combo blows it out of the water. OK so that's what I've got.

Here are my questions:

Obviously I like the vintage sound. But I would like to have an amp /speaker that could give me a bit more versatility (more sound possibilities). And would be lighter to carry around. Any suggestions? Price range isn't important, except that I have a hard time paying Booo-teek prices for things unless there is a big difference in quality.

2nd question:

What kind of cabs might be a good match for one of my traynor amp heads & are there any effects that might help me to shape those guys into being a bit more versatile?

3rd question:

any idea why that ampeg cab might sound bad? ohms thing...I know I can either put the speakers in series or parallel....& I can't remember which I did...(not a gear guy)

Also I'd like to know if there is a fundamental difference between bass cabs & guitar cabs....so could I have a 210 that is built for guitar but used for bass?

Sorry for all the dumb questions. & thanks if you can point me in the right direction!

Warwick Qc418 · #2 05-24-2011, 04:50 PM

For the versatility I'd go to the gk shuttle series, maybe not as much vintage but great tone

Never tried traynor heads but I'd say fender cabs

I'd say that 15 never been ampeg best speaker

jeff7bass · #3 05-24-2011, 04:51 PM

No dumb questions. Considering your special needs (upright + electric, lightweight with modern + vintage tones), I think this is a good choice.

Buy Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0-12T 600 Watt Lightweight Bass 1x12 Combo | Hybrid Combo Amps | Musician's Friend

You want smaller cabs to suit the upright but also want some bottom end for your electric and that should do.

If that's too expensive, go to www.avatarspeakers.com and check out the Genz Benz package deals with Avatar cabs. An Avatar SB112 Neo + a GB Shuttle 3.0 will only cost you about 860 bucks shipped.

Alex1984 · #4 05-24-2011, 04:54 PM

1. The YBA-3 is pretty hard to beat in terms of bang for buck. YBA-200 would be too modern for you. A Mesa 400+ could allow you to shed off some weight but not too much.

2. I've had great success with the YBA-3 and Mesa 400+ paired with my Mesa 215. The SVT, on the hand sounded too middy and honky.

3. With the YBA-3, you want either 4 or 8 ohms, so if the drivers are 8 ohms, hook them up in parallel.

Question: Are the speakers in there the originals? If not, that could be the problem. One can't really just swap speakers and ignore the cabinet design.

Alex1984 · #5 05-24-2011, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff7bass

No dumb questions. Considering your special needs (upright + electric, lightweight with modern + vintage tones), I think this is a good choice.

Buy Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0-12T 600 Watt Lightweight Bass 1x12 Combo | Hybrid Combo Amps | Musician's Friend

You want smaller cabs to suit the upright but also want some bottom end for your electric and that should do.

If that's too expensive, go to Avatar Speakers and check out the Genz Benz package deals with Avatar cabs. An Avatar SB112 Neo + a GB Shuttle 3.0 will only cost you about 860 bucks shipped.

Personally, I'd go for the WalkAbout if going hybrid, since the OP wants old-school vintage tone.

jeff7bass · #6 05-24-2011, 05:06 PM

I ideally, if money was no object, I'd get a Streamliner 900 and the best 12", 3-way cab money could buy. Now your ready for anything. I'd like to know who builds the best 12", 3-way cab myself and how much it cost. My Dr. Bass 1260 is a good one but....

RickenBoogie · #7 05-24-2011, 05:13 PM

There's a HUGE difference between bass cabs and guitar cabs. Don't go there.

low-down&dirty · #8 05-24-2011, 08:56 PM

Hey thanks for all the replies!

The speakers are original - Celestions ( I think?)

I'm going to look into some of these idea's!

Russell L · #9 05-24-2011, 09:40 PM

Check out Markbass stuff. The Little Mark III head is one of the best out there, and it can do old school, too, as well as modern, even though it's solid state. I just got a Traveler 151P cab (single 15") that only weighs 37 lbs. Small, too. I can push it to sound almost as loud at 300w as at 500w with two speakers without it farting out. So far (only had it two days). I also have a 121H combo (single 12"), but I can make it wince. Not that 15", though. I'm back to 15s and loving it. Also check out their Jeff Berlin combo. Ya don't have to haul heavy stuff anymore these days, pal.