Hello, I am new to bass (im originally a guitarist) and i recently joined a metal band as the bassist. I have no knowledge of bass amps or cabinets, so im kinda stuck right now. Im looking for anything that will be able to keep up with the rest of the band. We play in drop A and im looking for a tight, deep sound that wont crack and sound dull. Im using my friend's equipment at the moment:
SDGR Ibanez S506 (6 string)
Peavey 300 combo (sometimes connected to a Peavey 215 cab which rattles a lot)
We played a show at a club last month and i was unable to hear myself over the rest of the band (our practice space is really small so i am somewhat able to hear myself during practice) so i am in need of something loud, but with a good tone as well.
I've been looking at a Gallien Krueger 1001RBII 700W bass head on Craigslist for $400, it seems good but i wonder if it will be capable of keeping up with the band. As for cabinets, I've been looking at the SWR Goliath Sr. 610 1200W Bass Cab. Will this be a good combination or is there more to combining amps and cabs. any help will be appreciated... thanks
$400 is a good price for a 1001RB-II, and should be plenty of power to keep up with your band; it's the same one I use and I rarely push the volume past 10 o'clock. SWR Goliath series cabs are great as well, and many people seem to like them with GK amplifiers. I would make an attempt to try the GK at a local store before purchasing though, as the tone is not for everyone!
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-Mayer Madness-
Wisconsin Bassists Club #67
I feel your pain...metal guitar players think loud equals good sound (not true). Anyway for a while I used a peavey tour 700 series which is perfect for metal players it always seemed to cut through the mix, however it is a solid state amp (no tubes) I ran a zoom b91.ut in front of it which has a 12 Ax7 in it and I got great tone from it. However with out that tube I wasn't liking the tone....since then I've upgraded to a hartke lh1000 which is 2x500 watts @ 2 ohms 1,100 bridged at 4 ohms and the best part is its around $500. and I run 2x behringer 4x10 1200 watt cabs with it. Laugh if you must but these cabs blow the balls off of the ampegs I used to waste my money on. I haven't turned the amp past 4 because it will literally drown out the entire band. The lh1000 has a tube in the preamp so you get the dirt and the clariety to cut through.
thanks for the responses people, sorry im just new to this whole thing. I also have no idea what ohms, ported cabs, and frequency responses are...is it really important?? haha i bet...anyways so should i try and get a tube amp or would a SS be enough? im planning on trying out the GK soon, probably this weekend, but i live far from music stores so i just want to have an idea of what i should look for. oh and the SWR Goliath Sr. is for sell for $350. So i would spend $750 for both the GK head and the SWR cab..is that a good deal or could i get something better for less $??
Its all about personal preference...I mean typically high end amps are tube and SS is low quality but since your just starting its not really a big deal....ohms are very important if you don't match them up correctly you will blow your amp.....each amp should give you a minimum load some are 2 ohms however most are 4 ohms you cannot go bellow the minimum ohms load!! Now if your going to buy an 810 or a 610 you don't really have to worry about it, but mixing and matching 4x10s and and other small cabs it can get confusing. Two 8 ohm cabs equal a load of 4 ohms, two 4 ohm cabs equals 2 ohms load. the load is 1/4 the total value of the two cabs added together. For instance a 4 ohm cab plus a 4 ohm cab equals 2ohms impedance.
Beginner needs help!!!!! 
just kidding,,, welcome to TalkBass....)
