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Advise needed on high power head/cab

D

daratter

Jan 1, 2010
42
0
Atlanta, GA
#1
Hello All, its been ages since Ive been here but now I need some advice! I am looking for the best head/cab combo and or head/combo setup that will provide me versatility but also portability, descent clean lower sound for the B string and drop tuning, good powerful higher end for soloing, and enough power to punch through with some head room...ideas?:help:

Here's my situation: Ive been playing full time in a classic rock 'light' cover band playing in stnd tuning but recently have been asked to join an original progressive metal band playing in drop C#/G#. Im looking to either upgrade my current head or cab (or both) or look for a new setup to accommodate both these bands...Im not sure one exists but Id love to hear options.

Here's what I am playing on now: I have a Little Mark III head (500wRMS@4ohm/300xRMS@8ohm) on top of a Ampeg 410HLF (500xRMS@4ohm). I get an very even sound and it works for the classic rock band (Im only at 25-50% volume and fine) but lacks some in the low end, esp for the new metal project and am completely blasted away volume wise even with it maxed there. I have a Ampeg 810 cab (800w@4ohm) but its hell to drag out to gigs and practices so Ive not been really using it. I also have a Ampeg B5R (310wRMS@4ohm) but it lacks completely in both cases and I have a SWR Working Pro (400wRMS@8ohm) cab that givens me those nice mids but can't come close to cutting it for the lows or any drop frequencies.

Looking for: I want to stick with something the size of the 4x10 cabs for portability but need something that can carry good mids and high mids for the cover band but be able to deliver a clean loud lower end. Ive figured out that I need to go with at least something near 1000 watts for power in both the head and cab. Im thinking I may be able to keep the Ampeg 410 HLF and add a SVT115 for the lower end and upgrade the head to an Ampeg 4Pro but got mixed reviews for that model and concerned about the power handling/resistance once they are set in parallel. I want to keep the head as small but powerful as possible. Are there any stand alone single cab and then head combos that can cover all this or am I going to be relegated to having to get the lower end out of a separate sub cab?

Thanks for reading and commenting,
 
#3
Have you thought about GK stuff? Very bassy, very punchy. Very powerful. Very. The neo series has all this and is relatively light comparable to other 410's. I hate lugging around twice a week to different band practices but hey, it could be worse. My 410 neo and 1001 RB is plenty loud.
 
#4
Btw, you can get plenty low end out of just one cab in my opinion. Again, I can vouch for the GK brand. It's cause I own it and researched it a lot before and since I got it. I've heard really good things about the fEARful stuff as stated above though too. Just don't know much about it.
 
#5
gregmon79 said:
Have you thought about GK stuff? Very bassy, very punchy. Very powerful. Very. The neo series has all this and is relatively light comparable to other 410's. I hate lugging around twice a week to different band practices but hey, it could be worse. My 410 neo and 1001 RB is plenty loud.
Click to expand...

The Gk stuff is pretty sweet, but I dont think they make anything that goes lower than the 410HLF. Using that as the point of reference, the OP has limited options that will get him deeper, and louder.
 
#8
That SVT-410HLF is not the bottleneck in your rig. It will take about twice the power of that amp without issues. Mine plays noticably louder and fuller when powered by one side of a QSC PLX 1804 (900W) than by my LMII.

By the way. You might want to extend the bass ports at the bottom of the baffle to tune the cab deeper.
And that GK 410 neo does not hold a candle to the HLF if you look at deep, clean bass.
 
#9
The SVT410hlf is one of the deepest, bassiest cabs on the commercial market. Adding a 1x15 to it is a waste of time, as the diameter of a given spkr is not a good gauge of how "deep" it can get. So, that option is not a good one. I agree, the hlf is NOT the problem. You need more power, and ultimately, something that can push TWO of those 410hlf's. Either a preamp/poweramp, or even an SVT 4Pro or the like.
 
#10
RickenBoogie said:
The SVT410hlf is one of the deepest, bassiest cabs on the commercial market. Adding a 1x15 to it is a waste of time, as the diameter of a given spkr is not a good gauge of how "deep" it can get. So, that option is not a good one. I agree, the hlf is NOT the problem. You need more power, and ultimately, something that can push TWO of those 410hlf's. Either a preamp/poweramp, or even an SVT 4Pro or the like.
Click to expand...

Agreed. An amp that can run 2 ohms is going to be key here, and so are more speakers.

I'm using a Crest Prolite 2.0 (2000 watts bridged) into my Mesa PH412 and I have TONS of power on tap, I'm pretty sure with the pre of your choice and another 410HLF you'll be set.
 
#12
Thanks for the fast responses...lots to think about. On the GK note, Ive had a GK backline in the past and 'upgraded' to the neo but while it was bassier, it was not clean enough and seemed almost 'punchy' instead. After sinking quite a bit of $$$ in the brand at that pt, I was turned off from buying into it again. I do like the 'neutral' tonality of the ampegs so far and I want to try to stick with units that give as deep and clean sound as possible so if I stuck with ampeg, Im looking at a higher power head and an addition of a 2nd 410 HLF... and never thought about extending the bass ports...Is there nothing else out there to compare to in this level in the market? Im not specifically on a strict budget but want the best bang for the buck and Im at the stage where Im willing to invest in pro gear, I just don't see many options at this level.
 
#15
daratter said:
Thanks for the fast responses...lots to think about. On the GK note, Ive had a GK backline in the past and 'upgraded' to the neo but while it was bassier, it was not clean enough and seemed almost 'punchy' instead. After sinking quite a bit of $$$ in the brand at that pt, I was turned off from buying into it again. I do like the 'neutral' tonality of the ampegs so far and I want to try to stick with units that give as deep and clean sound as possible so if I stuck with ampeg, Im looking at a higher power head and an addition of a 2nd 410 HLF... and never thought about extending the bass ports...Is there nothing else out there to compare to in this level in the market? Im not specifically on a strict budget but want the best bang for the buck and Im at the stage where Im willing to invest in pro gear, I just don't see many options at this level.
Click to expand...
The big monkey wrench here is you fell in love with the 410hlf. There really is nothing to compare to it on the market. And it's a 4 ohm cab so it's really not expandable with a lot of micros. They can take some more power than the LMIII can give it, but not a whole lot more. Plus cabs that go low like that always take some more wattage to really kick in the ass, but it's not like you're not thrashing it already. It's rated at a very honest 500w, and it can actually take more than that since that's the fartout point and not when the woofers blow, so there is a little leeway to push it, but I wouldn't head too far north with the wattage unless you are able to keep yourself off the volume knob when it sounds like it's going to blow (HINT: it will).

On the bright side, an amp with more headroom will stay cleaner longer, and that just might be all you need. Micros aren't known for having lots of headroom, so it's not a bad idea to overbuy wattage with them just to have the headroom. But if you're looking to get plain stupid loud, you're likely looking at doubling up on your rig, or at least getting the 810e out. The price to pay for stupid loud is big.

Using "stupid loud" in the most positive sense of the word, but watch your hearing, bro. Tinnitus sucks.
 

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