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New Guy, looking for feedback on potential rig

S

Stien

Nov 9, 2022
25
51
#1
Hey all,

New to bass and and TB.

After reading around quite a bit and thinking about budget, I'm looking for feedback on a potential rig:

Trace Elliot Elf
Ampeg SVT 210AV

Use case I know is important. Jams in a barn with 25-50w guitar amps, not cranked. Close quarters. Potential seedy dive bar with small stage. Using a passive PJ.

Thanks for any and all advice, including upping the power. I like the idea of a small lightweight cabinet like the Ampeg, but as it's 8 ohms it won't allow the Elf to really crank.

I currently have no amp, but have played a Rumble 500 that was crazy loud in my studio. Studio playing won't be the main focus but the smaller footprint of the Ampeg would be nice. I know most love the Rumbles and some others say they're not the highest quality.

Other ideas I've had are Markbass mini 1x12 combo, GR Bass mini stack, Quilter BD12 and some head.
 
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#5
Stien said:
Hey all,

New to bass and and TB.

After reading around quite a bit and thinking about budget, I'm looking for feedback on a potential rig:

Trace Elliot Elf
Ampeg SVT 210AV

Use case I know is important. Jams in a barn with 25-50w guitar amps, not cranked. Close quarters. Potential seedy dive bar with small stage. Using a passive PJ.

Thanks for any and all advice, including upping the power. I like the idea of a small lightweight cabinet like the Ampeg, but as it's 8 ohms it won't allow the Elf to really crank.

I currently have no amp, but have played a Rumble 500 that was crazy loud in my studio. Studio playing won't be the main focus but the smaller footprint of the Ampeg would be nice. I know most love the Rumbles and some others say they're not the highest quality.

Other ideas I've had are Markbass mini 1x12 combo, GR Bass mini stack, Quilter BD12 and some head.
Click to expand...
The MarkBass combo will bury the Elf/svt 210 combo. I'd go that way. Currently in SALE at M.F. too.
 
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#6
You could get the Elf and the 210. Then, if it's not quite enough, get another 210. Stick them vertically for a tall, skinny, stack. That'll drop your ohm load to 4 ohms as well.

More surface area of speakers matters more than more Watts.

Then your system is modular. One 210 for practice and really small bars. Two stacked vertically for way more volume with the same footprint.
 
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#7
My mini VR is for home use. But I’ve seen the rig on stage with 2 cabs and the Ampeg head. With FOH it worked I guess. No IEM so the stage volume was all drums and guitar stage left. So if up close to the stage……. So, why the Elf head ? If Rumble, I’d check out the 800 I saw came out recently??
Hard to say what is best….. try
“it “ in a real setting to me is the only way.
 
#8
Stien said:
How do we feel about the new 800 instead?
Click to expand...
No experience with the Rumbles aside from a little noodling at the store at low volume, but they seem to serve up some decent bang for our buck.

I do agree with what our pal "two fingers" mentioned in terms of the issue of speaker area in post #6. You'll likely get greater benefits in terms of volume by going for more speaker - let's say a 500 watt combo plus 2x10 extension cab - compared with an 800 watt combo over a 500 watt alternative with the same amount of speaker area.

I personally love playing through a pair of 2x10 cabs in a vertical stack and I get all the volume I can use when powering my cabs with a GK MB 500. I've generally been gigging this setup without PA support for my sound. I don't know whether the footprint of the Rumble 500 with or without an extension underneath is too big for your needs, but I think it would be tough to go much smaller while still having the volume you might need at the ready.
 
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#9
I use my Elf all the time for rehearsals, and even gigged on smaller gigs with it. I know there’s lots of opinions about it, I think, mainly from folks that maybe never owned or used one, but it has good tone with built in compression and XLR out. I’ve rarely had to turn it up to 10 or 11 o’clock.

I’ve paired it with my Markbass 2x10, I’ve paired it with my Elf 2x8 cabs cabinets and with my SL112. Sounds good on all. It even fits on the bottom of my pedal board when I need to conserve space.
78CF8202-3DEA-4150-A383-7F757382E618.jpeg
 
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#10
Stien said:
Hey all,

New to bass and and TB.

After reading around quite a bit and thinking about budget, I'm looking for feedback on a potential rig:

Trace Elliot Elf
Ampeg SVT 210AV

Use case I know is important. Jams in a barn with 25-50w guitar amps, not cranked. Close quarters. Potential seedy dive bar with small stage. Using a passive PJ.

Thanks for any and all advice, including upping the power. I like the idea of a small lightweight cabinet like the Ampeg, but as it's 8 ohms it won't allow the Elf to really crank.

I currently have no amp, but have played a Rumble 500 that was crazy loud in my studio. Studio playing won't be the main focus but the smaller footprint of the Ampeg would be nice. I know most love the Rumbles and some others say they're not the highest quality.

Other ideas I've had are Markbass mini 1x12 combo, GR Bass mini stack, Quilter BD12 and some head.
Click to expand...

Great for a rehearsal if the guitarists are restrained (50 watts can make a LOT of noise). IMO it is too small for the dive bar gig, I would be looking at 212 cabinets with efficient drivers like neos. Room to expand later if necessary.
 
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#11
Stien said:
Hey all,

New to bass and and TB.

After reading around quite a bit and thinking about budget, I'm looking for feedback on a potential rig:

Trace Elliot Elf
Ampeg SVT 210AV

Use case I know is important. Jams in a barn with 25-50w guitar amps, not cranked. Close quarters. Potential seedy dive bar with small stage. Using a passive PJ.

Thanks for any and all advice, including upping the power. I like the idea of a small lightweight cabinet like the Ampeg, but as it's 8 ohms it won't allow the Elf to really crank.

I currently have no amp, but have played a Rumble 500 that was crazy loud in my studio. Studio playing won't be the main focus but the smaller footprint of the Ampeg would be nice. I know most love the Rumbles and some others say they're not the highest quality.

Other ideas I've had are Markbass mini 1x12 combo, GR Bass mini stack, Quilter BD12 and some head.
Click to expand...
I played a lot of gigs with a 500 combo it never wasn't enough even in a semi outdoor room that would hold 700. I later added an extension cab not so much for the extra power, but for more speaker surface. It was awesome. If it were not for my tube sound fetish, I'd still be playing it.
 
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#12
I am a fan of SVT 210AV. I almost always use it as a pair in vertical array. They are designed that way.

I have an Elf as backup. It works in a pinch. It has the Trace Ell baked in tone if that's your thing. It's guttural and throaty if that's your thing. It can be underpowered with a loud band.

As you can see. I used Quilter BB800. IMO, it's a far superior amp than Elf. Can be found used for couple $100 more. If you can swing it, it is completely worth it. It's transparent, bottomless power and takes pedals well. With BB800 and a pair of SVT210AV. It's a lifelong rig. I've done hundreds of gigs with that exact setup.

In any case. I always prefer head + cab vs. combo. More flex. Adding volume is mosty pushing more air with cones. Not wattage as much.

I'm happy to answer specific questions since I own the exact gear you mentioned.

upload_2022-12-6_12-24-4.png
 
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#14
For what you're looking to play now, the Elf and Ampeg 210 would probably be fine (assuming you'll be running DI to the PA at the seedy dive bar too). But if you ever graduate to bigger, you may regret only having 200 watts to work with.

Are those 25-50w guitar amps tube or solid state? That makes a big difference in volume, even not cranked! and also factor in how loud the drummer is.
 
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#15
jastraw said:
I am a fan of SVT 210AV. I almost always use it as a pair in vertical array. They are designed that way.

I have an Elf as backup. It works in a pinch. It has the Trace Ell baked in tone if that's your thing. It's guttural and throaty if that's your thing. It can be underpowered with a loud band.

As you can see. I used Quilter BB800. IMO, it's a far superior amp than Elf. Can be found used for couple $100 more. If you can swing it, it is completely worth it. It's transparent, bottomless power and takes pedals well. With BB800 and a pair of SVT210AV. It's a lifelong rig. I've done hundreds of gigs with that exact setup.

In any case. I always prefer head + cab vs. combo. More flex. Adding volume is mosty pushing more air with cones. Not wattage as much.

I'm happy to answer specific questions since I own the exact gear you mentioned.

View attachment 4895172
Click to expand...

I'd like to add that one big advantage of the Quilter BB800 is that the tone is exactly identical at any volume. I have noticed that with mine, and I saw that many comments on Sweetwater say the same. Very usefull if you prepare your settings at home before rehearsals and gigs.
 
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#16
The Elf plus an 8Ω 2x10 cab might do OK. At the jam night I go to we have an Elf through two small 8Ω MarkBass cabs (so it gets the full output of the amp) and I holds its own nicely though we never get to stupid loud volumes. So perhaps think about a 4Ω 2x10 or two separate cabs. As an example here’s a video from last night… a “who wants to play this one” band doing Sway…



Or the house band ripping through Billy Cobham’s Stratus…



However, as others have said, if you want to play bigger, louder gigs then you may need to upgrade the amp instead. The MarkBass 1x12 or 2x10 combo idea may be a bit more future-proofed.
 
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#18
The guitar amps are SS. Sorry I haven't learned how to multi quote on this board yet.

I don't own the Rumble.

I do love my Quilter Superblock guitar heads, perhaps I'll look into a BB800. Bonus it can be a backup power amp.

Would love some cab suggestions for this thing.
 
#20
Stien said:
The guitar amps are SS. Sorry I haven't learned how to multi quote on this board yet.

I don't own the Rumble.

I do love my Quilter Superblock guitar heads, perhaps I'll look into a BB800. Bonus it can be a backup power amp.

Would love some cab suggestions for this thing.
Click to expand...

Yes, the Quilter BB800 can be used as backup power amp.

As I said. It works well with the Ampeg 210 you mentioned in opening post.

I also use with Barefaced cabs. It's a different budget level.

It's engineered to work with nearly anything. Down to 2 ohms. All self sensing. Including incoming power. If you bring it to Europe or Asia. You don't have to think about it.

These are many fantastic amps out there. I mentioned Quilter because i use it with the cabs you mentioned.
 
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