Is there anything wrong with my first head being 800 Watts?

[agedhorse]

FWIW, I had issues creasing the woofers in my old Eden 2x10" cabinets with "only" 500W. At low frequencies, power handling will be much lower, perhaps under 100W at 30Hz. But on the flip-side, I think that matching amp power and cabinet power ratings is a bit of a sketchy proposition and may lead to a false sense of security.

If you're planning on running the amp full tilt, constantly bumping off of the limiter, then an 800W amp is obviously not a good match for a 4-500W rated 2x10". However, there's nothing inherently unsafe about having plenty of headroom in reserve if you keep the volume down to a more reasonable level on that same 800W amp. But then "use common sense", and keep the volume under control, and don't blow the woofers doesn't seem to resonate as well...

Of course reasonable expectations and good common sense are necessary. Also, (most) drivers today have addressed that weakness but that's also why I stressed that he needs to understand what the power ratings actually mean.

 

[Coot]

Ok, I am gonna hijack my own thread (thanks to everyone!). I am torn between going modular (rumble210 cab + 800 watt head @ $650) and a used rumble 500 combo ($500). As I said in the beginning, there is a chance at a couple of gigs and the price difference is big enough for me to hesitate - especially given COVID in California and the profusion of talented bass players in the Sacramento area. My wife doesn't care about my choice and stopped listening early on. So, I turn to the only people who can offer insightful opinions.

My wife stopped listening to my equipment tutorials when I started telling her about how tubes work , how ohm matching for heads and cabs is important , and why I NEEDED a P bass as well as a Jazz.

 

[chris_b]

. . . . I am torn between going modular (rumble210 cab + 800 watt head @ $650) and a used rumble 500 combo ($500). . . .

The 800 watt head and 210 gets my vote. Then start saving for the second 210.

 

[cassanova]

The 800 watt head and 210 gets my vote. Then start saving for the second 210.

+1 to this.

I went with an 800 watt head, and 2x10 with the intent to pair it with another. Couldn't be happier. Great tone and easy to lug around w/out breaking my back and balls.

 

[SacRush]

You guys are awesome. Thank you for the (GAS) support and for the technical advice/info. I appreciate all of the wisdom.

 

[rickwebb]

Good morning, TBers. I hope you all are safe and healthy.

I got an invite from an old guitar playing friend of mine to play with him and a "hard hitting" drummer in some jams and maybe into a couple of small gigs. I am guessing that my steady old GK MB112 (not the II) isn't gonna cut it so I have been shopping around a bit. I am eyeing the Rumble 500, but also thinking about going modular. If I do go modular, is there a reason i shouldn't get a big (750-800 watt) head even though I will probably be running a 2x10 cab or so through it? Is there a bad thing about wasting the head space between the potential and the actual output?

Many thanks to you!

TL;DR - is there anything wrong with having an 800 watt head on a much smaller cab?

Oh heck no. I had a full Ampeg SVT rig in high school. Go for it, i say

 

[James Collins]

Doesn't it also depends on which volume you prefer the tone of? For example, if you want a bit of that high gain/overdrive sound, you will never get it with a high what low volume situation.

For a band situation, I prefer when the band all has smaller wattage and mics up to an EQ/PA setup.

 

[Lobster11]

Thanks for all the feedback. I am no engineer, so I am always learning new stuff.
The idea of a 800 watt head is a cost saving (and optimistic) one - if I eventually grow to need a 410 set for larger venues, then why not get an 800 now instead of a 500 now and then an 800. It does seem like I would be better off with getting a head to match my need - now around 500. Thanks to all!

I'm not sure why you think that if go from a 2x10 to a 4x10 you'll need a bigger amp. The difference between 500 and 800 watts isn't as big as you might think, volume-wise. I've been using a 500-watt head into a pair of matching (8-ohm) 2x10s for years -- in fact, I have two such rigs living in different places -- and I've never used half of the available volume on either.

I'm certainly not saying that there's anything wrong with getting an 800-watt head, and if you found a deal on one that was cheaper than a comparable 500-watt head I'd jump on it. I just think you're overestimating the importance of having an 800 when 500 would almost certainly be adequate. You'll get a much bigger volume boost by doubling the number of speakers (e.g., using two 2x10s rather than one) than by adding 300 watts (all other things being equal of course).

 

[Oren Hudson]

Use that power wisely in conjunction with the speaker cab. My theory is - generally speaking, you can't have too much power.

 

[agedhorse]

Use that power wisely in conjunction with the speaker cab. My theory is - generally speaking, you can't have too much power.

That's fine for players with reasonable expectations, good judgement and have enough rig for the gig. My experience is that many players do not fit this description and end up needing speaker repair because they were given a false sense of security.