JTUK Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 (edited) [quote name='spike' timestamp='1345300889' post='1776066'] All the pub gigs I've done over the last 20 years have been with a Trace Elliot AH100 amp and a single 15" cab and I've never had either of those problems. Never run out of headroom either. [/quote] You might be surprised to know how many bass players think that.... but everyone else thinks their sound is not very good. Now, I don't know your sound but I stand by my comment that bass [players ..certainly round here..tend to be lazy and rock up with a single cab...typically a 15"...get a half decent sound at sound check and then lose it completely when the gig volume kicks in. If you play with sorted drummers...you will be surprised how good they are at picking up sounds and all you need to hear from them is ..'nice bass sound'..and when pushed, they will tell you all about the guys they play with, with a very average sound. I think it is quite true that bass players can try and tweak the last drop out of an amp...as it is underpowered against the rest iof the band...and they are so maxxed out on the EQ that the only way it can cut thru in terms of volume..means the sound is terrible and pretty much unusable. Now, if the bass player has an unforgiving technique as well...you will be wanting to bury that in a gtr mix, for sure The worst thing you want to do..IMO..is be chasing a bass sound with no headroom. You'll be lucky if you only sound crap... Edited August 18, 2012 by JTUK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spike Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 (edited) The thing is, I've never had to push my setup to the point you are describing and I've had enough of the 'nice bass sound' comments over the years from people I trust to know that my sound is OK. Actually, that's not quite true, there was one band I was in where one of the guitarists acquired a Marshall stack that I had difficulty cutting through against but that was more to do with his tone and the fact it was way over the top for pub gigs. I've very recently changed my rig to a Little Mark III and an Aguilar GS112. I'm prepared to get a second cab if needed but going by last night's gig where I had the amp at barely 1/4 volume in a fairly large pub I'm not sure I need to any time soon. This is just my experience playing general covers in standard pubs and clubs at sensible volumes and I appreciate that other people's circumstances may differ. Edited August 19, 2012 by spike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 One of the best bass sounds I've ever heard live turned out to be an Ashdown Electric Blue combo. What are those things? About 1x12" and about 150W IIRC? It depends on the mix, the volume, the other players and everything. I stand by the general idea that a rock gig needs around 300W and a 4x10" because that will cover the average rock gig. Having said that I regularly show up with either a 65W 1x10" combo or just a DI box because I know I have PA support or the use of a house amp or whatever. If you KNOW your gig is not average or you just need less for whatever reason then good for you. Still doesn't mean we can recommend that a beginner who needs our advice can gig with a small combo. To do so is to give bad advice IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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