I used my Trace Elliot V-Type and one 4x12 when I opened for the Psychedelic Furs back in 09, at the House of Blues in Atlantic City. I miss that rig (well, I still have the cab, but sold both heads), but I just can’t lift that stuff, anymore. From now on, it’s Mesa Walkabout and Subway, for me.
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Punk Bass Rig
- Thread starter Better_Sense
- Start date
I remember those ads! Either as posters at my local guitar store in Denver, or in guitar mags.
worrying about a punk bass rig doesnt seem right somehow
It meant of course:
"...but it does not hurt to have more power at your disposal..."
I've been playing punk/hardcore/metal since I started playing...and I've landed on Hartke. It's not so much what's good for your genre, but what's good for YOU. Seek your tone and make it work for what you're playing. I just bought a LH500 to replace my HA3500, and it's exactly what I needed. Played through a HD210 and VX410. All the highs and lows I need, And it cuts like a razor while still sitting comfortably in the mix right where it belongs.
A couple people here mentioned the SVT CL. I don't know if I would ever recommend that head to anyone that wasn't looking for something loud and dead at times and maybe at best woody sounding. I've never understood how anyone got anything decent out of them. There are plenty of people that use them and sometimes they sound fine, but IME, they're super blah. Also none of them sound like a real classic 70s SVT. NONE!.
This post is over a decade old, but here's my take on punk equipment.
Are you young? If so punk=loud and cheap. There's tons of great equipment that's too old and bulky for the geezers. Why do you think that grunge rock and doom metal were dominated by Sunn amps and big Silverface Fenders and Music Mans, etc?
There is tons of old, loud gear out there in decent shape, whether it's GK RBs, Acoustic 370s, Peavey Nitro-Bass, etc. If the price is going up, or it doesn't seem cheap, loud and reliable, move on. Speaker cabinets are even easier. The world is filled with perfectly functional monstrosities that people done want to live around. And you can hear the high end when you turn it up (or turn the low end down).
25 years ago, the main thing limiting my gear choices, aside from cost, was not wanting to have to buy a bigger car.
For old folks who don't want to move heavy crap, I'm still figuring that out. I still think that loud and cheap is the way to go for punk, unless you want an SVT or something, but you'll have to pay for big, lightweight speaker cabs. Consider getting a class A/B head for more punch.
Are you young? If so punk=loud and cheap. There's tons of great equipment that's too old and bulky for the geezers. Why do you think that grunge rock and doom metal were dominated by Sunn amps and big Silverface Fenders and Music Mans, etc?
There is tons of old, loud gear out there in decent shape, whether it's GK RBs, Acoustic 370s, Peavey Nitro-Bass, etc. If the price is going up, or it doesn't seem cheap, loud and reliable, move on. Speaker cabinets are even easier. The world is filled with perfectly functional monstrosities that people done want to live around. And you can hear the high end when you turn it up (or turn the low end down).
25 years ago, the main thing limiting my gear choices, aside from cost, was not wanting to have to buy a bigger car.
For old folks who don't want to move heavy crap, I'm still figuring that out. I still think that loud and cheap is the way to go for punk, unless you want an SVT or something, but you'll have to pay for big, lightweight speaker cabs. Consider getting a class A/B head for more punch.
When I was a kid playing with punk bands my rig was a Mesa Diesel 215 and a GK800RB. Beautiful rig.
