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Pairing a head for my cab

bassplayer9512

bassplayer9512

Sep 26, 2011
699
864
Pittsburgh
#1
Have a Low Down Sound 2x15 loaded with Eminence Deltalite II 2515

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Looking for something to mainly play at home so wattage can be lower. I have an SWR that I love but has died on me at my last two gigs and I'm no longer taking this cab to gigs.

I was kind of leaning Ampeg PF20T or ASHDOWN CTM15/30.

Ideally I'd like to keep it under $500 because I can get these amps on the used market for around there.
 
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#3
wave rider said:
Quilter Interbass?
InterBass

Always though an Interbass would be fun through an efficient cabinet. Another talkbass member uses a small rechargeable battery to make it extremely portable.
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that is a cool idea for a small footprint amp. Portability isn't a major concern because I'm getting a small combo separate from this head and cab set up. Ideally I'd like to have this as a more vintage low watt tube set up and have a more modern sounding combo
 
#6
bassplayer9512 said:
I was kind of leaning Ampeg PF20T or ASHDOWN CTM15/30.
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I have an Ampeg PF50t, Ashdown LB30 Mk1, LB30 Mk2, and CTM 30 Little Stubby. They all sound great with my big cabs.

Some like the PF20t better than the PF50t. The PF50t has a bit more versatile preamp and more gain...some say they can run their PF20t wide open and it remains clean.

Ashdown recently introduced a new CTM 15. No idea how it sounds. Many seemed to think the older version was more suitable for guitar. The concern was lean lows and not enough headroom for bass. Also, if you are a tube purest, the older CTM 15 had a solid state front end on the preamp.
 
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#7
Wasnex said:
I have an Ampeg PF50t, Ashdown LB30 Mk1, LB30 Mk2, and CTM 30 Little Stubby. They all sound great with my big cabs.

Some like the PF20t better than the PF50t. The PF50t has a bit more versatile preamp and more gain...some say they can run their PF20t wide open and it remains clean.

Ashdown recently introduced a new CTM 15. No idea how it sounds. Many seemed to think the older version was more suitable for guitar. The concern was lean lows and not enough headroom for bass. Also, if you are a tube purest, the older CTM 15 had a solid state front end on the preamp.
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how do you like the LB30 compared to the 50T. I am actually a little more interested in the 20T just because I like simplicity in an amp and the more knobs the more I find myself thinking I need to tweak something
 
#8
bassplayer9512 said:
how do you like the LB30 compared to the 50T. I am actually a little more interested in the 20T just because I like simplicity in an amp and the more knobs the more I find myself thinking I need to tweak something
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All of my amps sound great. Which amp I prefer depends on my mood and goals at a given moment.

All three Ashdowns have their own unique personality.

Mk1 and Mk2 LB30s have some differences. Their tone control circuits vary a bit, which impacts the voicing. The Mk1 is more midrangy and the Mk2 is more mid-scooped with huge lows. Also the Mk2 has a choke in the power supply, which I believe gives the preamp more clean headroom. The Mk1 preamp goes into drive if the tone controls are cranked. The Mk2 preamp pretty much stays clean at all setting. My perception is the output sections of both amps have about the same power.

The Little Stubby is voiced closer to the Mk1. LS is a bit leaner down low. The Feedback control is a variable version of the Mk1s mid-shift. These controls change the high frequency cutoff of the bass control...so the effect the width of the mid-scoop. LS has separate Gain and Master. The LB30s only have a Master. The LS tone controls are a bit more intuitive. My perception is the LB30 output sections have slightly more clean headroom than the LS.

AFAIK the PF50t adds a Master volume and a midrange selector over the PF20t. IMHO this makes the PF50t a bit more versatile. You can gain up the preamp and select the center frequency of the mid control. Ampeg's tone controls are not particularly flexible but they are very intuitive IMHO.
 
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#12
Rev_Slinky said:
I love the Ampeg PF-20T! I have that and the PF-50T, and I find that I use the 50 for gigs, but the 20 for recording. There's just something about the tone on the 20 that I find a little more intriguing and irresistible. If you're looking for something mainly for home use, I'd say the PF-20T is a great choice!
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I had someone offer me up a TC BH550 for $300 that was kind of tempting because I could get a smaller cab for another 300 and have a gigging set up. I just worry about wrecking my LDS 2x15 loading in and out
 
#13
bassplayer9512 said:
I had someone offer me up a TC BH550 for $300 that was kind of tempting because I could get a smaller cab for another 300 and have a gigging set up. I just worry about wrecking my LDS 2x15 loading in and out
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There is certainly something to be said for a gig rig that doesn't break your back or the bank. If I was a 2x15 cab, though, I'd want to be making some noise for a room full of appreciative people. That said, I have a great 4x10 that never leaves the house because it's more than I feel like moving at the end of the night.

In terms of amps, you're looking at a wide sonic range between that TC BH550 and an Ampeg PF-20T. If you're thinking that it might be nice to have an amp that could give you great living room tone, and that you could still gig with, there are a few options that could give you both. On the inexpensive side, the Ampeg Micro VR head can sit in a living room mix really well, and still give you 200W for small-to-medium venues. For a bit more money, you can't go wrong with some of the Mesa options! I've got a D800 that sounds fantastic at any volume.
 
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#15
Rev_Slinky said:
There is certainly something to be said for a gig rig that doesn't break your back or the bank. If I was a 2x15 cab, though, I'd want to be making some noise for a room full of appreciative people. That said, I have a great 4x10 that never leaves the house because it's more than I feel like moving at the end of the night.

In terms of amps, you're looking at a wide sonic range between that TC BH550 and an Ampeg PF-20T. If you're thinking that it might be nice to have an amp that could give you great living room tone, and that you could still gig with, there are a few options that could give you both. On the inexpensive side, the Ampeg Micro VR head can sit in a living room mix really well, and still give you 200W for small-to-medium venues. For a bit more money, you can't go wrong with some of the Mesa options! I've got a D800 that sounds fantastic at any volume.
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Then just had another guy offer up a GK RB400 for $250 mounted in a gator case with a fan in the case.
 
#19
basscooker said:
That GK you mentioned a couple posts back is a good price for a great amp....

BUT I'll admit I feel the majikkk in those is when they hit the rails. At home you'd be breaking windows in that amp's sweet spot with that cab.
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I played an Orange Terror Bass today that I was really impressed by and have never liked any of their stuff I have previously tried. Also found one locally in mint condition for under $500
 

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