I tried a Hotone Thunder head into a 3/10 and then a 2/10 cab, very little sound, even in a quiet room. I returned it for a TC Bam 200 head.
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5w head + what cab for nice lows ?
- Thread starter Super_Knack
- Start date
Try this. You'll learn a lot about what your head will do by simply trying it out with multiple cabs. Right now you don't have enough information to make an informed decision.
Take that little head into a store and playaround with some cabs. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at how loud it will get. And you'll learn a little more about what you do and don't like in a cab.
ya that is the plan. Will compare my head with combos as well.
I don't understand the need to experiment with such low wattage. I'd get a combo that delivers at least 200 watts if I wanted to play with other people. You can always turn the volume down if its too loud, but you will be ready for any situation, and gigs, if you have some wattage to work with. Fender Rumble series I would recommend.
Right. And if you get something now that will be barely adequate for your current needs, I guarantee it won't be long before you discover that you need more and have to start over. I agree that you should look for something with about 200 watts into a 15" speaker or a pair of 10s.
If that is all that's available...I'd go with the Peavey.
STRONGLY recommend going with neither and getting something more substantial if at all possible. To echo what the others above me said, you'll quickly find this doesn't do the trick with acoustic drummers, live gigs, or inconsiderate guitarists. 100-200w into a 2x10s or larger would be my suggestion. Ideally a head + cab option so you have more versatility later on, if you still need more volume on occasion.
I'll also throw out that "Larger speaker" does not necessarily mean "more volume". The 2x10s (in general) will be a better bet than a 1x12 or 1x15 if we're talking volume.
I see your points. But....
1) He likes the sound of the thing. That's a big deal.
2) If he gets a gig-worthy cab now, he can always get a gig-worthy head later.
3) I was BLOWN AWAY when I learned that 30W was PLENTY to gig with (assuming a good cab). I did lots of gigs with an Ashdown LB30 into an Epifani UL410 or a Euphonic Audio VL210. I had volume for days. (These were pretty good gigs with a Nashville baby act, not just Stinky's Bar and Bait Shop.) So, depending on how his journey goes, that little 5W sucker might even get the job done. If he's playing with a mature guitar player and electric drums, the odds are even greater. We haven't even factored in whether an eventual band would go IEM anyway.
4) The journey itself is part of the fun, AND part of the learning process. He'll learn plenty by simply exploring his options. One of the reasons I want him to get into a store and simply "play around" with bass gear is that right now he has very little real-world data to compare to what he knows he likes at the moment. By messing around with several cabs he'll probably come up with as many questions as answers. That's a GOOD thing. Plus, he'll likely fire up a few amps while there. It's possible he could hear something he REALLY likes from a combo or a head. At that point it'll be "Never mind. THIS is what I want". (We've all been there as well. You head down one road thinking you know exactly where it leads. A sudden turn takes you in a completely different, but awesome, direction.
In short, there's no need to sweat the details until @Super_Knack gets to spend some time with some bass toys!
Have fun exploring. Come back and ask more questions as needed.
ok taking all this into consideration will 150W Peavey Max combo be enough if sound wise will suits me? Or should I buy 2x10 cab now and strong bass head later? Mobility is not an issue here.
Thats exactly what I should do - explore bass sound in real but I have very very limited options unfortunately. I am going to the shop soon but dont expect much. Will plug my "mighty" head into all bass cabs they have to check. I am big fan of exploring and having fun with the sound. Of course head + cab gives much more options and that would be absolutely best for me. Finance wise not so much
Low B on a budget means that you should not look at something with 1x12", 1x15" or 2x10" speakers and not go smaller. A very good 10" cab can do a low B, but the very good ones are expensive. The same goes for 8" and smaller.
The Fender Rumble 25 is not really a step up. The Rumble 40 is better, but the Rumble 100 is what can do the low B with authority and without breaking a sweat.
The Fender Rumble 25 is not really a step up. The Rumble 40 is better, but the Rumble 100 is what can do the low B with authority and without breaking a sweat.
JeezyMcNuggles
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Bring it in to the shop, and put it on the 610
I like the question, it's analogous to the QRP thing with radio, low power transmission being the emphasis.
@Wasnex and @johnh89 made posts that combine to give extremely good coverage of possible answers.
If you go for a large cab with high SPL, it's like doing QRP transmission with a large and efficient antenna, you'll get further than you might pushing more power into a small and inefficient antenna. A lot of old valve (tube) based systems had to do this because it was harder to get that many watts in the past, and easier to get larger speakers.
If your 5W amp is giving you enough of the tone you want via its preamp, then a clean Class D power amp is the way to increase your scope further, as inefficiency matters a lot less. If you want portability, this really is a good way to get it. It may even be worth customising your amp to get a dummy load and take a line level feed from a voltage divider to drive a power amp if that gets more of the original tone out of it. At 5W the parts size and cost may well be low enough to justify this.
EDIT:
Efficiency increase from Class D power amp will likely be greater than loss of efficiency driving a smaller cab, so it still gives you favourable odds.
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So follow this kind of logic Peavey 150 MAX will do nice lows
its available in my shop :Peavey MAX 150 150w Bass Amplifier
That might be a good option because it has a speaker out -- in the future if you need more volume you can buy a second cab to use with it.So follow this kind of logic Peavey 150 MAX will do nice lows
Peavey MAX 150 150w Bass Amplifier
Have you considered the local used market?
I have that amp here at the house. i bought it on a whim. I have played it through my TC RS2x10 as well as my Berg NV610. i would never consider the amp powerful enough to use in a live setting. I am having fun using it as a pre-amp into my various other amps, just to hear what it can do with more power.
If I were you, I would hit up your local used market, Facebook market place etc to find the best deal I can, given my budget.
Fishheadjoe
I have that amp here at the house. i bought it on a whim. I have played it through my TC RS2x10 as well as my Berg NV610. i would never consider the amp powerful enough to use in a live setting. I am having fun using it as a pre-amp into my various other amps, just to hear what it can do with more power.
If I were you, I would hit up your local used market, Facebook market place etc to find the best deal I can, given my budget.
Fishheadjoe
Hope I'm not way off "base" here, but I think you should look into a good starter combo. Sooner or later, most of us wan to apply our learned skills into a band setting. After all, that's where the real fun is! A great starter combo that will allow you to effectively play with many types of different band ensembles is the Rumble 500 2x10 combo. It's not terribly expensive and they are reliable. Later on down the road, if you wanted a little more oomph, you could add a Rumble 115 extension cab. Just my $0.02.
Fender Rumble 500 2x10" 500-watt Bass Combo Amp
Fender Rumble 500 2x10" 500-watt Bass Combo Amp
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@Wasnex already gave the right answer. In my sig you see I am in the small btube amp club. My THD Univalve sounds fuller running at 2 ohms using 2 112 EA 4 ohm cabs than the single 110 EA 4 phm cab. Gtanted my Univalve has highet wattage if I used bigger output tubes, 15 watts eith KT88, but I probably only got 10 watts eith 6L6.
My ecperience is not theoritical as I play my bass throigh this setup wuiet often. All my EA cabs are Whizzy transmisiion line and are efficient.
My AI doubleshot which are inefficient do npt work with my Univalve as well. Low volume
My ecperience is not theoritical as I play my bass throigh this setup wuiet often. All my EA cabs are Whizzy transmisiion line and are efficient.
My AI doubleshot which are inefficient do npt work with my Univalve as well. Low volume
