Hello and a request for some advice.

[LiamB]

Good evening all.
I am a 47yr old lefty who has been playing since I got my first bass for my 18th Birthday.
Being a lefty I have tended to stick with what I have over the years and once I got married and started to have children and mortgages the investments have been few and far between in the last few years.
I am what I think some call a weekend warrior, playing in the same function band at weekends since I got the job back in 1993.
My main and only practical gigging bass is a '98 Black MM Stingray which I got around 10-12yrs ago second hand and in that time I have been using a GK 400RB head and have had two cabs in that time. The second cab is the cheaper end of the GK range (can't remember the model off the top of my head) a 4x10 which I got only about 2 years ago but appears to have blown a speaker in the last month or so. I also think that after over 10years of trouble free service the 400RB head is starting to play up as well and I have been brave enough to take it apart twice and liberally spray a can of contact cleaner around the pots which miraculously did not blow up when I put it back together.

Current situation is that the 400RB and the 4x10 cab (4ohms) have gone in to the amp hospital at a shop in Northwood North West London for an expert to take a look at and diagnose what is causing the grunting and flapping and hissing. Even if it is just a cone and they reckon the amp is technically still ok I think it is probably time I thought about upgrading the rig and if the repairs are a manageable cost then I will get that done and whack them on Ebay.

So I suppose I am looking for some advise from those of you who are still up to date with the market and what constitutes a good buy for a portable rig for me to consider. I am doing around 30-40 gigs a year, mainly weddings in hotels, marquees, 40th birthdays, company and school summer balls and Christmas parties. I have suffered a lot with my back so hence when I last upgraded my rig I went for a separate head and cab having started off my career with a Peavey 1x15 combo which was like lugging around a washing machine. Our band play party music covering 60's Motown, 70's, 80's 90's hits and up to date stuff like Bruno Mars. Pleasant Pop really with just a little bit of the rockier stuff.

Any thoughts and comments on what I should be looking at for a budget of £1,000 - £1,200 for NEW rig as I have always stayed away from buying on the second hand market on the amp side.

Thanks for any thoughts

 

[StraightSix]

You will probably get many suggestions...

If it were me, I would look at something like the Ampeg PF800 amp and a Barefaced Super Compact cab. The amp weighs 12lbs and the cab is just 23.5lbs (21.5lbs with cloth grill):

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Barefaced Bass - Super Compact

If you like the Gallien Krueger amp sound, substitute the Ampeg head for the GK MB800 (weight is 5lbs):

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You have a total with the Ampeg head of £1024 or, if you fancy the retro silver grill cloth on the cab, £1064.

With the GK MB800, the prices change to £1162 or £1202 with the silver cloth cab option.

Either of these setups would sound fantastic and are loud, light to carry and full of tone.

Good luck

 

[wmhill]

I love the TECAMP stuff. I use the Puma 900 watt head- 2.2 pounds and very versatile tone wise. I have the S212 cab- 44 pounds and I love this rig. It does everything I could want in one lightweight, loud and toneful set. If my understanding of your money vs. US dollars, you should be in the ball park.

 

[BigBobbyBass]

Barefaced..

 

[Jim Carr]

Something Barefaced and a GK MB800 or PF-800.

 

[tubster]

Love your Dixon of Dock Green greeting.

Cabs: Barefaced Super Compact - 549 or Bergantino CN112 or CN210 (650 and 775)
Amp: Markbass Big Bang - 478, Aguilar TH500 - 542
Ampeg and GK suggestions are great too!

Pricing is Sterling per Thomann website and Bergs from Invalid Link Removed

The main thing is that these items weigh a fraction of your current rig. Cab is 26lbs and amp around 4! Even the 210 is under 30 lbs.

Hard to conceive of a single 12" replacing a bigger cab but I use a Bergantino CN112 and it does (yup, I would prefer 2x sometimes but the 1x does cover it). Am told that Barefaced is even more of a replacement than the Bergs. If I were back in UK and did not have Bergantino already, the Barefaced would be my choice as it wins on price and is great quality.

You are in for a treat as gear has changed for the better and can be much lighter for those who prefer playing to weightlifting.

Good luck.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Awesome first post. It isn't often that a query comes in with most of the info needed to get good advice straight back.

Hoorah for a solid budget. Contact Barefaced. They produce cabs with good dispersion and flat enough EQ that let you confidently DI to the PA when needed. You can demo their cabs with friendly users all over the UK.

Headman Alex is a member here, always up for a email back and forth to get you sorted.

You might want to look at the new tech21 VT-500 amp which has just hit the shelves, very keenly priced. Reviews will be popping up verily.

 

[beans-on-toast]

I'm a lefty as well, but learned from the start to play right handed. It wasn't by design but worked out well.

When it comes to any amp and cab, go to well stocked shops and try as many as you can. There are always tradeoffs in terms of price, features, and performance. You have to determine which are most important to you and find a balance. If you can afford it, more power allows you to have more headroom. This is good to have, even if you don't feel that you need a lot of power.

It is worth checking out the Ampeg PF-800. Good features and power on tap. Use it as a baseline when comparing it to other amps. Choosing an amp first will help dictate what cab best goes with it. This can be a problem in that it limits your cabinet budget.

There are a lot of good cabs available that are lighter and more compact than those available in the past but well up to the task. Cabs with 12" speakers are gaining in popularity. If you are used to a 410, you like the thump and big sound that they deliver. I find that it takes time to adapt to a new speaker cab. You like what you know and look for it when auditioning cabinets. Take your time in evaluating them. Bring your bass and amp with you if you can when checking out cabs.

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

Of the gear you have, the 410 cab is the part causing the most
effort to move.
I'd replace that first, taking into consideration any future amps choices.

All the suggestions have been good.
That said, I have kind of a soft spot for the old 400RB.
I noticed you didn't say it was lacking, only old.
It may be ready for a recap and you said you have already cleaned the pots.
Also, check to be sure the connectors from the pre amp board to the main board are tight.
With that taken care of, it's probaly ready to serve you another 20 years.

Even if you get a new head, I'd service it and keep it on hand as a backup.
They are well known to be built like tanks and amazingly reliable.

 

[Omega Monkey]

I'll never understand people who are stuck on new gear only. A year ago, your current setup was about 10 years old and was working just fine, right? So why wouldn't you have bought something like that at 1/2-3/4 what it would cost new?

My current main head is 20 years old, and my most frequently used cabs are about 25 and 30 years old (to be fair, the 30 year old cab has a NOS speaker in it that was made at least 20 years ago, but has only been in use for 3). It all works great and cost me a total of about $800 (500 pounds? Not sure what the current exchange is).

So I would definitely look at what's available used, both in classifieds in your area and on ebay from ol' Blightey.

I would recommend you get something in the ballpark of a 350-600w head and either 2 15s or 2 2x10s. Cabs probably benefit more from going new instead of (older) used, but there are a ton of very capable and great sounding heads with a decent amount of power out there for pretty cheap. Considering what you're used to, something like a mid or high powered Trace head could probably be had for cheap and would sound killer and have plenty of volume. Then you can spend a bit more of your budget on cabs, which will make a bigger difference. SWR is another "uncool" brand that is actually great but cheap anyway these days (not sure about availability and pricing over there though).

 

[beans-on-toast]

I'll never understand people who are stuck on new gear only.

I'm not stuck on new gear only. All my amps are vintage and I keep them performing better than new. But I'm in a good position to cope with any issues that come up. Not everyone is.

Finding a good tech is not easy. There are people that take their amps in to one tech after another trying to get issues resolved. This can be expensive and servicing an amp often means down time.

Playing in a band with a full schedule is a business. Doing what is best for the business has to be factored in.

 

[Omega Monkey]

People always overstate how often older gear might need to get repaired. If you buy something that's in good condition to begin with and has been taken care of, or get it serviced when you get it, you shouldn't need to do much if anything to it for a long time after that. I've had my 20 year old head for about 4 years and don't have any problems with it. That's about $100/year so far, but I could easily sell it for at least $200, so basically I've paid $1/week for it. If you spend $800 on a brand new amp, after 4 years you might be able to sell it for $500, meaning you spent $75 a year or roughly 50% more. And that extra $100 you'd save on the used amp can go a long way towards most minor repairs.

 

[StraightSix]

I understand what you are saying Monkey and I mostly buy secondhand gear too but there is also the matter of warranty - many new amps come with a two, three or even five-year warranty which is often priceless if you are not an electronics genius.

The other massive advantage of new gear is the weight - a twenty year old Trace head is likely to weigh 30lbs or more - the GK MB800 listed above weighs 5lbs. A twenty year-old 410 is likely to weigh 70-100lbs, the Barefaced Super Compact weighs 21.5lbs...

 

[beans-on-toast]

If you buy something that's in good condition to begin with and has been taken care of, or get it serviced when you get it, you shouldn't need to do much if anything to it for a long time after that.

Very true but that's not always the case. Finding a good amp with no or minimal repairable issues is important. My 44 year old SVT or my 52 year old B-15 are both better than new but a lot more than the cost of a new amp went into making them that way. Both are highly roadworthy as they stand now. Nothing wrong with these old amps.

A business can depreciate a new amp over several years and gain tax advantages. It can also pay to rent. There are deductions related to service costs as well but restorations are something else.

 

[dgrizzly]

I understand what you are saying Monkey and I mostly buy secondhand gear too but there is also the matter of warranty - many new amps come with a two, three or even five-year warranty which is often priceless if you are not an electronics genius.

The other massive advantage of new gear is the weight - a twenty year old Trace head is likely to weigh 30lbs or more - the GK MB800 listed above weighs 5lbs. A twenty year-old 410 is likely to weigh 70-100lbs, the Barefaced Super Compact weighs 21.5lbs...

The amp and cab you're looking at can still be found used.. I bought my MB800 new though I like the warranty for amps. Cabs I'm not as concerned with.

 

[RobinC]

I highly recommend looking into Genz-Benz. They have some excellent combos and lightweight micro heads and cabs. The Shuttle 9.0 is something like 5 pounds but it packs in 900 watts under the hood with a tube pre. The Streamliner is also a favorite here on TB, with more of a vintage tube tone if memory serves.

Genz Benz got absorbed by a larger company a few years back, but the founder is coming back with a new venture, Genzler Amplificiation, and they are getting ready to release a few new cab models in September.

I double a lot, and my current rig consists of a Shuttle 9.0 through an Audiokinesis Thunderchild 12. It's the cleanest, most responsive, and easiest to load cab I've ever played. Sounds good wth anything.

Good hunting!

 

[Jim Carr]

I highly recommend looking into Genz-Benz... ...the founder is coming back with a new venture, Genzler Amplificiation, and they are getting ready to release a few new cab models in September.

I double a lot, and my current rig consists of a Shuttle 9.0 through an Audiokinesis Thunderchild 12. It's the cleanest, most responsive, and easiest to load cab I've ever played...!

Audiokinesis! Great stuff. The old GB shuttles are also great sounding, light, and not expensive. I still have (and use) my 6.0.

I hope Genzler gets some new heads to market while I am still young enough to use them. BTW, I am a doubler too, and love using a fEARful 15/6/1 and any of my head—assuming a good pre—with the upright!

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Good discussion here. Great post by OP.

I think like the typical Western consumer philosophy-- we are brainwashed into believing we need the newest technology every couple years. Trouble is, the weight, size and performance has definitely improved on a yearly basis for the last 10 years or so. We are light years away from what we used say 20-30 years ago.

That being said, I own a 1988 or so Peavey Databass combo amp with a puny 450 watts. But that's Peavey 1988 watts, which is like 1000 watts by today's standards. I was lucky the previous owner was the only owner and kept it immaculate. I also have various silver fin Peaveys that work very well in most situations. They are, though, by today's standards, HEAVY and bulky. But as I've said before, long after I'm done playing if some youngster takes care of my amps they'll still be performing.

If I were to have a GAS attack I would probably be looking for a new GK MB 500-800, and matching Neo 112, 212, or 410 cabinets. Just the other day a guy posted a pic of his 2 x 212 stack atop a GK MB800 and he said it can run all night flapping your trouser legs. I also like the Hartke Hydrive cabs, due to their light weight. Not so much on Hartke heads, I often see people posting questions about the issues their Hartke heads are having.

Good luck!

 

[RobinC]

Audiokinesis! Great stuff. The old GB shuttles are also great sounding, light, and not expensive. I still have (and use) my 6.0.

I hope Genzler gets some new heads to market while I am still young enough to use them. BTW, I am a doubler too, and love using a fEARful 15/6/1 and any of my head—assuming a good pre—with the upright!

I'm also very curious to see what the new Genzler heads will look like, though I can't imagine really needing to replace the Shuttle anytime soon. In the 7 or so years I've been using that amp, the only problem I've ever had was having to replace a blown preamp tube. Hardly surprising, considering the use.

I just recently pulled the trigger on FDeck's HPF pre (version 2M) and it has made the biggest difference for my upright when playing live. My dream rig is to someday replace the TC112 with a pair of the newer 8ohm versions. I honestly can't imagine needing more headroom than that... If I did and there was no PA support, well thats indicative of a much bigger problem!

 

[LiamB]

Hi Again All,

First off thank you so much for the welcome and for such a great number of positive responses. I inadvertently kicked off a bit of a conversation there about buying new versus buying on the second hand market. I suppose I should clarify that when it comes to basses, I have never had a problem with buying 2nd hand and in fact my 98 Stingray I bought second hand, as I did with my Jaydee Supernatural III. I think it is a confidence thing with me that I can risk buying a bass guitar second hand because you can try it and after a few minutes you can assess what sort of state it is in, whereas on the amplifier and speaker side of things I worry that my lack of knowledge might mean I risk buying trouble down the line. But as I say that is really a confidence thing that I should look to overcome.

So with regards a new rig.................

Did someone mention Barefaced? ;-)

I had not even heard of them until last weekend when I went into the music shop and the guy in there had some of their cabinets in stock. So since I have posted on here and seen Barefaced mentioned in quick succession in the first handful of replies I have checked out Barefaced and I must say I am very impressed with their approach to client interaction and marketing of their products. I pinged them an email yesterday morning and Alex responded a number of times very quickly asking some more questions before he responded with his advice. So I am very impressed with their approach to the market and the fact that you can trial them for 30 days because gigging them will give you a much better idea of how they are going to suit your needs.

I will also check out all the other suggestions on here, but this might be a 2 stage process because if the biggest problem is the current cabinet being not up to the grade then I can always pair my 400RB with a new cab such as the Barefaced Super Twin initially and then upgrade the 400RB later if I decide I need to or want to.

So thanks again for the good advice guys and I will keep you posted

LiamB