Best Amp/Cab for a Bar Band that plays covers (Pop, Rock, Country)

Well, touché

A good number of watts
The right number of speakers (right for myself, of course)
I might bring something different to jams...I might not.

 

If it was for me…

I usually recommend separate amp+cab, but for a bar band I would look for a light combo (easy to carry & quick setup).

I would look for a Fender Rumble 200 (wih external cab as an option) or GR Bass AT Cube 500 (500 W / 9 Kg - 19,8 lbs).
Or one of the many Markbass combos if I didn't hate yellow, but I hate yellow.
I would not bring something different for jams, except if there's no drummer.

 

I used an Ampeg BA210 in several cover bands for about three years or so and it worked great. Inside and on many outside jobs. My kids preordered me RB210 and I have been using it since it (finally) arrived and continue to get comments on how well it sounds. Sometimes I use PA FOH support, sometimes it's not needed. I think you would be well served to put either of those on your shortlist. Given their age, you might find a used BA20 floating around. Also, both have external speaker jacks. Highly recommended.

 

SVT and a fridge. 2 if you host jams.

 

Country = gotta be Peavey and the 70's gear, not the newer offerings.

Riis

 

Why? We can't play old style music with new gear?

 

Nope...has to be the the mid 70's a la Skynyrd stuff. Also suitable for any polka revival. I'm talking instrument amplification, PA support. everything.

Riis

 

I'm going to assume you don't always have full PA support, as is the case with many of these bands. You want something reliable and light. You can spend more for boutique, but notne 3ssary.

Head - any good name class D head which is 300 watts at 8 ohms, 500 at 4 - Rumble, GK, etc.

Cabs - neo driver, any good name. 4 10s, 2 12s,or 2 15s.

 

Two small fifteens is the best way to go -- especially if you want to have a good driving classic tone for your Country and Rock genre covers. They are easy to load in; at 35-45 pounds each, inexpensive thanks to having only one driver, create a line array type arrangement which is great because of physics, and get a driver up near your ear. Another benefit is that vintage ones are plentiful (if you don't mind heavier). 410's were great for that scooped 1990's sound, IME/IMO.

I rock two Bag End S15D's. They are phenomenal and do everything I need to do live.

Oh, and get a GK amp or Fender Rumble head.

 

I play everything from covers to funk, rock to reggae, blues to Americana and from a whisper to thunder with the same rig, a 700 watt amp and 2 112 cabs.

The best gear (in my case Aguilar and Barefaced) is the most flexible and sounds right no matter what playing situation you are in.

 

I do a lot, I mean a crap load, of this type of work. My friends in our local Bass Bee do a lot of this work, too. We all use way different rigs and approaches to these kinds of gigs.

I use an SWR Interstellar Overdrive preamp into 100 or 350 watt power amp to an 8ohm 212 cabinet.

A buddy uses an Eden WT 400 into an Epifani 310.

Another buddy uses a Fender Rumble 100w into a 15 combo.

Yet another buddy uses a Mesa rig. D800, 210 and 115 cabs.

Another guy uses no amp on stage. Just a pedal board to the foh mixer.

Anything made today can be used for this type of work. Some guys go hunt specific gear for specific jobs. I am a different type. I ask how I can apply my current rig to my current gigs. Either way works. I just happen to love my basses, rig and tone. So I leave it alone. Mostly.

 

I used to help a friend's band set up and run sound in the mid eighties. Their entire setup was Peavey. Those FH-2 subwoofers alone would break my back today but i was 15 and stupid.

 

I always say 500w (at 4 ohms) and a 210 is a good rule of thumb. My local blues jam has a Markbass CMD 102p for back line and it works great for everyone. Rumble 500 if you wanna save a few bucks.

 

Same here - except that while I do own two 12" Barefaced cabinets, it is a rare occasion that I really need both on gigs. When the backline looks better with a bigger bass amp, I'll put both on stage, but then I have to turn down the master not to overpower anything.

 

There are plenty of still-going-strong, used Peavey, Hartke and SWR rigs to be had for little or nothing on your local CL. But you gotta' move them.
A basic 4X10" with 300-400w should handle most of your needs.

 

For me, head should be between 300-500 watts.

A cab (or cabs) that can handle 500 watts

No.

I have a Mesa WD-800 that powers a 210 Eden D-210-XST 8ohm that puts out 129 DB. I play with an 11 piece horn/vocal band. With the exception of playing outdoor with no band shell, it’s plenty loud enough and still sounds tight punchy and clean when pushed . That said, I have a second cab for such events, but haven’t used it in the last two years.

Since Eden is out of business if I were looking for a cab today , the search starts with the Mesa 115 cab, or the DNA 210 cab. I’d doubt I’d need to go any further.

This Mesa head is going to the grave with me.

 

Obviously it would depend on the size of the bars, stages and whether FOH is available. What I've been using for the past couple of decades is a head which supplies between 400 and 500 watts and either a 210 or 410, depending on the venue (I've never needed more than one cabinet and I like the sound of 10s). Over the past few years I've realized that the 210 is usually enough for the bars and restaurants I play.

 

DNA is out of business now too, no?