Get more out of my Ampeg head

RicJet4003 · #1 10-25-2010, 01:53 PM

Good afternoon.

Facing a conundrum and not sure what to do. I've been gigging with an Ampeg Portabass 250 head and the PB210H cab for a few years now. It does well in small to mid-size rooms, but my band is going to be involved in some pretty high-profile gigs over the next year and I need to upgrade. Budget is definitely an issue for me.

The PB210H cab can handle 400 watts at 4 ohms. I'm looking at an Ampeg 4x10 cab that can handle 400 watts at 8 ohms. My ideal solution is to keep my 250 watt head and see if I can get more boom by hooking it up to the larger cab.

Most gigs I play, I run a DI from the head, so my rig onstage is basically my monitor. A 2x10 isn't cutting it any more, and certainly won't cut it when I'm on some larger stages next year.

I'm interested in some opinions on what the most cost-effective solution would be. Do I trade in the 2x10 cab and buy the 4x10? Do I purchase another 2x10 or the 4x10 and couple it with my current 2x10 (keeping in mind a minimum 4 ohm impedence for the head)? Or am I s.o.l. trying to get anything else from a 250 watt head?

Thanks!

JimmyM · #2 10-25-2010, 02:08 PM

since jerrold tiers says the portabass was a great head paired with a cab that doesn't put out very much volume, i think the 410he or two is your best course of action. between the two extra drivers and the added sensitivity vs the pb cab, you should get a pretty significant volume boost, and in all but the most demanding volume situations it will probably be enough.

RickenBoogie · #3 10-25-2010, 05:21 PM

Yes, keep the head, get a 410, but I think you'd be better off with a 4 ohm 410, to get as much of that 250 watts as you can.

RicJet4003 · #4 10-26-2010, 08:33 AM

Thanks for the thoughts. Much appreciated.

Boogie, good point on the 4 ohm speakers. That would be the SVT-410HLF, I believe. However, I know a local retailer who has a couple of the PN-410HLF cabs (8 ohm) on a steep discount because they were used as stage equipment for a summer festival. I'm going to try them both and see which one is a better fit.

Thanks again.