larger rig even worth getting anymore?
 

I'm in a small cover band right now. Love playing bass. originally guitar player but bass is a totally different fun mindset.

anyways.

I have a small gk mb200 on top of a tc electronic rs210 cab. its been cutting it just fine. In fact I think the most ive turned it up is like MAYBE halfway. Theres a small chance I could pickup a tc electronic rs212 cab to accompany it but ... is it even worth it? No I havent really had pa support. Only play one venue that has pa+sub support. Otherwise its all on my bass amp.

In you guys' opinion, is it worth it to spend the money on the extra cab? or save it for something else?

ps I DO have a di. MXR m-80. Not the best, I know, but it does its job.

I use an extension cab with my 2x10 Mark Bass combo. Same deal as you, covers, dance music, etc. I've had to use the 2x10 ext cab once for a big room. And I really didn't need it then.

IMO, a small, "highly efficient" rig is all you need. But your mileage may vary. Your stage volume, bandmates needs, style of music, PA requirements, etc, can all affect what kind of rig you need.

Oh no not at all!

Sounds like you have what you need for your purposes. Any chance it's GAS come calling?

Mixing the 210 and 212 is not your best option though. Mixing driver sizes and all that jazz...

oh yeah im sure its GAS calling. Thing is I have a friend whos asking if I might play bass for him and his originals band. My first (originals band).

SUPPOSEDLY, he has a friend that books for large festivals over here by austin. But I figure even if that IS the case and I get asked to play a large outdoor venue, there has to be PA support. so even THEN a larger rig is not really NEEDED is it? wouldnt it only be for personal monitoring?

The size of a rig is only ever relevant to the nature of the rehearsal space unless you don't have PA support. Depends on whether this friend and his people play loud in the rehearsal space.

The RS212s are meant to be a pretty gnarly cab.

yeah I doubt it. these guys are schooled audio engineers. So they know about frequencies and basically that bigger does not always mean better. I, on the other hand, am not so edumacated and still of the mindset that bigger is effin badass. But I also havent figured out how to grow money trees so I need to make sure I'm not wasting money. So if money is better spent elsewhere, I'd rather.. just to give you an idea of how bad GAS is right now... other things Im contemplating :

save for a PA powered sub
Audix D6
Vox AC15(30) guitar amp
replacement pickup for my white S.U.B. (way too hot) ... reminds me I may need to research that also :P
Pedals... (always good)
I could go on...

PS I also play guitar in an upcoming project.

The MB 102 is also the biggest rig I have had to take to a gig and it was always more than enough, same story. You don't need an 810 until you are playing the House of Blues in front of 500 people.

I've done many of my gigs with a Shuttlemax 9.2 and a single EA 112, though admittedly it has insane efficiency. The places those options couldn't handle usually just needed a DI.

Is it needed? No. Will it sound better with a second matching cab? Yep. Bigger isn't better if the cab sounds like crap, but if the cab sounds good, then bigger is always better for bass. I always prefer the sound of two good small cabs to one. But if it's working for you to keep going as you are, no sense spending money if you don't want. Might run into trouble at really large loud gigs, but it seems like it's doing just fine for you as it is.

Nope, not unless you really need it - and if and when you ever need more, I’d get both a bigger amp and cabinet.

yeah see thats what im talking about. I'm worried I'm gonna show up with all this speaker surface area and when I'm unloading, the soundguys gonna greet me with: "well we're just gonna DI you in to the board" :scowl:

lol yeah see thats my normal way of thinking. yeah I'd love an ampeg svt-cl with the 810.

I would wait and see what develops with the originals band.

Get a really loud drummer, and you could easily need a larger head and an extension cab just for rehearsals!

kinda change of subject (forgive me, had a few drinks) but what size shows do you guys typically play and with what kinda amp gear?

necessary? no
worth getting? yes.

don't forget the visual aspect of the show--big cabs and tube amps and all that, although not necessary, still hold a certain charm to a lot of people in a lot of genres. If you aren't going to have a light show or good stage presence, then it still helps to fit the look. I think having a small class D amp with a super efficient 112, although easy on the back and all you really need with PA support, doesn't have that same appeal as a big ampeg fridge on stage when you do see a rock show. I remember seeing Styx about 10 years back and they had a whole mess of Marshalls and Ampegs behind them, and I know they didn't have them all turned on, but I can guarantee that it looked really cool.

I remember that show when they came to Seattle. :D
What I've learned here is it never hurts to have an extra cab if you can afford it and have the space to move/store it. But I would go for a matching 210 cab to keep all things equal. If you are buying the 212 used and know it's a good cab, I would sell the 210 and later upgrade to a second 212. And it would look cool either 2 x 210s or 2 212's. :bassist:

And then on another hand I can still always get an ampeg 410 hlf used for less than the tc rs212. But then again that 410s gonna be a p.i.t.a to haul around. Damn you GAS.

Not necessarily - my main band is a loud 2 guitar band, and although our gigs are always fully PA supported, I need enough rig to hear myself with 2 guitars and a loud drummer... We pretty much rehearse like we gig - atleast as far as backline and monitors are concerned... IME, it's extremely rare to play a gig with monitors that can do a decent job for bass - so, I always make sure I have more than enough with me to be able to hear myself without pushing my gear too hard...



- georgestrings

I am not sure that anyone is going to notice or care what cabs you have onstage until you get to the point that people start paying to see you headline an actual concert, as opposed to being the entertainment for a bar or event. They are too busy talking, dancing, flirting, fighting, dry heaving...

When you get Styx-size you won't have to worry about buying any speakers, they are rented for the tour that your promoter arranged.

The main thing to consider right now is sounding the best you can and leaving yourself a little room to walk around because the stages you will see range from postage stamp to closet sized. Bumping into over-sized cabs and looking stiff onstage because you can't move isn't cool...

It quickly gets old carrying large amps and cabs around too, and trying to find loading help. Especially on the home end. You find yourself avoiding situations where you have to lug that thing around. Go small, light, clean and loud for now. Or at least leave yourself that option.

This is always a problem for me too. Getting a tilt-back monitor or keeping it at ear level helped a great deal. The issue is finding a position where our drummer can also hear, there is always a compromise..

I wanted to go to IEMs to totally solve the issue but I was alone on that one...