Small combo amp on a stand/DI vs. Big Bass Rig

You lose too much bottom end that way for my tastes, I prefer on the ground but tilted up at my head.

If you crank up the low end to make it sound right, you may risk added strain, potential blowing of the speaker. If you like the sound you get on a stand, or get enough low end from FOH, I imagine it would work fine.

Randy

 

I'm sure someone will soon direct you to a thread on this, but here's my take: Bass frequecies can divert PA power away from vocals, etc, whereas using a dedicated bass rig lets the PA do it's job w/less stress. You will also have more personal control over your sound. My soundman(as well as many I've dealt with)like the majority of the bass sound to come from the bass rig. Lugging a big rig is a hassle, but usually worth it, IME.

Edit: Didn't mean to ignore the combo portion of your question- I used a CXC-110(180 watt 1x10)last Tuesday in a LARGE hall; I so wished I had brought the extension 1x10 w/me. It would have given me 330 watts into 2 1x10s. Adequate, but I'm too old to be pushing the fridge around.

 

all depends on how competitive you'd like to be onstage. most times, monitors are wired for the keys or vox, so i rarely get to have a monitor of my own.

 

well, as long as there's a sub in the PA i'll be satisfied.

 

My only concern is whether the drummer can hear you also, if you're not in his monitor mix, and all stage output is from your cab. If you like the way it sounds, and everyone who needs to can hear you, there's no problem I can see.

Randy

 

I have recently purchased a Markbass 210 combo to do exactly what you are asking. I have it in the monitor position on the floor in front of me, with a DI out from either the head or the Sansamp direct to FOH. I was previously using a 575 watt head with either a 2 x410 or 410+115 set up on stage, but was taking a lot of heat from soundguys saying it was too loud out front, and that they couldnt put it in FOH. For a while, I thought that was great, I had total contol over my sound and thats what others could hear. But when I went out front during a rehersal, I realised there was NO bass in FOH and just a muddy blah coming from the stage. Even though I thought adding the bass to FOH would add clarity to the sound, I realised the only way to get a good mix in the 200-300 seat venues we play was to go with a combo on the floor, with the DI into the house. Now I have great tone and ample headroom with my combo and dont have to worry about being asked to turn down by the sound guy, as the FOH handles all the bass.

 

I use a Thunderfunk TFB420 and a Schroeder 1210. Small, light, portable. Plenty of beef for small/medium and even most large rooms with no pa support, and the tfb420 DI works well for rooms with PA support.

 

Do what's comfortable for you. Both of the setups mentioned, big rig and small combo, can work just fine. Hell, a lot of top notch nashville acts don't have any stage amps at all, guitars or bass. I was talking to the FOH man for Brad Paisley a couple years back about this very issue. They had just finished a show in my hometown, and I'm always looking at the band and PA gear. When I didn't see any amps on stage, I figured the where back stage. I was wrong. DI's and amp modelers for everything. Of course, they had a great monitor setup, in ear.

 

I do this and I have a complete DIRECT ONLY rig with in-ears. Or I use monitors. But more and more a lot of acts (especially country acts) are reducing stage volume and letting the FOH and Monitors do the work. Most large country acts have their gear backlined, facing backwards and everyone has in-ears. Even metal bands like Metallica are doing this. All those cabs are basically for show.