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too loud band, need amp suggestions.

#42
stumblefly said:
Hope this question applys. I am concidering buying a Mesa Venture Impulse 600 2x10 combo or a WalkAbout 1x12 combo and was wondering if that would b sufficient to keep up with my band - drummer is a heavy hitter and my brother on guitar 2x12 line 6 ( soon to b replaced line 6 that is) which one should I get?
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No. Either amp has enough power, you need double the speakers, either a two 12's or four 10's, assuming common decent speakers like the Mesa stuff, not cheap or premium/highend. That will hang with a drumkit, any louder than that, you all should be in the PA.
 
#44
You're just outgunned with the SWR.

Building a cabinet isn't something I'd recommend if someone is trying to save money. It is something that makes sense when commercial options can't fill the bill.

If I was you, I'd start by getting the GK 800 back on its feet and then pair it up with a decent used 410 or two. I'd ditch the SWR combo.
 
#46
James Mobius said:
My band is a trio, me on bass, 5 and 6 string, also 2 string, and 10 string Stick so I need a rig that can handle everything from 30Hz to dog whistle range. Here's the thing, I also sometimes work with another band doing Bowie songs, I did a gig with them with my SWR workingman combo, which I think is 200W maybe 250, I had it up on 3 milk crates, so I could hear it better, at one point I was competing with 9 other sound sources, drums, 3 guitars, keyboards, sax, and at least 3 vocalists simultaneously, and I could hear myself adequately. then I go home to my band, one guitar, playing a 70's LesPaul through a Mesa Boogie (volume at 1.5) and my drummer, no mics on him, me with my same bass amp and I can't hear myself nearly as well, moreover my drummer says he can't hear me, and this is evident in his performance.
when I told them about my other gig, he called me "delusional" which I took exception to and said so. my guitarist assured me he used to have his amp on 2! we're quieter than we used to be. frankly I resent having to spend money on a new rig, but I don't see an alternative. doesn't help that the drummer wears gunshot headphones over his earplugs to keep his tinnitus at bay. d: (getting him to play quieter doesn't seem to be a realistic option. ) I know more headroom, 400W or more is better, and I know why. money is tight. thinking about one of those fEarful build it yourself cabs, seem to have a lot of believers on here, once I wanted the Bose system with the pole and 2 bass modules but I've read enough negative stuff about that to give up on the idea. I think it only works if everyone uses the same rig.
I went to GC to price out amps and see whats out there these days, I don't know that much about amps really, if I get a 1000W head, what kind of cabs do I need that can handle it? seems like 800W ought to be plenty. we play fusion which mixes funk, metal and pretty much anything else, with a wide dynamic range. I'm trying to save up to get something decent. if I repair my burnt out 800RB head can I run that at 400W through a fEarful with good results? any advice appreciated. sorry for prattling on so.
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Hi James

This is Dan, I used to take lessons from you in the mid late nineties.
Long time....
I recommend a Genz Benz shuttle 9 for amp and a used suitable 4/10.
I remember that gk of yours.
 
#47
Your response was respectful. I personally use 1000w and love the thump you describe. My guitarist uses a ridiculous Bogner. The trick is to be able to blaze at just above conversation level.
We easily bring the big volume.

His gear seems insufficient to the task.

The bigger problem is if the other players can't hear the whole band and balance for it or won't adjust their volume, wait until they're deciding which tunes are on the CD. :)
 
#48
MysticMichael said:
The fEARful 15/6/1 is an excellent suggestion (you'll need the tweeter for the highest notes of your Chapman Stick, plus any overtones you might want to reproduce from your six-string bass). If you're handy in a workshop, you can build one for only a few hundred bucks. In future, build/commission either a fEARful 15 sub to go with it, or another 15/6/1.
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I agree that a fEARful might be a good choice, but there's no way you're gonna build one for a couple hundred bucks. The drivers and crossover alone are more than twice that.
 
#50
Yo James,
Stretch here. I will be back in the space again probably in April, So you got my rig again.
But you should fix your GK, and find a used Hartke or Genz Benz cab.
I got into the volume war thing late 90's, kept my GK/Hartke rig thankfully and then blew money on the 1000W Gk head, then tried a mesa, then settled on an Eden with Eden 700W 410, which was a great way to throw money down the drain once it messed up on me.They have the "nicest" customer service, basically everything was my fault.
Years later I am back with my old head, used hartke 410, and all is good. you can find the hartke or something similar for $200.
Thanks for the advice today, i got some end cutters and ground them flat on a bench grinder, gonna get down on those frets later.
stretch
 
#51
Bongofour said:
Hi James

This is Dan, I used to take lessons from you in the mid late nineties.
Long time....
I recommend a Genz Benz shuttle 9 for amp and a used suitable 4/10.
I remember that gk of yours.
Click to expand...

Hey Dan! :D nice to see you! or some text you typed anyway. drop me an email some time! I'll pick up a GB as soon as I find that extra grand I had somewhere around here...

and Hi Stretch, thanks for coming back to the room, I haven't used your 800RB again yet since your return, I found a Hartke 4X10 on craigs list for $180, not bad, there was a sound of something moving around inside I didn't discover til I got it to the space, could not figure out how to open it up, but I took off the handles, cut a flap through the 1/2" soft foam liner and discovered 2 cardboard tubes that had somehow become disconnected, they were originally glued into 2 holes at the front end, on either side of the cab, centred between the speakers, I was able to wedge them back into their holes, and I tried using my SWR driving the Hartke with the extension speaker output, my sound was much clearer and better, tho still not loud enough, so I am planning on trying to get my old 800RB fixed, and using that with the 4X10 and I have a hartke 1X15 (I think it's a 15 couldn't be a 12 probably, it's in my guitarists home studio at the moment)

I used to use the 800RB to drive a hartke 2x10 and the 15, can I use it to drive both the 4x10 and the 15?

thanks for all the suggestions, glad to see I sparked a debate which hopefully was of use to people other than just me, my band is definitely louder than I would like, but like a marriage, no situation is perfect, there are all sorts of things I'd like to change about my drummer lol, but I continue to put up with him.

cheers all!
 

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