Can buying advice

[pegdrums]

If it's a good cab, size does not matter.

I like that thinking.

 

[pegdrums]

I did TONS of gigs using a 2 x 10" with a loud guitarist, a drummer who was the loudest drummer I ever played with and a 2nd guitarist/singer who played electric about 25% of the time.

I cannot express well enough how freaking hard the drummer played, he was a maniac (5' 5", the little drummer dudes always pound the hell out of their kits).

As long as it was not outside, or in a large venue I had no issues at all with it being loud enough and it was powered by a 350 watt Ampeg.

For these kinds of gigs there was no PA support for the bass, just vocals, an electronic drum pad (used for special sampled effects so not full time), and acoustic guitar through the PA.

Analogeezer

Cheers for that. Thats reassuring that I don't necessarily need to go enormous. What kind of cab was it?

 

[pegdrums]

It’s always a pretty safe bet to just stick within the family of your amplifier. If the amp is an Ashdown, get an Ashdown cabinet. If the amp’s a Genz-Benz, get a GB cab. K.I.S.S.

regarding 210 vs 212 vs 215 vs 2x112 vs 2x115 vs 610 etc., if you’re playing non-coffeeshop gigs where, instead of a PA, it’s you who’s supplying the bass to the room, go as big as your car’s trunk can handle.

There's gotta be some limit though, surely! My wife for a start

 

[pegdrums]

As you are seeing, lot's of opinions - this is a very personal choice. After a couple of years of gigging, this is my approach:
Went with a head + cab vs combo approach. I like the versatility of having separate components. I also like that each piece can be much lighter than a combo. There are some very light combo options out there, but aren't really suitable for most gigs. I am currently gigging a GK 1200 Legend for my head.

As far a s cabs, it depends on the type of gig; if I have FOH support, I just use a 210 cab for stage noise. It's plenty for that (even with 2 guitars and caveman drummer. For gigs without FOH, I'll use either:
1 210 cab (small venue) or 2 210 cabs or 1 210 + a 115 or even 2 210 and the 115. The 210s are MarkBass Travellers and weigh in at about 26 lbs apiece. I chose them for price and weight, but they produce a nice sound. The 115 was picked up used some time ago. It hasn't actually gigged yet (it's in the 40 lb range).

I tend to gig in many different locations, so I like the flexibility of tailoring my rig to the gig. If I had some sort of residency and could leave gear in one place, I'd love to have bigger cabs (like a fridge), but I just won't try to lug one of those around for the gigs I do.

This approach appeals. I used to a have an enormous kit when it was all set up, but for gigs I could take the parts that suited gig. Usually just a 4 piece of whatever sizes/ dress suit the gig and cymbals to suit. I like the idea of eventually having 2 cabs and mixing and matching as needed.

 

[pegdrums]

If money is no object, I'd suggest your checking into Bergantino's 210 cabs.
IMHO, best of the best, but it'll cost ya!

If money is kinda-sorta a object, I'd suggest your checking into Revsound's RS210 cabinets.
Great cabinets at a reasonable price.

If money "is" a object, I'd suggest your checking into Avatar's 210 cabinets.
Inexpensive, well built, using driver's and components as good as and better than most commercial manufacturers cabinets.

I've been gigging two, Avatar B210 Neo cabs in a working band since 2008.
They sound great "to my ears" and have stood up to constant use as well as the high dollar cabinets I used to gig with.

I use two, 210's stacked as a vertical 410 for most gigs, one cab for small stages/rehearsals.
I have FOH support available at 100% of our jobs.

Im afraid money is somewhat of an object

But how about this for a coincidence? Invalid Link Removed

If you had no FOH support at a gig would you be happy with your 4x10 set up?

 

[pegdrums]

Waiting for the budget numbers, until then I'd suggest a Mesa Subway 210 if you want a 210.

Id say 500 MAYBE 600

 

[pegdrums]

What do plan to do with said 'can'??

Bring to rehearsals and gigs.

 

[pegdrums]

A 210 will cover many gigs, but a 410 can handle just about any gig. Check used shops for used cabs because it takes a while to find which cab fits your style and sound best. You will probably cycle through a few before finding the cab that you really like.

Interesting....I would have thought the same for the head. Would you go for a very nice head (the kind you'd keep for many many years) and then change out cabs as you develop and learn about tone and that?

 

[SunByrne]

I'm going to guess you're in the UK since your links to amps come back with pounds as the currency and you refer to "pubs" and not "bars."

If I'm right, my suggestion would be go head over to https://barefacedaudio.com and watch the first video. They're based in Brighton.

 

[pegdrums]

Greetings @pegdrums! The best thing that happened to me, as a drummer, is when my bassist showed up with an 8x10 fridge. Then I became a bassist and couldn't imagine hauling such a thing around. Oh, to be 20 years old again! I play through a 1x15" and am happy with my volume paired with drummers. Good luck on your quest! Swing by the "Drummers Who Became Bassists" club any time! Drummers who became bassists

Oh cheers for that I'll definitely check that out

 

[TN WOODMAN]

I thought the thread was asking about HEADPHONES recommendations.

FYI I just bought a pair of TASCAM TH-300X for myself as a Christmas present. $150 MSRP.

Musicians Friend had them them on sale for $49. Before I even received them they moved to Stupid Deal Of The Day for $39. I called my rep and he credited me back $10.

Well worth the money. Enjoy your new cabs. I’m partial to my Markbass Jeff Berlin Combo and NY151 Extention cab. FWIW.

If weight was no object, never leaves my house -my Eden WT500 Highwayman and XLT410 cab.

 

[pegdrums]

I'm going to guess you're in the UK since your links to amps come back with pounds as the currency and you refer to "pubs" and not "bars."

If I'm right, my suggestion would be go head over to https://barefacedaudio.com and watch the first video. They're based in Brighton.

Im in Ireland (€ Euro symbols). Video looks interesting, gonna watch it now.

 

[SunByrne]

I thought the thread was asking about HEADPHONES recommendations.

Yep, I thought the same thing.

 

[SunByrne]

Im in Ireland (€ Euro symbols).

Was it? Dang, thought I saw £, not €. My mistake.

I am of Irish heritage and am highly partial to one of your nation's major exports—at any given time, there are probably four different bottles of Irish whiskey in my house. I've only been to Ireland once (Dublin), and loved every minute of it. Will definitely be going back sometime.

 

[lbbc]

I have a Genz Benz 6.0 210T head/cab combo. 375 watts 35 lbs. It does the job everytime....with or without a drummer

 

[pegdrums]

I'm going to guess you're in the UK since your links to amps come back with pounds as the currency and you refer to "pubs" and not "bars."

If I'm right, my suggestion would be go head over to https://barefacedaudio.com and watch the first video. They're based in Brighton.

Great video thanks for that. Cant believe how light they look!

He addresses some of what I was curious about at the beginning.......what specs do people look for in an amp?

When I see a spec sheet I look at frequency range and frequency response. Im learning about relevance of SPL. What else do you guys look for when you cant go physically play it?

 

[pegdrums]

If other new to bass folk stumble on this thread this is worth reading:

Bass Cabinet Guide | StudyBass

 

[shoot-r]

If you had no FOH support at a gig would you be happy with your 4x10 set up?

Yes sir!

I've done many jobs where, for one reason or another, I didn't make use of the FOH and only drove the room with the two, 210's stacked as a vertical 410 with much success!

There are many advantages of the vertical 410 over a standard configured 410 cube.
Better projection, better clarity, better mids dispersion, less phase issues, but getting the top driver up at near ear level with the vertical 410 is the game changer for me.
You hear everything, the lows, the mids, the highs because their not blowing past your knees like a standard 410 cube.

The other advantage of gigging two, 210's, use one for small jobs/rehearsals, both cabs when more volume and coverage is needed.

 

[juancaminos]

I've tried three three different 210 configurations (manufacturers) but didn't like any of them. Right now using a "mini stack" consisting of a 210 and 115 together. That gets me thru the night with a four pc band. The best was a 410, that was good for everything for many years.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

Interesting....I would have thought the same for the head. Would you go for a very nice head (the kind you'd keep for many many years) and then change out cabs as you develop and learn about tone and that?

Heads can be a little bit more money new and on the used market, so it might be more financially restrictive to make your way through them.

But I would be careful about investing too much in a head you are unsure of even though there are lots of reliably awesome amps these days.

I have owned 210s, 410s, 115s, and 112s, and through all of that I found I liked 210s and 410s the most. Figuring out the brand and configuration with sealed vs unsealed is another riddle.

Lately, I have been on the sealed 210 in case you were wondering.