Overwhelmed and Need Direction on Cabinet for Reggae/Rock

[SG44]

Getting back into playing after a long hiatus and overwhelmed with options.

Playing mostly Reggae and rock... looking to pair a cabinet with a MB Little Mark III, playing through a Jazz. The majority of use will be home/practice with some recording but I want to future proof myself and not short change with an underpowered or incapable setup. Transporting is not an issue it will be stationary. Most playing will be at low/medium volume. The reggae/dub tone is what I'm chasing but also like some punch to the lows.

I'm going used on the cab and want to spend under $600, open to 115 and even 410 cabs.

Here are some that have been at the forefront for me:

Ampeg SVT - 410 hlt - likely overkill for me, not sure about low volume but hear it pairs well with my amp and great for the music I'm playing. Can find these anywhere.

Eden EX115 - not much info on this, not sure how it sounds but see some available


Anyone have any recommendations? At low volume will any cab suffice since I'm not chasing after anything too difficult with highs rolled off and deep lows?

 

[Sparky Mark]

If you are only looking at low to moderate volume at home/smaller gigs then a decent single 12 or 2 x 10 cab will do just fine. Choose a well regarded cab manufacturer and it'll be harder to buy a bad one than a good one.

 

[Gearhead17]

Don't look at speaker size as the main determining factor. I would take advantage of Guitar Center's Used section and see what comes up. Genz Benz 212's, Mesa 410's, and others would likely work for you. 30 day money back return too!

 

[J-Mags]

I've seen and heard great reggae with all kinds of cabinets, but if it were me, I'd get a 1x15, with three expectation that if I were playing a lot of Reggae gigs, I'd probably need another. I just love the deep open sound.

But people hear speaker sizes very differently. They're are those who swear that tens are the deepest.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I'm kinda fuzzy on the "reggae" aspect as the MarkBass doesn't exactly scream Robbie Shakespeare...but, then again, his gear selection was all over the map. Just about any available, affordable cab will work but I'd be looking more closely at the peripherals required to recreate the desired "dub": EQ, LPF, maybe some heavy-handed compression.

Riis

 

[SG44]

Thanks for all of the responses and yes I’m all over the map. I picked up the LMIII used relatively cheap as it has many of the controls I’m looking for to get me somewhat deep with the VLE option.

Question: If I can find some extra $, how would the Mesa Subway 15 fare paired with the LMIii. I would imagine it’s slightly underpowered to drive the cab to its potential.

I want to do this once and not have to play the game moving forward.

 

[Zooberwerx]

Thanks for all of the responses and yes I’m all over the map. I picked up the LMIII used relatively cheap as it has many of the controls I’m looking for to get me somewhat deep with the VLE option.

Question: If I can find some extra $, how would the Mesa Subway 15 fare paired with the LMIii. I would imagine it’s slightly underpowered to drive the cab to its potential.

I want to do this once and not have to play the game moving forward.

Stick with your $600 budget and you'll do well. That will put you in some decent mid-tier territory including Hartke. You're wanting to put extra coin in a cabinet without a clue as to how it will interact.

What's the secondhand market look like in your vicinity?

Riis

 

[SG44]

Not many options locally. I like the GC option due to the return policy and this is why/where I’m overwhelmed lol.

Mesa 1 x 15
Mark Bass 151 HR
Mark Bass 151p
Avatar B2126
Lots of GK

Leaning against the Ampeg 410hlf now

 

[HolmeBass]

If you really want the gravy rich tone, that Ampeg 410 HLF is the deepest cabinet of those you’ve listed.

Although they changed the design at some point in the last ~5 years to be more balanced. The older ones were dub machines.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

Getting back into playing after a long hiatus and overwhelmed with options.

Playing mostly Reggae and rock... looking to pair a cabinet with a MB Little Mark III, playing through a Jazz. The majority of use will be home/practice with some recording but I want to future proof myself and not short change with an underpowered or incapable setup. Transporting is not an issue it will be stationary. Most playing will be at low/medium volume. The reggae/dub tone is what I'm chasing but also like some punch to the lows.

I'm going used on the cab and want to spend under $600, open to 115 and even 410 cabs.

Here are some that have been at the forefront for me:

Ampeg SVT - 410 hlt - likely overkill for me, not sure about low volume but hear it pairs well with my amp and great for the music I'm playing. Can find these anywhere.

Eden EX115 - not much info on this, not sure how it sounds but see some available


Anyone have any recommendations? At low volume will any cab suffice since I'm not chasing after anything too difficult with highs rolled off and deep lows?

You want to run through the PA. Nothing g else is going to give you what you want.

As far as a personal monitor/practice room set up, 212/410.

I'm using tc electronic k212s. They're great. One is loud enough, 2 adds the oomph.

One subway 212 would do you some good

 

[Thumpin6string]

It depends on what your sound preference is. Do you want a punchy bass or just some low end oomph? I like both. I had a 410 and switched to 2 112s, but the 12s lacked the punch. So my current setup has the best of both. I have under $600 in both cabs. The 10s have the punch and the 12 adds some bottom. Also, running at 4 ohms gets the full potential of the amp.

 

[SG44]

I’m looking for both as well but hope to keep this to a single cab for now.

funny you mention Epifani, I see a T212 available at GC. How’s the tone on these compared to a quality 15 like the subway?

 

[sloppy_phil]

I’ve been playing reggae for 15 years, and I can basically guarantee every option you have listed will do the job great.

Reggae bass tone is surprisingly uncomplicated, and a LMIII at home into any decent size cab will be huge sounding. I used to own the LMIII and it does reggae fantastically well. I personally found it let me down for ballsy rock tones (which I need in some professional settings), so use a Mesa head now.

I’d personally opt for the Mesa out of the options you have listed, despite happily playing MarkBass cabs myself. The Mesa is built to a super high quality, it’s just pricier and heavier than I can justify for my own needs.

 

[mikewalker]

Not many options locally. I like the GC option due to the return policy and this is why/where I’m overwhelmed lol.

Mesa 1 x 15
Mark Bass 151 HR
Mark Bass 151p
Avatar B2126
Lots of GK

Leaning against the Ampeg 410hlf now

of those options, MESA 1-15 would get the nod from me

 

[pbass2]

I’ve been playing reggae for 15 years, and I can basically guarantee every option you have listed will do the job great.

I agree, any decently powered rig with 10's, 12's, or 15's will "do reggae". Just depends on the kind of volume you're after. I've done a bunch of reggae and dub over the years touring, opening for acts like Burning Spear and seeing what they used, and have played through everything from SVTs to GK 4x10 setups to single or double 15's in the backline - you name it. As far as what rig I feel I need to own myself and schlep around, these days I find the sweet spot (for any genre) is 2 1x12 cabs. 1 is fine for small gigs, and 2 is loud enough for almost any bigger scenario. The rest is gonna be handled by FOH anyway. Or a single 2x12. I love 15's, but a single 15 can sometimes be hard to get the definition you want to hear in some settings, but that's all personal preference.

 

[J-Mags]

I'm kinda fuzzy on the "reggae" aspect as the MarkBass doesn't exactly scream Robbie Shakespeare...but, then again, his gear selection was all over the map. Just about any available, affordable cab will work but I'd be looking more closely at the peripherals required to recreate the desired "dub": EQ, LPF, maybe some heavy-handed compression.

Riis

Markbass isn't bad for that kind of stuff. Plenty of low end. It's got some density. Pretty loud.

 

[buzzbass]

Have you looked @ Schroeder yet ? You really should

 

[RGerhart]

If transportation is not an issue, then my vote is for the Ampeg. If you can get the HLF version, as opposed to the standard 410, then do it. I used to own a an SVT-410HLF back in '09, and it was a great cab. It can put out some serious low frequencies, and I never felt like I was pushing it.

 

[brianrost]

Ifunny you mention Epifani, I see a T212 available at GC. How’s the tone on these compared to a quality 15 like the subway?

I think of it as "pillowy". Scooped mids, deep low, airy highs (turn the tweeter off for reggae).

 

[bass12]

I've always found 410 cabinets to be great for the larger reggae shows I've done (roots, dancehall and more modern "one drop revival" stuff mostly). In a smaller context (small-to-mid-sized bars and restaurants I find that my Bergantino 210 has plenty of volume, punch, lows and definition to get a wide variety of playing aesthetics across - including reggae and rock sounds. I've heard nothing but great things about the Mesa 115 but have yet to try one.