Looking to buy my first bass cabinet, need help.

Callum_Carcass · #1 03-26-2011, 09:14 AM

Hey guys, I'm soon to be joining a band that does a fair bit of travelling and I'm no longer wanting to be relying on whatever a venue has. Their practise room is also a fair few miles away from me as well so I'd like something to keep there, so hence I've decided to invest in a bass cabinet.

I'm looking for something up to £350 that can work comfortably with my Hartke HA2500 head. I tend to look for a quite mid based sound with as little mud as possible (especially with a 5 string in standard tuning, that B will be getting used a lot), and something that can have a decent presence in the live mix.

So far I've been looking up the Hartke 4x10XL cab, but I'd like opinions and suggestions from more experienced people right now. Thanks for any help given.

**jlepre** · #2 03-26-2011, 09:20 AM

I've never used THAT cab, but a 410 is definitely the way I would go if you're looking for a mid punch.

Zooberwerx · #3 03-26-2011, 09:25 AM

Nothing wrong with the Hartke cabs, although I'd stay away from the Transporter series. They sound decent, will look great on stage with the matching head, and won't break the bank.

Riis

Robby Hoinsky · #4 03-26-2011, 12:07 PM

just curious, how have you made it this far without a bass cab? Is the UK that generous?

Robby

spaz21387 · #5 03-26-2011, 12:13 PM

Im wondering how you did it too. Sansamp maybe? I have 2 bass cabs the 1x15 if i feel lazy and the 6x10 if i feel like lifting a heavy fridge onto the stage. you cant go wrong with older usa made ampeg cabs but they might not be as cheap over there as they are here. swr makes great cabs as well or another option is to buy the plans to a Bill Fitzmaurice jack cab and build it your self, And im sorry Bill if I spelled your last name wrong.

Callum_Carcass · #6 03-28-2011, 03:07 AM

For the most part there's always been a cab for me (and others) to use at the venue, provided either by the venue or arranged with another other band I've known who were playing on the bill. On the rare occasions I've had to deal with a combo or have to DI, I just use an EQ pedal for shaping things.

**IvanMike** · #7 03-28-2011, 06:52 AM

Well there are so many variables in speaker and cabinet design it's impossible to say that a configuration (410, 212, 115, whatever) will sound "like this", and another configuration will sound "like that". Each cab is different.

It might help if you let us know what's available in your area at the moment and what the local costs are.

It would also help to post the wattage output at 8 ohms and at 4 ohms of your amp (so we don't all have to look it up), and if it is stable at 2 ohms, what the wattage is at that impedance.

Also, how large can this cabinet be? Do you have a maximum size in terms of what will be convenient to transport?

Likewise, what sort of volume needs do you think you have of the amplifier, and what cabinets have been available to you where you have played that worked for you and sounded good to you?

Finally, are you willing to go with two smaller cabinets, and will you be playing some venues where one small cabinet would be sufficient, and others where you would need more volume from your amp?

Callum_Carcass · #8 03-29-2011, 03:28 AM

I'm currently planning on buying online as there's not much within my price range to try out in the local shops.

My HA2500 runs at 250 Watts at 4 Ohms, 180 Watts at 8 Ohms.

Size isn't too much of an issue, I know I'm just looking for a 4x10 and that will easily fit in the van the band has.

Because of the size of the head itself in terms of how much power it can produce it tends to be at 12 oclock in terms of volume for most of the time, this being coupled along with the levels coming from the pre-amp, the overdrive pedal I usually run and the bass itself.

I'd be willing to take two smaller cabinets... but it's doubtful that I could afford that. We're not likely to be playing anything bigger than a generous sized club, this is underground death metal I'll be playing, so I don't expect to be playing anything big enough to need some sizeable amount of power to fill a large area.

perogato02 · #9 03-29-2011, 03:35 AM

The Hartke 410 XL is a very decent cab ...
maybe worth checking Basschat.co.uk -> For sale: Amps and cabs to see what you can find in the classifieds there?

Arjank · #10 03-29-2011, 03:43 AM

Quote:

My HA2500 runs at 250 Watts at 4 Ohms, 180 Watts at 8 Ohms.

I would go for a 4 ohm cab that is highly efficient, that way you get the most power out of your amp.
A 410, a 212 or 215 with a bit of a mid-bass bump could do the trick, anyone?