NEW RIG (W/PICS)!!! (and a looong story)

Well, it actually arrived three weeks ago, but I didn't say anything about it because

1- I wanted to wait until the first gig with it, and it wasn't going to happen before I had a good roadcase (more on this below)

2- I don't have a digital camera and only could take the pictures at the gig's place. The guy who took them has just sent them to me.

So here it is: A Kustom Groove Bass head, an Avatar B210 Kappa Pro, an Avatar SB112 Delta LF and a Furman PL-PLUSDM power conditioner (oh, and a GigSkinz GSRB4U soft rack bag with back access).











I was thinking from a long time about upgrading my rig (see my profile for info on that) but I always thought that I don't want to leave it in the hands of the band's roadies because they're not careful and I don't want to carry big cabs and an amp (enough with one bass guitar, one electric upright and one bag with cables, effects, stands...). But like two months ago I received an unexpected money because I had an small property with my mom and brothers and it was sold. After I got my part of the money I was like "uh oh" and I decided to take the big step.

Then my quest for the best rig according to my budget and comfort started. I think I read every single thread in the amps forum about amps and cabs before making a decision. After that, I narrowed my choices to an Ampeg SVT-3 with the fitting 4x10 Ampeg cab (I don't remember the model) and an Eden WT1205 also with a matching Eden 4x10 cab, because these are "name brands".

But I found Quadzilla's thread about his new Kustom Groove Bass and Avatar cabs rig. It grabbed my attention and I started looking for your opinions on this amp and cabs and most of them are really good and the price is even better! So I settled on this one. My idea was to buy one single 4x10 cab (again, trying to get the less possible weight) but I also read lots of advice about a 12" speaker for a 5-string bass.

I was very fortunate that the guy who brought my Bongo home is a colombian who lives in Miami, has an audio store in Bogotá and he offered to get whatever I need in audio equipment and instruments with a really low freight charge, so I contacted him. He already knew about Kustom products but didn't know about the Avatars, so I sent him the web link for getting them. I thought: "Well, two 8 ohm cabs will give me 800 Watts. More than enough for me". But he made a mistake and ordered two 4 ohm cabs (I don't know why), so right now I have a 1200W MONSTER at home!

I also did a research about power conditioners (I didn't know anything about them) and found the Furman. This guy told me that he already had one of them in his store and I agreed. Later I found that it's a discontinued model (maybe he had it in his store for a long time) but it was sealed and new. No problem with it and it seems to do the job as expected. I like it.

The amp, conditioner and rack bag arrived like one and a half month ago and the cabs exactly three weeks ago. When I had everything I called a woodworker who makes roadcases for most soundmen here. My rig wasn't going to leave home without a good protection. I told him to build one single roadcase for both cabs and another for the rack bag (it's really cool, but not safe enough IMO). On Dec. 6 I called him to ask what happened because I had a gig ond the 7th and I wanted my rig to make its debut there. He told me that the cabs' case was ready, but the amp's still needed some work. I told him: "OK. I'll carry the rack bag to the gig. Please take the cabs case home". He knocked my door on the 7th at 6:30 P.M. and I opened really excited. He had the case and we put the cabs into it but... he built the case with a back door for connecting the cables but the 2x10 cab's speakon plug was behind the wood. He told me: "It can be solved by putting that cab upside down" and he was right. The plug could be seen that way. But I told him: "Sorry. I don't want that because the tweeter isn't going to be in the upper part". He didn't notice the tweeters before and asked me: "Ummm, are those guitar or keyboard cabs?" "No" I replied. "Those are bass cabs". And he said "Well, since you're going to play bass only, you don't need the tweeter. You can put the cab upside down". AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!!! "I'm really sorry. I like to hear the highs. GOOD BASS CABS HAVE TWEETERS" I said. So he left and told me he was going to fix it, but I couldn't take the rig to the gig and I really wanted to, so I decided to gently put the cabs in my car along with the rack bag and my instruments, I hope for the only time (well, I took them back home after the gig, of course).

And as I said, the photos were taken at the gig place. I already tried the rig at home, but that's a totally different experience. I really wanted to hear that in an actual gig. It sounds great. I got compliments on the tone from my bandmates the whole night (and the lights from the Furman made all of them like WOOOW!). Nobody here is used to see speakers moving that fast and some of my mates were concerned about it. I told them that it's OK (bass should only run through 15s or 18s according to most people here). The speakers tried to fart when I plugged my Bongo, but that was because I forgot to turn down the bass' volume. As I've said before, this is the first bass in my life that I can't put at full volume. No amplifier can handle it properly and the Kustom wasn't the exception. For the clip led to stop blinking, I had to put my Bongo's volume at around 4 (being 10 the maximum) and the input set to "active" -padded input-, of course. I tried both cabs separately at home and the difference can really be felt. The 12" gives the boom and the 10s" the definition. The tweeters, with the included volume control, complete the blend. As for today, not a single complaint. I'm really happy. I sent an e-mail to Dave at Avatar saying "thanks" and he replied. He's such a nice guy.

So that's the story behind my purchase. I want to thank all of you (specially Quadzilla ) for being such a help in my decision. TalkBass has become an invaluable resource of knowledge to me and I can't think of anything enough in return.

 

With the Bongo at full volume, the red led blinks before the green led shows signs of life. I tried with master at 0 and just turning up the gain knob. Just after leaving the zero position, the red led blinks. Again, this is solved by turning down the Bongo's volume. This bass is really hot!

 

Around US$2100. That includes the head, cabs, power conditioner, rack bag and freight charges (which increased the costs a lot due to the cabs' weight).

 

Thanks again, man. And that's exactly what I do. My electric upright is so quiet and I must switch the input to passive and raise the master volume from the amp. But as I've said, just turning the gain a bit after zero (with the input set to active) is enough for the red led to clip if the Bongo is cranked. I must turn down the bass' volume for solving this, and it's OK. Not a hassle for me.

 

Muchas gracias, Aaron. Espero que este equipo me sirva por muchos años.

 

Thank you for your comments, Keeaumoku. No problem with your opinion about the Bongo's looks. That's totally respectable.

But one thing's for sure: This is a GREAT bass. I recorded some sound samples after I got it (direct through my sound card). I can send them to your e-mail address if you like. Just let me know.

Alvaro.

 

¡Gracias! C+? Very unfair in my opinion. ¡Muy buen Español!

 

Thanks, man. You can find the "¡" by typing 0161 while keeping the Alt key depressed.