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% spending between amp and cab(s) ??


hamfist
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Just wondered how you guys tend to split spending your money, between amps and cabs.
I always seem to buy a cab setup costing about 75% of the cost of my main amp. Maybe I should be putting more of my money into cabs ?
Hmmmmm .. thoughts ?

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[quote name='Gwilym' timestamp='1330678737' post='1561298']
buy what sounds good, don't think a set ratio of monetary value needs to be / should be the yardstick
[/quote]

Totally. If your cab is well built, a suitable size and weight for you to move and giving you the sound you want to hear, that's all you should need to worry about. It also kinda depends what you call an amp; my new main setup is a rack that cost a fair bit to put together and I'm [i]more than happy [/i]to 'slum it' with a Super Twelve worth maybe only 40% of that figure.

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[quote name='Gwilym' timestamp='1330678737' post='1561298']
buy what sounds good, don't think a set ratio of monetary value needs to be / should be the yardstick
[/quote]

Clearly no-one is expecting a set of rules. Was just wondering what others actually ended up spending on each. And yours is, of course, a bit of a cop out answer ultimately.

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My situation is that I am "happy" with my current cabs. But if I spent out the wonga on well chosen more expensive cabs. Might I be "more happy" ?
Especially once you get into the realm of more expensive gear it becomes more and more difficult to try out, as they are harder to find locally so at some point each of us has to say ... right that's it, I'm happy. But who knows if we could be that elusive thing of "more happy" ?????

And the answer is, of course, 43.

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[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1330680202' post='1561330']
Clearly no-one is expecting a set of rules. Was just wondering what others actually ended up spending on each. And yours is, of course, a bit of a cop out answer ultimately.
[/quote]

you say my answer was a cop out, and that "Clearly no-one is expecting a set of rules", yet clearly that is effectively what you asked for! <_<

so my previous answer was the short one from my phone. I would however say that it's probably worth investing more money in a "better" amp as the amp is what's driving/controlling the speakers. I say this based on results from upgrading my hifi amp, but I guess the same principle applies. obviously, the cab needs to be able to reproduce the "right" frequencies. (i.e. the ones that make the amp/cab combo sound good to your ears).

to try and answer you specifically, the only time I've bought a "matched" amp/cab was a SWR Basic 350 and SWR Bigfoot 2x12 - both were the same ballpark - amp about 750, cab about 650 IIRC - this was back in 95. so a 54%/46% approx split. BUT, I bought them after trying the various (not many) options at the time, and they were the ones that sounded best to my ears.

My current set up: ACME cabs (300 quid of ebay) and Tecamp Puma 1000 (800 quid from these forums), so 27%/73% split. I think it would probably be the same ballpark had I bought these new. The major difference now is the second hand market is much more liquid due to places like Ebay/BC and therefore far more options to entice and confuse!

Anyway, it doesn't tell you much other than perhaps my tonal preferences. You might as well ask "what's the best [s]bass[/s] cab for metal?" ;) :D

If you're happy with your current set up, keep it, and your pennies. If not, work out what it is that you don't like, and use that as a starting point to finding a cab (or amp) thats more suitable, just because it's more expensive, it doesn't mean it will work for you.

Apologies if I'm stating the obviousl, and good luck in your quest :D

Edited by Gwilym
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Gwilym, I think my main issue is that I simply haven't played that many cabs, so am less sure about how much more "punch" or "grind", or "tightness" or whatever other hard-to-describe descriptive terms, other cabs might have.
I am a lot more experienced with different amps though, so am fairly sure that further expenditure on an amp would be fairly pointless for me.
The other issue is that youtube-type soundtests (limited though they are) can give you a clue as to what an amp will sound like. But for cabs (especially at anywhere near gig volumes, where cab characteristics can change noticeably), they are pretty much useless.
As for more money always buying a "better" cab I know it is not necessarily so. I used to have a TC electronic RS cab, then bought a cheaper BC cab, but actually liked the BC better, so sold the RS and bought another BC.

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[quote name='essexbasscat' timestamp='1330686170' post='1561483']
Take your amp to a BC bass bash and ask to swap it around through some different cabs. Most folk at these events don't mind, it can be an interesting experience for all.

BC bashes are your friend
[/quote]

this.

was just typing a reply and lost it, but this, and Gallery/Bass Direct or start buying blind and experimenting from the sale forum. at least you then can gig/rehearse in a real world situation.

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Yeah, buy blind!

I've been through Ampeg, EBS, Mesa and SWR cabs in the last couple of years and I've stuck with Ampeg because they have the tone that I want!

In answer to the question though, my cab cost £20 less than the amp (£230 and £250 respectively).

Truckstop

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Don't forget in cabs these days you're paying a signficant premium for light weight/neo builds - or alternatively that lightweight cabs have severely depressed the market for big heavy cabs, although sonically there may not be that much difference... I've got a Super 12T and an EBS proline 410.. I would rate them (although they've got different characters) about the same sonically.. The 410 is worth about £300 the S12 about double that... However the S12 weighs less than 20kg and the 410 40+ kgs...

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In the past I've sold some quality amps coz I didn't like the sound but it was probably coz I was using inferior cabs & thought it was the amp .. not sure if the following is true but I've found that some 'crappy' amps sound good thru quality cabs, not so the other way round .. my current rig the cab costs @40% more than the amp but that is a coincidence

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I'd always prioritise my head over my cabs.

If your head gets DId, your cabs are just monitoring on stage while your head is what the crowd hears.
Your head gives you the controls over your tone, if you don't have something you need then cabs aren't gonna give it.
If you take your head and share someone else's cab, it doesn't matter what cabs you own.
If you lend your head, having a more reliable and capable one means others are less likely to break it.

Compared to that, good cabs are important if you're being mic'd up instead of DId and that's about it.

My main head cost about £700 and cabs £450 each, the other rig I have the head was about £1300 and the cabs £850 each IIRC.

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[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' timestamp='1330715622' post='1562173']
I'd always prioritise my head over my cabs.
If your head gets DId, your cabs are just monitoring on stage while your head is what the crowd hears.
[/quote]

I'm with you on this.

I think I've played 1 gig ever when my amp wasn't DI'd and maybe 2 or 3 where the cabinet was mic'd as well as a DI.

My amp was around £450 (new) and my cabs were around the same amount (SP210 second hand and MAG 210 new)

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[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' timestamp='1330715622' post='1562173']
I'd always prioritise my head over my cabs.

If your head gets DId, your cabs are just monitoring on stage while your head is what the crowd hears.
[/quote]

Very, very good point. I am going through the PA for most of my sound at the vast majority of gigs.

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