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New Rig Question

J. Crawford

J. Crawford

Feb 15, 2008
14,147
2,875
FL
#1
Guys, I am totally new to the amp scene, and am finally into a band.

Would this head work with this Avatar cab? Im lost on the ohms side of things.

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http://www.avatarspeakers.com/B210 NEO.htm

P.S. Does anyone have any experience with the custom Avatar colors? I would really like to get orange. If not, could someone tell me a good amp/combo that is 200+ watts in this price range?

I really need help guys. I have been saving for months, and with Christmas and my birthday I want to use the money right.
 
#2
The specs on the head says it can run 200W at 4 ohms.

The cab is available as either 4 ohms or 8 ohms.


So, to utilize the head to it's full potential, you could run either a single 4 ohm cabinet, or get 2 separate 8 ohm cabinets.

You could run a single 8 ohm cab, but it would not receive the full 200W.


So, in short...yes. Either could work, the 4 ohm would be best.

There is an ohm guide as a sticky at the top of this sub-forum, it can be very helpful.


In all honesty, the best thing you could do is check the Classified section here. There are always deals creeping up, and I'm sure you could find some head/cab or combo that will suit you, most likely for less than those items.
 
#4
go for it chap!

4 ohms = will result in the max power of the head being utilized (this is good!)

two 8 ohm cabs BECOME a load of 4 ohms, but if you just use one 8 ohm cab instead of 2, it obviously stays 8 ohms and the head puts out the amount its rated to give at 8 ohms instead of four, which is less, but would still work.

order your 210 cab in 4 ohms! unless you plan to use another cabinet as well later along with this one, then get both in 8

its ok to use just an 8 ohm one for now, but that amp is capable of pushing more wattage at 4 ohms, thats all.

i recommend ordering the 210 in 4 ohms tho, as that head isnt excessively powerful, so you want to use all the wattage it's got. it would be a GREAT starter rig!
 
#5
jsingles said:
go for it chap!

4 ohms = will result in the max power of the head

two 8 ohm cabs BECOME a load of 4 ohms, but if you just use one 8 ohm cab instead of 2, it obviously stays 8 ohms and the head puts out the amount its rated to give at 8 ohms instead of four, which is less.
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That actually kind of made sense! Leave it to JSingles to clear things up. But my question now is, are htere better things out there? I really like the orange color you can get, I am a huge Orange Co. fan.

Im just worried the Acoustic Head is not good enough for the awesome Avatar Cab. :confused:
 
#6
the avatar cabs are AWESOME, i used to have one, i only sold it cuz i switched over to an 810 cab for a super loud metal band i joined.

acoustic heads are pretty groovy, especially for the price!
I would recommend looking into the GK backline 600 head too though. see if you can try it out before you buy it. the GK has an overdrive built into it which is cool, and sounds great in my opinion. It is also 300 watts as opposed to the 200 watt acoustic. (either wattage will work fine, dont worry about underpowering speakers, its rarely a danger for speakers, it just won't produce the best sound at higher volumes with a lower wattage basically, but i dont think youll have to worry about that)

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#7
jsingles said:
the avatar cabs are AWESOME, i used to have one, i only sold it cuz i switched over to an 810 cab for a super loud metal band i joined.

acoustic heads are pretty groovy, especially for the price!
I would recommend looking into the GK backline 600 head too though. see if you can try it out before you buy it. the GK has an overdrive built into it which is cool, and sounds great in my opinion.

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Click to expand...

I have played that at Guitard Center. It is a great amp, but I hear a lot of things about it getting really muffled and overdriven when not wanted. Only thing I worry about with the Avatar is that I cant play it before I buy.. and that can end bad sometimes.
 
#8
i hear ya, i was nervous when i ordered my avatar, but trust me on this one, it is the best 210 i have ever heard hands down, its LOUD for a 210 cabinet, has AMAZING bass response for a 210 cab.. and the speakers are punchy and sound fantastic. they are sturdy lightweight (relatively lightweight lol) and for the price, there really is NOTHING else that can come close!

as for the head, whichever you think sounds best is the best one to buy, the acoustic would work fine with the 210! just get the 210 in 4 ohms, so it can use all 200 watts.
 
#9
i might add that my band is REALLY loud, which is why i switched to an 810, but at practices (not at shows) I was actually holding pretty well with my avatar 210 next to my guitar players mesa triple rectifier halfstack.

no 210 is anywhere near as loud as an 810 obviously, but as far as 210's go, the avatar performs beautifully!
 
#10
Alrighty Singles. You have permanently persuaded me. I think Ill go with this exact rig. Once I have the cash, Ill be all over it.


When the website says "Custom cabs like tolex and lineX are not sold on a trial basis and are not returnable", does this mean there is not a warranty? OR just that I couldnt return my custom orange cab? Because Im not worried about that.
 
#11
just means you cant decide you hate it and return it, (you wont anyway) because the tolex are basically custom order jobs, dave doesnt keep the tolexed cabs in stock i believe, they are constructed upon order, so he cant have them returned because he doesnt keep a stock of them, which is probably why the scratch, dent, overstock section of the site tends to have tolexed cabs in very good condition for cheaper.

let us know how you like it!

also check out the avatar owners club thread here on talkbass.
 
#12
jsingles said:
just means you cant decide you hate it and return it, (you wont anyway) because the tolex are basically custom order jobs, dave doesnt keep the tolexed cabs in stock i believe, they are constructed upon order, so he cant have them returned because he doesnt keep a stock of them, which is probably why the scratch, dent, overstock section of the site tends to have tolexed cabs in very good condition for cheaper.

let us know how you like it!

also check out the avatar owners club thread here on talkbass.
Click to expand...

Sure will do. Im not in enough clubs. Thanks J, now the REAL saving begins! :bassist:
 
#13
Jordasch said:
That actually kind of made sense! Leave it to JSingles to clear things up. But my question now is, are htere better things out there? I really like the orange color you can get, I am a huge Orange Co. fan.

Im just worried the Acoustic Head is not good enough for the awesome Avatar Cab. :confused:
Click to expand...
I think the Avatar cab would be great, but I'd get an 8 ohm cab because most people end up getting a second cab eventually. It becomes a lot easier to buy amps that don't cost a lot for a 4 ohm rig than a 2 ohm rig.

I thought the Acoustic head was pretty decent for a budget head when I tried it. But for an extra $10, I'd take a good hard look at the GK Backline 600. 300 watts at 4 ohms, which would translate to about 160-170 watts at 8 ohms vs the 110-115 watts the Acoustic will deliver at 8 ohms.
 
#14
JimmyM said:
I think the Avatar cab would be great, but I'd get an 8 ohm cab because most people end up getting a second cab eventually. It becomes a lot easier to buy amps that don't cost a lot for a 4 ohm rig than a 2 ohm rig.

I thought the Acoustic head was pretty decent for a budget head when I tried it. But for an extra $10, I'd take a good hard look at the GK Backline 600. 300 watts at 4 ohms, which would translate to about 160-170 watts at 8 ohms vs the 110-115 watts the Acoustic will deliver at 8 ohms.
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Will do Jimmy. This is why I posted.
 
#16
exactly, basically the LOWER the ohms is the less impedance it has, meaning it will take more power.

some heads are able to go all the way down to 2 ohms, but that is dangerous for most heads. Using two cabs of the same impedance results in HALF of that impedance. (two 8 ohm cabs is 4 ohms, two 4 ohm cabs is 2 ohms)

the GK would be a better option as far as upgrading to a two cabinet setup in the future. the acoustic sounds pretty good, but 200 watts isnt much for a 2 cab setup. I used to use an avatar 210 and a GK 115 cab, both 8 ohms, and i used a hartke head to drive them with 500 watts at 4 ohms, which sounded great.

if you dont want to have to upgrade your head when/if you get another cabinet, i would say JimmyM is right, and the GK with an 8 ohm cab is a safer bet, and Jimmy is usually right.
 
#17
Jordasch said:
So the GK head at 4 ohms, with the Avatar cab at 8 ohms would be my loudest, best bet? then I could add another 8 ohm cabinet sometime later on, right? I think Im catching onto this ohms thing.
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You're warm. Not hot yet, but warm. With an 8 ohm cab, the head will run at 8 ohms, too. That's why you get less power. But if you add a second 8 ohm cab, the cabs will run 4 ohms and so will the head, giving you its full power. And IMHO, you'll be able to do pretty much any gig thrown at you with two 210's.

And thanks J ;)
 
#18
jsingles said:
exactly, basically the LOWER the ohms is the less impedance it has, meaning it will take more power.

some heads are able to go all the way down to 2 ohms, but that is dangerous for most heads. Using two cabs of the same impedance results in HALF of that impedance. (two 8 ohm cabs is 4 ohms, two 4 ohm cabs is 2 ohms)

the GK would be a better option as far as upgrading to a two cabinet setup in the future. the acoustic sounds pretty good, but 200 watts isnt much for a 2 cab setup. I used to use an avatar 210 and a GK 115 cab, both 8 ohms, and i used a hartke head to drive them with 500 watts at 4 ohms, which sounded great.

if you dont want to have to upgrade your head when/if you get another cabinet, i would say JimmyM is right, and the GK with an 8 ohm cab is a safer bet, and Jimmy is usually right.
Click to expand...

Well, with a user pic like his, how can he be wrong? Haha. Thanks guys.
 

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