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How is this for a beginner's rig?
- Thread starter WeepingRed
- Start date
Well, up to this point I've recorded my music with no bass guitar and I'm just finishing up my 3rd album XD
Right?! Lars doesn't even have the bass in his monitor; just rhythm/Hetfield. He also plays to a click tho....
I should say, the above is all tongue in cheek and I have no proof of any of it.
Edit: And in fact some evidence that it is false:
In search of the click track
The bass thing is due to AJFA and the bass being mixed down for whatever reason. I never liked that album, but there are many YT vids where the track has been restored and it makes the whole thing better. My preferred on is the And Justice for Jason video.
Cheers!
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heck, buy mine! (check the classifieds!)
In all seriousness, I wish bass was louder in metal. I love bands like Megadeth where you can actually hear the bass. It's death metal where it's low, I listen to a band called The Haunted a lot and I have to focus all my attention on the bass just to hear what's going on there. My music could really do with a slightly distorted, grindy kind of bass tone. I might get a bass big muff, those things sound awesome.
Heck of a lot better than my first rig. But I agree with others in that I would get the 4-10 if it were my only cab.
Hey, Welcome to TalkBass!!!!
Hey, Welcome to TalkBass!!!!
Yeah, I'm going 410 or 2 210. Thanks, loving the community here, everyone is so helpful. I should really sleep now.
wintremute
mediocrity at its finest
- Oct 16, 2014
- 6,942
- 29,551
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Langstrom Carrot Farms
David Ellefson approves of the Kelly Bird, and so do I. A good bass for Metal!
When you get it, make a NBD (New Bass Day) thread and post pics.
When you get it, make a NBD (New Bass Day) thread and post pics.
I would suggest a 410 as well but, later get the 210 for a smaller footprint for small clubs
I also like to 210 + 15 match that some use tight punch from the 10's and nice low end you can only get from a 15 imho
I also like to 210 + 15 match that some use tight punch from the 10's and nice low end you can only get from a 15 imho
Yes, there's a cherry red sunburst that's on sale for the exact amount of money I'll have on my birthday, plus I'm a fan of Junior haha. Absolutely will do a NBD!
Or use a very loud, small combo or tube head with a single cab cranked way up. One of the great things about old records is that they would do things like I just described to achieve POWER TUBE saturation, which sounds different, but more pleasing than PREAMP saturation. Think of the difference between Fuzz and Overdrive or Clean Boost.
Incidentally, you can SIMULATE power tube saturation on a solid state amp, provided it has an overdrive channel and pre and post gain or volume level adjustments. You just select the dirty channel and turn the post gain or volume all the way up (adjust the Master Volume for actual loudness) and slowly increase the gain or pre volume until you hear distortion, then back off slightly. With a distortion pedal, you do basically the same thing. Your Big Muff or Rat or Boss DS-2 will do this no problem. And now we're off topic....
Cheers!
the rig isn't great for metal, but throw an Aguilar Agro in front of it and you'll have all the metal tone you need.
I think you're on the right track with just the 2x10 for now. If you don't intend on gigging just yet a 4x10 is overkill.
I gigged a Hartke HA3500 for years, great amp...
That rig will be fine.
Matt
I gigged a Hartke HA3500 for years, great amp...
That rig will be fine.
Matt
It's easy to buy/borrow/rent a larger cab someday when you start gigging.
However, you will never regret having a smaller cab (like a 2x10) that is easy to move around. You might end up actually playing more often if you don't have to move a big 4x10 every time you want to jam with someone!
However, you will never regret having a smaller cab (like a 2x10) that is easy to move around. You might end up actually playing more often if you don't have to move a big 4x10 every time you want to jam with someone!
Also, for the record, my first rig was a HA3500 into a VX410, and I played in a metal band (more like if Pantera and Mudvayne had an awful, untalented child) and it sounded fine.
I didn't know anything about anything at that point though, so who knows.
I didn't know anything about anything at that point though, so who knows.
Agree. Some will mock 300w, but I find that this is just about right. With a 300w amp that only delivers 125 into your 8 ohm cab, then you're in trouble. So plan that carefully.
These speaker sizes are also a good rule of thumb for starter gear; you said "metal".
Small and light costs more for the same tone and volume. There's a lot of good, heavy bass gear at the local Music Go Round right now. If you can handle dragging around heavier gear, you can get some good deals and much better tone. You might find you love clean power and get your tone through pedals. You might not. But I assure you, the search for great tone will eventually lead you to new speaker cabs. Plan accordingly.
ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE.
90% of my cover gigs I use a 210 only. In fact, 410's tend to be too boomy for most rooms.
I don't know, I gigged with Avatar 210s and I had an Ernie Ball Music Man 210, thing was as heavy as a 410...both did fine on my four string. Might be different for metal, or for heavy use of octave-pedals, but I think a quality 210 can stand by itself for most kinds of music at sane volume levels, especially for beginners. You can always add another 2x10 down the road. (I'm using a Phil Jones 4x5 now, people think I'm lying when I say I'm NOT using the PA. Go ahead. Find the wire...)
Kelly Bird, a touch of Thunderbird, with a touch of Explorer, a great choice for Metal, I wouldn't write off 15's, I happened upon a SWR Triad, it has a 15", 10" and a tweet, a little something for everyone, couldn't be more happy with it, but that's just my opinion
Well, that's a completely different kettle of fish.
If you have no immediate need to push stage volumes, you might be better served by one of the Fender Rumbles, or the GK combos what have an available extension cabinet. More than enough volume for practice at home, with the extension cab, enough power for small to medium gigs, with FOH support medium to large. When you graduate, you can always look at a bigger rig, if you end up playing bass in a band, and the Rumble/GK becomes your home practice amp and backup should the prime time rig take a tumble...
It's something to consider anyways. When I selected my current cabs, the criteria were light and small. I always have FOH support, so my rig is just a monitor. So my cabs roll off at quite a high frequency, I can hear (or my ears believe that they are hearing) the fundamental, which is sufficient unto the need. I always figured my next set of cabs would have a very different set of priorities.
