Trevor_McDonald Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Hey im looking into getting a new bass amp as my band are starting to get a few gigs. I dont know much about amps so a little advice would be much appreciated. I will have about £500 to spend and Ive been looking at these so far. Hartke lh500 - What do yous think of this? Its within my budget but I have no idea what sort of a cab to get for it and would it be loud enough to gig with? Ive also been looking at the peavey tour tnt 115 and the gallien krueger mb210, would one of these two be a good option? My band plays mostly hard rock and we have 2 guitarists and a loud drummer so my main concern is being lound enought so i can actualy be heard. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 From what I`ve read on here, the LH500 will be more than enough volume wise, and seems very suited to your style of music. Cab wise go 2nd hand from Basschat would be my recommendation. For a rock band, look for a 4x10, 4x12 or maybe 2x10 & 1x15 combination. There`s a good deal on a couple of Ashdown cabs on here at the moment, a 2x10 & 1x15. Having played in heavy rock & punk bands, I`ve found that most amps nowdays are plenty loud enough, but that a 2x10 on its own just doesn`t have the presence to fill out the bottom end - unless you start spending out on high-end cabs that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 The Hartke LH amps get quite a few praises on here. I've never used one tho so can't comment on it. As for cabs, I'd go with a decent 2x10, 2x12 or 1x15 & then at a later date you can add another of the same if needed. I've played quite a few loud gigs without me going thru the PA & had plenty of headroom with just the 2x10, & if your budget can stretch then there's a Markbass combo the same as I have for £650 in the "Amps for sale" section. I'm wanting to add an extra 2x10 to mine but it would just be an image thing rather than needing more headroom, but then it depends on the size of the gig. Best advice is to go & try a few different cabs & things out to see what you like. There's also TC Electronics' new BH500 & BC cabs that should be in your budget. Never been a fan of Peavey's bass gear, but I like GK stuff (what I've heard so far anyway). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 The Hartke amps are pretty solid and good value for money. Cab wise, I find a 1x15 on it's own a little bottom heavy - especially if you're working with a loud drummer. I've owed a 4x10 for quite a few years and that gives a pretty good sound within a rock setting, but it's a pain in the rear end lugging it along to rehearsals and smaller gigs. I went for a 2x10 and a 1x15 in the end. As a complete rig, it gives me plenty of 'oomph' at the bottom end and a nice kick from the 2x10 to keep up with loud drummers. It also gives me the option of just using my amp head and the 2x10 for smaller gigs and rehearsals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 [quote name='Trevor_McDonald' post='1131353' date='Feb 17 2011, 06:08 PM']....My band plays mostly hard rock and we have 2 guitarists and a loud drummer so my main concern is being lound enought so i can actualy be heard....[/quote] Hartke gear gets good reviews and the prices seem to be in your ballpark, so I'd go and try one of those. I don't know if we’d agree on how loud a "loud drummer" was but I wouldn't tackle hard rock or anything “loud” without at least a 410, so I'd be looking for a Hartke 410 as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilco Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 I've got an LH500 with two Ashdown Classic cabs (a 2x10 & 1x15) & play in a loud rock band. Volume knob is generally set at 4 (out of 11, sorry I mean 10!) & it easily competes with the rest of the band. And echoing an earlier post, that cab configuration is way more portable & flexible than a 4x10 in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor_McDonald Posted February 18, 2011 Author Share Posted February 18, 2011 Thanks for the help everyone. Yea I thought that the hartke would be the best option so i think il go for that. If i was going to get 2 cabs to go with this how would it work, the head is 500w @ 4 ohms so would i need two 8 ohm cabs with a combined wattage of around 500? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icastle Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 [quote name='Trevor_McDonald' post='1132598' date='Feb 18 2011, 06:58 PM']If i was going to get 2 cabs to go with this how would it work, the head is 500w @ 4 ohms so would i need two 8 ohm cabs with a combined wattage of around 500?[/quote] Yep Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 You don't really need to worry too much about the wattage of the cabs, but don't go for some silly wee 50 watt things. Even if you're just gonna get 1 cab just now, I would opt for an 8 ohm cab as the difference the extra 150 watts going into a single 4 ohm makes will hardly be noticed & could be better utilised at a later date with the 2nd cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 18, 2011 Share Posted February 18, 2011 [quote name='xgsjx' post='1132900' date='Feb 18 2011, 11:17 PM']Even if you're just gonna get 1 cab just now, I would opt for an 8 ohm cab as the difference the extra 150 watts going into a single 4 ohm makes will hardly be noticed & could be better utilised at a later date with the 2nd cab.[/quote] +1 - I used my amp with both of my Ampeg cabs at one practice, and with only the 410 at another. Aside for a slight perceived reduction in the size of the sound (which was probably more due to the speakers now being lower to the floor) I didn`t have to adjust volume at all. In larger venues the more speakers you have will help project the sound, and give it a bigger presence, but as xgsjx says, it hardly notices volume wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trevor_McDonald Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 Hey thanks again eveyone I was thinking about getting the hartke 4.5 xl first (400w 8ohm) then maybe getting the 115 xl a bit later (200w 8ohm.) Do yous think this would be ok? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Trevor_McDonald' post='1133386' date='Feb 19 2011, 02:17 PM']....I was thinking about getting the hartke 4.5 xl first (400w 8ohm) then maybe getting the 115 xl a bit later (200w 8ohm.)....[/quote] Adding a 115 to a 410 would work, but my preference would be to add a 210 to the 410. Edited February 19, 2011 by chris_b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 [quote name='Trevor_McDonald' post='1133386' date='Feb 19 2011, 02:17 PM']Hey thanks again eveyone I was thinking about getting the hartke 4.5 xl first (400w 8ohm) then maybe getting the 115 xl a bit later (200w 8ohm.) Do yous think this would be ok?[/quote] I had a rig with the 210 & 115 XL cabs and they were great. Can see where you`re coming from there, two cabs and amp all at once = expensive, 1 cab and amp is more "do-able". I think the 4.5XL will probably handle all you need on its own. If you find you do need a bit more, then the 115 would be a good addition for the lows, though with those 2 cabs, make sure you have yr bandmates help out - especially with the 4.5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 If you like the sound of the 4x10 & want more of the same then I would add an identicle 4x10 as the 15 wouldn't put out as much volume & could cancel out some frequencies of the 4x10 (might be a good thing, but it's unpredictable). Like Lozz says, 4x10s are heavy beasts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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