pop my punk cab, help?

[Matt Cummings]

So, after some deliberation i've bought an Ashdown ABM evo III, No! i hear you cry ... well, thats what i've seen in other thread everyone has said its a s**t head ... but i'm going to have to be convinced.

I'm playing in a pop-punk band so of blink style stuff but a bit more mature? The first amp i ever played through was an Ashdown mag 300 and to be fair i can only remember good things from it but then again i didn't live with it so i wouldn't know the ins and outs. This is besides the point.

I bought an Ampeg B2RE and had a 1x15 Ampeg cabs with it which i sold about 2 years ago now? To be honest i didn't like it one little bit. it didn't give me anything i wanted the sound wasn't great. Not for what i wanted it for, at the time i was in a Ska band.

So i've decided to stop being a cheap skate and using my guitarists old Hartke bass combo and get something of my own.

As i said i've bought the Ashdown ABM evo III but i bought the UK built edition and i'm looking for a cab that will give me that Mark Hoppus tone everyone so desires. I admit, that is what i'm looking for and not a lovely vintage tone.

Check out our recordings and you will be able to tell for yourself what sort of sound i've been going for:

www.myspace.com/herbarley

So any opinions good and bad would be much I'm not a tech head, not one bit. I love my bass and have been playing for a while but through my little peavey practice amp because up to this point i've never needed anything bigger and buying the ampeg put me off spending a lot of money + i did love the sound.

so, back to the point, i need a cab that will give me the ability to get the best pop-punk / pop-rock sound to go with my ABM head.

I'm a complete novice. please help guys haha.

Matt.

[christw]

I remember one guy on here in a band that wasn't exactly pop punk, but it sounded good and he used Aguilar.

Hoppus uses his signature P bass through an Ampeg SVT and 810 and scoops the mids.

What's your budget? How loud does your band play? Will you have PA support at any shows that you play?

I've played a ton of pop punk and I usually use a mildly mid scooped P bass with a slight bass boost for my tone. Doesn't matter too much what amp.

[Matt Cummings]

Alright, quality. Everywhere we play has PA support to be honest mate.

budget is modest though, £450 or less. not a penny more, Yeah i know he does but i bet he doesn't have to fit in a car with two guitarists and all their stuff haha.

I might have to start driving to the gigs as well. :O

[christw]

My Ampeg 810E fit across the back seat of an '07 and a '92 Honda Accord. I didn't want to have to do that all the time so I sold it. My Genz Benz 610 is too big though, so I'm selling it too. I understand the issues.

Since you have PA support you won't need a lot of stage volume. You could buy two 210 cabinets, stack them at practice to keep up with the loud volume, and bring one to shows to act as a stage monitor?

[Matt Cummings]

Yeah, sounds good man.

What do you think of the head i bought?

What 2x10 would you get? I was looking at a second hand OBC410 for £425 but the guy has ragged it.

What did you think of the tunes?

[BassmanAd]

You can pick up a used Ampeg 410HE easily for £450, any head will sound great through one of those.

[christw]

Originally Posted by BassmanAd

You can pick up a used Ampeg 410HE easily for £450, any head will sound great through one of those.

That'll just bring back that sealed Ampeg cab sound that he said he didn't want.

Originally Posted by Matt Cummings

Yeah, sounds good man.

What do you think of the head i bought?

What 2x10 would you get? I was looking at a second hand OBC410 for £425 but the guy has ragged it.

What did you think of the tunes?

Forgive me for not listening, but my brother is in the other room and works the night shift. I can't listen to music until 3-4pm around here.

I've never used the solid state Ashdown heads, actually. I always wanted to give their gear a run through, especially the tube stuff. I can't comment there either, haha.

Orange cabs are nice. If it's just the tolex is beat to hell, don't let that stop you. If the speakers are at all messed up, look elsewhere! I love to buy beat up gear that still sounds and works as good as any other. It's so much cheaper to sound good that way!

[BassmanAd]

A 4x10 is very different to a 1x15. It'll move a whole lot more air, be much louder (even running at 8ohms) and sound tighter. I don't think the brand really comes into it, but FWIW I've always found that an Ampeg cab can make any amp sound good, let alone a good head like the EVO III's.

[christw]

Originally Posted by BassmanAd

A 4x10 is very different to a 1x15. It'll move a whole lot more air, be much louder (even running at 8ohms) and sound tighter. I don't think the brand really comes into it, but FWIW I've always found that an Ampeg cab can make any amp sound good, let alone a good head like the EVO III's.

Brand has a huge factor. I agree with you on their general qualities but brand determines construction details and drivers used. Ports, tweeters, box size and construction, crossovers, etc.

An Ampeg like that will sound nothing like a ported, tweeter loaded cab intended to produce clean sounds, or especially sonething like the built to be transparent fearful, etc cabs. I like transparent cabs and find Ampeg's to be stuffy or wooly. Like you wrapped a good cab in a layer of blankets to muffle it. Of course, this is an exaggerated observation but you get the idea. It's apples and peaches and I happen to like peaches better.

[mathewcanhaz]

I love GK cabs theyre just so punchy. could give some 2X10's a look theyre pretty cheap and if you have PA support will work. And if your gunning for Hoppus tones just buy a 1/4 pound duncan thats what he uses.

[BassmanAd]

Originally Posted by christw

Brand has a huge factor. I agree with you on their general qualities but brand determines construction details and drivers used. Ports, tweeters, box size and construction, crossovers, etc.

An Ampeg like that will sound nothing like a ported, tweeter loaded cab intended to produce clean sounds, or especially sonething like the built to be transparent fearful, etc cabs. I like transparent cabs and find Ampeg's to be stuffy or wooly. Like you wrapped a good cab in a layer of blankets to muffle it. Of course, this is an exaggerated observation but you get the idea. It's apples and peaches and I happen to like peaches better.

OK, you don't like Ampeg cabs. The OP was asking about Blink 182 type pop punk, and that's Ampeg. Big, round bass. That's what you learn being an old fart like me, and that's the experience I'm trying to pass on. It's up to the OP what he buys. Enjoy your peaches, I prefer apples.

[christw]

Originally Posted by BassmanAd

OK, you don't like Ampeg cabs. The OP was asking about Blink 182 type pop punk, and that's Ampeg. Big, round bass. That's what you learn being an old fart like me, and that's the experience I'm trying to pass on. It's up to the OP what he buys. Enjoy your peaches, I prefer apples.

Sorry, I wasn't trying to make an argument from it! Fair point though. I was playing under the "it didn't work once so it probably won't work again" banner.

[BassmanAd]

Originally Posted by christw

Sorry, I wasn't trying to make an argument from it! Fair point though. I was playing under the "it didn't work once so it probably won't work again" banner.

Don't worry, I'm just a ratty old man.

I think the weak link in the OP's original set up is actually the B2RE which, in my opinion, is a pretty crappy amp. Assuming he had the Classic Series 1x15, that's a great cab but it'll sound a bit lame on its own. Given the choice I'd always play through two 1x15's instead of one by itself. More trouser flapping power.