Help choosing cab/head

jrquigg · #1 09-08-2011, 04:36 PM

I bought a John Suhr bass back in April and love it! I want to buy a cab and a head to go with it. I have only had combos before, so I'm venturing into unknown territory. I mainly play at church and we have your generic rock sound (for those of you who may know worship bands, we play a lot of Hillsong, Jesus Culture, Desperation Band, Fee, etc.). I also don't use effects pedals, so I will be sending a clean signal (I want to get into pedals later, but want to get an amp first...one step at a time!). Any suggestions on cabs and heads will be appreciated. Thanks!

will33 · #2 09-08-2011, 06:09 PM

Churches usually don't take much amp to fill and being in the pa it's really just your personal stage monitor anyway. Combo's can handle that gig most the time. The step up from a combo would be a 300-400 watt amp and a pair of 15's, a 212 or a couple 210's, etc. Now with all these little 5 pound micro amps you can still get that in combo form with the ability to add an extension cab.

Post some more details for good suggestions like budget, general tone, weight limitations, future aspirations regarding bigger/louder gigs, etc. IMO you should get something that can fill a medium size room on it's own in the event PA is inadequate or a "vocals only" type.

scottfeldstein · #3 09-08-2011, 07:52 PM

As you probably know, the point of going separate head/cab is not so that you end up with a huge rig. It's that you have the option to go huge if you need to, while also preserving the option to go small as circumstances allow. Getting a micro 500w solid state head plus a 2x10 or a 1x15 cab would be a good start. Adding a second identical cab later would give you a pretty formidable gigging rig for places outside church.

I myself am building a new rig. I got a GK MB500 head and a Neo 212 cab. I'll get a second 212 cab later on. It'll be powerful and modular, going from small to large depending on whether I use both cabs.

Of course my choice of brands is just based on my personal preferences and budget. Yours may differ.

What's your budget? And how about weight/space concerns?

jrquigg · #4 09-08-2011, 08:30 PM

Thanks for guys for the responses (this is my first ever post on TB...btw)

I would like to stick around the $1000 - $1500 range. I'm not really concerned about weight because it will pretty much stay in the same place. As far as space goes, we are renovating a new space which will seat about 400 people and the stage will be plenty big enough to hold whatever.

I like the idea of starting with one cab such as a 212 and then adding on later as needed. I'm unfamiliar with all the different brands so I don't even know where to start there. I just want to get the best for my money. Any suggestions of brands to start with or ones to stay away from would be helpful as well.

scottfeldstein · #5 09-08-2011, 08:38 PM

I'm not aware of any to definitely stay away from. I myself have been intrigued by the TC Electronics vertical 212 cabs. Others say that the Avatar 212s are nice. There's always Markbass. I went with GK's Neo because I trust the brand, they don't cost a mint and they seem well regarded here on TB.

I got my MB500 head new for $500 and the cab can be had new for around $400 if you shop carefully.

**SVE** · #6 09-08-2011, 08:44 PM

Ultimately, what you should do is listen to a bunch of different demos, if you like it go try it, if not continue looking. If you like it look for it used - you can get a way nicer rig used than new, and sometimes used stuff is babied so much you can't tell the difference. I'd say a affordable tube head and a 2x12 will be perfect for sound and have way more volume then you need, which is good because you'll have a lot of headroom so your amp will be very clean.

Here's some stuff I recommend:

Amp Heads

Orange Bass Terror
Mesa Amps (M9, 400+ , etc.)
Traynor ( very good cheap tube heads)
Ampeg

Cabinets ( just a rule of thumb, cabinet companies usually rate the power of the cabinets too high, so half the watts of whatever the cab says it can handle)

Aguilar (DB series)
Ampeg
Avatar

Also- remember to match up Ohms correctly when your connecting heads and cabs and to use a speaker cable to connect the two.

Let me know how everything goes!

-SVE

makohund · #7 09-08-2011, 10:47 PM

If someone handed me $1500 today and said buy me a bass rig, and to get me the most for that money, I'd call up Ron Anchak and tell him to build me a 15/6/1 fEARful. (Invest in great cab first.)

Then I'd buy a Peavey IPR 1600. (Good power next, and for cheap.)

I'd then have a hundred bucks or so left for a pre, to get the sound I want. It's a little short, but if the bass sounds good, you can get by with something minimal here for now... it's the easiest part to change or upgrade in the future, and really the only part that could ever need it. So I'd go bargain hunting for something used. I've heard there are little decent tube pres (simple, no features or eq on board) for $60 new if it came to that. Or preferably save up for another month or whatever to try to get something good.

Or if that won't work, forget the Peavey and get my choice of good small head (GK, Carvin, Ampeg, etc) in the $400 range. Plenty of power for what you do now. Or hit craigslist or other classifieds for a good used amp.

That is, if it were me. That's almost enough to go for one hell of a rig all in one shot, and save you from experiencing much of the wallet draining horror of GAS.

JimmyM · #8 09-09-2011, 12:40 AM

There are a lot of really killer rigs from a lot of brands you can put together for $1500 or less. I'd suggest taking a look at some of Ampeg's recent offerings, but the best thing to do is go hit a music store or three and go try some stuff out. Pretty much anything in that price range will be quality, though...just a matter of taste from there.

Zoa · #9 09-09-2011, 12:46 AM

Play through a ton of rigs, see what you like. If I were building a rig from scratch, I'd probably go makohund's route, using a VT Bass Deluxe as the pre.

cchorney · #10 09-09-2011, 07:52 AM

When I was last shopping around for cabs I really liked the Genz Benz Neox 212T ($900 new, but occasionally they show up used at GC online). I ended up going with something smaller and lighter because that was what I needed, but boy that cab sounded nice. As for Amps, I really like my Markbass LM-III ($550 new), especially when paired with a Sansamp BDDI ($200 new), but if you had the extra ka-ching you might want to instead opt for the Markbass "Little Mark Tube 800" amp ($750 new).

And by all means, try to buy whatever you buy used!

AwkwardLoudness · #11 09-09-2011, 10:35 AM

Suhr builds great instruments. I haven't played any of his basses yet, but his guitars are stellar in my experience.

Try out an Ampeg Micro-VR if you see one in your music store. GC and other retailers would probably have 'em in stock.

I like the suggestion of a fEarful 15/6 or 12/6 cab, but you may not need that much volume/efficiency in a church. You could pair one of those with lots of amps: Ampeg PF500, Carvin BX500, GK M500, Genz Benz Shuttle 6, etc.

makohund · #12 09-09-2011, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AwkwardLoudness

I like the suggestion of a fEarful 15/6 or 12/6 cab, but you may not need that much volume/efficiency in a church. You could pair one of those with lots of amps: Ampeg PF500, Carvin BX500, GK M500, Genz Benz Shuttle 6, etc.

True, I was thinking in mostly in straight sound quality terms... sounds beautiful even at lower volumes. One channel of the Peavey would be 300W. More power than that is readily available if ever needed.)

And yeah... that's the list of contenders right there, although the GB new would probably push it out of the price range given. ("Says the guy that just suggested blowing the whole wad on cab & power with little left for a pre as an afterthought", lol.)

Note that whatever you went with, you'd probably want it to have a good DI empty and available for use with the PA.

jrquigg · #13 09-09-2011, 05:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AwkwardLoudness

Suhr builds great instruments. I haven't played any of his basses yet, but his guitars are stellar in my experience.

I've never tried Suhr guitars, but I'm sure their just as amazing as the basses. I upgraded from a 2003 Mexican made Fender Jazz, so my Suhr was a MAJOR step up.

I've never heard of fEARful or Genz Benz but after looking around on TB and various websites, they seem to be well loved. I'll have to check out the nearest GC or the place where I got my Suhr (Andy's Guitars in Tallahassee, FL...amazing place, btw) now that I have new found information on the matter. Andy's seems to love Aguilar, but that might be just a little out of my price range. But if it that's what fits my sound then I just might have to save up some more money.

makohund · #14 09-09-2011, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jrquigg

I've never heard of fEARful or Genz Benz but after looking around on TB and various websites, they seem to be well loved. I'll have to check out the nearest GC or the place where I got my Suhr (Andy's Guitars in Tallahassee, FL...amazing place, btw) now that I have new found information on the matter.

A lot of the stuff listed can be found at GC, and maybe at that local shop.

Carvin amps will not be at either. Unless you're in SoCal, you have to go here:
carvin.com

You definitely won't find a fEARful in either. You either build your own, or have one custom built by a professional. More information (to select a model, build one, choose a builder, ask questions, find someone nearby for a demo, etc) can be found here:
greenboy.us

ButtUglyJeff · #15 09-09-2011, 07:19 PM

I recently purchased an Ampeg PortaFlex PF500 amp (500 watts) and 2 PF115HF cabs (single 15"s). I'm really happy with the tone, and the amp attached to the lid of either cabinet which can flip over for storage. And I spent around $1100 for everything.

There is also a 210 option for the cabinet, and a 350 watt option for the amp...

Windreaper · #16 09-09-2011, 07:29 PM

Out of commercial options...

I'd probably get a GK MB500 and two Neo 112-II cabs.

metlman72 · #17 09-09-2011, 08:34 PM

Don't look past Hartke either. You can usually pick up there stuff fairly cheap used. The HA3500 is nice head. There VX and XL series cabinets are quite nice also. Lots of power and a great sound.

scottfeldstein · #18 09-09-2011, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Windreaper

Out of commercial options...

I'd probably get a GK MB500 and two Neo 112-II cabs.

The exact rig I am building. Just need the second cab.

SteveC · #19 09-10-2011, 09:05 AM

I do all my gigs with a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0-10T and 110 extension can. PA or not I'm covered.

gjbassist · #20 09-10-2011, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ButtUglyJeff

I recently purchased an Ampeg PortaFlex PF500 amp (500 watts) and 2 PF115HF cabs (single 15"s). I'm really happy with the tone, and the amp attached to the lid of either cabinet which can flip over for storage. And I spent around $1100 for everything.

There is also a 210 option for the cabinet, and a 350 watt option for the amp...

This!

I have the Ampeg PF-350 head and a PF-115 cabinet. Great tone, light and easy to transport! You can get this setup for under $700 and add a second cabinet later if you need it.