/ Register

Inexpensive Amp/Cab Advice

Discussion in 'Amps and Cabs [BG]' started by Ely, Nov 25, 2001.

  1. Nov 25, 2001 #1
    Ely

    Ely

    Jun 8, 2001
    Huntsville, AL
    I'm thinking of assembling an inexpensive rig for playing small/medium sized gigs.
    I have been looking at a couple manufacturers and I'm curious to what you all could recommend.
    First up is Carvin. I'm looking at their heads mainly, I've heard bad things about their speakers, and they don't have good enough frequency range for me. How are the Redline Series heads? Are Carvin power ratings grossly inflated like most low to mid-range companies are accused of being? I'd get a Carvin power amp, but a Power/Pre setup would be too damn expensive. I'm considering the R600 or R1000.
    Next is Peavey. I hear good things about the Firebass 700, and I hear their cabs are great for the price. How do their 4x10 and 4x12 cabs sound (the new kind, not the older models) and how much do they go for new?
    I looked at the Nemesis by Eden series as well as the Workingman's Series by SWR, but I'm not really interested in those.
    And lastly I've looked at Acme Low B 4x10's, I hear they're awesome, but they are really inefficient, how would a Carvin R1000 work running two of these?
    Anyone have any other recommendations? I'm looking for loudness and good low B handling, but good tone and features are nice too ;)
    Thanks everyone.
     
  2. Nov 25, 2001 #2
    Ely

    Ely

    Jun 8, 2001
    Huntsville, AL
    P.S. My Price range is undetermined right now, but probably somewhere around $1000-1500 max
     
  3. Nov 25, 2001 #3
    Ryan L.

    Ryan L. Moderator Staff Member Supporting Member

    Aug 7, 2000
    West Fargo, ND
    With that kind of a price range, you could get a pretty darn nice setup from either manufacturer.

    I have never played through the Carvins, but I have heard quite a few good things about them. There are a few people here who got em (Luis Fabara, rickbass1, for example) that I am sure can give you the low down on them.

    And you can't go wrong with the newer Peavey stuff. I used to own a Firebass 700 and an 810tx cab. Extremely punchy, plenty of power, broad range of tones. For the kind of money you are talking, you should be able to get that head with either the 810, (2) 410's, a 412, or a 410+1x15 setup. Try each out, and see which one you prefer.

    Ryan
     
  4. Nov 25, 2001 #4
    Ely

    Ely

    Jun 8, 2001
    Huntsville, AL
    The 8x10 sounds nice, but I forgot to mention my other requirement: It has to fit in the back seat of my Saturn, along with my bass, a bunch of other crap, and two people in the front :(
    That, and that it might freak out my band too much, I mean, they were all freaked out when I first brought in my Peavey Combo115 that's about 150lbs and is as big as a large TV... A couple 4x10s sounds like it'd be nice, but how much does a 4x12 cost? Two 4x12s would kick major arse...
     
  5. Nov 25, 2001 #5
    SRSiegel

    SRSiegel Guest

    Sep 17, 2001
    Ann Arbor, Michigan
    youre on the right track with carvin i believe. their heads are great in my opinion. (i am very opinionated) i play through an R600. id say spend the extra money and get the R1000 tho, its easily worth it in the $/watt category. stay away form carvin speakers. i am not a fan of them, even though i use them. they just fit my small budget. i havent played through them but i have heard that the peaveys are great cabs. i had an older one, and you cant break em. (mine was a 115 combo) their heads are also good, though i actually prefer the carvins. i would defenitly look into teh 412 TVX, i think they are around 500 bucks. im interested in one too, but im not sure how they will handle a B string, as they are tuned to 50 Hz. oh well, hope i helped. good luck. dont be afraid to look used, there are some great deals out there on used heads and cabs. id check ebay as well.
     
  6. Nov 25, 2001 #6
    Ryan L.

    Ryan L. Moderator Staff Member Supporting Member

    Aug 7, 2000
    West Fargo, ND
    The 412tvx is also a BIG cab. I am afraid you might have a bit of trouble squeezing it into the back seat.:( They are not much smaller than the 810.
     
  7. Nov 25, 2001 #7
    ItchyBass

    ItchyBass

    Oct 12, 2001
    Eugene, OR
    I don't personally use Carvin, but the power to cost ratio is excelent. They sound decent as well.

    As far as cabs, if you have to fit them in your Saturn... Damn! Look at BagEnd. With the $$$ saved buying a Carvin amp, the additional cost of the BagEnds could be managable. More so they get the job done in a small package. I play 4-string, and my BagEnd 15" has plenty of thump... I don't know how they do with 5 though.

    I can not imagine trying to get even a 4x10 in the back seat of a Saturn! Maybe you should just invest in a really nice DI box!
     
  8. Nov 25, 2001 #8
    FearandLoathing

    FearandLoathing

    Apr 19, 2001
    Newport Beach CA
    If your willing to spend tht amount why dont you jut go for a good company like AMPEG and get a SVT350 Classic or a B2R ad ge either aSVT 4x10 or a svt 6x10
     
  9. Nov 25, 2001 #9
    Captain Awesome

    Captain Awesome

    Apr 2, 2001
    PDX
    Eden makes a Nemesis series of cabs ( www.eden-electronics.com ) that are really nice, loud, and lightweight, and they only cost $50 more than comparable Carvin cabs if you buy them from the right place.
     
  10. Nov 25, 2001 #10
    Ely

    Ely

    Jun 8, 2001
    Huntsville, AL
    primusdude: I'll look into the Nemesis series, but the ultra HiFi Eden tone isn't really my cup of tea, so I didn't really consider them at all before.
    FearandLoathing: The reason I don't like the solid state Ampegs is because they are too expensive for the amount of wattage they produce, and also I hear Ampeg power ratings are over rated.
    Itchybass: Where can I find some prices on Bag End stuff? I've looked at them before but they always sounded like they would be too expensive so I stayed away. I'm gonna get a Sansamp anyway just for the tonal capabilities, but we aren't gonna be playing in many places with PA for a while, and we only have a small one for the singer and keyboards.
    SRSiegel: Are you sure the 412TVX is tuned to 50hz? On the Peavey site it says they go down to 30hz...
    Does the Peavey website have the list prices or will I have to email them or something?

    When I said my price range, I meant to say that $1000-1500 was my maximum, not my range. I can get to $1500, but it will take longer and I'd have to get the rig in installments, starting with the amp and the first speaker, then finally getting the last speaker later.
    Here's some more good news, my parents are fixing up the old pickup truck that we had that had a broken engine, so I'll be able to transport more (it's still a VERY small pickup truck, probably could hold my bass case, an amp head, and a couple medium/large speaker cabs. We're getting a hard cover made for the back so we can use it in the rain too.
     
  11. Nov 25, 2001 #11
    SRSiegel

    SRSiegel Guest

    Sep 17, 2001
    Ann Arbor, Michigan
    ely-
    i might have been mistaken on teh tuning of the cabinet. by tuning i dont mean frequency response. tuning is the frequency at which there is the maximum cab loading of the drivers (the drivers are best protected by the cushion of air inside the cab, at elast as i understand it) i could have sowrn they said their cabs were tuned to 50 Hz, but i could have been smoking some major crack, as the tuning frequency isnt on the website. it wouldnt make much sense to tune them to 50 Hz anyways, as this would mean that anythign below 50 Hz (even low E!) could possibly damage the drivers. with that said, i think you can disregard my comment about the tuning frequency. the 500 bucks was hearsay, as someone (cant remember who) said he was quoted i believe $525 by a dealer for a brand new 412 TVX. hope this clears everything up, sorry for any confusion i may have caused.