Long time guitar player/Drummer and I have no bass gea r (other than guitars). I'm currently playing through Helix Native through my studio monitors for practice and it sounds good... but the time to get a real setup is coming.
I see lots of people running DI's, while others are using amps of various sizes. Then there's an all in one like the Helix. What's going to serve me best? If you were in my shoes, starting over, what are you using?
I suppose an amp is a smart place to start? If I'm playing with people and have no other sound option, then I'd need one, unless people run their DI/Helix through an FRFR (I used to use my Helix this way when I played guitar)? Not sure... FWIW, from what I've heard, I really like GK, Orange is also cool, then maybe Ampeg. Using my Native software I run-through a GK and a Fender model at the same time and it's a great mix. But also, this is something I'd have to lug in and out of my basement with narrow ass stairs, so lighter and portable is nice.
Number of things actually:
• For small venues I run an Eden TN226 (225-watts rms into 4Ω) into an
Eden EX-112 cab (handles 300-watts rms). IMHO the amp is not suitable for medium and large venues. The
Eden TN-501 (500-watts rms into 4Ω) is a more versatile amp. I did run two of the cabs with my Eden WT500/800 (400-watts per channel into 4Ω or bridged at 800-watts into 8Ω) for almost 2-years though. Just plugged one into each channel. That's probably also enough for a large venue but I preferred my DNS-410 (handles 1400-watts rms) for that.
Here's the small venue rig. notice how nicely it sits in a chair? I can put the amp in its shoulder bag over one shoulder, put my gig bag over the other, grab my bass in one hand and this cab in the other and load it all in or out easily in one trip:
Here's the 2x112 rig I used for medium-size venues from January of 2018 until December of 2019, when I got my DNS-210 cab. had to use my dual powerblock Eden WT500/800 with it because the cabs are both 4Ω cabs so I plugged one into each channel.Even with the cabs turned on their side to line up the ports, my class A/B Eden amp hangs over the edges. Did get a lot of compliments on my sound with this rig.
• The [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] is the amp I bought in May of 2021 to use for my medium and large venues. It has a great compressor built-in, with threshold and ratio controls to take you anywhere from a little extra sustain, to elephant stomp, no-dynamics, "note will sound at same level until you take your finger off" extremes. Bass EQ is shelving at 35Hz, Low-Mid is centered at 500Hz, Hi-Mid is centered at 2KHz, and Treble is shelving for everything above 2KHz. Very musical centers on the EQ and easy to dial in a great sound It puts out 400-watts into 8Ω or 800-watts into either 4Ω or 2Ω, and weighs in at 4.8 lbs. It's also dead quiet because it uses passive cooling instead of a fan.
• My primary set-up is a DNA-800 amp into an 8Ω [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]cab (handles 700-watts rms) with the 210 cab on an amp stand. Cab gets 400-watts because it's 8Ω but it's an exceedingly loud cab and I use it for all my medium and large indoor venues. For outdoor and music festivals I'll use my [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] driven by either my DNA-800 or my WT500/800. If 400-watts into my DNS-410 is not enough then I'll run the Eden amp bridged at 800-watts into it. At wide open music festivals, I get told to turn down if I run the master of my big Eden amp up to 10:30 with just my DNS-410. So I never have to worry about lugging around an 810 cab.
Picture below is from the first night that I ran the DNS-210. It was a pretty large venue and I wasn't sure the 210 would be enough so I stacked it on top of the 410 so I could unplug the 210 and plug in the 410 if needed. It wasn't needed. The 210 was more than enough. I ran the 210 all night just fine and the 410 was just an expensive amp stand for it that night. I'll only run one or the other cab with the big Eden amp though because it only bridges into 8Ω. I could play the entire stack run by my DNA-800 amp though, which will put 400-watts into each cab at the same time. Still, if my 210 or 410 won't do the trick with 400-watts, the big Eden weighing in at ~36-lbs in its rack weighs less than bringing in the DNS-210 at 52-lbs. Plus it takes up less room in the pick-up.
I have two basses. One is a 1982 Fender Jazz that I bought in 1985 and have been playing ever since. Bought it because it has the same neck shape, profile, and radius that the neck on my 1965 Jazz (bought in 1966) did. No longer have the '65 Jazz because it was stolen along with all my touring gear in 1976. My '82 has a white bound all-maple neck and the 70's era pickup spacing (4" center to center). It sounds a bit brighter than my '65 did and has a lot more sustain. Love the sound of it and it's my #1 bass. I've willed it to my oldest son who also plays bass, guitar, keys, trumpet, French Horn, and a rock with three holes in it!
My #2 is a Rogue LX405 Pro that I bought in 2009 because the group I was playing with did about 6-songs that I had to drop the E string down to D, Db, or C on. It was low cost at ~$219 but fit and finish is amazing and it sounds good - not as nice as my '82 Jazz though, which is why I only use the 5-string when I really need it. It has a very flat fretboard with a 12" radius compared to the 7.25" radius on my Jazz. I was afraid the neck would be fat like a lot of P-basses are, but found that the neck is surprisingly slim and is pretty comfortable for me to play.
Back in 2009 Rogue made their guitars and basses in Korea and fit, finish, and workmanship was really top notch. They've moved twice since then, hence their Pro II and Pro III and are now made in China. While you can still find one that is made as nicely as mine, you'll need to look through and handle them at a store instead of just ordering it online like I did. I was quite surprised at the quality when I got mine.
Here's a shot of my basses with my DNS-410 powered by my Eden WT500/800 amp at an outside venue before I bought my DNA800 amp.
If you want a recommendation on what to buy, I'd be suggesting you get a 210 cab in 8Ω that can handle at least 400-watts rms and an 800-watt class D amp (500-watt at the least). Then when you need a larger set up, get another 210 cab and you'll end up with a defacto 800-watt 410 set up that is enough to play just about anywhere.
Although I toured in the early 70's with a Standel piggy-back 215 rig, I really prefer the 10's or 12's now. You can get as deep or deeper bass out of a 210, 410, or 2x112 now, than you could get out of 15" speakers back in the day.
I'd love to recommend the DNA gear because it's great, but DNA closed its doors in January of 2023 because the Covid parts delays actually put a couple of his suppliers out of business and no one else makes those parts. You can still find some old new stock DNA-800's out there and some show up used too. Street price when I got mine was $799 and most of the time used prices are real close to that. I did see one for $499 many months ago though. Cabs will also show up on Reverb and e-bay from time to time. Street price for my DNS-410 was $1,000 in 2015 and my DNS-210 was $869 in 2019. Just as a hint - the DNA cabs with the silver and black logo were the earlier ones like the one on my 410 cab above that I bought in 2015. The ones with the silver black and gold were the later models, like my 210 (on top of the big stack above) which I bought in 2019.
If you can't find the DNA gear out there, I'd suggest you take a good look at Mesa amps and cabs. They have a wide range of amps and cabs available, are durable, and the designer of them (
@agedhorse) is an active member of Talkbass. You can always get the straight info on Mesa direct from the horse's mouth here (sorry Andy, just couldn't resist).
good luck starting from scratch! 
