Using an Epifani PS-100 for Punk?

[breakHARD77]

Hi everyone. I've been playing bass for about 5 years on the same old Peavy combo amp, and it finally died on me the other day. I've heard a lot of great things about Epifani heads, and it turns out that there's a guy selling his PS-100 at a good price about an hour away from me.

Now, my question is this: would this be a feasible head to use for punk rock music? I play in the vein of Blink-182, Paramore, etc., and I've often seen Epifanis characterized as being more for jazz or pop.

Also, if you do think this head will work with my style of music, do you have any recommendations on what cabs I should get? I'm not trying to break the bank, but I will be playing at relatively large shows. Thanks for your time, guys.

[Hollywars]

You'll need to add distortion if that's what you want with a pedal or effects.

[breakHARD77]

Originally Posted by Hollywars

You'll need to add distortion if that's what you want with a pedal or effects.

Wow! Talk about a quick response!

I've checked previous threads here on TB, and many people seem to be endorsing different types of Ampeg SVTs. I also play a little bit for my church worship band, so a nice jazzy tone would be nice to have on the side. With that in mind, do you think it'd be better for me to get the Ampeg SVT Pro 3 (or something similar) or to just go ahead and get the PS-100 with a distortion pedal?

Thanks again for the quick answer!

[IvanMike]

not being familiar with the head i have to ask how many watts it puts out at the various impedances, is it stereo or mono (only matters in more watts and ability to bridge).

How loud do you want to get and how many cabs are you willing to cart?

IME epifani heads are a bit on the bright side and have some decent mids so tone wise that should work for punk. seems liek the style you're after is a tight sound with mids that will cut through (stay away from smiley face EQ settings BTW)

[IvanMike]

forget endorsements. really.

I'm not a super fan of the SS ampeg heads but you may be. I've found the ampeg preamp in general to be a bit less tight. (but that's just me). An all tube ampeg? well that would be a standard rig in so many ways but expensive and big. As usual, my advice for a long term amp investment is to try a lot of heads and cabs and find what floats your boat. bring your bass too when trying them.

Originally Posted by breakHARD77

Wow! Talk about a quick response!

I've checked previous threads here on TB, and many people seem to be endorsing different types of Ampeg SVTs. I also play a little bit for my church worship band, so a nice jazzy tone would be nice to have on the side. With that in mind, do you think it'd be better for me to get the Ampeg SVT Pro 3 (or something similar) or to just go ahead and get the PS-100 with a distortion pedal?

Thanks again for the quick answer!

[breakHARD77]

Originally Posted by IvanMike

not being familiar with the head i have to ask how many watts it puts out at the various impedances, is it stereo or mono (only matters in more watts and ability to bridge).

How loud do you want to get and how many cabs are you willing to cart?

IME epifani heads are a bit on the bright side and have some decent mids so tone wise that should work for punk. seems liek the style you're after is a tight sound with mids that will cut through (stay away from smiley face EQ settings BTW)

Thanks for the info, Ivan!

By the way, I realized that I made a typo - it's actually the Epifani PS-600, not the PS-100. Here are the specs from the Epifani site:

600W @ 4 ohms
Passive/active input select
3-band shelving EQ
Treble shift
Mid cut selector (footswitch accessible)
Mid cut level adjustment
Mute (footswitch accessible)
Master volume
DI out with level control, pre/post EQ select, ground lift
Tuner out, Preamp out
EFX send/return series or parallel
Speakon output connector

I'd like to minimize the amount of cabs that I'd have to cart around while still being able to fill up a mid-sized room for the occasional gig. Would it be possible to limit the amount of cabs to two and still be able to achieve that?

[Hollywars]

Another big thing is what cab you have. I'd recommend a 215, 410, 610, or 810.

[IvanMike]

i'd personally go modular with a couple of 8 ohm cabs (try a bunch). of course a really good 4 ohm 410 or 610 may do you great. 2x15 and 810 cabs can be swell but then you have to really plan what vehicle to use. two 8 ohm 410 cabs (maybe epi ul if you can swing them) would be hella loud as cartman would say.

[breakHARD77]

Thanks so much for all your input, everyone. Think I'm going to go with this cab: http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/msg/1728176848.html

If I'm making a mistake, stop me now!

[jmiles45]

Yeah you can definatly go for a good rock sound with that head. I use the Epi PS 400 (pretty much identical except for the power section) and have definatly been able to cop good aggressive tones outta it. It's a really versatile head and has served me well. I've paired it with a 15's and 10's and it sounds equally as good. That simple mid cut knob is all I need to go from a more modern tone to something more aggresive. Granted this head is not going to sound like an all tube ampeg if that's what your going for but it's a really great head. I reccomend it. As far as cabs go like I said it sounds great with alot of speaker variations but I've only paired it with Epifani cabs which I'm also a fan of.

[breakHARD77]

Actually, I think I'm going to get the following:

- Epifani PS (http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend....ead?sku=482074)
- Avatar B410 Neo (http://www.avatarspeakers.com/B410%20NEO.htm)

Do you guys think that that would be sufficient for at least a starting setup? Also, I'm not very familiar with wattages, ohms, etc., so I was wondering whether I should get the 4 ohm or 8 ohm cabinet for the Avatar. Thanks again for your input, guys!

[fdask]

Originally Posted by breakHARD77

Actually, I think I'm going to get the following:

- Epifani PS (http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend....ead?sku=482074)
- Avatar B410 Neo (http://www.avatarspeakers.com/B410%20NEO.htm)

Do you guys think that that would be sufficient for at least a starting setup? Also, I'm not very familiar with wattages, ohms, etc., so I was wondering whether I should get the 4 ohm or 8 ohm cabinet for the Avatar. Thanks again for your input, guys!

Avatar is a great choice for the cab! That Epifani head puts out 600W@4ohms. So if the 410 is the only cab you ever think you'll need with the head, go 4ohms. If you eventually want to add a second cabinet, go 8ohms. Running two 8ohm cabs together will give you 4ohms.

[breakHARD77]

Originally Posted by fdask

Avatar is a great choice for the cab! That Epifani head puts out 600W@4ohms. So if the 410 is the only cab you ever think you'll need with the head, go 4ohms. If you eventually want to add a second cabinet, go 8ohms. Running two 8ohm cabs together will give you 4ohms.

Thanks for your insight. If I were to get the 8 ohm cab (I'd like to add another cab in the future when I have some more money), would I still be able to use it as a standalone with the head?

[fdask]

Originally Posted by breakHARD77

Thanks for your insight. If I were to get the 8 ohm cab (I'd like to add another cab in the future when I have some more money), would I still be able to use it as a standalone with the head?

Definitely. The wattage will decrease a bit, but it's absolutely safe.

[breakHARD77]

Here's the end product of all my labors. Epifani PS600, Avatar B410 Neo, and Musicman Sterling SB14. Thanks for all your input, everyone!

[breakHARD77]

Originally Posted by breakHARD77

Here's the end product of all my labors. Epifani PS600, Avatar B410 Neo, and Musicman Sterling SB14. Thanks for all your input, everyone!

Oops, link didn't work. Should be good now.