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[Markbass] Amp format advice

katolecho

katolecho

Apr 29, 2019
160
146
#1
Hi guys,

I need an advice about upgrading my little stack.

I'm using a Terror Bass 500 head with a Markbass Traveler 2x10 (8 ohm).

I mostly play everystyle but when I play metal music, the guitarist use a 4x12 cab + lots of watts.

I'm thinking about adding a second 8 ohm cab so that the head could run up to 500 watts.

What could be the better choice (as I can try what I would like) : an other 2x10 or a 1x15 (both from the traveler series)
 
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#5
katolecho said:
I've heard that I could have issue with phases?
Have you ever heard about that?
Click to expand...
Not with those cabinet combinations IMO. The basic alignments are pretty close, doesn’t have to be perfect.

Don’t get your information from AI, that’s a common AI response. (If that’s where you got the info)
 
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#11
It would be even better (in order to match the loud guitarist) to run two 8ohm 4x10 cabs.
This configuration would arguably squeeze the most (in terms of volume and fullness of tone) out of the Orange head.
But this comes with higher cost and more weight.
 
#12
agedhorse said:
Not with those cabinet combinations IMO. The basic alignments are pretty close, doesn’t have to be perfect.

Don’t get your information from AI, that’s a common AI response. (If that’s where you got the info)
Click to expand...

It's also a very common Talk Bass response. "Don't mix cabinets/drivers." There is no always true, all-encompassing, catch-all, correct response.
 
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#13
katolecho said:
Hi guys,

I need an advice about upgrading my little stack.

I'm using a Terror Bass 500 head with a Markbass Traveler 2x10 (8 ohm).

I mostly play everystyle but when I play metal music, the guitarist use a 4x12 cab + lots of watts.

I'm thinking about adding a second 8 ohm cab so that the head could run up to 500 watts.

What could be the better choice (as I can try what I would like) : an other 2x10 or a 1x15 (both from the traveler series)
Click to expand...
get a second markbass Traveler 210 cab same as your original 210 so you don't run into any phase or comb filtering that you may encounter with a different brand. Then you can continue to use your one 210 for small and medium clubs and add the second one to give you a de facto 500-watt rms 410 rig.

I have both a DNS-410 and a DNS-210 by DNA that are both very loud but crystal clear cabs. I run them with DNA-800 amp which puts 400-watts into a single 8Ω cab and 800-watts rms into both. When I need more power than that I'll use my Eden WT500/800 bridged at 800 watts into either of them. My 410 handles 1,400-wattsrms and my 210 handles 700-watts. I never run the bridged amp anywhere close to 800-watts though.

I wish I had bought a 210 first when I bought my 410, and then bought a second one when I needed more sound. But I thought I would never need to buy another cab because this one could handle it all. But when I moved to Washington state (2-days after my DNS-410 arrived), I found out there were a lot of small venues (over 400-brewpubs in Washington) and they wouldn't let me use my 410 because it was "too much for here". They'd typically make me use a small 112 combo that they owned. In Virginia there were very few small venues and the bands I played in typically played medium, large, and outdoor venues. In 2019 I bought my DNS-210 also in 8Ω and it is loud enough that I can use it for all my indoor venues. And even small venues don't look cross-eyed at a bass player bringing in a 210. So I just use my 410 for outdoor venues and music festivals now.

So I'd say, "get another 210" for large venues, outdoor venues, or any place your guitar player goes nuts with his volume. If that doesn't do the trick for you then you need to upgrade your amp to an 800-watt one. 500-watts should really do it for you though.
 
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#14
dalahorse said:
It's also a very common Talk Bass response. "Don't mix cabinets/drivers." There is no always true, all-encompassing, catch-all, correct response.
Click to expand...
True enough. You can usually mix different cabs as long as they are from the same manufacturer, who is a quality manufacturer because they are aware of the challenges of mixing their cabs and they design around it. The problem comes when you mix cabs and manufacturers because the designers never intended them to be used with someone else's cabs and then it becomes a crap shoot.

I gigged for about 6 years with an acoustic B410+a GK115bpx and made it work. That GK 115 was/is their least expensive 115 and it was a big waste of money. It was super muddy and boomy no matter what I did to it or what our sound tech did. I could make it work OK by dropping my Bass EQ from flat down to 10 o'clock, which didn't help the 410 at all. Then I got an amp with two discrete power channels and plugged one cab into each side. It had this nice "balance knob' that allowed me to send more power to the 410 than the 115 and I got rid of the mud by turning that over to about 10:30 towards the 410. That way it didn't send as much power to the 115 and it didn't sound as boomy and muddy. That sounded a lot better and gave the 410 the Bass EQ it needed.

Now if I had for instance, a Mesa 410 and added a Mesa 115 cab, it would sound great as-is with a single powerblock amp or a double powerblock amp because @agedhorse designed them to sound good together and he knows what he's doing.
 
Last edited:
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#15
I play a stack with a 2x10 and 1x15 without any problems. They are not Markbass but they are from the same company. I also use a 500w amp and play in a rock cover band with a loud drummer and two guitarists. No problems being heard.

I would go with the 1x15. Depending on the porting, though, it could change your sound in ways you like or don't like so, if possible, I would try it out first.
 
#16
Rip Van Dan said:
True enough. You can usually mix different cabs as long as they are from the same manufacturer, who is a quality manufacturer because they are aware of the challenges of mixing their cabs and they design around it. The problem comes when you mix cabs and manufacturers because the designers never intended them to be used with someone else's cabs and then it becomes a crap shoot.

I gigged for about 6 years with an acoustic B410+a GK115bpx and made it work. That GK 115 was/is their least expensive 115 and it was a big waste of money. It was super buddy and boomy no matter what I did to it or what our sound tech did. I could make it work OK by dropping my Bass EQ from flat down to 10 o'clock, which didn't help the 410 at all. Then I got an amp with two discrete power channels and plugged one cab into each side. It had this nice "balance knob' that allowed me to send more power to the 410 than the 115 and I got rid of the mod by turning that over to about 10:30 towards the 410. That way it didn't send as much power to the 115 and it didn't sound as boomy and muddy. That sounded a lot better and gave the 410 the Bass EQ it needed.

Now if I had for instance, a Mesa 410 and added a Mesa 115 cab, it would sound great as-is with a single powerblock amp or a double powerblock amp because @agedhorse designed them to sound good together and he knows what he's doing.
Click to expand...
There are also different series by the same manufacturer that sound so much different (and have very different alignments) that they just don't sound a good together.
 
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#17
Getting a matching cab pretty much guarantees they will play well together. There is some degree of uncertainty if you mix. Might sound great, might not. Can you try before you buy? Ideally you would try both and then choose the option that works best for you.

Per the MB specs: The 210 is 1dB more efficient and the 115 plays 5hz lower. Also, the 115 is about 4lbs heavier.
 
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#18
To be honest, if it was easier to find a Markbass Traveler 4x10 8 ohms (if they add ever existed), I'd choose to add it to the 2x10 I already own.
I thought about buying a standard / MB58 one but I'm not sure that it will fit with the traveler one.
 

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