Rig Purchasing Advice

[FenderBass37]

Hey all,
Looking for some amp insight. I'm mainly a jazz/rock/funk bassist. I currently use a Fender American Jazz bass along with a GK 100w and a Crate 100w. Needless to say, those two combo amps (except for smaller jazz club gigs) just don't cut it.

Therefore, I've been researching non-stop and settled upon purchasing a stack of some sort (1 or 2 speakers and a head unit). From the looks of it, the general consensus tells me that Avatar speakers can't be beat for the weight, tone, volume, punch and value, yet a powerful head unit (approx. 800w) is needed to power such a rig.

I noticed that Avatar just recently released the NEO 15" 3-way, yet the B410 NEO is really what intrigues me. I'm leaning more towards 2 B410s and either a GK or MarkBass head unit. Just wondering if anyone could possibly elaborate and provide some advice on the subject since I'm new to the "powerful amp" scene.

Thanks a ton.

[T. Alan Smith]

I'm assuming you want input on GK vs MB? Well, Both are considered "clean" heads. GK has it's own (classic) sound while MB can range from more transparent to colored depending on the model your looking at.

[FenderBass37]

Found a site consumer report site that rated the best bass head units of 2010.

Due to its overall rating as "Best Head Unit," I'm now interested in TC Electronic's BH500. Could anyone provide some insight on that head as paired with two Avatar B410s?

[darthbatman]

This is super duper relative to my interests.
I'm pulling the trigger on a cab from Avatar this week.
And I am so very torn between the b410 and the new 15/6/1 combo,
which he apparently designed to please the talkbass community!?
I know the 6" speaker is ceramic. But they weigh nearly the same,
they are the same dimensions and both cabs cost the same!!!
Funny that i would log in to try and find help with the decision,
only to wind up clicking this thread right off the bat.

I can only afford one, for now... So, 410 or the 15 ? ? ?
Maybe later i could go for one of each. Or would that be bad somehow?

[FenderBass37]

Is the 15/6/1 combo shown on the Avatar website? Haven't heard of that one.

[FenderBass37]

I take that back! I understand what you're saying...not a combo tho.

[FenderBass37]

Only reason I'm leaning more towards the B410s as of right now is because they're highly customizable in terms of covering, grill and color.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by darthbatman

This is super duper relative to my interests.
I'm pulling the trigger on a cab from Avatar this week.
And I am so very torn between the b410 and the new 15/6/1 combo,
which he apparently designed to please the talkbass community!?
I know the 6" speaker is ceramic. But they weigh nearly the same,
they are the same dimensions and both cabs cost the same!!!
Funny that i would log in to try and find help with the decision,
only to wind up clicking this thread right off the bat.

I can only afford one, for now... So, 410 or the 15 ? ? ?
Maybe later i could go for one of each. Or would that be bad somehow?

they're such different animals that it's not that simple. the tb153 is like a pa cab optimized for bass (oversimplification but not inaccurate), so you get a clear strong signal that sounds the same most everywhere you stand. and a 410 is a 410. we all know what they sound like. you don't hear highs and mids as much when you stand off to the side of it like you do in the tb153, but to a lot of us, two 410's or an 810 = bass.

for me, not so much the 410. i'd get the 153 if i could only have one.

btw, weight should be the last thing you judge a rig on. the loads in and out might take 5 minutes longer and you might have to work a little harder in those 5 minutes, but some of our gigs can last for hours.

[rpsands]

Get the 15.

* Note if you're in a place like Phoenix where 45 minute sets are the norm and how fast you load in and out can play a big part in determining whether you get invited back, weight can be a big issue

[darthbatman]

Originally Posted by FenderBass37

Only reason I'm leaning more towards the B410s as of right now is because they're highly customizable in terms of covering, grill and color.

honestly at this point me too.
i wonder though if dave just forgot to mention
about custom options for this one? I mean I think it's the same box.
Why would you be able to put grill cloth on one and not the other?

Something about the 410 still draws me in.
Maybe it's the fact Eminence custom built the speakers
to have higher cone travel. Still logic would dictate that
the 153 is the way to go. (you're right it's not a combo, my bad)

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by rpsands

Get the 15.

* Note if you're in a place like Phoenix where 45 minute sets are the norm and how fast you load in and out can play a big part in determining whether you get invited back, weight can be a big issue

don't be a wuss. a few extra pounds isn't going to make a difference.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by darthbatman

honestly at this point me too.
i wonder though if dave just forgot to mention
about custom options for this one? I mean I think it's the same box.
Why would you be able to put grill cloth on one and not the other?

Something about the 410 still draws me in.
Maybe it's the fact Eminence custom built the speakers
to have higher cone travel. Still logic would dictate that
the 153 is the way to go. (you're right it's not a combo, my bad)

higher cone travel is also available in the 153. the whole idea of the 15" in the 153 is to give it super high cone travel and let it just handle the lows and low mids while the mid cone does most of the other stuff. it should put out close to as much as a 410.

otoh, 410's are cool, too, so not like i'm trying to talk you out of it.

[Hobobob]

Now, the problem is that the 153 will cost one billion times more than it used to. Dr. Evil has stolen all of the world's neodymium and is ransoming it for one kajillion dollars.

[FenderBass37]

Awesome, thanks all for the advice. I think I've settled on the 410s simply because I've heard so many good things from people in the field and Dave seems to think they're the "favorite of the TalkBass community."

One more quick question, approximately what head unit wattage would be needed to power 2 B410s? TC Electronic's BH500w has interested me for the longest time due to its internal memory control unit and on-board tuning abilities (also I'm on doing some color customization so the Red would work well), yet I'm worried that 500w wouldn't cut it for the 2 B410s.

Mark

[bassix67]

Originally Posted by FenderBass37

Awesome, thanks all for the advice. I think I've settled on the 410s simply because I've heard so many good things from people in the field and Dave seems to think they're the "favorite of the TalkBass community."

One more quick question, approximately what head unit wattage would be needed to power 2 B410s? TC Electronic's BH500w has interested me for the longest time due to its internal memory control unit and on-board tuning abilities (also I'm on doing some color customization so the Red would work well), yet I'm worried that 500w wouldn't cut it for the 2 B410s.

Mark

Because the Avatar b410 is rated at 1000w each you would run out of headroom pretty quick. Check out Carvins b2000 head, a lot of watts for a reasonable price.

B.

[darthbatman]

I know it's been discussed here tens of thousands of times,
but is it a bad idea for any reason to order an 8 ohm cab?
My amp is 4 ohms(thunderfunk 550b ) I think it's better this way so I can add another cab later without rewiring.

Think i'm also going with the 410 as well, it just seems cooler.
But there may come a time when I want to grab a 153 to boost the awesomeness of my rig. I think for now the 410 will work out extremely well.

When I mail him, i'll ask whether options are offered on the 153.

[GrowlerBox]

Originally Posted by darthbatman

I know it's been discussed here tens of thousands of times,
but is it a bad idea for any reason to order an 8 ohm cab?
My amp is 4 ohms(thunderfunk 550b ) I think it's better this way so I can add another cab later without rewiring.

It's not a bad idea. In fact, it's a very good idea. Especially as there isn't a speaker configuration that would allow you to rewire a 4 ohm 410 cab to 8 ohms.

I would, however, rethink the 410 + 153 combination.

[FenderBass37]

Okay so, I'm still torn in terms of 410/153. As a JPJ-style bassist that needs a distinctive bottom end as well as some jazzy mids/highs in terms of some fingerstyle funk, which amp would be the most valuable to me?

Also, considering I have approximately $1200 to spend, I'm hoping to pick up two cabs and then worry about picking up a phenomenal head a bit more down the road (simply because I don't want to settle for the BH500w and not have enough power, etc.

Sorry to keep asking so many questions, but this is a huge purchase and I really want to explore my options.

[FenderBass37]

F it, I'm going with the 410...the thing is way too sexy to pass up and the reviews reinforce that. Too excited.

[UncleMattGuy]

Originally Posted by FenderBass37

Only reason I'm leaning more towards the B410s as of right now is because they're highly customizable in terms of covering, grill and color.

Cabs should sound good. How they look is irrelevant.