Amp/Cab/Combo suggestions

[vanbux]

The new bass player in my rock covers band needs a new amp. Her current one isn't powerful enough so we currently mic it up but this puts an increased load on the PA cabs. It also means the drummer sometimes struggles to hear her. She has a budget of up to £700 and the majority of our gigs are pubs.
She's no expert when it comes to gear and if it's guitar stuff then I'm your man....... but not so much the 4 string thing.
I know amplification is as personal as the instrument itself but we need some suggestions/direction, combos or amp/cab setups, as we're starting from scratch.
Would prefer new gear so it's got a warranty and backup.

[PlungerModerno]

There are a lot of opinions, you had better get her to play through a rig, or try it at a gig, before settling on a particular set.
You can always return it if it disappoints.
My recommendation is the usual: Don't get the cheapest if you can help it (i.e. no berhinger or that ilk... it has very little resale value and is OK, but not great). Also get a great cab if you can.

Some brands get a lot of love, Gallien Kreuger, Ampeg, Markbass, Ashdown, and many others offer a few options. GK, Ashdown, Hartke, and even Ampeg have 'budget' versions / options for some of their gear.

You could do worse than picking up a 300 pound head and a 400 pound cab (like a 212 or two 210's).

I'm basing this on other's experience, I'm in the process of getting my first rig (micro head and a 115).

You should try [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/bass_amplifiers.html"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/bass_amplifiers.html[/url] , [url="http://www.session.de/"]http://www.session.de/[/url] and others for price benchmarks. You should check feedback too. A three year guarantee is pretty sweet.

[sixdegrees]

I can only comment on gear that I've used. So my tuppence-worth would be to have a look (and listen) to an Ampeg PF500. Currently priced at a shade over 300 quid and with a 3 year warranty. Check out Lozz's review in the review section.

There is a plethora of small powerful heads available at the moment - the Line 6 750 watt head is on sale for 236 quid! But I don't have experience of this head to recommend it, just an example of what other options are out there.

That leaves 400 quid for a decent 4x10 cab. Don't skimp on the quality of the cab, but I would suggest a new head and a second hand cab (less to go wrong with cabs and you'll get more bang for your buck that way).

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='sixdegrees' timestamp='1341845906' post='1725013']
I can only comment on gear that I've used. So my tuppence-worth would be to have a look (and listen) to an Ampeg PF500. Currently priced at a shade over 300 quid and with a 3 year warranty. Check out Lozz's review in the review section.

There is a plethora of small powerful heads available at the moment - the Line 6 750 watt head is on sale for 236 quid! But I don't have experience of this head to recommend it, just an example of what other options are out there.

That leaves 400 quid for a decent 4x10 cab. Don't skimp on the quality of the cab, but I would suggest a new head and a second hand cab (less to go wrong with cabs and you'll get more bang for your buck that way).
[/quote]

You probably have a lot more experiance than me, but I'll say it anyway. A 410 is an awkward thing, a 212 or 210 (or 2) might do the job and be easier to handle on a small pub stage, with better dispersion... just my 2c.
With second hand a 410 can make a lot of sense. Great value and some real powerhouses available (Peavey and Hartke are renown for it). It's all good. I try to include my lack of experience with my posts for good reason... I am passing on second hand info for the most part.

[Lozz196]

If going new, and depending on sounds required of course, then the Ampeg PF500 with either the matching 210 or 115 cab would be good. The only downside here is that the cabs are 8 ohm cabs, so you would "only" get about 350 watts. Great sounding amps/cabs. Depends on how loud the band is though, as a single 210 or 115 may not be sufficient.

Also, the Gallien Krueger MB500, or MB Fusion 500, and one of their 212MBE cabs is worth looking at. These cabs come in both 8 and 4 ohm versions, so with a 4 ohm, you would get full power from the amp. The MB500 is typically GK-sounding, very crisp and precise. The MB Fusion is much thicker in the sound, due to the pre-amp valves. Combined with the 4 ohm 212, this would be a way of getting a 500 watt rig, into a 212 cab, at under £700 (Thomann do the MB500 at £395, the MB Fusion 500 at £475 and 4ohm 212MBE at £219).

The GK would get my vote, as 500 watts into a 212 - well I can`t see anyone needing more than that for pub gigs.

[ThomBassmonkey]

Re Plunger: Avoid the budget GK BSX (and GSX) gear, it's terrible and really not a good representation of the GK sound and build quality in the rest of it's catalogue. If you're talking about the MBE range (which are GK's real budget range rather than the backline crap), then they're great.

I'd agree with Lozz except I'd get an 8Ohm 212MBE so that you can add another at a later date. The 500w MB heads (MB500 and MB Fusion) do 350w into 8Ohm which will be enough for most gigs, I use my MB Fusion with one NEO212 8Ohm for most gigs and it's never struggled. If your bassist is sure she never wants to upgrade, 4Ohms is definitely the way to go, but personally I'd recommend the 8Ohm to allow for another cab to be added later on.

Edited July 9, 2012 by ThomBassmonkey

[RandomBass]

How about an Orange Terror Bass 500 (£500 new, £350 s/h) and the GK MBE212 (8 ohm) - total just over £700 new, light as a feather - and never any volume problems again. In fact, the rest of the band will prob need to turn up to keep up with the bass!
Cheers
Geoff

[Conan]

There are many old threads on this subject, and many answers! It all depends upon which features your bassist values most. Many people on here will simply recommend what they personally use - which is no real surprise as they probably ended up using that gear after trying lots of other stuff and finding that they disliked something about it.... (or getting fished in by the latest hype or Emperor's New Clothes Syndrome!!).

What material do you play? How loud? What is the band line-up? Will she be carrying her gear herself or do you all muck in or have roadies? How big/strong are you? Does she like old-school or modern tones??

Personally, I'd go with a Hartke LH500 and a big BareFaced cab...

[xgsjx]

My recommendation is a 2nd hand Markbass 2x10 combo (or save a little more & get new). But they're very reliable.
Reason being, I was in the same position (pub rock band) & tried countless rigs. Ended up settling on a combo (for quickness) & 2x10 because a 1x15 doesn't have as good a dispersion & I wasn't sure the 1x12 would do the job.

Another good option would be a Barefaced cab with any of the decent small heads (there's loads that'll fit in budget).

There's a lot of good gear in her budget though, so get her to try loads of different rigs.

As for a 4x10, I wouldn't recommend one over a 2x10.

[grandad]

Hi there, where about are you, which area of the country do you live?

[PlungerModerno]

[quote name='ThomBassmonkey' timestamp='1341876779' post='1725670']
Re Plunger: Avoid the budget GK BSX (and GSX) gear, it's terrible and really not a good representation of the GK sound and build quality in the rest of it's catalogue. If you're talking about the MBE range (which are GK's real budget range rather than the backline crap), then they're great.

I'd agree with Lozz except I'd get an 8Ohm 212MBE so that you can add another at a later date. The 500w MB heads (MB500 and MB Fusion) do 350w into 8Ohm which will be enough for most gigs, I use my MB Fusion with one NEO212 8Ohm for most gigs and it's never struggled. If your bassist is sure she never wants to upgrade, 4Ohms is definitely the way to go, but personally I'd recommend the 8Ohm to allow for another cab to be added later on.
[/quote]

I was thinking of the MBE range.... I wasn't too aware of the backline stuff (I don't see it advertised much, but I've heard the gold ones are garbage)... I am almost certain I'll be going for the MB fusion 500 for my rig...

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1341904805' post='1725756']
My recommendation is a 2nd hand Markbass 2x10 combo (or save a little more & get new). But they're very reliable.
Reason being, I was in the same position (pub rock band) & tried countless rigs. Ended up settling on a combo (for quickness) & 2x10 because a 1x15 doesn't have as good a dispersion & I wasn't sure the 1x12 would do the job.

Another good option would be a Barefaced cab with any of the decent small heads (there's loads that'll fit in budget).

There's a lot of good gear in her budget though, so get her to try loads of different rigs.

As for a 4x10, I wouldn't recommend one over a 2x10.
[/quote]

Funnily enough the 115 I'm going for is a Barefaced Compact: [url="http://barefacedbass.com/index.php?page=compact"]http://barefacedbass.com/index.php?page=compact[/url]
It's not a budget cab... but It has decent resale value, and It's light as hell. That can't hurt!

[Jack]

It's the backline cabs that are so-so, the heads are awesome. Rob has said more than once that the BL600 is their most successful head.

I've gone lightweight (twice!) so I recommend it, but so has everyone else and there are some amazing deals on secondhand full fat stuff at the moment if she's not bothered about the carrying.

[ThomBassmonkey]

Ok, maybe terrible was a bit OTT but they're not anything like the rest of the GK gear IMO. If my budget was limited to one, I'd look for something else in the same range. There's a good chance the BL600 is so popular just because it's so cheap. GK have a good reputation for making high end gear, with them being a bit sparse, finding a 300w head for £250ish new from them looks good. I just don't think it's anything like the more expensive gear, it doesn't even try to sound like a GK.