Advice for building a low budget halfstack for small gigs

[ryanleh.ob]

Hi, I've been playing bass for about 2 years now with a very cheap setup.... Squier Vintage Jazz Bass and an Ampeg 108 combo amp (I borrow a friend's Ashdown for gigs). I don't want to keep having to borrow my friends amp and I want a crisper tone (his amp is a 1x15"). So what I'm looking for is a 2x10" halfstack at preferably around $600-800 total. I don't need something incredibly powerful.... in general the biggest gigs I'm playing are around 150-200 people; so anything 250-400 watts should be fine. I know a question like this comes down to a lot opinions but I think its a smart idea to see what has worked for other people.

 

[1stnamebassist]

Check out the excellent Carvin MB2/10. You can get that amp plus another matching Carvin 2/10 cab for about
600.00. I have the same amp with the 15" speaker and Carvin 15" ext cab and it makes a great little stack.
250 watts weighs about 30 lbs plus 30 for the extension, lots of great eq, especially with the low and high mids
got a line out for the pa. I think from what I have been reading, but have no experience with, is that the new Fender Rumbles are a pretty nice option. The 500 watt 2/10 rumble gets great reviews and you can expand it with another speaker cab. I think that may be my next amp if I like what I hear when I finally get around to trying it.

 

[moody]

2 x 10 will not necessarily mean crisper than 1 x 15.

The only thing that speaker diameter tells you is how big a hole they will fit in.

 

[Gearhead17]

What does your local craigslist have for sale? I suggest going used and stretching your dollar further rather than buying new. A decent 410 and at least 350 watts is going to make your gigging days MUCH easier. Two identical 210's is also a great idea. I have had better luck with more bass cabs than not enough.

 

[Linnin]

Piece of cake! Fender Rumble 500 2x10 combo for $550 shipped from the e-tailer of your choice.

 

[nicksmurf111]

Old Pevey stuff is cheep on Craigslist. I just picked up an unloaded 2x15 for $25, and I already had the speakers. I've been looking for an amp head within driving distance. Got a tuner and a broken rack for $30, and a like-new Furman for $40. Just hit up Craigslist until you find what you are looking for.

 

[johnpbass]

If you like the Ampeg tone, maybe go PF350 and PF210HE cabinet.

 

[RoadRanger]

First off, if you go round calling a 2x10 a half stack folks will point and laugh . For $800 you could get a Aguilar TH-350 and a Ampeg SVT210AV. Get another SVT210AV someday for upgrading your eighth stack to a quarter stack (the original full stack was an SVT head and TWO 8x10's). For $1000 you could move up to a better 2x10 like a RevSound which has the output of two of the SVT210AV's at about the same weight .

 

[40Hz]

An old (discontinued) SWR Goliath Junior II/III (2x10 / 4 ohms / 350 watts) may be the ticket if you want very clear, clean and punchy. It includes an HF driver so you can dial in the degree of sizzle you prefer. (I myself leave it off.)

They're built like tanks and can be picked up very inexpensively if you're patient and willing to shop around. I've gigged small venues (i.e. house concerts, receptions, 100-150 person private parties, coffee houses, etc.) with my Golly-II plus a 400W head and it worked out just fine. Plenty of bass to go around.

 

[johnpbass]

First off, if you go round calling a 2x10 a half stack folks will point and laugh . For $800 you could get a Aguilar TH-350 and a Ampeg SVT210AV. Get another SVT210AV someday for upgrading your quarter stack to a half stack . For $1000 you could move up to a better 2x10 like a RevSound which has the output of two of the SVT210AV's at about the same weight .

TH350 and 210AV is another great option, IMO. Also gives you the ability to add a second 210AV later!

 

[RoadRanger]

TH350 and 210AV is another great option, IMO. Also gives you the ability to add a second 210AV later!

Basically my #1 rig at the moment - although my 4 ohm GK 212MBE cab at only 34 lbs gets the bigger gigs or when I'm supplying backline (or feelin' like I don't want to rely on the PA ). Couple weekends ago I was outside the venue at an all weekend multiband festival one of my bands was hosting wondering why the soundguy had the bass up so high and went in to check out the board - the bass channel was off . With a 600w cab and a 350w head I didn't have to worry about anybody blowing it up and it sounded bloody awesome .

Half the fun on TB is snickering at the "why did my cab fart-out/blow-up, I only had it overpowered by 2x" threads .

 

[Bikes_n_Bass]

+1 Fender Rumble 500 2x10 Combo. You can add a second cabinet (commonly another 2x10 or 1x15) later on with ease. These sound amazing and the price point is fantastic at $550 street value. I am really impressed with Fender amps lately. The Fender Rumble series of amps has been so popular lately that many retailers are having a hard time keeping them in stock.

 

[Chris 'Wighat' Jordan]

Your average mainstream 210 isn't going to get you very far. Might as well get a proper rig. 410 probably. Maybe a 212 or 115 if they were really high-performance. I would also kindly recommend you stop using the term "stack" in any context.

 

[Luke19Boarder]

First off, if you go round calling a 2x10 a half stack folks will point and laugh . For $800 you could get a Aguilar TH-350 and a Ampeg SVT210AV. Get another SVT210AV someday for upgrading your eighth stack to a quarter stack (the original full stack was an SVT head and TWO 8x10's). For $1000 you could move up to a better 2x10 like a RevSound which has the output of two of the SVT210AV's at about the same weight .

If you go used, something like that can definitely fit in your budget. My current setup is a Carvin BX500 and a RevSound 2x10. The amp was from here, and the cab was on Craigslist - got both for under $600 total.

 

[shawshank72]

Piece of cake! Fender Rumble 500 2x10 combo for $550 shipped from the e-tailer of your choice.

Exactly what he said.

 

[SteveHeissner]

Just to confuse things a bit more, a 212 (something like a GK NEO 212 or Avatar 212 NEO) can give you a lot of tone and volume in a relatively small footprint. Go used of course.

 

[bolophonic]

I'd start with a used GK head and a 4 x 10" cab like an SWR Goliath or something.

 

[InhumanResource]

The 210 makes me a little nervous, you might end up wanting more regardless of the wattage you want to use. The sealed ampeg 410he gets plenty loud and can be had for $250-$350 on CL in my area. I'm actually looking for another as soon as I sell my old/retired head and cab.

 

[Eminor3rd]

Honestly, my advice is just to look for the best deals used. It sounds like TONS of stuff will work for you, so I'd just try to squeeze the best quality you can out of your budget. Browse those classifieds.

 

[4andnomore]

Typically, best bang of the buck is a used 410. That being said I'd try and hunt down a used bag end 115.