I can't remember the last time I played somewhere without FOH support though. Probably in the '90s as a teenager.
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Cabs Are Key!
- Thread starter BOOG
- Start date
Yes, thank you, that is the relative point. Not to say it doesn’t happen but, for the most part it is a negligible ratio, I would think.
The people who say they are playing a lot of shows with FOH are clearly playing very different types of venues than I am. I tend to play at small or mid-sized clubs (100-500 capacity), and the sound is usually great. The main reason I bring an amp and cab is to hear myself on stage, but I'd probably be fine just hearing myself through the monitors too.
There ya go! Premium cabs that I am willing to bet will sound glorious with whatever head you stick in between them and a bass. Use a 200watt or less SS amp or Tube amp with 50 watts or less and they’ll carry you through a public hall and larger because of House PA.
Depends....
on your definition of good sound and 'dealing' with any scenario.
Context is everything and thats before we discussed your playing style, technique etc etc.
on your definition of good sound and 'dealing' with any scenario.
Context is everything and thats before we discussed your playing style, technique etc etc.
Just to be different, flipping this on it's head, I recently did some gigs using an older and heavier Ashdown 575w head and a pair of the lightweight Trace Elliot 2x8 cabs and was blown away by how great it sounded and actually preferred it over a Schroeder 2x12 - surprised me that the tone from the 2x8s was much fatter (granted the Schroeder is meant to be mid voiced) which worked great as it was just playing 3 piece and this filled it out a lot better than I expected.
First you select a speaker that you like, and that can go as loud as you need. Then you buy the amplifier you like the features of, and that can power the speaker loudly enough.
If you have a loud environment and a power hungry cab (as you want deep bass), 20 tube watts is laughable...
If you have a loud environment and a power hungry cab (as you want deep bass), 20 tube watts is laughable...
D
I agree. Cabs are probably THE most important thing in the signal chain. And not just for efficiency but for different tones as well. Two differently voiced cabs will completely change the tone. Usually to a much larger degree than two different amps. And then there's playing live vs recording. I'm not necessarily looking for the same qualities in a cab for a huge outdoor stage vs a recording session.
If I had the space I would ideally want a nice selection of cabs. But I can't justify filling up my studio or my home with bass cabs so I've limited my "collection" to a wonderful Bergantino 2x12 that covers 90% of my needs and an old Peavey 2x15 with "vintage" voiced Eminence speakers (Legend something...?) for more old school tones. Whenever I need something bigger it's rarely a problem as that's typically for gigs where a backline can be be provided to my specs (within reason).
Which means that I own two cabs, around 10 tube heads and 40+ basses. Yeah, the balance is definitely off. I should probably sell at least 10 basses and free up some space for another cab... It would make a lot more sense than owning 15 P-basses, LOL.
If I had the space I would ideally want a nice selection of cabs. But I can't justify filling up my studio or my home with bass cabs so I've limited my "collection" to a wonderful Bergantino 2x12 that covers 90% of my needs and an old Peavey 2x15 with "vintage" voiced Eminence speakers (Legend something...?) for more old school tones. Whenever I need something bigger it's rarely a problem as that's typically for gigs where a backline can be be provided to my specs (within reason).
Which means that I own two cabs, around 10 tube heads and 40+ basses. Yeah, the balance is definitely off. I should probably sell at least 10 basses and free up some space for another cab... It would make a lot more sense than owning 15 P-basses, LOL.
A loud drummer and two guitar players that turn up accordingly, and I'm lost with less than 200 Watts.
I've tried several tube amp heads with less than 101 Watts and was non audible in the mix.
In one particular scenario, my old Peavey Mark IV (240 Watts into 4 Ohms) would barely make it, with the master maxed out, the gain set on the brink of distortion, plus lower bass cut and a bit more emphasis on the mids than I prefer. A 500 Watt amp in the same scenario felt comfortable.
The cabs were Aguilar GS 4x12, Trace Elliot 4x10+1x15 or barefaced 2x 12.
It's always been obvious (at least to me?) on TB there are different kinds of bassists with vastly different needs... As a retired mostly home playing bassist I don't need a lot of power, but I gotta have a lot of ~tone~! 
So my Ampeg HLF112 cab with a PF350 head gives me one kind of great tones, while my Elf 110 with a Bam200 head covers another aspect of it. -But I do think the heads I use are every bit as important as the cabs, and not just for loudness...
So my Ampeg HLF112 cab with a PF350 head gives me one kind of great tones, while my Elf 110 with a Bam200 head covers another aspect of it. -But I do think the heads I use are every bit as important as the cabs, and not just for loudness...
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The loudest band I ever played in was my college band - many years ago. I had a couple 115 bottoms that were very efficient and that had good low frequency extension. If you know the Physics of such things, you know that means they were big. They were also heavy. Anyway, the amp I had to drive those (a Yamaha) was rated at 90 watts rms. Nowadays, we’d laugh at a rig with that little power, but it was, given the cabinets, more than enough to keep up with a loud drummer.
With access to a PA like that it’s strictly stage monitoring unless P-nut insists on micing a specific , in which case who knows.
Anyway, on a big stage with a loud band you may well get into needing a bigger rig with 200+ watts just for the stage mix. Or you can run a whole lot of very efficient speakers!
skyline_01
Endorsing artist: Nordstrand Audio, Tsunami Cables
Agree - I am fortunate to have a couple of (what I consider) premium cabs that are very efficient and well-made. Epifani UL210 and Tecamp M212. Between the two they cover anything my musical situation throws at them.
My main bass head DOES have way more power than I'll likely ever need (EBS Reidmar 750), but I got a great deal on it and I figured that having too much headroom was way better than wishing for more. And I've yet to play it past ~9:00 on the master, even on large stages with loud drums/guitars.
Smaller gigs usually get the Fender Bassman 150, which is not necessarily "premium" but has a great-sounding Eminence driver and lots of versatility (compressor, parametric mid, wedge design, DI, loop, etc).
My main bass head DOES have way more power than I'll likely ever need (EBS Reidmar 750), but I got a great deal on it and I figured that having too much headroom was way better than wishing for more. And I've yet to play it past ~9:00 on the master, even on large stages with loud drums/guitars.
Smaller gigs usually get the Fender Bassman 150, which is not necessarily "premium" but has a great-sounding Eminence driver and lots of versatility (compressor, parametric mid, wedge design, DI, loop, etc).
It's what most people today call an amp. The term integrated head came from the days of when the amp and pre-amp were separate units. When they started to house them in in one unit, they were called integrated amps.
I guess I was just showing my age LOL!!
Ying and yang.
A small wattage amp and a big cab can mesh very well together. Without the amp, the cab can make a good end table. Both are important.
A small wattage amp and a big cab can mesh very well together. Without the amp, the cab can make a good end table. Both are important.
Somewhat agree. I have had problems being heard before, admittedly in the past, admittedly in stupid loud metal bands. So to me what's important is a great sounding bass, great sounding, efficient cabs, plus pretty much any head that has enough power to cover "bandmates-are-way-loud" situations.
The head's preamp matters not too much to me, as long as it's not noisy or doing anything nasty to the tone, and there are enough EQ controls to shape it to the room. It's why I landed on the imo under-appreciated TC BH800. Relatively inexpensive, has enough power to cover any situation. EQ controls are basic, but do the job, and the DI sounds good. Though I am admittedly teetering on the brink of a Mesa TT-800.
