Another advice thread....

[kikstand454]

Alright, so this is kind of your typical amp advice thread, but I've noticed a large portion of similar threads were outdated so I'm trying to get some up to the minute advice here.

I currently play rock/classic rock covers in a three piece bar band. We play alot of back patio type shows outside. My current rig is: acoustic b200h- hartke410xl- seismic 15.
Its fine. Sounds OK. Never have to push it past 11oclock, even if I'm not in the mains.
the hartke xl is however becoming a thorn in my side because of size and weight. Neither of my vehicles can carry both cabs and so someone is always stuck carrying one....usually the lighter 15 of course. The 15 is not enough to do a show on its own ( its a cheap 15...its not efficient enough honestly to be loud enough), but it DOES add a noticeable fullness to the 410 alone.

Point being.....I'm looking to downsize/ upgrade.

I'm GASing for a high efficency 212 and a rh450.
I would do just fine with the same cabinet and a solid class d amp (mb500.....or even 200 as that's the power I have now...)
But I've also been looking at the TC bg250 that's on sale at GC for 300bucks.
if I got this, ran in to my other 15 (or better yet, upgraded that 15) ..... I would have money left over for a G50 wireless.

So my situation in a nut shell.... three piece rock band, pa support out front (not good monitors though) , sometimes have to carry with no pa, need lighter equip.
budget < $1k

The only reason I'm asking this now....and not when income tax comes around, when I actually have a grand..... is the bg250. I'm afraid that if this is a viable option for me, I'm going to miss out on the deal. Should I go that route, or wait till Feb and see if I can get a cab and head with enough left over for a wireless?


EDIT: we are a responsible band volume wise. Drummer is solid but not overbearing, guitarist is reserved. We like to be loud enough to know there's a band, but quiet enough to be able to chat a lady up while dancing with her.

 

[Right_Butterscotch64]

Try the 410 solo without the 15. You will be able to go louder

I'd get a hartke Lh500 used 200-250$

And for a cab I'd get either a hydrive 410 or an ampeg 410he

 

[kikstand454]

Try the 410 solo without the 15. You will be able to go louder

I'd get a hartke Lh500 used 200-250$

And for a cab I'd get either a hydrive 410 or an ampeg 410he

Yes, all great suggestions, but I'm trying to do away with the 410 altogether. I ran the 410 alone for many years, and its fine....but the 15 adds some roundness(?) That is missing. I don't need to go louder.....I rarely if ever have to go above 10oclock on my 200w amp.
I ran the hartke lh500 for a number of years and never had it past 3/10. It sounded great...but it was stolen. I went down to 200watts after realizing 500 (with my 410xl) was overkill.
Looking to go smaller/lighter w/same volume.

My hartke 410xl is 88lbs.
The hydrive is 68lbs
The ampeg is 91(!) Lbs.

 

[stonewall]

i play classic rock too i do have a more powerful amp but have no problems cutting any show with my single 15 and a 300 watt head with the assistance of the PA.

 

[B-string]

Light cab G-K NEO212 II, the wife can carry easily by herself. It's always fun to watch people lift that cab after hearing it, they can't believe that much good bass came out of a cab that light. I would place bets that the 2 lb MB200 with that cab would easily cover your needs (52 lbs total). From Sweetwater or RMCAudio if you are in the US with a call for pricing you should be easily under $1000.

The RH450 and BG250 will be about the same real power with different feature sets (about the same as the MB200 will give you without the bells, whistles and power compression routines). IMO

 

[kikstand454]

I have for sure been looking at the gk212 line. Found one marked $296 at GC and got REAL excited about it. Plugged in a 5 and hit a B and blaaahhhhh...... speakers are blown. I cut the bass back and all the mids back and same thing. I found the lowest note it would hold and cranked it up to about 11oclock.....man that thing was loud! Got me pretty excited about looking into the gk combo.......but then i played the little TC bg250 and started thinking I could slave a 15 with that and come out ahead on money........
That's where I'm at now.

 

[B-string]

I have for sure been looking at the gk212 line. Found one marked $296 at GC and got REAL excited about it. Plugged in a 5 and hit a B and blaaahhhhh...... speakers are blown. I cut the bass back and all the mids back and same thing. I found the lowest note it would hold and cranked it up to about 11oclock.....man that thing was loud! Got me pretty excited about looking into the gk combo.......but then i played the little TC bg250 and started thinking I could slave a 15 with that and come out ahead on money........
That's where I'm at now.

I play only a 5 string, don't think I have touched my 4 string except for occasional home practice to see if it was still functional. My gig rig is either the NEO212 II or the NEO412 (I) and NO trouble moving walls with the low B. Sounds like either that cab was damaged or it was an old guitar cab Yes G-K used to have a large guitar amp line.

 

[RickenBoogie]

You can't "slave" another cab unless you also have a 2nd poweramp.

 

[kikstand454]

You can't "slave" another cab unless you also have a 2nd poweramp.

Fair enough.....I mispoke. If if were to possibly get the bg250, I could run an extension 15 with it. ( the 15 I have....or a much better one preferably) .

This would give me 2- 15" at 4ohm's. (Roughly 250 watts) I do not know if this would make up the db difference of my current rig, as I have never ran two 15s. Hence this thread.

 

[kikstand454]

I play only a 5 string, don't think I have touched my 4 string except for occasional home practice to see if it was still functional. My gig rig is either the NEO212 II or the NEO412 (I) and NO trouble moving walls with the low B. Sounds like either that cab was damaged or it was an old guitar cab Yes G-K used to have a large guitar amp line.

I also only play 5.
It was a gk212 combo. The older style with the silver grill. I'm 99.9% sure the speakers were blown, that's why they had it for less than 3hundred dollars.
believe me.....when I saw that price I immediately plugged it in......only to be disappointed. Lol. That thing was about to come home with me.

 

[AdamR]

If I were to play in a cover band again I would be looking at the Ampeh PF series and a PF115 or 410 cab.

 

[B-string]

Fair enough.....I mispoke. If if were to possibly get the bg250, I could run an extension 15 with it. ( the 15 I have....or a much better one preferably) .

This would give me 2- 15" at 4ohm's. (Roughly 250 watts) I do not know if this would make up the db difference of my current rig, as I have never ran two 15s. Hence this thread.

If you get any of the BG250 combos they will not drive an extension speaker.

 

[RickenBoogie]

Fair enough.....I mispoke. If if were to possibly get the bg250, I could run an extension 15 with it. ( the 15 I have....or a much better one preferably) .

This would give me 2- 15" at 4ohm's. (Roughly 250 watts) I do not know if this would make up the db difference of my current rig, as I have never ran two 15s. Hence this thread.

Right, like I said earlier, that will not be possible unless you run from the BG250's Line Out into another poweramp. These combo's do not have an ext spkr jack, and unfortunately, MOST inexpensive bass combo's don't. The internal spkr is already running at the amp's minimum impedance.

 

[rberry7777]

Get an gallien kruger 2-12 combo and start enjoying life

 

[kikstand454]

Right, like I said earlier, that will not be possible unless you run from the BG250's Line Out into another poweramp. These combo's do not have an ext spkr jack, and unfortunately, MOST inexpensive bass combo's don't. The internal spkr is already running at the amp's minimum impedance.

Gotcha. Was not aware of that. Pretty much solves THAT problem.

 

[kikstand454]

Get an gallien kruger 2-12 combo and start enjoying life

I'm sure leaning that way.........

Like i said though.......kinda being swayed by a 212 ( neox, avatar, gk,others...) and a head (rh450, or MB series....)

Eh.....guess like I said....it doesnt matter right now, as I won't have the money for those items till tax time.

Really was just wondering about the bg250 I guess.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I'm a ampeg classic cab guy. Played a ampeg 810e all the way through my 20s. When i turned 30 we all decided to downsize and after trying a bunch of cabs i ended up with an ampeg 410he. Ironically i do not like ampeg amplifiers (with the exception of the all tube monsters that suck to pick up) amp wise i use a tech 21 sans amp RBI and a power amp.

Very good sounding cost effective rig.

I had a Hartke 3500 and 410xl at one point. It was ok, but
I really think the shady side of Hartke is that most of the popular players that use Hartke in fact only use it as a stage monitor. Most of the big endorsers (I'm not gonna name any names) run a DI. Often something like an Avalon tube DI or ebs micro bass.

I got my sans amp after playing tons of shows opening for signed touring bands and noticing while a lot guys had ampeg gear, swr, eden, or even GK gear the tone that actually went to the PA was almost always in fact a sans amp. Most of the time the sans amp was run into the power amp in on an ampeg svt4 or ampeg b4r, other times it was run parallel to thier rig.

 

[kikstand454]

It is definitely an option to look into.
I had a sansamp (not sure which one) for a while but didn't use it much. Traded it off ....

My only reservation with this is we don't have proper monitors to have bass in them on stage. Believe me....if we had the correct monitors....or better yet IEM, I'd show up with nothing more than a bass and a sansamp! But we don't. And we probably won't. So I would have to run it into a poweramp and into some sort of speaker for stage monitoring......which kinda brings me back to the same problem! Lol.

 

[edencab]

I'm sure leaning that way.........

Like i said though.......kinda being swayed by a 212 ( neox, avatar, gk,others...) and a head (rh450, or MB series....)

Eh.....guess like I said....it doesnt matter right now, as I won't have the money for those items till tax time.

Really was just wondering about the bg250 I guess.

look at the GK MB210...350W @ 8 ohms on its own , but it is the only one in their line that supports an ex. speaker ...add any other another 8ohm cab and you get 500 W.....can't be much that set up won't cover
the combo on its own is killer

 

[kikstand454]

look at the GK MB210...350W @ 8 ohms on its own , but it is the only one in their line that supports an ex. speaker ...add any other another 8ohm cab and you get 500 W.....can't be much that set up won't cover
the combo on its own is killer

Definitely thought about it......i read the entire gk combo megathread! Will the 210 have enough? We're a three price and I carry the band when the solos start....

In a GK situation- would I be better off getting the 210 with the option (possible NEED) for another cab, or do the 212 and be done with it (hopefully)?

These are the decisions I'm facing.
then there's all the high end cabs I see on the classifieds going for cheap/reasonable........

Ahhhhhh!