jim_bass Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I'm thinking of buying a new amp but was unsure about cabinets. E.g. If I buy a markbass amp, is the markbass cabinet designed to sound better with their own brand of amp. I'm thinking of getting an Ashdown amp but like the markbass cabinets weight! How much of a difference will I notice between an Ashdown ABM 210 cabinet and a Markbass Traveller 210 (102) cabinet? Am I better spending 50% Amp, 50% Cabinet, or would you spend more on one than the other? I already have access to a Trace Elliot 115 cabinet. It's quite old, but still sounds OK to my ears. How will it sound compared to buying a new cab? Lots of questions..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 One mans meat is another one's poison so the only person who can decide what sounds best is you. You are not really comparing like with like with the cabs as Ashdown do the lightweight Superfly cabs. I have always matched in the probably misguided belief that some effort has gone into making the cabs and amps sound better together. What will definitely be true is that different amps and cabs have not been designed with different amps and cabs in mind - if you can follow that. The only other observation I will make is that Markbass cabs are not as popular as the amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I use a Hartke head with a Trace Elliot cab and it sounds awesome: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBalls Posted January 28, 2009 Share Posted January 28, 2009 I think its worth buying good quality cabs which sound great over a better quality amp and average cabs. If you have an amazing head but some really cheaply made and nasty cabs, then then you are not getting the full potential out of your amplifier. Cheaply made cabs have speakers in them which offer a lumpy frequency response which will affect your overall sound. The actual cabinet enclosure itself too will also affect you sound, this includes to wood its made out off, the size of the ports and the amount of and quality sound proofing packed into all the dead spots of the box. Once again as stated previously, only one person can decide upon which brand to go for and that is yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashevans09 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 (edited) +1 to much of what's been said...aesthetically I've always loved an all same brand stack though... edit because original post made close to no sense Edited January 29, 2009 by ashevans09 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 You don't have to buy the same make of separates when you put together a hi-fi system. You can get better results if you mix and match. The same can be true with bass amps and cabs. The same make of amp and cab will only sound great if you like the sound that it makes. It doesn't matter that they have been designed to work together if you don't like the noise! I like Markbass amps but not their cabs; I like Ampeg amps but not their cabs and I like Mesa Boogie cabs but not their amps. I have tried all of these and unfortunately had to buy some of them in order to arrive at this opinion. I bought a Thunderfunk without hearing it (well, only in Robbie's front room) and 2 Aguilar GS112 cabs on the strength of the huge number of favourable comments and reviews. Same with my Epifani cab. The sound was great, so if you do your homework you shouldn't be disappointed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twenty Six Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 As far as matching goes.......it's all a matter of how important it is to you. I use a Mesa amp as my power plant ran through either a Powerhouse 810, or an Ampeg PR410-HLF. In most cases the Ampeg has a far better sound in smaller venues than the Mesa. Not to mention has more clarity in the practice room. The Mesa cab does look cool paired with the Big Block 750 though, and can get really loud. Still the Ampeg 4x10 is still my favorite though, and has seen more play time than the powerhouse.... but, then again it is also a 1200 watt RMS cab as well. In my opinion....... You shouldn't even let the matching between your cab and your amp be a determining factor in creating your rig. Some of the best rigs I have ever heard was a mix-match setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 [quote name='BassBalls' post='394127' date='Jan 28 2009, 10:34 PM']I think its worth buying good quality cabs which sound great over a better quality amp and average cabs.[/quote] I agree but then I would say that! But seriously, a bass cab requires a stiff strong structure and a pretty advanced chunk of electromechanical engineering in the speaker. Physical structures and electromechanical/mechanical systems haven't become much cheaper over the years, they still require expensive engineering and manufacturing and parts. Electronic systems have become much cheaper through every more cunning circuitry, miniaturised components and automated build processes. Hence you can get a much better amp for the same money as years ago, or spend less and still get a great amp. But a cabinet still takes the same time to build (or longer if you want to go light to match your lightweight amp) and a loudspeaker is still restricted in the same way it was decades ago - you can't do really good really cheap. A more extreme example might be computers vs cars - computers are solely electronic and get cheaper and better every day. Cars continue to improve but they aren't getting cheaper. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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