How to keep up with halfstacks

Earplugs.
A lot more than a mini Ampeg rig.

 

Microstack might not cut it.

You'd be much better off with any 500 watt mini head (I think this is great deal TC Electronic Thrust BQ500 500-Watt Compact Bass Head ) and then adding 2X15s. Or 2X12s. Or one of either if money is tight, and then you can add another in the future.

 

Unless your guitarists, hopefully only two, are disciplined enough to keep the levels down(good luck with that), you are going to need some serious heavy metal to be heard if your not going through a PA. I've played though Marshall's and next to Marshalls .

 

What's your budget?

 

HalfstackS? A 4x10 and a good head with at least 300w

 

I don't envy you.
The answer to your question about what to get is "a lot".

 

Rule I was taught for playing with drums, 300 tube 500 ss.
I like 800 in a D but gigged w a 300 watt tube

 

I played in a heavy group where both guitarists used 25W tube amps through 4x12 cabs, and it took me using most of my 800W @ 4 ohms through an 810 to keep up, but it was so loud, nobody could hear anything. It was awful.

Many won't want to hear this, but the best practice setup is amp modelers through IEM and an electronic drumset.

 

Whole stack.

 

You'll want minimum 300 watts into an 8x10 or 500 watts (or more) into an efficient 2x12, 2x15, or 4x10.

And earplugs.

 

500 watts min. with a good 4-10.

 

500w and 4x10s would be a good start. 2x210 stacked vertically, or a 410 on milk crates helps get the speakers up to your ears. EQ- Cut your bass, bump up your mids.

a budget will help us be more specific

 

Ooof! If they play loud? 8-10's.

 

Do you have any amp, speaker or combo amp now?

About the earplugs, get some good ones that can reduce noise by 30 dB or more....

 

All you need is a small pair of side cutters; one little snip, problem solved.

Edit: I see, two guitarists. One little snip here, and another little slip there.

 

800 watts. 2 15inch speaker cabs. Place directly behind guitarist. Volume max.

Tell him you will turn down when he does.

 

GK 2001RB on top a GK412 NEO outa do the trick. Make them cry like babies.

 

Long before IEMs were even a gleam in their inventor's eyes, I rehearsed for a while in the bandleader/drummer's kitchen. Guitarist and I each used little 10W 8" practice amps, the drummer played a snare with a towel over it and a hi-hat with brushes and the fiddler played unamplified but kept his volume down to match us. I loved it.

 

Get a DNS-410 cab by DNA (street price of $1,049)and a DNA-800 amp (street price of $799) and you will no longer have any fear of Marshall single or double stacks. And just to be clear, I am a DNA endorsing Artist.

I have a DNS-410 and also a DNS-210 along with an Eden WT500/800. The "/800" on my Eden amp is because it was upgraded from 500-watts bridged to 800-watts bridged. I run it bridged into my DNS-410 (handles 1400-watts rms) for outdoor venues and festivals, or I will run it bridged into my DNS-210 (handles 700-watts rms) for all indoor venues. I get told to turn down running my 800-watt amp into my DNS-410 at outdoor festivals if I sneak my master volume more than a tiny bit past 10 o'clock. If I sneak it up to 10:30, I'm always told to turn down immediately.

Also, if you're running a passive bass, give your low mids at ~250 Hz a tiny boost. Boost it too much and it will honk at you, but a little boost in the low mids anywhere between 250Hz and 500Hz gives you nice definition and presence in a group. If you have a 1350-watt amp like the DNA-1350, you can drive that DNS-410 to its max SPL of 137db. But an 800-watt amp will drive it to 134db. Don't stand anywhere near it if you do that though because that is not only beyond the threshold of pain, it is instantaneous hearing damage. But...I have no fear of Marshall double stacks and I don't need to lug around an 810.

Here's a picture of my setup at the first gig I used my DNS-210. I wasn't sure if it would be enough so I stacked it on top of my 410 because I knew I could unhook it in seconds and plug in the 410 that I did know was enough. Come to find out the 210 by itself was more than enough and I had to move my stack farther stage left and further upstage to get out of the 60° dispersion cone from those speakers because it was painful to stand in front of it. That night my DNS-410 just ended up being an expensive amp stand.