Newbie question

[RIjake]

Hi all, I'm new here. I started playing bass about 20 yrs ago in college but drifted away up until about 1 year ago. I caught the bug again and have really thrown myself back into playing again. I'm definitely a beginner but am having fun playing with a band at church and with a guitarist friend of mine. I'm at a point in my life where things have settled down enough for me to get serious about my music. That being said I'm trying to find a good solid rig.

I bought a Washburn Force 4 bass this past summer and have a Kustom KBA100 combo amp. I'm not happy with the amp. I get some distortion especially on the open E. I've tried to dial back the gain and that helps. What I think that what I really want is a separate head/cabinet rig.

I like a warm solid low tone with some mid-range punch. So I'm leaning toward a 2x12 cab or maybe just a 1x12 to start then adding a 2x10.

The largest venue that I think I'll ever play is church but the volumes are low. I can see myself playing with a full band in the future and want to have a loud enough rig to be heard. I like the thought of being able to add the extra cab if I need it.

I'm saving for a budget of $1000 for a cab and head.

What I've been drooling over is the Mark Bass LMII with an Avatar Neo 2x12 or 1x12 cab. This should put me well below the $1000 threshold which is OK.

My questions about this rig is will this have the right tone for classic rock, blues, progressive rock and rockabilly?

Are there any other comparable products out there that I should be looking at?

I'm not opposed to used, as a matter of fact I had an acoustic 150 back in the day and love that tone.

My bass has active pick-ups if that matters.

Thanks in advance for answering my obviously rookie questions.

 

[KJung]

Hello! From what you describe, and the fact that you dug the Acoustic 150 back in the day (I liked them also), I think the LMII would be perfect for what you are looking for.

However, regarding cabs, a single 112, in general, will not be enough to do anything but a small, quiet gig. Also, since most 112's are 8ohms, you won't get the full 500 watts out of the LMII. So, I would recommend a 4ohm Neo 212.. the Avatar's are great. That will be enough to do moderate to loud gigs, and the weight won't cause you any trouble.

The other way to go is to get two 112's... so you can bring only one to rehearsals, etc. However, two 112's are usually quite a bit more expensive than a single 1212 cab.

As long as you get at least a 210, or a 212 (even better), you should be good to go!

 

[RIjake]

I know that there's a few who still play their acoustics and love them to a cult like status. What's the drawback to them. I mean obviously they can be almost 40 years old but can one get great sound out of an old solid state amp with a new cabinet?

 

[KJung]

I know that there's a few who still play their acoustics and love them to a cult like status. What's the drawback to them. I mean obviously they can be almost 40 years old but can one get great sound out of an old solid state amp with a new cabinet?

The drawback IMO is that our memories of how good they sounded are a little hazy and also were formed back in the context of other gear that was available back then. Things have gotten A LOT better over time.

I actually just played out of a 150 at Low Down Sound. It didn't sound horrible at all, but weighed a ton, and was about as large as all my current heads combined, and was amazingly underpowered relative to how I remember them. Again, it was a GREAT head at the time... things today are much, much better in the SS arena.

IMO.