Picking Your Brains...

[BritFunk]

Good day, all.

I am in *way* over my head and wanted to turn to *the* place on the internet where I am most likely to get unbiased opinions from real-world users.

Basically, it's like this: I started playing back in 1985, and as far as bass amps you pretty much played Peavey or...Peavey. There wasn't a lot else available locally. Sure, you might find an old used Ampeg from time to time, but by and large Peavey was it. I didn't really have a big problem with it at the time, as their gear was stupid loud for the smaller gigs I was doing and the fidelity was OK.

I always continued to play bass for enjoyment, but got away from gigging for a long time. Like 10 years long time.

Fast-forward to the recent past - I am playing live again, and gigging sometimes three to four nights per week with a couple of different groups. My primary amp is an SWR LA15 combo. I like the tone and it's more than loud enough (if I need more volume, turn me up in the PA mains), but I am just not getting the response I want from the 15" speaker - I feel like it's not quite 'quick' enough, if that makes any sense.

I have been eyeballing an SWR Workingman's 2x10 cabinet, NOS at a local music shop that they're blowing out on the cheap. I keep thinking about pairing it with a GK MB200 or something similar in the interest of saving weight/space, but I have never played through one of these amps and my last experience with GK was less than glowing.

A few considerations - I also sherp and set up the PA system for the group, small that it is, and am trying to keep the size of the bass gear under control. The groups I play with are typically myself and one acoustic guitarist, sometimes with the addition of a soloist. If a drummer shows up we might mic the kick drum and snare for a little more out front, but overall volumes are low so I just need enough bass gear for an on-stage monitor.

A couple of notes about my playing style - I play a Yamaha RBX765A five-string bass with a high C string rather than a low B, so I don't need a lot of sub-bass frequency handling. I prefer a bright, snappy, singing tone with a lot of depth, and I am not the fan of much midrange. I do a fair amount of slapping, so a punchy tone and quick response are essential. My preamp is a Seymour Duncan Paranormal DI.

Basically, I don't have a clue where to start looking for gear other than I have always liked SWR tone. I have also been looking at Carvin and Roland as alternatives. Since I last played live there has just been too much gear development for me to keep up with.

To complicate matters considerably, I am looking at a budget of about $600 - 700 maximum.

Can anyone offer any suggestions or advice? Please keep in mind that I reside in Podunk - central WV is not exactly a hotspot for electric bass, so with the exception of the aforementioned SWR cabinet any gear I pick up is likely to be an order-it-online-and-cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best kind of thing.

Sincere thanks for any advice you can provide!


Kurt

[scottfeldstein]

Ha! I also started playing way back when.. I also took a decade off...I also am just now getting back into it. Welcome back, brother. Rock n' roll never forgets. Or something.

I think you'd do well with that GK head. I don't have the 200, but I own the MB500 and I'm very pleased with it. The difference between the 500 and the 200 is that I get a sweepable knob for the "Contour" (mid scooping) and you get a toggle switch. I also get the GK "G.I.V.E" circuit in a separate gain channel, ostensibly for "growl," along with footswitch to activate it. And more watts, of course.

If you think you'll never outgrow a single modest cab, I say go with it. If you suspect you might one day need a bigger rig with a second cab, you might want more watts.

With regard to cabs... I haven't tried the SWR 210, but if you have good experience with them, why not. You might also look into a 115 (or a pair of them). Also, there's a few really nice 212 cabs on the market. I have the GK Neo one--very nice indeed. Louder than a 210, smaller than a 410, excellent tone. Their 212 and 412 cabs have excellent reputations here on TB.

Finally, if you need a head and a cab and your budget is $600-$700, you should be prepared to go used, at least for the cab. I figure if you spend $250 on a new MB200, that leaves you in pretty good shape to get any cab you want as long as there's a decent used market to draw from. Heck, I picked up a GK 410 a couple of weeks ago for $199.

[Nev375]

If I were you, I'd pick up the cheap 2x10 and grab this:

Used SWR Headlite

[scottfeldstein]

That does look nice. Basically a GK MB Fusion--but at a nice used price.

Still, at $550 plus shipping it doesn't leave much for cabinetry.