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STANDALONE PROBLEM / AMPEG hlf 610 VS GK 410rbh / VolumeVsPortability

MauroScaparro

MauroScaparro

Feb 1, 2017
56
51
#1
Hey!
My situation: my amp head is an Aguilar TH500, great i love it.
I play it thru a DB112 Tw and a DB115, I like the sound but recently i ve been feeling unconfortable because of
A: I always have to take both cabs with me to sound how i want to, The DB115 doesn´t do what i´m looking for as a standalone (i think because of lacking a twitter and having that "mid bump" of the DB line). And the DB112 just does not have the volume by itself.
B: I m starting to look for another sound, a little bit more classic, i want to be able to take one cab and still have solid low end and clarity at the same time, more "ampeg" but keeping the Aguilar TH500 as my main head.

So here is my problem:
I saw an AMPEG hlf 610 (vietnam) 600w at 4ohms (which would eliminate the problem of two separate cabs, being 4ohms would make the TH500 really play). I ve never played one, i ve only been reading reviews here, some people say it is poor quality, some said that when pushed hard one of the drivers blew up, and that they are too boomy. Some say that is very resistent, nice low end, very nice high end due to its twetter and more balanced than the 810 which tends to be midy (i think because the 610 is ported). Of course the obvious problem is portability..
The other option is the GallienKrueger 410rbh (USA) which has a twitter and its 800w but at 8ohms (so if necesary i could pair it with the DB112, but thats not tha main idea, because im looking for a standalone). The good one with this is that it´s smaller than the HLF and it SEEMS as a good standalone option. My concern about this cabinet is that some people say it lacks low end and it´s only mid punch (which i do not want by any means). Dont want to be lacking of volume, i play with a loud drummer and a loud guitarist..

I play in a power trio and as a session musician and have a Sadowsky metro RV4, a Fender 57 RI precision and a Pedulla Thunderbolt 5 (which is importante to consider because the cab that it pick up must be able to reproduce deep solid low end whith that mighty B string)

I HOPE you can help me, any suggestions, ideas, personal experiences, info, insults :) are welcome, thank you!
Cheers
 
#2
Never played the GK 410rbh, but I have the Ampeg 610. I wasn't a fan of the AMPEG 610 until they started making them in Asia. The Asian ones are lighter, have more mids, have less mud and sound closer to the 810E (which to me is one of the best sounding cabs). IMO it's a good standalone cab that is loud enough to cover any gig.
 
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#3
I haven't tried the RBH, but I have tried the 610. First, with an Ampeg B2R, and it was kind of muddy. Then with a 700RB, it farted out quite easily, with the eq set at noon or less, across the board. I really wanted to like that cab, but it didn't work for me
 
#4
Faceman75 said:
I haven't tried the RBH, but I have tried the 610. First, with an Ampeg B2R, and it was kind of muddy. Then with a 700RB, it farted out quite easily, with the eq set at noon or less, across the board. I really wanted to like that cab, but it didn't work for me
Click to expand...
Sounds like you might have had an older one. I played one that was made in the last 5 years recently and it was superb. Sounded very much like an 810e. And in 2008 or 09 I played one at GC made in Vietnam and thought the same.
 
#11
The GK410rbh is more punchy than the 610hlf. The 610 has an unwieldy low end if it isn't eq'd properly. The 410 is plenty deep, but never felt out of control to me. However, I think I prefer the 610. Size, tone, and maneuverability made it a no Brainer for me. While still heavy, it's much easier to move and lift for me compared to most 90+lb 410 cabs
 
#12
blubass said:
The GK410rbh is more punchy than the 610hlf. The 610 has an unwieldy low end if it isn't eq'd properly. The 410 is plenty deep, but never felt out of control to me. However, I think I prefer the 610. Size, tone, and maneuverability made it a no Brainer for me. While still heavy, it's much easier to move and lift for me compared to most 90+lb 410 cabs
Click to expand...
great!, i run the TH500 flat, always, u think thats going to make the hlf610 boomy?, i mean its boomy by itself or only if u cranck the bass knob up?
 
#15
Not sure if it was the room or the cab but in my brothers rehersal room there is a svt 300 tube amp and a 610 hlf ampeg cab.
I tried it with a typical cheaper passive jazz bass and with all controls at noon (mid shift on three) and ultra low and highs off i did not like the sound.
The high mids did not have a nice openess (if that make sense) and the F2 on the A string at 87Hz fundamental caused a nasty boom. It had some of this resonance on the F#2 (~93Hz) also. but not much on the E2 on the A string at 82Hz.
Does this seem room related (i was not that loud) or is the cab just boomy from ~85Hz to 95hz??
 
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#16
Just need to EQ is all, just like with any cab. I just purchased a 610 and I couldn't be happier. It is definitely NOT boomy. I'm using a 4003 Ric into a sansamp DI, and an Ampeg SVT 7 Pro. It's got GREAT punch, it really does remind me of the ampeg fridge, but if you don't have a tour van/trailer then the 610 is perfect. The good thing is if there's too much low end for you, then pot your bass EQ on your amp a bit lower! Or if you don't like that, maybe the Q is too wide to turn down the bass on the amp, then I suggest to invest in an outboard EQ. Either rack mounted or a pedal.

Just my two cents anyways
 
#17
I'm a fan of the Ampeg 12 based cabs so I'll toss the 212AV in as an alternative option if you're looking for "more Ampeg". I have a TH500 and it sounds great, IMO, running it through Ampeg 112AV cabs. Not as "loud" as a 610 though so that may be a factor.
 
#18
Also for loudness, that all depends on the venue you'll play at. If there isn't a sound engineer/no mic or DI for the bass, then I can only assume that it's not too large of a venue in which case almost size cab (except maybe a practice amp) would suffice. Any decent sized venue will have a sound engineer/equipment for your own sound engineer, in which case bass will be DI'd, miked up, or both.
 

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