What would you keep? Sell?

Pet Sounds · #1 12-11-2012, 02:45 PM

I’m looking for your advice. Here’s the situation.
Right now I have more amps and cabs than I’m using and am thinking about selling some of them and getting a lightweight amp for smaller gigs. I play ‘60s soul and American roots music, but no metal or anything super-heavy, so I don’t need a monster rig. We play everything from club gigs to large outdoor venues (usually with sound reinforcement).
I currently have a GK RB 700 head in a three-space rack, an Eden Highwayman and an Eden WT-400. My cabs are a Mesa Powerhouse 4x10 and 1x15, Eden D410XST and D210XST. I also have a little SWR practice amp for home use. Typically, I play out with the Mesa 4x10 and the GK head, but it’s a little bit of a handful.
I’m in my mid-50s and am looking to get a lighter rig so I don’t have so much to lug. I’m thinking of selling one of the 410s and maybe one of the smaller cabs and one or two of the heads, and buying either something like a Markbass 102P combo or a mini head like an Eden WTX500.
What would you do in this situation? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

bassophil · #2 12-11-2012, 02:50 PM

So you want to go with less weight and dont need all the options you got right now....if I was in your shoes I would sell all heads, 2 of the cabs (would keep 2 of the same brand) and get myself a class-D head. This would leave you with a choice for the cab (small and big) and you could get a head that is lightweight and yet delivers enough power for every possible situation.

Pilgrim · #3 12-11-2012, 02:56 PM

I went through this and went straight to Genz-Benz. Their Shuttle and Streamliner amps are extremely powerful and sound fantastic, and are featherweights. Their Neo cabs sound fantastic. I sold all of my stuff and went strictly lightweight.

I play the same kind of music you do, and I can play it all through a G-B Shuttle 6.0 docked on a 12T cab, and when I want to bring out the big sound I add a single Shuttle 210 cab. The Shuttle-12" cab combo is 32 pounds, the 210 cab is 36 pounds. It's extremely easy to transport and sounds huge. I play outdoor gigs with no sound reinforcement using this system.

will33 · #4 12-11-2012, 03:25 PM

I'd keep 2 amps, your main player and a backup (I'm an advocate for having a backup everything), or just the 2 that are most different from each other tonally, for variety.

The cabs.....hmm. If the 210 and Mesa 15 sound decent together (yes, I know about the matching speakers stuff), I'd keep those and ditch both 410's and the remaining 1 amp.

That much would lighten the load and still leave you with a loud enough rig for big stuff and a backup amp.

What I'd rather do, would be to sell the 210 as well and fund a Genz NeoX 212. That and either amp would handle any gig up to where everybody's in the PA and it'd cover the stage well in those cases. They are sort of inbetween vintage and modern voicing and can sound good in most any type of music, loud, and not heavy. I'd keep the Mesa 15 as a spare cab.

You'd basically be left with 2 amps and 2 cabs that could still cover most anything and would likely play just one of the cab 99% of the time.

I don't consider any of those amps heavy, the real backbreakers are the 410's, but, if there's funds left over for a micro amp....cool. If I could fund it and still keep the 3rd amp, I would....just because...I am a hoarder.

I'd start with the 410 sales, see what $$ that would net, and go from there. Stuff that says Mesa or Eden on it should bring a decent price.

Pet Sounds · #5 12-12-2012, 05:38 PM

Thanks for the good suggestions. Anybody else have advice? I'd like to get as much input as possible.

jlepre · #6 12-12-2012, 07:06 PM

I play very similar music, and the Genz STM-900 has been a perfect match for me. I paired it with a neo 15 cab, have a 2nd to add for larger stages or outdoor venues.

I have no experience with your current list of equipment, so whatever you keep, please give Genz a look/listen

bassgod0dmw · #7 12-12-2012, 07:17 PM

I was going to say to keep the 700 RB-II and the Mesa 410, but then you said it was a handful. So I'd probably sell all of it and grab a GK MB500 and whatever cab(s) you feel like lugging around.

I've been running a pair of Bag End S15D's for a while now with a GK head and they sound awesome. They are very compact for a 15, relatively light, and they are very efficient. They can also be found for cheap on the used market since they aren't the current flavor. It also gives you the option of modularity, bringing one fro smaller gigs. A GK 800RB into a pair of these was "the" club rig back in the 80's.

scottfeldstein · #8 12-12-2012, 08:16 PM

I'd sell every single one of those items and get either a Genz Streamliner, a GK MB500 or GK MB Fusion. Then I'd invest in the most vertically oriented set of drivers and cabs I could, never even considering anything heavier than a 212. Maybe just get a pair of 12s or 15s or 2x10s. I like GK. I've heard some really nice Aguilar 12s, too. Get a SansAmp or similar preamp DI for the odd emergency where you need to just go straight to PA 'cause your amp is dead/stolen/whatever.

If you play your cards right you'll end up with a great sounding rig for $1500 or less that weighs less than 70 lbs.

At the very least get rid of those 410s.

Everything I just wrote could be wrong and/or stupid. Your mileage may vary. See your doctor. Frequent heartburn may be a sign of a more serious problem. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. Etc.

two fingers · #9 12-12-2012, 08:22 PM

I'm with scott on the cabs. A couple of neo driver 2-10's would give you options (take one or two), light weight, and vertical height to get the sound up towards your head so you can hear (stacking them end to end). The head is all up to you. I'm a huge Mesa Walkabout fan for a warmer old-school tone with compact size and fairly light weight. You could do a lot worse than one of those and a couple 2-10s.

scottfeldstein · #10 12-12-2012, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by two fingers

I'm a huge Mesa Walkabout fan for a warmer old-school tone

Or Ampeg. They make some micro heads these days, too. I've never tried one, but a lot of guys here dig 'em.

jungleheat · #11 12-13-2012, 11:34 AM

Probably what I would do is sell ALL the cabs beside the Mesa 15 and get the matching 2x10. Or keep the Eden 2x10 and get a matching 15 (assuming it's 8 ohms) You seem to like the GK head the best, but it's also probably the heaviest right? So maybe a clean slate in terms of heads is in order, if weight savings is your prime concern. But yeah, like someone said, none of those heads is really that bad on weight. If you had a 90 pound all tube head that would be different.

From selling the other cabs and the heads, I'm guessing you can get between 1500 or so? Maybe keep the GK as a backup (definitely good to have a backup). And then go head shopping. There are a ton of options out there, you could either go all out and spend the proceeds of selling everything else, or be a bit more conservative and have a ton of money left over. People really like the GB heads, they're light, and not super expensive. Personally, in your situation, if I was trying to keep SOMETHING that I already had, I would go with the Eden 2x10/1x15 cabs, sell everything else, and then get an old school Trace head, and then something else a bit different as a backup/alternate choice.

phillybass101 · #12 12-13-2012, 01:16 PM

If you like the GK sound you should probably check out a GK Micro first and based on what you said probably the MB800. There are so many choices for cabs though. I'm running a Puma 500 head with an eden 2x12 but I have my eyes on either a tecamp m212 or a Glasstone lil g. The world is yours.