Revamping my rig. Advice?

lkngro · #1 12-30-2012, 08:00 AM

Hey guys, it's been a while. I haven't really been playing bass much until a few days ago when I realized just how much I love it.

Anyway, I'm in high school and my band director just told me that he set up a new jazz group and his bass player can't always make it to gigs, so I'm sort of in the reserves.

I currently have a 2006 MIM P-bass with a StewMac replacement neck into an Acoustic B100 that I bought four or five years ago. I just set the amp flat and use my SansAmp VT Bass pedal to shape my sound and use a Blackout Effectors Fix'd Fuzz v3 if I need any grit.

My budget is less than $1000, the less the better. If I play with these guys I'll probably just be doing small clubs and such. I was thinking a head/cab setup instead of a combo. I definitely prefer the sound of of 2x10 cabs over 1x15s, but I suppose I'm not wedded to it.

Thanks guys!

**CL400Peavey** · #2 12-30-2012, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkngro

Hey guys, it's been a while. I haven't really been playing bass much until a few days ago when I realized just how much I love it.

Anyway, I'm in high school and my band director just told me that he set up a new jazz group and his bass player can't always make it to gigs, so I'm sort of in the reserves.

I currently have a 2006 MIM P-bass with a StewMac replacement neck into an Acoustic B100 that I bought four or five years ago. I just set the amp flat and use my SansAmp VT Bass pedal to shape my sound and use a Blackout Effectors Fix'd Fuzz v3 if I need any grit.

My budget is less than $1000, the less the better. If I play with these guys I'll probably just be doing small clubs and such. I was thinking a head/cab setup instead of a combo. I definitely prefer the sound of of 2x10 cabs over 1x15s, but I suppose I'm not wedded to it.

Thanks guys!

What about your current rig are you looking to upgrade on? Volume, tone, portability?

Check out what is available to you used first, then start looking at good deals from stores. I would be looking for an amp in the 300-500 watt range and a pair of matching 8 Ohm 210's.

Grateful · #3 12-30-2012, 08:14 AM

Is it all electric bass, or is there any upright bass involved?

lkngro · #4 12-30-2012, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CL400Peavey

What about your current rig are you looking to upgrade on? Volume, tone, portability?

Check out what is available to you used first, then start looking at good deals from stores. I would be looking for an amp in the 300-500 watt range and a pair of matching 8 Ohm 210's.

Oh, sorry. I want to get louder and tighter. The B100 sounds sort of flubby and...only 100 watts. I was thinking in the 300-500 watt range for amps, but I'm not really sure what's out there. Same goes for cabs.

And no, there is no upright involved. Just electric.

godofthunder59 · #5 12-30-2012, 08:26 AM

Don't discount 15s. If you are starting to play clubs with sound on a stick and no subs it is up to you to provide the low end! Most places we play have large in house sound systems or we hire sound in. For smaller places we bring our own PA 15s with horns on stands and a monitor system no subs. For gigs like this I bring a Orange Terror bass and two 1x15 cabs and it works very well. Now you don't have to give up your 10's but I would consider running 10's and a 15. I mix cabs in my larger rig but I like 15s and 12s.

**CL400Peavey** · #6 12-30-2012, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by godofthunder59

Don't discount 15s. If you are starting to play clubs with sound on a stick and no subs it is up to you to provide the low end! Most places we play have large in house sound systems or we hire sound in. For smaller places we bring our own PA 15s with horns on stands and a monitor system no subs. For gigs like this I bring a Orange Terror bass and two 1x15 cabs and it works very well. Now you don't have to give up your 10's but I would consider running 10's and a 15. I mix cabs in my larger rig but I like 15s and 12s.

Driver size has nothing to do with the low frequency response of the cab. Its about driver and the cab design. Also mixing cabs is a crap shoot at best. Matched rigs are going to be more consistent for a multitude of reasons.

godofthunder59 · #7 12-30-2012, 08:39 AM

Players have been mixing cabs for years for various reason. What works for some may not work for others. It works for me. Various incarnations of my rig.

lkngro · #8 12-30-2012, 09:16 AM

Well I've played 2x10s that got plenty of low end, so I want to stick with them. I prefer the tighter sound. So what sort of specific amps/cabs should I be looking at?

**CL400Peavey** · #9 12-30-2012, 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkngro

Well I've played 2x10s that got plenty of low end, so I want to stick with them. I prefer the tighter sound. So what sort of specific amps/cabs should I be looking at?

Like I said check out what is used and available first. I would be looking for 210's I could stack vertically.

countrybass007 · #10 12-30-2012, 09:35 AM

With a low budget I'd look into the GK gear. Lots of bang for the buck in my opinion. Their 212 NEO cabs are a good deal. CL400 and I disagee on many issues, but he's right about bass response and speaker size. Phil Jones gear is a perfect example of this.

Grateful · #11 12-30-2012, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkngro

Well I've played 2x10s that got plenty of low end, so I want to stick with them. I prefer the tighter sound. So what sort of specific amps/cabs should I be looking at?

Are you looking for a modern tone, or vintage or what?

Carvin makes great, neutral amps like the BX500.

Genz Benz makes great sounding amps that you could find used for a good price (Shuttle 6)

Ampeg makes amps that sound like Ampeg like the PF-500 (my current head of choice)

Gallien Krueger makes micro amps with their tone like MB500s etc...

Then there is a cavalcade of other brands that would suit you just fine, like Peavey, Acoustic, etc...

Cab wise, you just have to listen to them. There are cabs that people rave about here on TB that I can't stand, and vice-versa. You will have fanboys of every maker telling you to buy what they like, and bashing other makers.

There's not 'right' or 'wrong' rig. It's what sounds good to you.

And by all means, look for used.

lkngro · #12 12-30-2012, 05:41 PM

What's the deal with the Carvin BX500-210 head/cab setup? They're selling the set for just over $600, but the head itself is $500 and the cab is over $300. Doesn't really make sense. But hey, a deal's a deal, I guess. http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/BX500-210

Grateful · #13 12-30-2012, 06:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lkngro

What's the deal with the Carvin BX500-210 head/cab setup? They're selling the set for just over $600, but the head itself is $500 and the cab is over $300. Doesn't really make sense. But hey, a deal's a deal, I guess. http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/BX500-210

The head is on sale for $359, and the cab is a BR210 (on sale at $249) not a BRX10.2 ($399), so technically, that combo costs more to buy together than separate...

scottfeldstein · #14 12-30-2012, 07:05 PM

There's nothing wrong with 15" speakers. And I don't believe driver size is the primary indicator of frequency response of the cab. And... mixing cabs and drivers is fine, but there are potential pitfalls that you should probably understand before doing it. The big one to watch out for is mismatched power handling. You could blow something--or at least underutilize one of the cabs while you baby the weaker one.

Anyway. If you've got a 100w 115 combo and you want to upgrade, I put my money where my mouth is: Gallien-Krueger. Even if you don't like their amps, their Neo line of cabs are good performers and terrific on weight. My Neo 212-II just kills. I've heard great things about the 112s and the 115s, too. I'm even thinking of mismatching--yegads!--by putting a 15 on top of my 212.

Anyway, I'm a fan of the new microamps. The ones from GK and the ones from Genz-Benz are particularly interesting to me. And the GK cabs are good bargains. Especially if you can buy one used.