Im distressed...

Are you sure you need 400-1200 W? Having not had a gig yet, how can you be sure you will be playing in front of hundreds of people? 400-1200 is certainly overkill for a 10x10 room, that much is certain.

 

yeah dude. I have a 200 watt combo amp. 2x10 with an added 15 on the bottom.. I can fill up most halls.. And then consider you will probably but hooked to the system in someway... either through a direct box or miced.. I think you are just wanting a bit rig which for you is not really necessary.. I mean Unless you are playing for thousands or people on a regular bassis, I would say save your money.. Or get something smaller.. You could for sure get buy with like an ampeg 4x10 cab with a 300 350 watt head.. and that would probably last you forever and ever amen.

 

If you cant stand lifting cabs than your pretty much out of luck. But I would say if you want something loud and "light" go with a 4 ohm 4x10, (maybe put on some casters) or get a 2x10 and a 15. I find my 2x10 is easy to move around alone but then I still have a bass, a box with cables and a 4 space road case so it adds up. And do you have a van? One thing to also consider is your jam space downstairs? cause if you are moving back and forth often to these shows it may suck too. IMO

 

Hey sorry must have read your question wrong? I Didn't know you were only refering to what brand to get. I thought I was helping you choose a cab?Although 400-1200 Watts is pretty vague too. Do you want a 4x10, 8x10, 2x10? you only mention 10x10 and thats your band rooms dimensions . Pretty much everyone here seems to like ampegs. I haven't heard much about crate and acoustic. The Eden 410 xlt is a big seller too. or the SWR Goliath III. I dunno I guess I just don't know exactly what your asking?

 

peavey 412 bottom

 

For watts per dollar, you gotta consider Carvin amps. Look at www.carvin.com , see the r600 and r1000 amps. I don't know af any other mfr who's offering 300w/side into 4 ohms for under $600. And you can also bridge mono into a 4-ohm load and get 600 watts -- with 2 1x15 cabs you could produce quite a noise for under $1000.

 

Personally, I like GK and SWR.

 

If you can find 'em, Nemesis cabs (made by Eden)have good tone, are inexpensive, are loud and very light. Check 'em out...

 

REA-lly...?

WHat do you find to be so bad about Carvin cabs? I have a 500w Carvin spk (I think they were/are using Eminence but I'm not positive) in a Sonic Micromini cab that has given me faithful service without a moment's complaint since I got it in '95.

 

don't mean to break into your convo, but what do you get for paying more for a poweramp? I originally wanted, and still do want to get a Carvin DCM2000. Why should I pay nearly 500 or more, more for a Crest or a QSC? Any difference? The damping factors are the same. And the other specs are very similar, which would mean they are insignifantly noticeable. So should I still get the Carvin poweramp?

 

The Nov 97 issue of Bass Player has an article entitled "12 power amps under $1500". I remember reading it, but I do not remember whether a Carvin was reviewed. Sadly, the article is not online so you'll have to dig out the old issue.

In any event, they tested all of these amps, each with a couple of different basses and speaker combinations, and found that there WERE noticeable differences in the way these power amps treated electric bass. There are also speaker and amp protection features that are on some but not others.

If I find the article I'll try to give a condensed report, or else I'll scan it and email to anyone who wants it.

 

IMHO Their sound is lifless and dull!!! But that's just me! Now their amps and guitars are a different story. Both are well worth the money. But I wouldn't at this point in time recommend a Carvin Cab to anyone except maybe one of their small combo's. A good practice amp for the price. Again that's just my opinion. OK?

 

So I dug out the article. Apparently, the thing that most affects sound is the limiting circuits, which all of these amps have.

The Carvin DCM1500 shared the Best Buy award with Mackie M-1400 and SWR Sterreo 800. All the amps tested were around 1000w bridged mono into 8 ohms. About the Carvin, they said: "The Carvin -- with its detailed top end, punchy low end, and subtle limiting -- sounds great... Limiting circuit is very musical-sounding and subtle... the Carvin, Crest, and Mackie have the most musical-sounding limiting." Top Tone awards went to SWR, Stewart, Hafler, and Crest.

So since the SWR was the only one that got both a Top Tone and a Best Buy award, is it the best amp? At 700 watts bridged mono into 8 ohms, it is the lowest-powered amp they looked at. The editors stop short of crowning a "best in show"; I believe they have to be careful what the say about a current/prospective advertiser's product.

For example, they write about the Ampeg SVP-1500: :"Built-in limiting prevents unwanted distortion but alters signal dynamics, especially with 5-strings. Warm lows and smooth highs that stay tight the louder you go. Would benefit from a limiting bypass switch." Sounds nice, but they rated this amp's sound 2 out of 5.

But then about the BGW (who was not advertising in BP at the time), they wrote: "Limting circuit makes lows cloudy and too round when pushed hard. Good low-mid punch, but not much impact. Better with limiter out, but not a very bass-friendly amp"; but then they give the sound a rating of 3 -- better than the Ampeg! To boot, the Ampeg rates an "overall quality" rating of 3, while the BGW gets a 4! Why are they being so polite in the Ampeg's description when the scores are actually lower?

So you have to be really careful about how you read this stuff. Perhaps they're being nice to Carvin and Ampeg because they advertise so heavily; the article does say that all of the ratings take each amp's price into account. Since the Carvin is the lowest-priced unit of the bunch, does that mean that all of its scores are higher because of that and it would not have scored as well if it had been more expensive? All of these "shootout" articles have to be read betweeen the lines like this, and all of the information can't even be found there. The best you can do is try to find the comparative statments that imply style, and go from there.

I am definitely a Carvin fan, no question about it, and I was happy to be reminded that BP liked this product too.