Looking for a lightweight head....

[Thrill-House]

So, i love my setup right now. Basically a peavey tour 700 into a Markbass 810 cab. The tour is in a rackmount case with a tuner and power strip. However, im trying to keep things relatively lightweight (i know... 810? lightweight? blasphemy!). Im more interested in reducing the weight of the rack. The peavey head weighs around 30 pounds, so im looking to get one of the many <10 lbs. heads that are out there. Id also like to get a little more juice as well, just to be safe.

Basically im looking for a head that is:

- rackmountable
- less than 10 pounds
- around 800 watts or more
- Solid state or hybrid, doesnt matter to much as long as it sounds decent, i find im not very picky when it comes to tone, i guess i just like a balanced tone if anything
- Less then $1000 canadian

Ive been looking at the Genz-Benz shuttle 9.0, Markbass SD1200 and Little Mark Tube 800. Honestly, i have little experience in these amps, so if anyone could guide me in the right direction, it would be much appreciated.

[BassmanPaul]

You could check out the Carvin BX1500. It's a light weight dual mono head with lots of features. Not sure where in Canada you are, you should fill out your profile, but Carvin's shipping costs also include the cross border paperwork and taxes. It's about $600 US - a little less Canadian! Check it out at Carvin.com. BTW I have one.

[Thrill-House]

That carvin looks pretty nice, however, it says its 1500watts at 4ohms when bridged. My cab is only rated at 1200watts, so wouldnt it be somewhat dangerous to use with my current cab?

[greenboy]

See this magic control?



It allows things beyond one's wildest imaginings.

Use it well and it will reward you.

[Thrill-House]

Originally Posted by greenboy

See this magic control?



It allows things beyond one's wildest imaginings.

Use it well and it will reward you.

haha fair enough. It does look like a sweet amp, lots of features. Amazing it only weighs 10 pounds, considering the physical size and power.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by Thrill-House

That carvin looks pretty nice, however, it says its 1500watts at 4ohms when bridged. My cab is only rated at 1200watts, so wouldnt it be somewhat dangerous to use with my current cab?

Mine total 700W but I'm not bridging. I run one 4Ω cab a side for 900W available. Thing to remember is that unless you are very, very loud you'll not use anywhere near that power. I would have no worries in using the BX1500 with a 1200W cab. As with everything if it starts to sound bad turn it down. Your ears are your best friend.

So where are you??

[Thrill-House]

Im in southern ontario (niagara falls region). Seriously considering this amp right now!

[THORRR]

I've been using a Markbass LM III - 800watt head to
pump my 8-10's (Avatar 1000w cabs 8 ohms each) for almost a year
now with no problems and great sound & tone.

The head weighs 6 lbs - is rack-mountable with ears - and really kills with volume and tone.
Got mine for $540 a year ago on Fathers Day sale at GC.

The two 410 Neo cabs weigh only 65lbs apiece.
It's a great combination and always gets rave reviews.

[rpsands]

You can get Shuttle 9's for a song lately, and the MB800 from GK looks awesome too. One of those is how I'd roll (I'm using the 9 now).

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by Thrill-House

Im in southern ontario (niagara falls region). Seriously considering this amp right now!

Pity you're not closer. You could have brought your cab over to my place and tried it out. My grandkids live in Grimsby.

[Thrill-House]

Sorry to bring up a semi-dead thread, but i had another question. How is the DI on the BX1500? Is it suitable for going directly to the PA in live situations?