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Will this cab work for practice with full band?
- Thread starter Bret Music
- Start date
Portabass cabs are reportedly very quiet with the stock drivers. I have a portabass 210 but it came with upgraded speakers and I've never gigged it so I cant really say
And its defiantly not worth $150. I bought my 210 for less than that
And its defiantly not worth $150. I bought my 210 for less than that
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I have personally used a BA 210 combo in a full band setting with two tube amp guitarists and it worked well. They were so impressed with it that they asked if they could borrow the thing for a gig even after I left the group. Found mine on CL for about $300 used.
Probably not going to be good enough to practice with. You'll probably need at least a 210 to be heard distinctly in a group.
I'd suggest the DNS-210 cab by DNA, but it's not a cheap cab. I'm a DNA Endorser and I use that for all indoor venues. The DNS-210 will handle 700-watts rms (both mechanically and thermally) and produce a max SPL of 134db (I'm using my Eden 800-watt amp with it) so it's a bit of an unusual cab... but it's not cheap
Those cabinets were rather infamous, as I recall. I had a 2x10 from that line that worked okay for awhile—until it decided to become a 1X10.
The 800 was awesome with this cab and more so with my 15 ontop of my 12! I sold my Legacy 800 because covid put a freeze on my gigging, I now use my trusty old GK 400 RB with the subways!!
It will be fine if the rest of the band doesn't have to rehearse at stupid volume levels.
Al Kraft
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- May 2, 2016
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Thanks! And I know how good the GK RB heads sound with that SW cab combination...I'd characterize it as a tad nicer than with my MBs. It's tough for even new GK heads to top the RB gold standard for the classic GK tone IMO.
I'm sorry I forgot to mention that i would be going to the PA w/xlr with the SVT 7 Pro or Sansamp RBI to two mains and four monitors. I guess I'll do what i can. I dont have $800 to spend on the cab i want right now, so I am going to try and get a Peavy Headliner 410 for $400 just to use for practice. Yeah i give up on the 110. I for sure dont want to drag the 810 out in the snow and tundra, so thats not going to happen.
Minimum I've been able to make work is a 1x12" with tweeter. But that was a powerful cab (custom made), an amp master volume regulated with a judicious hand, and a bass player with authority to tell the @#$@#$ guitar players to turn down.
- Mar 19, 2013
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Alright....update then....what type of monitors are you using? Is everyone else relying on your cab to hear you during rehearsals?
Al Kraft
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Don't count on it. I would save a little more coin to get a better cab, and go with a 12" neo of some sort, or even better a 210. A decent 112 and definitely a 210 can actually handle small rooms/gigs (depending on the cab) while still remaining quite portable. Then you could leave that 810 home most of the time. My 2 cents, good luck.
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We are loud drums, Les Paul/Marshall half stack and P-bass/Audiokinesis 4 x 8 cab in a finished basement. Vocals only in the PA, which we hear through three monitor wedges.
I power the bass cab with a Zoom modeler feeding one of two power amps: a 210-watt Peavey or a 750-watt Crown. Either is plenty loud to rattle stuff of shelves in the finished basement, and for all of us to hear the bass clearly.
In a larger space with this group of guys the 210-watt Peavey isn’t quite enough and needs PA help. The Crown seemed like it had a lot more slam, and then all the band fun went away before I could really form more detailed impressions.
Not 100% sure what the monitors are, but they look like 2 powered 15" mains and 4 powered 12" monitors. This coming Saturday will be my first rehearsal with them. They play mostly small venues. 2 guitar players have medium combos on stands nothing crazy loud, keyboard that one guitar player uses sometimes and drums. 2 vocals. They are not crazy loud at all and would probably flip out if I was to show up with big guns 810. I'll just have to get a different cab sooner than I planed. Just thought that maybe this little 110 might work for what I need right now.
The loudest 150 dollar watts you'll ever hear is the old heavy Peavey stuff if you need cheap and loud to get you by and not be worried about tone but you will be felt. People's drinks and dinners will moon-walk off the tables when you crank 'em.
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Adding to what I said above, I was just starting to get the idea that even with 750 watts into my 800-watt 4 x 8” cab (used at two practices and one live set before the dark times descended), I was getting the idea that while the wattage increase definitely made the lows hit harder, I was coming up against the limits of needing more speaker area at least as much as more watts.
Or, you know, a quieter group of guys to play with!
Based on that limited sampling, I’d say, bring more cab and don’t turn it up as much.
