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At what point should you stop buying combos?

#61
If I am in a band where the guitar players has a four 12 cabinet and the drums are loud on stage, then you need and want a four 10 cabinet so you can hear yourself better.

For those who don't like larger combo amps that are so heavy, the separate option can be a better choice. Carvin and many other company's heavy light heads and four 10 cabinets that are under 78 pounds.

For those who want more options the separate system is better. You may have a two 10 cab that might be perfect for a coffe house gig. But at a large wedding reception you may want to use a larger speaker cabinet. So the sep system can be more flexible.
 
#62
Green Lantern said:
If I am in a band where the guitar players has a four 12 cabinet and the drums are loud on stage, then you need and want a four 10 cabinet so you can hear yourself better.
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Or, you need a guitarist who is willing to scale his rig DOWN to something more realistic.

With the quality of P.A.s and monitoring solutions these days, the notion of guitarists "needing" a 100w 4x12 half-stack set to 10 is patently absurd.
 
#65
jaywa said:
Or, you need a guitarist who is willing to scale his rig DOWN to something more realistic.

With the quality of P.A.s and monitoring solutions these days, the notion of guitarists "needing" a 100w 4x12 half-stack set to 10 is patently absurd.
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So is 1000w into an 810 and I don't hear anyone on here trying to talk bassists out of them. The 412 is here to stay and many of them sound awesome, so that's why guitarists use them. What I will never understand is wanting to turn them up to the point of puke induction.

"You need a rig that can kill babies, but make sure you wear earplugs!" Makes total sense.
 
#66
I don't get it either. My guitar players say they have to turn their half stacks up to get "their sound". That's the only reason I use a 1000 watts with a 8x10.

Honestly though, I prefer the tone through an 8x10 probably like a guitar player might prefer the tone of a 4x12.
 
#67
Jeff beck recorded Live at Ronnie's with a Marshall head and four 12 cabinet at lowervolume in that the small club. The cute looking bass player Tal Winkenfeld was also going through some nice four 10 inch cab as well. Having that big sound is what they want even in a club.
 
#68
I did an out of town fill in gig with a hard rock act for NYE. I traveled as light as I thought I should, bringing my 350w 2-10 combo. I showed up to rehearse with the band two days before the gig. They had a skeptical look on their face when I rolled in with only a 210 combo but were more than pleased with what they heard. The band complimented my sound and volume compared to the 8-10 stack they were used to hearing. I would verify to say I made believers out of them to hear with the ears, not with the eyes.
 
#69
I only split them apart cuz I wanted an amp that didnt come in combo form. Glad I went that way, cuz now that I'm into a serious level of gear, my amp weights a good 25 lbs on its own, cabs each around 60 lbs I'd say. The old Peavey 300 combo I started on weights a good 100 lbs. I'd rather split that into multiple trips and not pull out my back right before a gig.

Maybe its only in Pittsburgh, but all our shows involve staircases too
 
#71
The band I joined last April, at the time I joined them, was using an SWR MoBass head (900 watts IIRC) and an 8x10 cabinet. I played my first gig with them through that rig and they asked me if I had anything smaller cause it was such a PITA to haul around. I said, yeah, I've got a 150-watt combo with a single 12 and an onboard DI (we have a roughly 24,000-watt FOH P.A. and the whole band on wireless IEMs). They said, let's try the combo next gig. I did, and the day after that gig they pulled the 8x10 bass rig out of the trailer and we've never used it since. And that includes some pretty big indoor stages as well as multiple outdoor street dances with 1,000 people in the "house" or more.

YMMV but what I'm saying is a good combo can work in situations you might not think it would.
 
#72
This thread has been very good for me.

I'm not playing out nearly as much as I used to and when I am it's typically at venues with the capability to mic an amp. Right now my head/cab setup is more than enough, but when I move in a few months :knock_wood: I'm going to be in an apartment complex and having a combo will definitely be much more beneficial to my needs.
 
#76
I recently got a Bag End S15-D cabinet which, when paired with any of my 300 - 600 watt (@ 4 ohms ... more like 200 - 300 watts @ 8 ohms which is what the Bag End is) heads is no bigger or heavier than a lot of the combos available on the market and will easily cover most of the small bar, coffee house and house party gigs I do and have a great tone while doing it.
 
#78
Generally, you can get anything to work for you...
I started with a 300w Fender Combo 20+ years ago, went to SVT and cabs, to Ashdown with cabs, just sold the lot recently and got a Bassman TV, just use the DI for bigger gigs, no problem so far...
But I would suggest if you want a Combo to cover most needs a good DI is an important consideration ...
 
#79
Op. Stop buying combos when you have no need for them anymore ( as some have stated ) As for me, Neo cabs and micro heads are the ticket. Many are lighter and louder than combos these days. The head fits in my gig bag, the cab is light enough to handle with one hand if I have to. But I always use a cart regardless of what I bring to the gig. I love the scalability of separates. But everybody has different needs/wants, so it's really up to you. What do you need or want? Skill level has absolutely nothing to do with it unless you have $10,00 worth of gear and cant play:)
 
#80
DougD said:
Op. Stop buying combos when you have no need for them anymore ( as some have stated ) As for me, Neo cabs and micro heads are the ticket. Many are lighter and louder than combos these days. The head fits in my gig bag, the cab is light enough to handle with one hand if I have to. But I always use a cart regardless of what I bring to the gig. I love the scalability of separates. But everybody has different needs/wants, so it's really up to you. What do you need or want? Skill level has absolutely nothing to do with it unless you have $10,00 worth of gear and cant play:)
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I say thank God for those who have $10,000 worth of gear and can't play. They're the ones who keep MI companies alive!
 

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