Best rig for no PA support??

[Phenomoron]

Hi lads,was going to purchase 2 2x10svt av ampegs with a pf500 head but just wondering is there any other good options out there?I will not be going through PA or bass bins so I'll be holding my own with a drummer,guitarist and acoustic rock/blues.
Hope to hear suggestions

 

[rodl2005]

SVT-CL & SVT810E or 215 cab

 

[Burwabit]

How big is the venue you're targeting?

 

[Lethgar]

Having played the majority of my gigs without any kind of PA support at all, and myself now being the owner of a PF500, I'll chime in that those two cabs will not be enough to keep up with any drumming beyond brushes without some kind of backup. Not sure how everyone else on TB manages to play out with a pair of 2x10s, but I know back in the day my pair of 2x15s had trouble keeping up with two guitar players and a drummer who used 2Bs without a channel for me on the board. I'm sure your gigs are a little more reasonable but I would be looking into something more along the lines of a 4x12/2x15/6x10. No amount of vertical stacking/xmax/fine tooth comb filtering math is a substitute for displacement. If you want to keep feet tapping in the back of the room, bring horsepower.

 

[BurningSkies]

My solution (and our band faces more than 50% of our gigs without pa support) was to go the Greenboy Designs/fEARful way. Why? Because it's basically a PA designed for your bass alone. It uses speakers common to a PA setup, similar crossovers and can provide not only effective clean SPL in the room but is also very coherent and even throughout the room. I use mine with a large PA power amp. Many gigs half the power amp runs the front end (for vocals, some drums, etc) and the other half is running my bass setup.

After doing this for about 5 years, I can say that it definitely works.

 

[samson3382]

I accomplish the same in small to medium venues, in or outdoors, slab or upright, with a pair of Baer ML112's (12/6) and a shuttle 6.2. (600 watts)

 

[JBNeedsBeer]

I enjoyed my MAS115 powered by a Monique into a Crest Pro Lite 2.0. This thing is a monster and puts out so much volume.

 

[mpdd]

200 watt tube head and two 115s work for me, but our drummer isn't a hard hitter and our guitarist uses a fender red knob stereo chorus combo

 

[strictlybass_ic]

The one that can be loud enough but is still portable enough that your band mates and your back won't hate you by the end of the night. Once you satisfy those two criteria it's all up to taste.

There's way too many variables to pick out the perfect rig for you. But, generally speaking something with 500 watts and 2 12's, 4 10's, 1-2 15's should cover a wide variety of gigs. Without knowing more about your settings/needs specifically a blanket statement is all I can really give you.

 

[ajschnitzelbank]

I use an Aguilar Tonehammer 500 in to two Epifani 210s. I think I keep up with a hard hitting drummer, a fender twin reverb, and a fender superamp. I keep the gain and master about half volume.

 

[middy]

An 810 and at least 100 watts. 300 watts if you want it clean.

 

[Clap Trap]

Mesa M6/M9 + Mesa PH 410/610 it will cover any venue size

 

[Abrahampost]

A good rule of thumb around here is 300-500 watts and at least a quality 212 will cover most gigs. Some people like it louder... For some it is overkill.

I use to love big rigs with lots of power. Once I(and my band mates) downsized a bit the bars starting calling us a lot more.

Now I run a single bag 15 for pa supported gigs and a pair for the ones without support.

Sound guy happy, bar happy, band gets paid and asked back.... Everyone happy!

With all that said I live for the occasional outdoor gig where an 810 can be rolled out.

 

[Lethgar]

It's also worth noting that to a point, bigger means more headroom that can still be turned down. If you do go with a 6x10/8x10 whatever, doesn't mean you have to be that loud all the time. But it's there when you need it.

 

[g4string]

Cabs....either a ported 410 or a sealed 810.

Heads....up to you, but 500w to 1000w outta get there depending on the brand of head and how the manufacturer publishes their specs.

 

[Phenomoron]

Cheers for the replies lads,small to medium sized gigs would be the norm with a once in a blue moon bigger gig,pubs mainly.I used the pf500 with those two cabs and it had loads but I'm looking for a good compact set up that I can bring in a car to a gig.

 

[Burwabit]

I run two rigs for similar gigs...
Streamliner 900 with Bergantino CN212 (I may add an Aguilar TH 500 to swap with/backup Streamliner)
Ampeg V4B reissue with Ampeg 212AV

Both are more than enough for me with no PA in ANY small/medium sized gig.

 

[azureblue]

I'd get a pair of the GK MB212 combos. a total of 4 12's, 1000 watts and less than 80lbs.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

Hi lads,was going to purchase 2 2x10svt av ampegs with a pf500 head but just wondering is there any other good options out there?I will not be going through PA or bass bins so I'll be holding my own with a drummer,guitarist and acoustic rock/blues.
Hope to hear suggestions

Venue size?

 

[Big Hoss]

Depends on the venues you usually gig, whether or not your drummer is a hamfisted gorilla, your guitarists are trying to prove their manliness with volume etc...

LOTS of small venue gigs get done with nothing more than a 100 watt 1x15 combo. I see lots of Ampegs, Crates, Fender Rumbles, SWR etc.. in the 100 watt range being used in small bars, coffee shops etc... Although typically most folks will say 200 watts is a minimum.

If you are going to get into a volume contest with your bandmates, all bets are off. Get the most speakers, wattage etc.. you can afford to get the job done until you finally convince everyone to work at a reasonable volume.