Advice, please, for idiot level new guy

[Paul S]

Help, please, in words of one syllable or less for a dyed-in-the-wool technophobe.

I currently play through an old Peavey TKO 80. I am reasonably happy with the sound I get from it, though I don't like the dirtier sound of the gain cranked up too much and hence only just manage to get enough volume to keep up with the band during rehearsals.

For gigs - a new area for me - it seems we will be miking up the amp and putting it all through a PA system (for my one and only gig so far we used an existing backline/PA set up). So I guess that, for now, I can just about hold my own.

But - it is heavy - over 30kgs. And old. I am wondering about maybe getting something newer and lighter. Maybe even with a direct line out for the PA? I don't know enough to know the limitations of this.

Any suggestions would be gratefully received. No doubt I left out something of vital importance.

Cheers!

Edited December 13, 2008 by Paul S

[Musky]

Peavey makes decent enough gear, but you're right about the weight.

I tend to suggest buying secondhand - you can get more bang for your buck and should you decide to move it on you can do so without losing a shed load of cash. But the bit of vital importance you left out is budget!

Edit: ...and what kind of sound you're looking for.

Edited December 8, 2008 by Musky

[chris_b]

Musky's right, go second hand.
Currently there is some good gear in the BC For Sale section; Eden, Hartke, Ashdown, SWR, EBS. At this stage anything will be a step up from the TKO, so what's your budget and what sound are you after?
If you are gigging you should be aiming for 200w - 300w and either a 2x10, a 1x15 or 4x10 cabs. A combo would be good at this stage, you can add a second cab later, but separates will be easier to upgrade in the future.

[Paul S]

Hi guys - thanks for the prompt replies! This place is great, isn't it!?

Er, budget and sound. Second hand is what I thought. I want to spend as little as possible but enough to get good value - maybe £100-£200 ish is as much as I can spare for now. Sound - the band play assorted covers of 60s-90s blues/rock and roll. Think Blues Brothers kind of vibe. So I think a cleaner sound rather than the dirty overdriven heavier rock thing.

An oblique thought occurred to me, being basically a tight wad. There is no facility to add an extension cab to the TKO 80 but would it be possible to get the wiring jiggled to add one? Specifcally I am thinking another Peavey of similar ilk - TNT or TKO which can be bought second hand for peanuts and just somehow connecting into the speaker? Or would I have created a Frankesnstein's monster that will end up destroying my family? Or maybe it isn't as strightforward as I imagine (somethign about 'drivers' whatever the hell they are)... plus I realise that would double my weight issues, not solve them, but just wondered if it would be a short term, low-cash option to keep the bank happy?

[Noisyjon]

You could get a signal splitter to feed 2 combos from your one bass.
There are various options available.

[BOD2]

Have a look here

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=334"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=334[/url]

This should explain some of the possibilities for playing through a PA (just so you have a better idea what options are available).

[chris_b]

I don't think you can run two cabs off a TKO and I wouldn't try messing about with the internal wiring of the amp.
If you fancy a trip to Manchester a BC'er is selling an [i]"Ashdown MAG C115-300 EVO II + MAG 115 Deep Cabinet, 250£ + 80£ Pickup only - together 300£"[/i]. Only a little more than you wanted to pay but this looks like a great set up.

[Adrenochrome]

DIing to the desk is fine but you'll need good monitoring, so you might as well have a rig on stage to do that anyway.
For example, main gigging rig is an Ashdown MAG 300r amp (£229 new), and a Peavey bx 1x15 cab (£100 used). The DI on the amp is good enough to use for big gigs and recording. The Peavey cab is great and plenty loud.
(I do also use a 2x10 Ashdown cab as well for some venues).

[johnnylager]

[quote name='Paul S' post='348429' date='Dec 8 2008, 11:05 AM']An oblique thought occurred to me, being basically a tight wad. There is no facility to add an extension cab to the TKO 80 but would it be possible to get the wiring jiggled to add one?[/quote]
Not safely or effectively. Flog the TKO and put the money towards a new combo or seperates like what Musky & Chris said. For now, you may get more headroom by turning the post gain all the way up and using the pre gain as the volume control. Mind to turn them both down when powering up & down / plugging & unplugging though!

[Musky]

[quote name='Paul S' post='348429' date='Dec 8 2008, 11:05 AM']Hi guys - thanks for the prompt replies! This place is great, isn't it!?

Er, budget and sound. Second hand is what I thought. I want to spend as little as possible but enough to get good value - maybe £100-£200 ish is as much as I can spare for now. Sound - the band play assorted covers of 60s-90s blues/rock and roll. Think Blues Brothers kind of vibe. So I think a cleaner sound rather than the dirty overdriven heavier rock thing.

An oblique thought occurred to me, being basically a tight wad. There is no facility to add an extension cab to the TKO 80 but would it be possible to get the wiring jiggled to add one? Specifcally I am thinking another Peavey of similar ilk - TNT or TKO which can be bought second hand for peanuts and just somehow connecting into the speaker? Or would I have created a Frankesnstein's monster that will end up destroying my family? Or maybe it isn't as strightforward as I imagine (somethign about 'drivers' whatever the hell they are)... plus I realise that would double my weight issues, not solve them, but just wondered if it would be a short term, low-cash option to keep the bank happy?[/quote]

That's a tough one for the kind of cash you're looking at, but bargains regularly come up on ebay because so many listings specify pickup only. So you're just limited by how far you can travel. Genuinely [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=466"]lightweight gear[/url] gear is pretty much ruled out though.

Something with a 15" speaker would probably my choice of cab, simply because it's likely to give you the sort of tone you're looking for and the fact the driver will be lighter than multiples of other drivers. It'll also be louder than a single 12" speaker and more likely to be biased to towards the bottom end.

Although 200-300w is a good size to aim for you can gig with lowered powered amps, especially if you've got PA support - though in my experience you can't always rely on that at all gigs and monitoring might be less than perfect (ie you can't actually hear your bass ).

Keep an eye out for stuff like Trace Elliot, Ashdown, SWR Workingman or Hartke, all of which can sometimes be found dirt cheap. There are plenty of other options which come up a bit less often, like bargain ampegs, and cheaper brands like Laney. Ultimately your choice is limited by budget at the moment.

[Stylon Pilson]

[quote name='Musky' post='348593' date='Dec 8 2008, 01:41 PM']Although 200-300w is a good size to aim for you can gig with lowered powered amps, especially if you've got PA support - though in my experience you can't always rely on that at all gigs and monitoring might be less than perfect (ie you can't actually hear your bass ).[/quote]

In theory (usual caveat: in theory, theory and practise are the same. In practise, they aren't) if your amp is loud enough for a small gig, then it should also be loud enough for a big gig, as your stage volume should be exactly the same (with the PA providing higher volume out front). As you say though, if there's no PA support for the bass, then you'll be glad that your amp has a bit of extra room-filling ability.

S.P.

[Paul S]

Some sound advice there - thanks all. Ok, I'll forget the Frankenstein idea and look for something suitable.

As per post #7 above this ad in the for sale section is tempting - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=33719"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=33719[/url]

...if rather over budget and half way up the country, too. Is it good or bad form to ask opinions as to value for money that this represents?

BTW SP love your 'caveat' - not heard that before. I know, what bubble do I live in!?

Edited December 8, 2008 by Paul S

[silverfoxnik]

[quote name='Adrenochrome' post='348447' date='Dec 8 2008, 11:24 AM']DIing to the desk is fine but you'll need good monitoring, so you might as well have a rig on stage to do that anyway.
For example, main gigging rig is an Ashdown MAG 300r amp (£229 new), and a Peavey bx 1x15 cab (£100 used). The DI on the amp is good enough to use for big gigs and recording. The Peavey cab is great and plenty loud.
(I do also use a 2x10 Ashdown cab as well for some venues).[/quote]
Good idea.. Or alternatively look at the new Hartke LH500 for under £200 , see here:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26831"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26831[/url]

And then maybe a Peavey 1x15 or similar low priced cab..

[bassmansky]

[quote name='Paul S' post='348790' date='Dec 8 2008, 04:31 PM']Some sound advice there - thanks all. Ok, I'll forget the Frankenstein idea and look for something suitable.

As per post #7 above this ad in the for sale section is tempting - [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=33719"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=33719[/url]

...if rather over budget and half way up the country, too. Is it good or bad form to ask opinions as to value for money that this represents?

BTW SP love your 'caveat' - not heard that before. I know, what bubble do I live in!?[/quote]look up the new price on those,VFM in my opinion.!lots of s/hand gear about at the moment so have a good look around.

[bassbloke]

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='348950' date='Dec 8 2008, 07:24 PM']Good idea.. Or alternatively look at the new Hartke LH500 for under £200 , see here:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26831"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=26831[/url]

And then maybe a Peavey 1x15 or similar low priced cab..[/quote]

That head plus this cab [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=28311"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=28311[/url] would give you a fantastic little set up.

The thinner angled cab would be much easier to transport and give you good sound dispersal onstage.

[bass_ferret]

I tried the peavey bi-amp with a TNT150 and a Combo 300 and was underwhelmed so I sold them both and got a 450watt Database combo. Ridiculously loud for a small box but it was heavy, I mean really heavy. There is a lot of lightweight gear around now but it is still quite expensive.

Try as much as you can and remember that what you really want is decibels so look for cabs with a high sensitivity - usually measured in decibels at 1 watt at 1 meter, although sometimes bass extension is sacrificed to get it.

Take a trip to the Bass Merchant and try some stuff out - then look for similar SH.

[Paul S]

Thanks all, appreciate the advice. Lots to think about but I have some idea of direction now rather than just floating aimlessly in a sea of equipment. I'll keep my eyes glued to the for sale section and see what pops up.

[ardi100]

Buy the DB500 combo for sale in the fs section. It says 160W but it sounds way louder, it's small (not so light), has 2 digital channels so you can save 2 different sounds, has some effects (chorus and drive), sounds brilliant, is cheap and kennyrodge is a diamond gent to deal with.

Did I leave anything out?

[Paul S]

Well, that threw me Ardi - I must have spent 10 mins scrolling through the topics looking for it! Then I clicked on 'Withdrawn' - you did such a good job selling it he changed his mind! Ah well.

[ardi100]

Sorry for the spoiler!!

There have been a few Trace Elliot 150W combos on here or ebay that would do the job. All you need is a decent amount of volume with a good DI out. Hartke, Ashdowne and Warwick are all pretty good.

[Paul S]

Just an update - 'cos I know everyone was having sleepless nights over my agonising. I had a rethink, totally changed my goal posts and budget (my wife talked me into buying something new) and bought the Ashdown MAG C210T-300 EVO II combo.

Should shut me up for a while.

Thanks all.

[johnnylager]

[quote name='Paul S' post='353652' date='Dec 13 2008, 03:40 PM']Just an update - 'cos I know everyone was having sleepless nights over my agonising. I had a rethink, totally changed my goal posts and budget (my wife talked me into buying something new) and bought the Ashdown MAG C210T-300 EVO II combo.

Should shut me up for a while.

Thanks all.[/quote]
Good choice.

[Paul S]

Yes, that seems to be the concensus on here which is why I felt confident to get one.

On a related note - if the times comes when I want to add the extension 15" cabinet the MAG115 is 300W and 8 ohms. So, stupid question maybe, but will ANY 300W 8 ohm speaker do the trick or is it more complicated?

[Musky]

Congrats on the new combo!

Yep, any 8 ohm cab will do. You can in fact get away with a lower powered one if you wanted - with the extra cab the MAG will be knocking out about 150w into the internal speakers and 150w into the extension cab.

Edited December 13, 2008 by Musky

[chris_b]

[quote name='Paul S' post='353724' date='Dec 13 2008, 05:13 PM']....So, stupid question maybe, but will ANY 300W 8 ohm speaker do the trick or is it more complicated?....[/quote]
I can be more complicated but it doesn't always follow that it is.
A 1x15 will go well as would another 2x10. The MAG115 as an extention cab would match well. The secret is that you should listen to your combo with the extension cab before you get it. If you are happy with the sound then that choice is ok.

Edited December 13, 2008 by chris_b