Old-school sound, lightweight set-up

[badboyb]

Hi,

I'm liking the idea of moving to a lightweight head and cab set-up.

My ideal tone is this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A93b2V7ymf8

I would really love to get one of those (specifically the 15) but am not convinced that 350watts into 1x15 will give me enough juice to play with my band.

My question then, is: would any of the lightweights be able to get close to this sound, while giving me the power i need?

I'm talking Markbass, TC, Genz Benz etc.

With the heads, i'm not sure what would give me the tone.
With cabs i do tend to prefer 12's or 15's, so perhaps something like the lightweight 2x12 cab that genz benz do, would suit.

opinions?

[rbonner]

That 15 is actually a nice sounding amp. The Mini-Me TV10 really excited me, I'm going to get one for playing in the shower. What a waste of money that thing would be.

NOTE he had the amp miced obviously to record the video, but if your band has a good PA, this could be the Fender Equiv of the AMPEG reissues.

BOB

[JimmyM]

the tv 15 really shocked me with how great it sounds. and make no mistake, 350w into a 115 is not shy. if you think you need more than it gives you, though, you're way better off getting a bigger cab rig than more wattage. a couple hundred more watts will barely make a dent in your extra volume, but a second cab will nearly double your available volume, even if there was no increase in wattage.

[badboyb]

I agree.

If it was possible to add another cab to the tv, I would already have one! That sound is just divine!

Thats the sound I'm after and im wondering if I can duplicate that sound with something else?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by badboyb

Hi,

I'm liking the idea of moving to a lightweight head and cab set-up.

My ideal tone is this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A93b2V7ymf8

I would really love to get one of those (specifically the 15) but am not convinced that 350watts into 1x15 will give me enough juice to play with my band.

My question then, is: would any of the lightweights be able to get close to this sound, while giving me the power i need?

I'm talking Markbass, TC, Genz Benz etc.

With the heads, i'm not sure what would give me the tone.
With cabs i do tend to prefer 12's or 15's, so perhaps something like the lightweight 2x12 cab that genz benz do, would suit.

opinions?

TC RH450 and an RS210 would get you there all the way IMO... warm, fat, tubey, punchy, and the ability to grind a bit if you want it to.

Another option is one of the Markbass heads and a Eminence 3015 loaded cab (Low Down Sounds makes them). Here is a clip of one with the very tight and aggressive Markbass F500 and my Sadowsky with stainless steel roundwounds. Even with the bright and tight head and somewhat aggressively voiced bass, that old school growl and grind come through. With a P Bass or a 60's style alder/RW J with nickels and an LMIII... forget about it.. wonderful!

I'll post the clip below... very lightweight option, and not a ton of cash.

[KJung]

Here is the clip:

http://www.icompositions.com/music/song.php?sid=121137

[KJung]

You can even spec it to look old school:

[Chef]

If I'm reading the specs on that Fender TV115 right, it's 350 watts at 4 ohms, and the internal speaker is 4 ohms.
This might mean it's not safe to use and extension cab with that amp.

btw: i love those tv series. great stuff.

[carlos840]

Mesa Walkabout scout

Nothing will sound more old school and thumpy.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by carlos840

Mesa Walkabout scout

Nothing will sound more old school and thumpy.

Another great option

[Chef]

Yessir, the walkabout is a great choice, and will support extension cabs.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Chef

Yessir, the walkabout is a great choice, and will support extension cabs.

The Walkabout head and the LDS 3015 cab would IMO be simply amazing.... warmer and 'growlier' than the Scout cab.

[IvanMike]

as always, i'm going to suggest skipping the combo option and going head and cab. not only is it upgradeable, but the seperate components will be lighter (each). you can also mix and match to find a micro head you like and a cab you like. In the event you have a big gig, you can add a second cab as long as you go with 8 ohm cabs (as most small heads will only safely power down to a 4 ohm load). I dig the retro vibe of KJ's pic - very old school.

[Fuzzbass]

If you wanted to go with a modular rack rig, there are a number of nice preamps that use the Fender-style tone stack, including the Kern IP777, Alembic F1X and F2B. (I think the BBE TMAX might, but I'm not sure.)

Just one advantage to using a rack rig is that if you found the tone you liked from a preamp, you could replace the power amp with one of higher wattage if you needed more volume. Many lightweight power amps exist.

The speaker cab is perhaps the most critical component. The Bergantino NV series cabs would work perfectly because they have no ports or tweeters, and they can get LOUD, but they're large and heavy (100 lbs) and more expensive than average.

[renejaime]

I've gone full circle back to a single Bag End S15 and couldn't be happier powered by an EA Micro 550. The speaker is not neo but the EA head makes up for that being about 2.5lbs and yes it can get loud.

shamelessly reposting pic

[badboyb]

thanks for the input thus far guys!

[M0ses]

Was it just me or did the fifteen sound ten times better than the ten?

[RickenBoogie]

Obligatory +1 to the Walkabout, just the head, paired with a good 2x12 or more. Old school warm and fat, and light.

[badboyb]

It seems to me that the Mesa is quitea bit more expensive than the tc and markbass options.

How would you describe the inherent tone of a markbass and the tone of a tc?

Would both get me that nice round warm sound?

[badboyb]

Just for reference... Amps I've owned and liked are ampeg and trace Elliot, amps that weren't for me are swr and gk.

So what would appeal to me more out of tc and mb?