I agree. Peavey is a bit under rated. A 410TVX will be cheap, used, and although heavy, will kick butt. Avoid Behringer, and I also don't like the Hartke VX stuff. Cheap, and that's how they sound. In summary. Peavey
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410s What to Avoid?
- Thread starter Chainsaw Willie
- Start date
I agree. Peavey is a bit under rated. A 410TVX will be cheap, used, and although heavy, will kick butt. Avoid Behringer, and I also don't like the Hartke VX stuff. Cheap, and that's how they sound. In summary. Peavey
agree with avoiding behringer, i paid 400 dollars for a new 400w setup, TERRIBLE mistake. Its buzzed since the first month i got it and now i am trying to pawn it off on craigslist, ebay, or a foolish guitarcenter. I'd be happy to get 100 dollars for this setup now, a real real real bad investment. (shouldn't have bought used in the first place, i know.... i dont anymore)
Hopkins
Commercial User
I'm 99% sure that the GC Acoustic brand and the old Acoustic stuff have absolutely nothing in common besides the name. Some of the Acoustic heads are just rebranded Kustom stuff.
My opinion on the GC Acoustic stuff has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that GC sells them. It has everything to do with the fact that their speakers suck. I had speakers blow on two of their 410s and a 100w combo. None of these were pushed hard, In fact one of the 410 speakers blew practicing in my apartment. Also they are made of cheap particle board (not as good as MDF) which makes them weak and heavy, and they don't hold screws very well.
Sorry, but....."not as good as MDF"??? Anything less than plywood is just cheap crap, IMO. No offense intended.
Hopkins
Commercial User
Yeah, that's kind of the point I was trying to make. MDF is bad but a cab made out of the same stuff as a $50 computer desk at Walmart is worse
For the money, I would be looking for a Peavey 410 or 412. Good sound and built like a tank. You won't be sorry.
On GC used site they had a GK MBX 410 for a 180 dollars. This is a huge stepup from the backline series.
I have to respectfully disagree. The heads are not rebranded kustom( I think one of the smallest amp combo was a custom, if ya read thru the unofficial acustic forum and the acoustic club threads you will find out more info), pretty sure about that. Unless I misread, on both t"acoustic club threads and the unofficial acoustic amp forum the GC acoustic is designed by the acoustic guys but made in China. I mean no offense when I say this but I think the OP needs to go try them for himself and make his descision, maybe he will agree with you or will like'em. I love my acoustic B450!!!!! I have owned Ampeg and other brands!! Hopkins, I mean no disrespect. Just difference of opions. I find guys like the Owl and surferjoe pretty knowlegable on the acoustic brand. Besides the OP was looking for inexpensive and these carry a three year warranty.
I agree on the post of the Peavey cabs, have owned a Peavey 410 in the past and it was a great cab!! Try the acoustic though, you never know you may like it!!
Hopkins
Commercial User
Compare these two heads. The Acoustic B200H has the exact same circuitry as the Kustom DE200HD. They are the same head with a different case. I have a DE200HD and have been able to compare it side by side with the B200H. They are the exact same amp. I don't find it at all surprising that GC would do this. It seems that having the factory that makes the custom stuff, make your stuff in a different case would save a bunch of money compared to creating a completely new product.
I'm not sure if their cabs are the same or not.
The Acoustic USA guys are in no way affiliated with the the GC Acoustic brand. The Acoustic USA stuff is hand made, high end, high dollar gear. The GC Acoustic stuff is made in a factory by under paid workers in some Asian country.
For the record, I had no problem with the sound of the Acoustic stuff, it was the quality that was unacceptable to me. This only applies to their speakers, I have no problems with their heads. I have an DE200HD I keep at one of my band members house for practice, It sounds pretty good for what it is.
Thankfully the GC Acoustic isn't made or marketed by the new US company. They'd be yards of money and you'd have to have them custom built and wait for them.
Either way - the Acoustic gear is not the same as either the newest bistro-line nor the older Acoustic of years past.
The B-450/B-600H is NOT a Kustom amp. I am also sure that all but the B-260, which isn't anything I recognize either, Kustom or otherwise.
I've had both Kustoms and Acoustics apart for one reason of another and I don't find a lot of similarities, except for they all plug into a wall and produce sound. The circuit boards are yards apart, and unfortunately since the all live in boxes that are approximately the same size and in some cases, they are not the same.
Now - and this I am not sure of - I also do not know if the Kustom gear is made on the same assembly line or not - but they are not the same gear.
MDF has had it's detractors over time, and unless one is playing in the Shamu tank at Sea World, I don't think there's any worry about them melting.
I actually like the density and acoustic properties of a heavier and more dense cab/case, as I feel it has less colorization of the output sound. There's no case-ringing, no echoes and no dead zones for tone reproduction as a harder and less dense material might have.
So - what's the problem? I admit that the grill cloth is rather precious and leaves a little to be desired for robustness, but that's easily fixable with new and heavier cloth.
The hardware is tough and so far has not failed nor fallen off, nor have any screws fallen out of the so-called lesser MDF material.
The drivers are all Nut-Sert'd into the front face and they are NOT just drywall screws like a few other cabs.
The amps are clear, powerful and noiseless. They don't overheat, and in fact they have three-speed cooling fans inside the cabs. They run all the time in LOW mode and speed up as the heat increases.
I run at 2.67 Ohms all the time, pushing 14-10" drivers and have not had any failures or problems to date.
If you don't like Acoustic, so be it - but don't spew poison into the waters all around you to other people. .
Either way - the Acoustic gear is not the same as either the newest bistro-line nor the older Acoustic of years past.
The B-450/B-600H is NOT a Kustom amp. I am also sure that all but the B-260, which isn't anything I recognize either, Kustom or otherwise.
I've had both Kustoms and Acoustics apart for one reason of another and I don't find a lot of similarities, except for they all plug into a wall and produce sound. The circuit boards are yards apart, and unfortunately since the all live in boxes that are approximately the same size and in some cases, they are not the same.
Now - and this I am not sure of - I also do not know if the Kustom gear is made on the same assembly line or not - but they are not the same gear.
MDF has had it's detractors over time, and unless one is playing in the Shamu tank at Sea World, I don't think there's any worry about them melting.
I actually like the density and acoustic properties of a heavier and more dense cab/case, as I feel it has less colorization of the output sound. There's no case-ringing, no echoes and no dead zones for tone reproduction as a harder and less dense material might have.
So - what's the problem? I admit that the grill cloth is rather precious and leaves a little to be desired for robustness, but that's easily fixable with new and heavier cloth.
The hardware is tough and so far has not failed nor fallen off, nor have any screws fallen out of the so-called lesser MDF material.
The drivers are all Nut-Sert'd into the front face and they are NOT just drywall screws like a few other cabs.
The amps are clear, powerful and noiseless. They don't overheat, and in fact they have three-speed cooling fans inside the cabs. They run all the time in LOW mode and speed up as the heat increases.
I run at 2.67 Ohms all the time, pushing 14-10" drivers and have not had any failures or problems to date.
If you don't like Acoustic, so be it - but don't spew poison into the waters all around you to other people. .
Hopkins
Commercial User
Ive never said anything negative about Acoustic Cabs that I didn't have a problem with personally. Like I said I had driver problems on two different B410s one at stage volume during sound check and the second one was at home in my apartment at low level (the second one was never pushed to any real volume). The driver on a B100 combo I had didn't really blow but if it was pushed at all it got really farty. I did have a screw rattle out on one on the first B410 I had. If sharing a personal experience is spewing poison, I will kindly just butt out in the future.
As far as the Acoustic/Kustom thing. The two I have had a chance to compare side by side were a B200H and an DE200HD. They are identical other than the DI out being on the front on the Kustom and back of the Acoustic. I didn't pull them apart but I did compare them side by side with the same cab and they sounded exactly the same. I am not saying that every Acoustic head is a re branded Kustom but, I'm 90% sure that those two are the same.
which is why it's good for things like studio monitors, where you want no resonant "character" from the cab at all, and (more to the point) they don't get routinely dead-lifted and thrown in the back of the van.
OK - fair enough.
Your B-410 problem MIGHT have been the damned poor spade connectors on the driver lugs though.
It will SOUND like you've blown a driver, but it's just a loose connection, that's all.
Been there - thought the same as you - and fixed it myself. The drivers themselves are pretty stout and they have taken some serious pushing and bounced back very well.
I have to fill some 40 acre BBQs and barn dances and I crank the Holy Poo outta them and they work just fine.
The B-115 isn't my favorite for a max'd out venue though - even in multiples, as I think 15s would be hurt more easily in those conditions. But as a single and a B-200H pushing it in a Jazz and Cheese/Wine Tasting venue, just fine. I still have and use my B-115, and it's nice to have but not for huge venues.
All in all, the Acoustic gear has performed well and doesn't owe me a penny.
Your B-410 problem MIGHT have been the damned poor spade connectors on the driver lugs though.
It will SOUND like you've blown a driver, but it's just a loose connection, that's all.
Been there - thought the same as you - and fixed it myself. The drivers themselves are pretty stout and they have taken some serious pushing and bounced back very well.
I have to fill some 40 acre BBQs and barn dances and I crank the Holy Poo outta them and they work just fine.
The B-115 isn't my favorite for a max'd out venue though - even in multiples, as I think 15s would be hurt more easily in those conditions. But as a single and a B-200H pushing it in a Jazz and Cheese/Wine Tasting venue, just fine. I still have and use my B-115, and it's nice to have but not for huge venues.
All in all, the Acoustic gear has performed well and doesn't owe me a penny.
Sorry, I'm gonna have to razz on the low-end GK stuff. It sounds OK, but the GLX series weighs a FREAKIN METRIC TON. The backline stuff is pretty lackluster when it comes to tone and such. Behringer is junk and that goes without saying.
I have to be honest though, I played through an Acoustic 4x10 not long ago and I actually liked it a lot. Hartke makes good stuff as well. I haven't played the cab specifically, but I hear good things about the new Fender Rumble cabs...and they make a 4x10.
I have to be honest though, I played through an Acoustic 4x10 not long ago and I actually liked it a lot. Hartke makes good stuff as well. I haven't played the cab specifically, but I hear good things about the new Fender Rumble cabs...and they make a 4x10.
What problem do you have with the transporter series? I've been using my 4x10 transporter series for about 10 years and I have had absolutley no problem with it at all and it still sounds great despite constant abuse. Guys I know that have used XL cabs comment on how good it sounds after all these years. Not a big fan of the carpeting on it, but that is not that big of a deal.
I got a Peavey 410 TVX off craigslist for $175 to use at my church. Sounds great but weight almost 100 lbs. Fortunately I don't have to move it at all. We have a medium sized church with excellent acoustics so this 410 isn't really taxed heavily and it's easy to rattle the stained glass windows with it.
I drive it with an old Peavey Mark VIII bass head which is also built like tank.
I drive it with an old Peavey Mark VIII bass head which is also built like tank.
Just restating how awful Behringer is (because it's hilarious), my buddy picked up a behringer combo. Plugged in and hit one note before the front grill fell off and his input jack caved inside. I thought I was going die from lack of oxygen due to laughing that day.. Yeah, avoid them at all costs
My two Hartke 410XLs from 1988 still work great, and, if the OP could find one used (heck, I'd sell one to him for $200, but I don't think he wants to drive to Boston), it'd be a good option. A 410XL is 88lbs., but I've never had a problem with it due to decent handle placement. The Peavey combo I had for several years was nice, too. Used 1985 Roland BN60? Not a good idea.
Oh, and the "can you stretch to $400?" post had me ROTFL. I remember my poor days--why the heck do you think I bought a Roland BN60 and nursed it??
