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Make my amp decision for me...
- Thread starter sigmafloyd
- Start date
If you are willing to get a separate head+cabinet I suggest you plan on spending most of your money on the cabinet and less on the head. 60/40 is probably ideal, 70/30 if you can manage an AWESOME cabinet.
Reason being, a larger cabinet will generally be more sensitive than a smaller one. So it will do more with less wattage.
Likewise a smaller cabinet is only going to net you so much loudness regardless of how many watts you have available.
A cheap cabinet may not be able to use the wattage of a high wattage amp without a blowout, meltdown etc.
IME a great sounding cabinet will still sound good with a mediocre head. A crappy cab will almost always sound terrible or be run at its limits.
If you do decide you want a combo(you really don't) only buy one that has some degree of expandability. Something like the new Rumble 500, which can use an external speaker.
The GK MB series is just as good with its"chain out" capability.
A combo will always have some sort of roof to its volume. Get one with as high a roof as possible.
A head will never have a roof. The cabinet will determine that, so get one with a higher roof.(bigger=better)
Good luck friend.
Reason being, a larger cabinet will generally be more sensitive than a smaller one. So it will do more with less wattage.
Likewise a smaller cabinet is only going to net you so much loudness regardless of how many watts you have available.
A cheap cabinet may not be able to use the wattage of a high wattage amp without a blowout, meltdown etc.
IME a great sounding cabinet will still sound good with a mediocre head. A crappy cab will almost always sound terrible or be run at its limits.
If you do decide you want a combo(you really don't) only buy one that has some degree of expandability. Something like the new Rumble 500, which can use an external speaker.
The GK MB series is just as good with its"chain out" capability.
A combo will always have some sort of roof to its volume. Get one with as high a roof as possible.
A head will never have a roof. The cabinet will determine that, so get one with a higher roof.(bigger=better)
Good luck friend.
Gk, 700 or 1001 rbII are amazing but weigh like thirty pounds. The Mb series sound great (though not AS good in my opinion) and weigh next to nothing.
I love my combos. I was under the impression he was looking for something with more gas. A BA115hp isn't the loudest amp ever but it isn't exactly quiet, either.
We always want more power. And power is now very cheap and very light.
But the same goes for PA's.
I seem to be in the clear minority here, but I don't see the point in lugging around a 610 or an 810 cabinet and a 1000W head when most venues can give you a powerful PA. And venues that don't have a PA are likely to be small enough to not need much power anyway.
In most cases I am happy to plug in and mic up to a 250W combo, which is basically just a personal monitor, and get down to business. With SS amps in the 250-500W size range I don't see any clear advantages between combo or modular. One's cheaper, one's more flexible. Big deal.
Home use and recording is a different story. Then, it's all about tube amps.
Sorry for the rant, but I have just had surgery and I am on some awesome painkillers.
But the same goes for PA's.
I seem to be in the clear minority here, but I don't see the point in lugging around a 610 or an 810 cabinet and a 1000W head when most venues can give you a powerful PA. And venues that don't have a PA are likely to be small enough to not need much power anyway.
In most cases I am happy to plug in and mic up to a 250W combo, which is basically just a personal monitor, and get down to business. With SS amps in the 250-500W size range I don't see any clear advantages between combo or modular. One's cheaper, one's more flexible. Big deal.
Home use and recording is a different story. Then, it's all about tube amps.
Sorry for the rant, but I have just had surgery and I am on some awesome painkillers.
Sorry about your surgery but congratulations on the painkillers. Not endorsing their recreational usage, but they sure do make getting through surgery easier.
You can easily let the PA do the heavy lifting and just use your amp as a monitor. Probably don't even need 250w. I've done huge outdoor shows in front of thousands with a B-15 or a 35w practice amp. But big rigs are much more fun to stand in front of, even if you don't play loud (it's physics), and bands don't always have PA's that can deliver bass as well as they can vocals so they might need the firepower.
But he said reliable and Carvin has been known to have quality control issues. I myself have blown 3 of their amps, not even pushing it as well, with the Furman Pl Plus C. I baby my stuff so never had a problem with Mesa, Aguilar, Eden, or SWR pre Fender that is. Not trying to piss on your post. Say no to Carvin amps. I posted about Carvin on someone else's thread where he just bought a Carvin bass but was having quality control issues with it. They sent him I think 3 new pickups and all where not right 1 malfunctioned or something like that, don't recall exactly so don't quote me.
I've seen a lot of people saying go with GK. I personally do not like their sound at all. Your price range is kind of small. But Aguilar is great I seriously doubt you will have a bad time with them. Also for speaker cabs, please find a way to try these out also the amps.
The cabs Aguilar cabs are the best in your price range and that's just for the cab, if you want loud with good tone you've gotta go with 4 speakers at least. Whether it's a 4x10 or a 4x12....2 just doesn't cut it. It pushes half the air of 4 speakers. Whether your comparing a 2x12 to a 4x10 the 4x10 is always gonna sound better....well if it's the same manufacturer that is
Eden is second best sounding for clarity and tone for both speakers and amps. Can do some great stuff with Eden.
If you want more of that grit for lets say heavier stuff or IDK old school or just grit...go with Ampeg that'd be my 3rd choice.
All 3 of these companies make great stuff.
But always remember with music gear you almost always get what you pay for. And sorry to say, not all the time, but 90% of the time the better sounding stuff costs more.
It'd be better if you saved and got the rig that will sound great and last you a long time. Fender makes their stuff in China or Mexico so I wouldn't if I were you. I accidently bought a Superbassman $2000 head and am regretting it. Was made in Mexico(didn't know that at the time), and more importantly I just am not happy with the sound. Should've just saved 400$ more and got the Aguilar DB 751. Practice what I preach.
See what I mean!
Also you could go to ZZounds.com or Americanmusical.com and do the pay as you play plan. Get a rig outside of your budget and just pay monthy charges....no credit check either. I've done this with a few things.
But if you can find it used on guitarcenter, they have a 30 day return policy so you could buy something and try it, then bring it back to your local GC to avoid xtra shipping charges. You'll be out the initial shipping charges but better to pay 30$ or whatever that buy something your not happy with. It's a totally personal thing man, gear can touch you soul just like music can. But hey....I'm a gearslut so...
Ohhh if you find an SWR 750x pre-Fender so pre 2003 get it! Totally under rated head, and it's loud! The get a 4x10 aguilar, eden, or ampeg cab and you've got a great rig that will sound awesome no matter where you go, and will last you 20 years that you can be happy with.
EBS is good to, get one right under that $1000 threshold for the head that is...
Here are some links check it out start at most expensive and work your way down. Sweetwater carries Aguilar, but their pay as you play is limited to 3 payments instead of 4,5, or 8 month plans. But they also have Mesa if you want more tube in your sound but not Ampeg tube something more HD sounding....I guess you could say. Also try listening to some youtube videos of your choices through a good set of monitors or cans(headphones). Won't be great but you can get a general idea what it may sound like. If it's done right that is.
Aguilar | Sweetwater.com
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Another carvin and Hartke user here. The bx 500 is great I have had it for a year and it's still going strong. It's very transparent and sounds awesome with my stingray. The Hartke lh500 sounds more muffled to me. It's still a great amp for the price. I have had that for 4 years now.
Carvin is the the easy pick for me if I'm looking for massive flexibility on a budget. I still use a BX1200 on the regular, but the lightweight stuff they have now is killer. A common giggin rig for me is my BX500 with an SWR GoliathIII. The GENZ Benz stuff is great too and I most often use their cabs nowadays. I have a shuttle 9.2, but still commonly use the BX500 as it is feature loaded and has a nice compressor built in. I have used Carvin cabs in The past, and wasn't overwhelmed.
That's a good point Jimmy. I played a 100w old Fender amp in my old band and it was decent enough for practice with 2 guitarists, keyboard, and 2 drummers, and live I was always direct or miced. This band is just me and 1 guitar player. Perhaps I just tell him to turn down
Also - could be related to this: Another 08 PBass pickup thread | TalkBass.com
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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IMHO, the PF-350 hasn't got the power to take full advantage of two of those 410's. I liked mine but found it ran out of gas easily with a 4 ohm Epifani 410. Long gone.
So many good choices out there now. If I were starting from scratch and buying new I would probably go with this Carvin rig: [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Edit: Just checked the prices of the head and cabinet separately. They are both on sale so if you purchased them individually the price would only be $698! An American made 700 watt amp and 410 cabinet delivered to your door for under $700 is a hard deal to beat IMO.
On the used market you can find some good deals. Watch your local Craig's List or check the TB classifieds. I recently picked up a Hartke LH1000 in an SKB rack case for $250 and a 210 cabinet loaded with Eminence speakers for $50, both from CL!
Edit: Just checked the prices of the head and cabinet separately. They are both on sale so if you purchased them individually the price would only be $698! An American made 700 watt amp and 410 cabinet delivered to your door for under $700 is a hard deal to beat IMO.
On the used market you can find some good deals. Watch your local Craig's List or check the TB classifieds. I recently picked up a Hartke LH1000 in an SKB rack case for $250 and a 210 cabinet loaded with Eminence speakers for $50, both from CL!
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Getting ready to purchase a GK NEO 4X10. I just bought the 700RB. Sounds like there's no need to add the NEO 1X15.The 4X10 should be good.
