2-10’s or 1-15

[Pulverizor]

GK gear can be rather 'hi-fi' and scooped in the mids style. How about a Markbass 210 combo or Rumble 200 combo?

 

[bass71]

Don't over think it.
Much of ur tone is in ur fingers and when u stand out in front of the band well, most of the time it'll sound like mush anyway.
The Rumbles are cheap and good and make a lot of noise for the money

 

[nilorius]

115

 

[TheBassPreacher]

Really you need to go play stuff and figure out what you like. 10's, 12's, 15's, 8's, or even 5's... even within those sizes they all sound different. Figure out if you want a more modern hi-fi sound or a older vintage style. Etc. etc. There's a lot out there.

Personally, I like 15's and how they sit in the mix for me but I know plenty of people who play 10s and plenty who play 12's as well.

 

[ScottTunes]

I prefer 15s, but I build a pair of 112s because they'll fit in my little car. I typically use only one cab. Drive one or both with a Quilter BB800. Sometimes using a Tech 21 VT Bass DI pedal for DI and recording, and a bit of OD. Simple, small and light, yet still loud enough with a band.

The closest cabs to mine are the Mesa Subway. If you can fit it in your car, I'd recommend starting with the 15" cab, and BB800 amp, and go from there.

IMO/YMMV as usual.

 

[Robscott]

From my research I am leaning towards GK..........torn between combo and head/cab. Do you know if I go head (GK 700rb) for now and get the speaker later can I use headphones to play in the mean time?

Best to check with GK if the head needs to see a load - some do, some don't. I would definitely go for separates - much easier to change up if you decide you want to change. A GK 115 Neo is plenty loud and quite mid voiced. It has an adjustable tweeter - you can dial it down if you want a mellower tone. Also light. A lot of people recommend GK212 Neo

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Not true. 1x15 has 12.5% more surface area than 2x10. So they are pretty much the same in terms of surface area.

Ha, yeah...115 has more surface area than 210s. Like I said

 

[MoeTown1986]

Pop, country, gospel.........clean lows......don’t like the bright harsh sound. $1,000 to $1,500

GK MB212. Works with just about any situation. Clean lows, loud, light, and in your budget. I’ve been gigging one for years between two bands and an acoustic act. Which is every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. With my cover band, I play 5 string active jazzes. With my country band I play 4 string passive P’s. With the acoustic act I play 4 string passive P’s, Jazzes, and a Epiphone Jack Casady. They all sound great through the GK.

 

[wizerd]

Fender Rumble based on your anticipated music styles. I'd suggest going full Monty and get the 500W version since it fits in your budget.
Happy playing

 

[bassliner50]

Can't go wrong with Fender Rumble. Rumble 200 or Rumble 500. If you can find one used, better still.

 

[mrjim123]

Whatever you do make sure you buy an 8 (not 4) ohm cab if your head is rated at 4 ohms minimum. That way you CAN add another 8 ohm cab in the future. If that doesn't make sense search for, say, "ohm ratings".

 

[daveman50]

115 versus 210 has basically nothing to do with comparing the area of a 15 inch circle with two 10 inch circles. Just sayin' -- there are threads explaining this.

 

[groove pump]

From my research I am leaning towards GK..........torn between combo and head/cab. Do you know if I go head (GK 700rb) for now and get the speaker later can I use headphones to play in the mean time?[/QUOTE

I've been more happy with a head/cab layout

No objection to GK. I've always thought of picking up one of their little 400rb heads and of course I just spotted the one I want... right in time for the holidays when I'm supposed to be shopping for everybody else.

My band recently got back together after hitting the pause button for a few years. There's a big combo in the basement where we get together, so I don't need to bring anything more than my bass when we practice. If I was regularly hauling my own practice rig though, I'm sure I'd consider a lightweight class D head (or that 400rb) that I could put in a bag or backpack and sling over my shoulder along with my bass in a gig bag. Then I'd have two hands to carry one of my cabs. The head I'm using now is an 800 watt beef box that weighs at least 30 lbs.

I have a pair of 2x10's that can make a LOT of sound if I use them together, but I can also use only one if I don't need a big rig. Even when practicing at home, the footprint of a 2x10 cab up on end can be pretty small and my car can also hold these two cabs fine. Not the case with a 4x10.

If you want the headphone option for quiet practice, there are lots of affordable gizmos that will let you do that even if the 700rb doesn't have a headphone jack. I used to have fun on the headphones with a little Zoom multi thingy that had lots of sounds and a tuner, it could play anywhere on AA batteries, and I think it cost me about $40.

 

[Jason Hollar]

To the OP - I play a GK700rb into an SWR 210 with updated drivers.

This rig was sick with my active 5’er. Now that I’m playing passive Fenders, I’m missing something in terms of the fundamental so I’m looking for a 15 - most likely the new Mesa Subway.

I know guys say the difference is negligible, but there’s something about that 15 bump that makes it all seem so much more worth it - lol -

 

[CaseyVancouver]

getting my 1969 Fender P-bass out after all of these years. Need to purchase an amp.........need some guidance. Manufacture, combo or head and cab, size........wow, been surfing up and down the internet and am overwhelmed............could somebody give me some direction as to which way to go. Don’t want to go overboard, but don’t want to paint myself into a corner and not have future options.........won’t be playing at Carnegie Hall any time soon but want some good thumpin sound! Thank everyone for your input

The volume you need will be determined by the drummers you play with and the size of venues. I suggest you keep an open mind and try a number of amps, preferably renting them. You can't tell in a store what an amp will be like on a gig. It's a great time to explore amps for a bass player, they have come a long way since 1969.

By the way, I have 5 amps but still use my old Ampeg fliptop tube amp/15" for some of my gigs. It gets more positive comments than anything new.

 

[Orpheus55]

Avatar makes great cabs, and they're very reasonable used. I have a 115 and a 112 and they're workhorses and not heavy

 

[FuturePrimitive]

I had a Markbass LMIII and NY151 rig that was pretty damn stout for it's size and portability. BUT, I just switched from a traditional pedal board/head/cab set up to a Helix and a K10.2 PA cab and I'm loving it, the k10.2 impresses me more and more every time I play it. My drummer was dumbfounded, couldn't believe the little cab was keeping up (without even pushing it really).

EDIT: Forgot to make my point. Size of speaker matters a lot less to it's sound than people think. That little 10.2 sounds better and fuller than my old 115 set up.

 

[Thumper]

Without front of house support I use an Audiokinesis 115, with FOH (subs) I use a Markbass 210 CMD, because the 115 can get a little hard to tame with subs.

 

[GoLeafsGo]

I no expert on amps and cabs but have played through a hell of a lot of amps/cabs.
Currently I use Ampeg PF500 amp and a 1x15 Ampeg Cab for small to medium gigs.
It's designed for maximum performance with 2 cabs. I rarely get to use both my 1x15 and 2x10 cabs together.
Whenever we have an outdoor gig or large hall I use both cabs and the difference is night and day.
The 500 watt PF only puts out 350 watts with one cab but the full 500 with two cabs.
And it's a wonderful feeling playing with the full 500 watts and probably even better with the PF 800.
The tone is much fuller, the lows and highs more distinct and the cleanest growl ever.
Unfortunately playing in small clubs and trying to use 2 cabs is not the same. Volume has to be much lower so you lose the fuller highs and lows. Not to mention one more thing to bring to a show.

PF 500 Amp with 1x15 cab & 2x10 cab. Make sure you are wearing a belt on your pants or it will blow them right off your bum if you dial in the volume and gain past 8
View attachment 3250917

I have the same rig, and you, sir, are correct! While it does sound great with just the 115, adding the 210 on top just puts it over the top. And try it with an SCR/DI in the path, makes a good thing even better!

 

[Fumble Fingers]

As others have said....the size of the speaker means nothing. NOTHING in terms of tone.

A few things to consider:

1. Moving air is the end goal. It's a fact that two tens will move more air than a single 15.
2. A bigger cone size does not equal "bassier" or "deeper" tone. As a matter of fact, quite the opposite can be true. Many cheaper 15" and 18" speakers are generally far less efficient simply due to the physical limitations of current voice coil technology.
3. Cabinet design, speaker sensitivity, floor/wall coupling, and other factors will contribute far more to the over tone and loudness than speaker size.
4. Consider a modular rig where you can add more speakers as necessary. For many that means a head and vertically stacking 2x10 or 4x10 cabinets. Personally, I use a Markbass 102P combo for small gigs (or go direct to FOH) and add a second 2x10 or 4x10 cabinet as needed for larger venues or outdoor gigs.

If going solid state, I personally would not consider a head that was rated at less than 300 watts into 8 ohms. Additionally, getting a head that will operate down to 2 ohms will be far more useful than most other features.

Most importantly, play as many head/speaker combos possible before choosing a solution. Visit your local Guitar Center or Music Go Round and spend the day in there plugging into everything you can. Crank it up to gig volume when testing. Low volume testing won't really help you see how the rig performs.

Finally, try not to purchase any equipment online unless you have plugged into the same model in person.

Edit: For my sucky grammar.