• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Need help with Cab suggestions.

Dthcore

Dthcore

Guest
May 5, 2014
102
6
33
#1
Alright about a year ago i bought and Ampeg 8x10 new from GC. Its the 800watt one.

And i love it! But there is an issue. The size of the cab makes using it extremely inconvenient. I cant transport it where we jam nor shows because no one in the band has a truck or A vehicle big enough to stick this sucker in. So its been sitting in my room for a while... And i strongly dislike that.... strongly...

So ive thought about selling it. It sounds fine and functions well but i do have some aesthetic damage on the tolex a lot more then i would like but it doesn't look bad because i have black gorilla tape over those areas.

But i am aware itll decrease the value of it...


A little bit about what im using besides the cab. I use a B7K by microtubes and a 5 string bass. I play In REALLY low tunings. At the moment i am playing in drop G. The best way i can describe my tone is beefy. warm ish and distorted but not heavily distorted.


In the scene i am a part of and play in. The only things we usually mic Are the vocals. Everything else is powered by the person playing. There are shows were all instruments will be miced but for the most part i can see myself playing unmiced shows Considering the style i play and the fact that it is underground. So i will need something with juice.

SO to my question. What are some Smaller, Powerful, Durable cabs with good low and middle end? By smaller i dont mean puny, just not a 8x10 haha. Something that would be a bit more convenient.

I would personally not want to exceed the price range of 600. I know that isnt a whole lot to work with but i imagine its what i can do at this time in my life.
 
Last edited:
#7
Korladis said:
What car are you using?

I see people say "oh, my car won't fit an 810" all the time, but I tend not to believe them, because my friend fit his in his car all the time when he was driving a tiny Hyundai sedan. And still had room for one passenger.
Click to expand...


Unfortunately i Dont have a vehicle as of recently and all my band mates have people with them or there gear in their vehicles so there is no room.
 
#10
What you are seeking is extremely difficult to achieve. You want a cab that is super loud (thats how I read unmiced underground) super low (needs to be capable of huge power) on the small side and cheap.

It seems to me you are either going to have to compromise somewhere or change one of your variables.

A fEARful 15/6 will go quite low and will get loud given enough power (like 800 to 1000w at 8 ohms). It can also be built under 50LBS and is about 20x30x16. You can build one yourself for around $600 maybe less depending if you want to go super low budget (cheap out on the paint and hardware).

Then again if you need *really loud and low* you need two cabs or a dual driver cab.... and a car to haul it with.
 
#15
That is because the HLF is a better designed cab than the E is. The Ampeg SVT 810 is not tuned for bass all that well, Ampeg just wanted something big and good looking to pair with the SVT but they needed a lot of drivers to get enough power handling. But I digress, the HLF has three ports and a tweeter plus it's still half of the 8x10, so it's gonna lack in thundering volume but have a more rounded tone. Ampeg guys swear by that cab.
 
#17
waltdogg said:
That is because the HLF is a better designed cab than the E is. The Ampeg SVT 810 is not tuned for bass all that well, Ampeg just wanted something big and good looking to pair with the SVT but they needed a lot of drivers to get enough power handling. But I digress, the HLF has three ports and a tweeter plus it's still half of the 8x10, so it's gonna lack in thundering volume but have a more rounded tone. Ampeg guys swear by that cab.
Click to expand...
I don't. Can't stand it. It gets lost really easily in a dense mix.

Maybe more designed, but for my purposes, not nearly as good a cab. It has almost none of that big low mid punchiness that the 810 does. Sure, you can tell that there's bass going on, but there's no note definition if you have overdriven guitars going on. To get the same amount of actual audible volume, you have to use a lot more power. The thing is basically voiced like a kick drum. It's super mid-scooped. Hence why I wouldn't recommend it to anyone doing heavy music.

Now, don't get me wrong, the 810E isn't my first choice in cab, either (that would be a Sunn 2000S 2x15, but the OP wants to go smaller, not bigger), but I've enjoyed playing through them, whereas you'd have to pay me to play through an HLF.
 
  • Like
Reactions: D.M.N. and DethByDoom
#18
I use a 410 running my mb 500 or my mesa m6 carbine at 8 ohms so roughly the same output as your ampeg at 4 ohms. Ive never needed more, even for large outdoor gigs. Mines a 600 watt carvin but you could find a nice ampeg 410. I really like the mesa stuff. You could order a carvin neo online for under 600. They also have a new 15/6/horn cab thats 600 watts at 4 ohms. Id be interested to try that one out. But yeah... id sell the fridge and start with a 4x10 and maybe add a second if you need it. You may wind up looking for a more powerful head at that point though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sartori

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back