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Combo or Cab??

K

kperks

Jun 25, 2008
18
0
connecticut
#1
Hi everyone I have a question that may or may not be kind of dumb:

If:
1. I'm not buying used
2. I'm looking for 300-400 watts of power
3. I'm playing heavy music ( rock, metal and the like) with a lot of beefy lows
4. I'm playing medium sized gigs and jam sessions
5. I'm looking to spend less than 500

Should I go for a combo amp or a cabinet? And what kind (maker, speaker size, etc) do you recommend?

Also, I would most likely be buying from a store like Sam Ash, not off a web site;)

Thanks :bassist:
 
#2
:cool:

I prefer Head, and Cab, over combo.

There are plenty of 300-500 watt power heads out there, ( do search)

I prefer a head & cab, because you cab have more than on cab.
And, match head to cab, depending on size of gig.

I use a AG500 head, with two DB115 cabs.
One cab for small gigs, two for big gigs.

Also thinking of getting a 2x10 for acoustic gigs?
 
#5
Play'n loud, heavy metal music and not buying used and not going over $500.00....this is gonna' be a tough one.
IMHO, there's not a combo made that will "really" keep up in a real world heavy metal band by itself. I've tried 2-10 combos and 1-15 combos, once the Marshalls/Mesas kick in with their wash across the stage I might as well have left the combos in the bus.
You need all the speakers and power running you can afford. My first suggestion, find a used G.K. 800 head, (300 watts into 4 ohms), find a used 4 ohm Ampeg SVT 8-10 cab. This will give you that power/speaker combination with xlr out when needed.
Second suggestion, same used G.K. head and a used Peavey 2-15 cab.
If your gonna go new, the only thing I can think of that's close in that price range would be G.C.'s Acoustics. A Acoustic B200 head, 410H cab and 115H cab would run you $747.00 plus tax.
For many years my personal stage rig was a Aphex Exciter into a G.K. 800 into a Ampeg SVT 8-10 cab. It was always loud, strong, and full. Never failed to cover the job.
 
#7
I am a metal fanatic. Not buying used is going to be the killer here. You are not going to find anything satisfactory for $500 total (amp & cab) brand new. I don't know much about your tone, but wanting a lot of beefy lows is NOT POSSIBLE for a medium sized gig with a 210 combo of any kind. 210 or even 15" combos can only put out so much sound before they can't do anymore. Many combo amps employ garbage speakers that don't even compare to the actual cabs from the same brand.

You are going to need a 410 at minimum. I HIGHLY suggest you start looking at used gear and that you start saving up a lot more money. Any speaker you look at, make sure that the sensitivity is 100db at minimum, any lower is not going to cut it for metal music. I would say you need 600 watts of solid state power and definitely 200-300 watts of tube power to get anywhere volume/tone wise.

Definitely did not mean to rain on your parade! If you have any other questions, let me know. I will glad to help you find some affordable gear. Not $500 total though.....
 
#8
Thanks for the advice guys.

Ill most likely be getting a Cab at this point.
The only reason I specify that it can't be used is because I'm sure I'm getting gift cards to Sam Ash for Christmas and I have a limited amount of money in savings, so I gotta get what I can :)
 
#9
Maybe I am missing something, but Samash usually has a decent used selection and will let you try out gear over there.

Do you have a Samash credit card? You might be able to get the 1 year no pay plan if you want to get something really nice and you can save up throughout the year to pay it off. There also might be an after Christmas sale and since the economy is dwindling, I am sure Samash will drop their prices to move more inventory. You could get a really good deal!

Definitely go with an amp and cab setup; more versatility and volume will be achieved with that setup. You will not get anywhere with a combo in a metal band. Good luck dude!
 
#11
It doesn't show on the GC website, but "Acoustic" brand jjust came out with a B600H head...that puts out 600w at 2ohm...AND I believe that they had killer deals (I wanna say in the $500-600 range:confused:) when you bought that head and they matching 8-10 cab...just a thought. I don't know anything about them...just thought I would throw that at you.

When I bought my amp, I too thought "Noway am I buying used"...BUT, if I had it to do all over again, I would DEFINITELY look at the stuff for sale on the TB classifieds...I could have gotten WAY more for my money...:eyebrow:
 
#12
Hello -

I used to be on the Head/Cab train (Ampeg Stack), but recently switched to Mark Bass combo amp (CMD 102p) w/ a 15" ext. cab....

I was a bit apprehensive about going to a combo, but, I play in a 3 piece rock cover band and for most shows, we have a lot to set up (Full PA, Lights, Props, etc. etc..) I wanted something faster and easier setup to save time.... I now love my combo set up.. It is a much faster set up, less wires to fuss with and the head is more protected.....

You may have made up your mind already, but, just figured I would throw in my 2 cents since I was in your shoes a couple months ago....

Happy Holidays.
 
#13
Gearhead17 said:
Maybe I am missing something, but Samash usually has a decent used selection and will let you try out gear over there.

Do you have a Samash credit card? You might be able to get the 1 year no pay plan if you want to get something really nice and you can save up throughout the year to pay it off. There also might be an after Christmas sale and since the economy is dwindling, I am sure Samash will drop their prices to move more inventory. You could get a really good deal!

Definitely go with an amp and cab setup; more versatility and volume will be achieved with that setup. You will not get anywhere with a combo in a metal band. Good luck dude!
Click to expand...

+1 to all of this, great advice.
 
#14
Gearhead17 said:
Maybe I am missing something, but Samash usually has a decent used selection and will let you try out gear over there.

Do you have a Samash credit card? You might be able to get the 1 year no pay plan if you want to get something really nice and you can save up throughout the year to pay it off. There also might be an after Christmas sale and since the economy is dwindling, I am sure Samash will drop their prices to move more inventory. You could get a really good deal!

Definitely go with an amp and cab setup; more versatility and volume will be achieved with that setup. You will not get anywhere with a combo in a metal band. Good luck dude!
Click to expand...

How long will I have to pay it off? Hopefully I will have an actual job by May and not just random odd jobs around my neighborhood.... and even then I'd only make around 8 bucks an hour
 

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