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Best Head to pair with Ampeg AV212 Cab
- Thread starter TjMetalhead
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- ampeg
Best for what I need. 4 piece band, I play p basses with flats, and play classic metal/prog rock.
Honestly, the difficulty here, from this side of the question, is that information is unfortunately still much too broad to narrow it down to the best-informed answer/s as to what's best for you.
Requirements such as budget, weight, and dimensional size are the most easily conveyed aspects; then comes the weeds of much more complex and intangible characteristics.
In that regard, when I read P bass with flats juxtaposed with classic metal/prog rock I perceive someone who is trying to bend or break out of conventional or formulaic answers, which I think is cool; hence however, I suspect on-the-nose formulaic answers probably won't be best for you.
Ah I see now. Definitely lightweight, I have bursitis in my left shoulder so anything under 20lbs is preferable. Budget wise I’m trying to stay under $1000. That’s why I’m not too interested in all tube heads. Hybrids and solid states are what I like.
I take a bit after my heroes, Steve Harris, Cliff Williams and Geddy Lee. Some songs I rock the pocket, others I take the front seat with lead style playing. I’ve just always liked the way d’addario flats play and sound. I’ve tried dozens and dozens of flats and rounds and I’m always coming back to the d’addario light package.
If that's your budget for the amp head alone, you want sub-20 lbs, powerful, very capable, and hybrid then I'd at least recommend a Mesa Boogie WD-800 as a top candidate. Maybe an MB TT-800. Aguilar Tone Hammer is another to consider (SS, not hybrid).
I'd shop the used/Classifieds for that if it were me. That's how I acquired the DW-800 I have.
As far as Ampeg is concerned, I just can't bring myself around to not going with an all-tube head if it's Ampeg, but that's me. I also own an Ampeg SVT-II.
Cabs are the biggest challenge, that is if later you decide you want something other than the Ampeg AV212 cab you have already. Basically three things: weight, performance, and cost. Reconcile the budget and pick two of those three.
e.g. If you shop long enough you may find an older David Eden cab, like a D210XLT or D410XLT, in great shape for $300-ish. Still great solid high-performance cabs but they ain't lightweight!
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I’m actually not too enthralled with Mesa Boogie heads. They remind me a lot of mark bass heads and not in a good way. I find both brands tones rubbery and cushy? If that makes any sense. I prefer a more punchy throaty kinda tone. I find I can get that sound a bit better with Ampeg.
There's a substantial variety in voicing between MB's various models SS and hybrid amps. I don't know which you've heard or tried and subjective descriptors leave a lot of room for interpretation. If it was a WD-800 then how the power amp damping happened to be set could be one of several reasons for all I can gather.
If a solid state or hybrid Ampeg does it for you then it does.
There's yet to be a solid state or hybrid amp, whether MB, Aguilar, Ampeg or another make that does what Ampeg tube amps do, especially tube SVTs.
I work at my cities local music go round. a few mesa boogies have come in and I didn’t like them when I tried them. I felt they were lacking that gritty punch I was looking for. After considering all the opinions I’m 99% certain I’m gonna get an SVT 7 pro.
Ah... that's fortunate. I wasn't expecting you'd have much of an opportunity to try things in NM.
It seems likely there's barely much to try in shops even here in all of L.A., believe it or not.
Wow, really? I honestly would not have guessed. It's been a madhouse out here. Gear flys off the shelves as soon as we get it.
I am also considering the aguilar tone hammer. That one was on my radar a couple of years ago.
A saturation of GC's here I think is the root of the problem with the market.
I've been running a 2 12 cab with a P F 500 head for a few years now and have been quite happy with the results. In two of the bands I have used it in , it has had more than ample headroom. One band I used it in had two pretty loud guitars in it and the rig was close to maxed out but again , adequate. I can get a very similar tone to my old SVT Classic rig although the tone settings on the P F 500 are quite different from the Classic settings. I ran the Classic with fairly neutral settings with the mids boosted a bit and the bass boost turned off. I run the 500 with both bass and mids boosted , the compression at around 1/2 and the bass boost turned on.
The amp fits nicely in a Targus laptop bag along with a mic and a couple of 20' mic cables. I am not sure if a P F 800 would fit in the bag or not (haven't been able to try that out.) I would imagine the the extra headroom of the 800 would be of some benefit in a louder band.
Note about the cab: about a year into using it , the cab developed a nasty rattle. I pulled a speaker out and found that one of the two braces inside the cab had come loose. A couple of wood screws and some work with a hot glue gun solved the problem and it has been fine and without any other problems for several years now. I have had no reliability problems whatsoever with the P F 500 head. I always make sure all connections are made to the head before powering it up. Some people say it can be a problem , some say it doesn't make any difference. I'm not taking any chances.
We do a couple of outdoor gigs a year without P a support and on those gigs , I still pull out the old 8 10 and use it with the 500. I could probably get away with the 2 12 on these gigs but it's kind of fun to have to be told "turn that darn thing down" once in a while lol. Other than that , the 2 12 has been my go to for several years now.
Why did I get a 500 instead of an 800? I was able to get a refurbished 500 through Sweetwater for a really good price and my bands are not stupid loud so I didn't see the need for an 800. YMMV.
The amp fits nicely in a Targus laptop bag along with a mic and a couple of 20' mic cables. I am not sure if a P F 800 would fit in the bag or not (haven't been able to try that out.) I would imagine the the extra headroom of the 800 would be of some benefit in a louder band.
Note about the cab: about a year into using it , the cab developed a nasty rattle. I pulled a speaker out and found that one of the two braces inside the cab had come loose. A couple of wood screws and some work with a hot glue gun solved the problem and it has been fine and without any other problems for several years now. I have had no reliability problems whatsoever with the P F 500 head. I always make sure all connections are made to the head before powering it up. Some people say it can be a problem , some say it doesn't make any difference. I'm not taking any chances.
We do a couple of outdoor gigs a year without P a support and on those gigs , I still pull out the old 8 10 and use it with the 500. I could probably get away with the 2 12 on these gigs but it's kind of fun to have to be told "turn that darn thing down" once in a while lol. Other than that , the 2 12 has been my go to for several years now.
Why did I get a 500 instead of an 800? I was able to get a refurbished 500 through Sweetwater for a really good price and my bands are not stupid loud so I didn't see the need for an 800. YMMV.
I had a PF 500 before and I found it just wasn't loud enough for what I wanted. I'm now conflicted between the SVT 7 pro and the Aguilar TH700. Both are the same price new and used. I'll keep that in mind for the AV212. I haven't had the chance to play out with it yet.
One of the best cabs out there, IMHO. It pairs gloriously with my SVT heads (50th Anniv and Heritage CL). I've a few (too many) cabs and the 2x12 or a 4x10 are the ones I go to the most. Paired it with my SVT-7 for the first time earlier this a.m. and am having a blast! As to reliability, I bought my SVT-7 about 6 years ago. It had an issue and Sweetwater fixed if F.O.C. I've not heard about any issues as of late.
