buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I would look in the classifieds here. Lots of members flip when they want to try something new. Heads are light, and therefore cheap and easy to ship.
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Expensive HEAD affordable CABINET or expensive BIG COMBO?
- Thread starter 10emmanuel
- Start date
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,049
- 5
- 221,004
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
You should be sure that whatever you buy used still has factory support of some real world kind, because IF you need service and the parts or support are no longer available, you have wasted your money.
There is always so many decent cabinets second hand. get a head that you are interested in and go second hand for cab. Yeah you can run into a cab that has been abused but with a bit of smart buying instinct it is really easy to find a good deal. I personally love second hand gear, Even heads there is just so much good gear around.
that depends on your cabinet, and drummer. If the drummer is extra loud and you have a 8ohm 1x12 cabinet, the TH350 probably won’t be enough. If it’s a moderate/quiet drummer and you have a 4ohm 4x10 cabinet, the TH500 should be fine.
Before you jump on the Tone Hammer amps I’d ask yourself what sound you’re after, how you are with parametric eq controls, and how well you understand eq curves? If you aren’t familiar with those and don’t want an old school sound, I’d absolutely suggest a different amp head for you.
So many choices even at the $1,500 budget level. Spend wisely. You are getting some great advice. Take serious note from @agedhorse re support.
For your consideration, Rumble combos (R-200, R-500,etc) are well priced even at list. With the remaining bonanza, pick and choose an extension cab (8 ohms, any brand) of your liking.
Good luck.
For your consideration, Rumble combos (R-200, R-500,etc) are well priced even at list. With the remaining bonanza, pick and choose an extension cab (8 ohms, any brand) of your liking.
Good luck.
Where in the world are you? I'd be happy to advise you how to spend USD 1500, but it depends on where you are... 
$1500 USD is really a pretty big budget, IMO. I regularly gig with a $500 Rumble 500 or one of a number of head/cab configs, the most pricey MIGHT approach $1500. A lot will depend on the type of music you play. If time is not a factor, you may want to "audition" as many configs as possible within your budget, if they're available. Have fun! Make a list of must-haves: 10", 12", 15", effects loop, # of speaker outs, tuner out, tweeter with switch, or with level control, speaker efficiency, power handling, etc. Lots to consider but not all of it may matter to you. Share your journey with us! I'll live vicariously through you! 
The Bar Band Bassman
The Bar Band Bassman
It's a good amp with plenty of power, but many note that the EQ takes some getting used to, and it does have its own tone that may or may not work with your style of music.
This isn't accurate information. Although the amp has only one speaker output, there is nothing to prevent the common practice of daisy chaining a second cabinet from the first, as long as you don't go below the minimum load that the amp will support.
To piggy back off of this, if your cabinet is 8 ohms has 2 parallel outs, you can still daisy chain another 8 ohm cabinet to to that cabinet run the head at the 4 ohm minimum.No problem lol
Another little secret is if you want more volume, you add more speakers/cabs as opposed to more watts. You're (in general) going to get a WAY bigger boost in volume using the TH350 with two 2x12 cabs as opposed to the TH500 with a single 2x12 cab (of the same build).
HOWEVER...
The problem with going with the TH350 is it only has one speaker output on the back of it. You'd only be able to (in nearly all circumstances) attach one cab to it. The TH500 lets you attach two cabinets, which you definitely want as an option. I'd just get the TH500 and call it a day...
or a GK MB500...or a GK 700RB-II...
Depending on if your cabinet is 4 or 8ohms to begin with. If it’s 4, you can’t run another cab.
8+8=4ohm
4+8=2.67ohm
4+4=2ohm
My thought on this is if your cab stinks, no matter what you feed into it, it's going to sound bad.
My second thought is to buy used gear. If you are in the states, Guitar Center.com used gear is a great place to shop. With your $1,500 I'd be looking for a very efficient cab. A used Mesa 115 and a used Subway D-350 or 500 can be had well within your budget. And that would take care of just about any gig you will encounter.
Best wishes on your hunt.
I always think a good plan is a head and two matching cabinets. One cab for small situations and expand if needed. So plan on 2/3 of the budget for what you want and leave wiggle room for another cab.
I like 500w and 2x210 for “all purpose” but you could go bigger or smaller depending on genre and goals.
I’ve had great luck with combos. Mostly Markbass, some Rumble and GK. But brand isn’t so important. It’s just the flavor, specs rule the day. If you do go combo make sure it had extension out, to get that second cab going if needed. Pros of combos are convenience, perfectly matched, and more for the money. Separates give you flexibility for mix/match and easier to replace one component if something fails. Only you can decide what’s more important.
If you go separates, I’d take a basic (cheap) head and get a better cab any day.
Good luck!
I like 500w and 2x210 for “all purpose” but you could go bigger or smaller depending on genre and goals.
I’ve had great luck with combos. Mostly Markbass, some Rumble and GK. But brand isn’t so important. It’s just the flavor, specs rule the day. If you do go combo make sure it had extension out, to get that second cab going if needed. Pros of combos are convenience, perfectly matched, and more for the money. Separates give you flexibility for mix/match and easier to replace one component if something fails. Only you can decide what’s more important.
If you go separates, I’d take a basic (cheap) head and get a better cab any day.
Good luck!
If I were in your situation I would be looking at a good combo amp. Fender Rumble 500 or 800 would be my pick, I have owned two and loved them.
You probably don't need a seperate head and cab unless you plan to buy a second cabinet with a different speaker configuration for some variation or for different venue sizes e.g, a 2x10 for small venue and a 4x10 for big venues.
You can always add an additional 2x10 cabinet to the Rumble combo if you need more volume.
The biggest pro for the combo was that it was such an easy lug and quick setup.
You probably don't need a seperate head and cab unless you plan to buy a second cabinet with a different speaker configuration for some variation or for different venue sizes e.g, a 2x10 for small venue and a 4x10 for big venues.
You can always add an additional 2x10 cabinet to the Rumble combo if you need more volume.
The biggest pro for the combo was that it was such an easy lug and quick setup.
Tone is Bass 1st, Cab 2nd, amp 3rd.... you don't need a big rig these days to keep up. Too many options and personal choices to recommend what you would like.... Best of luck 
Looks like you are new to talkbass (welcome!) Others have asked and I will too, where are you located? That has a big impact on what is available, and what you can do with $1,500. In the US with decent access to the used gear market, that's plenty to do both (good head and cabinet). In say, Australia, not so much.
unfortunately this is another “it depends” kind of question. I’ve played in one band where a 120-watt Hartke 1 x 12 combo kept up with the drums just fine. Some folks playing with some drummers in some genres/situations need way more than that.
$1500 budget, and I don't know where you are located or your pricing. I would get something like this and be ready to add another matching cab in the future if needed.
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 112 1x12" 800-watt Bass Combo Amp
Gallien-Krueger Legacy 112 1x12" 800-watt Bass Combo Amp
In that case between Talkbass classifieds and other online used forums, you should be just fine for $1500 or less. My best advice (free, too
) is dont rush into it. Spend a few days to a few weeks and read up on different amps here on Talkbass (look on the Amps and Cabs Forum, not the classifieds). There are many choices, some of them are more neutral-sounding than others. If you live anywhere near a good music store, go and try a bunch. If that's not possible, keep reading about them here until you feel like you understand your choices. Many players (like me) take a modular approach. A decent amp head (my top choices, in no particular order - Mesa, Genzler, Bergantino. Ones that are also good but more "baked-in" tone - GK, Ampeg, MarkBass, Aguilar. Cabinets - start with a single high quality cabinet. Same as the brands above, I also love RevSound (I have a 112 and a 115, I use one or both depending on the room). Then you can add a second cabinet later if you find that you need it. As a reference point, if you look carefully you can buy a Mesa D800 or Genzler Magellan 800 used for $6-750. A decent cabinet will cost about the same used.
Double the power and you get +3dB. Just because the amp can make more power does not necessarily mean your speaker can handle it.
If you add a matching cab and the power stays the same, you get +3dB. Usually the connection is parallel, so impedance is cut in half and power handling is doubled.
If you add a matching cab and the amp can double the power, you get +6dB.
Tube amps generally put out the same max power as long as they see the expected load. So if you have a 200W amp with 8 ohm and 4 ohm outputs, it will make 200W at either 8 or 4 ohms.
Solid state amps generally put out more power as the load impedance goes down. Check amps specs to how much power it makes at various impedances, and be mindful of the minimum impedance rating. Do connect a set of speakers that takes the impedance below the amps minimum rating. AFAIK most solid state amp are rated to 4 ohms. Relatively few are rated to 2.67 ohms or 2 ohms.
Example. The Mesa 800W Subway Amps are rated 400W at 8 ohms and 800W at 4 and 2 ohms. There is an impedance selector switch on the back. If you the load impedance is less than 4 ohms, use the 2 ohm setting. The amp is also safe at 2.67 ohms and I believe the rated power is around 600W.
If you add a matching cab and the power stays the same, you get +3dB. Usually the connection is parallel, so impedance is cut in half and power handling is doubled.
If you add a matching cab and the amp can double the power, you get +6dB.
Tube amps generally put out the same max power as long as they see the expected load. So if you have a 200W amp with 8 ohm and 4 ohm outputs, it will make 200W at either 8 or 4 ohms.
Solid state amps generally put out more power as the load impedance goes down. Check amps specs to how much power it makes at various impedances, and be mindful of the minimum impedance rating. Do connect a set of speakers that takes the impedance below the amps minimum rating. AFAIK most solid state amp are rated to 4 ohms. Relatively few are rated to 2.67 ohms or 2 ohms.
Example. The Mesa 800W Subway Amps are rated 400W at 8 ohms and 800W at 4 and 2 ohms. There is an impedance selector switch on the back. If you the load impedance is less than 4 ohms, use the 2 ohm setting. The amp is also safe at 2.67 ohms and I believe the rated power is around 600W.
