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Budget gigging: Save for 410 or go 210?

MicRidley

MicRidley

Guest
Nov 27, 2015
80
24
35
Bellingham, Washington
#1
Hey forum-lurkers,

I'm broke and working toward a local gig-worthy setup.

I imagine the head is the most important part when starting small, as it allows for expansion and determines what you can plug into...

But should I get a 210 now and another later, or go straight to a 410?

Of course 410=saving longer, yet will a 210 be fine for local venues in a college town?

For future reference, are there any downsides to having 210+210 as opposed to 410?

If 210 is the route, should I be looking for any particular cabinets? I'm okay with used hunting, but I imagine there are okay deals online. I saw a new Peavey 410 headliner for $250 free shipping on amazom the other month.

Thank you all in advance. I appreciate you're superior bass smarts and experience with this stuff.

-Mic
 
#2
Used bargains are everywhere.

210 stacked vertically on 210 is a killer rig that projects mid tone far and wide. It slays a 410 in square box which shoots a narrow beam of mids at knee height.

It's a relatively quiet band that won't drown you out with one 210. I can rock out with a sensitive drummer and guitarist at a party function. Dance floor gets a decent racket and back of room can just about converse. But your average pub rock is often a fair bit louder.
 
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#5
I gig with a 2x10 just fine. Assuming you're mostly going to be playing bars and clubs and not big arenas, you'll get plenty of volume out of it, and usually if you ARE playing something bigger you can just take a DI line from your head to the PA and let FOH do the heavy lifting. Like @Downunderwonder said, you can always expand to a vertical stack of two 2x10s later if you want more.
 
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#6
My vote - go for a solid head and a great 2x10 (new or used) to get started. Then save up and get the second 2x10.
Better quality 2x10 may go further than a decent 4x10, or give you the same result without the extra weight to carry when a 4x10 may be too much.
Plus if you ever get into a situation getting to a gig, public trans would be a lot easier. Or worst case you can always strap a 2x10 on your back and hoof it. :thumbsup:

Either way, good luck!
 
#10
Get a good head and a 2x10 cab. And when you can afford it get a second 2x10. That is what I did in your position. Most of the time I just use the one 2x10 except for the outdoor gigs I use both cabs stacked vertically. My Mb fusion and one 2x10 can do bars and pubs up to 300 people and my church up to 400 people with lots of head room to spare.
 
#11
Depends on what you intend to do long term. Because so many bassists are getting lighter rigs, there are a lot of heavier 4x10 cabs out there that are fantastic bargains. If you don't mind flexing your muscles, you can get a good 4x10 for less than a decent new 2x10. I know someone selling some top shelf Eden 4x10s asking $400. I've seen decent ones for $250 and under.

If you intend to gig with a rock band, most 2x10s won't cut the mustard without PA support.
 
#12
What type of music? If you're playing something low-key, or are going to have plenty of PA support, then a 2x10 will be fine. If you're playing something more along the lines of rock or metal, you'll miss the extra speakers pretty quickly.

As to whether to use two 2x10s or one 4x10, I don't think it matters much.

In college I started with a 2x10 and added a 1x15 later (same brand and product line though). IMO that was a versatile setup with decent volume, although some folks will tell you not to mix 10s with 15s.
 
#13
A lot does, of course, depend on how loud your band plays. Of course a 4x10 can get louder than a 2x10. If your band plays wicked loud, yeah, just the 2x10 can get swamped. But I play in rock and roll cover bands that DON'T play wicked loud - but loud enough - and the 2x10 was fine.

I've shared this video before, but just for an example - this is just through the 2x10.
 
#14
I have both a 410 and a 2x210. If I had to have just one, it would be a 410. In fact, I got 410 within the price range you are talking about :) I typically use the 410 for anything that is outdoors or something bigger than a small dive bar. I use the 210 for most of my regular bar gigs.

410 positives - has wheels, will work in any gig condition
410 negatives - Heavy, even with neo's

2 210 positives - modular, easier to load, lighter, a single 210 can be made to work in any condition, but with larger stages it can be tough to get a decent stage volume with a single 210. If you blow one, you still have something to play through
2 210 negatives - where do you put wheels?
 
#16
buldog5151bass said:
Because so many bassists are getting lighter rigs, there are a lot of heavier 4x10 cabs out there that are fantastic bargains. If you don't mind flexing your muscles, you can get a good 4x10 for less than a decent new 2x10.
Click to expand...

This is an excellent point. While I would lean towards the two 2x10 solution in your situation (I currently do two 1x15), if I were actually in your situation, this fact would make me think very hard about a 4x10...like a used Ampeg Classic 410HE, the likes of which I've seen for $300 on the used market, or a SWR Goliath II, or...
 

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