Adequate Bass Rigs

[Oneshot]

I'm a old school bass player who played mostly in the "The bigger the rig, the better the sound" era.  I am current in the market for a new bass rig that will have enough power & sound for most venues without weighing a ton.  Can anyone out there steer me in the right direction?

[Happy Jack]

When you say "most venues", are you looking for one rig for pubs and clubs, one rig for concert halls, one rig to rule them all and in the darkness bind them?

 

One rig probably won't be suitable for everything unless (like me) you mainly play one type of venue.

 

You'd probably do better to go a bit modular. One really nice head, a small cab (1x10) for smaller venues, a bigger cab (2x10) for larger ones, and the ability to combine them for really big ones, by which time you're running a DI to FoH anyway.

 

[Steve Browning]

There is so much choice of great lightweight rigs around these days. 

 

I am from the same era and am delighted with my own lightweight Mesa Boogie rig.

 

You don't need to invest as much as I have to achieve the result you want. Try stuff and make up your own mind. 

Edited January 4, 2022 by Steve Browning

[Rayman]

I’ve been playing a long time, always had big heavy 2x12 cabs… but I can’t lift them anymore.

 

I recently bought a second hand TC BG250 1x15 combo. Lightweight, inexpensive, plenty of clout unless you’re in a death metal band, and very light. 
 

New found love for 15 inch speakers

 

I’d recommend it 

[yorks5stringer]

For some the days of a huge bass rig are long gone, as a DI into the in house pa makes the rig stood behind you almost superfluous sound- wise as you will have a monitor/s or even IE feeding you. I have a lightweight 300 watt combo that drives 500 watt with its 12" same size speaker added. Any venue bigger I go through the house pa and the size of the rig behind me is irrelevant but for ego's sake has to be as big as the guitarist's....

[Bassfinger]

I use an Orange Crush 100 for small venues, and larger venues just go into the PA.  We have a sound engineer so I don't even need to think about it. My days of lugging round 4 x 15 cabs for no real sonic benefit are long gone.

[Thunderbird]

Pretty much anything ashdown is good 

But if you want even lighter maybe markbass or tecamp 

Best thing to do is look at the amps for sale section on this very forum just so much choice 

[MrDinsdale]

I love my tiny GK Fusion s and Barefaced two10 rig but I have to say I felt very self conscious stood across from the guitarist with his ridiculously oversized Mesa dual rectifier rig and floor covered in pedals. 🤣

[Cat Burrito]

I'm with @Steve Browning in that there is so much choice these days.

 

I have the big valve stack for festivals and tours but for simple pub / small club shows I've had a few different rigs, all of which have been great. I'm definitely old school too and the Terror Bass stuff is great, the Ampeg PF stuff is great and I had some Aguilar stuff that was great too. In actual fact I think you can be surprised with how good things are these days, without compromising on tone. My big rig is as much a visual thing as the smaller rigs can look a bit amateur on big stages but I've had some great sounds from the smaller shows. 

 

Again echoing what has been said, on the times I've shown up with a smaller rig and thought "is this going to cut it?", everything has gone through the PA so it's never been an issue.

[Doddy]

34 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said:

My big rig is as much a visual thing as the smaller rigs can look a bit amateur on big stages but I've had some great sounds from the smaller shows. 

 

I agree that big amps look cool, but in no way do small amps look amateur on big stages.

 

Get a decent 500 watt amp, like an Ashdown RM500 or a MarkBass LM2 (or similar) with a couple of 10" or 12" cabs and you'll be sorted for most gigs. 

[Mudpup]

It's a wonderful time to be a bass player. There's so much choice, the technology is incredible, things have got smaller and lighter and it's actually pretty difficult to buy something that isn't very good.

 

You'll get a million different suggestions on this thread based on peoples own bass journey and most will be valid and reasonable - they're a good mob on this website. To cut the options down a bit just ask yourself a few key questions....

 

Where am I going to use it? (You've already mentioned this - everywhere and you're out gigging) In my experience somewhere between 500 and 1000 watts will cover most eventualities with room to spare as long as you have more than 1 speaker to run it through. You may find that a 500w head through a single 8 ohm 1x12 cab will only be putting out 300w and in the wrong band you'll get lost. More speakers naturally make most amps sound bigger and louder and you won't be pushing harder than you need to. If you find this isn't enough you should be going through a PA in which case you'll just need a DI output on the amp. 

 

How big does it need to be? A modular system gives you a load more flexibility and a couple of medium sized 8 ohm cabs along with an amp head will cover everything off. Speakers are very good nowadays so any combination of 10", 12" or 15" will do the job depending on the type of sound you're looking for. Some say that you shouldn't mix types of speaker and others have spent years using a 2x10 and a 1x15 cab with no problem. You're a bit more limited with a combo and you'll probably need an extra cab anyway to get the full output. And if you find that the sound isn't quite working for you it's easier to change an amp or a few cabs rather than a combo. 

 

Can i carry/transport it? Depends on how fit you are and what sort of state your back is in. Modular stuff goes in a car easily and is easy to carry about. If you absolutely must have an 8x10 cab and valve head remember you'll have to move it at 2am in the morning when all the other band guys are dodging helping you. And most people that you are playing to wouldn't be able to tell the difference anyway.... You can carry a modern class D head with one finger and lightweight 1 x 12 cabs with 2 fingers now (back to the opening statement here!)

 

After a long buying journey and the opportunity to try out most of the usual recommendations my own personal preferences are a couple of lightweight good quality 12" cabs and I have a few different amps - a couple of non class D but still relatively easy to carry ones at between 400 and 750 watts that I prefer and a backup class D 800w amp that lives in my gigbag as a spare. I've come to the conclusion that I prefer non class D amps but that's not to say they're bad as they're perfectly useable - they're just a bit different in feel to an older class A/B design with a heavier power amp inside. I'm playing medium to larger pubs/clubs and outdoor gigs and I never run out of steam with my gear - I rarely need to go through the PA. You can see what it is in my signature below... 

 

 

[Hellzero]

The lightest (and excellent sounding) you'll find is definitely the GR Bass AeroTech cabinets (carbon) and their One or Dual heads.

 

Bass Direct is selling them in the U.K.

 

https://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/GR_Bass_Amplification.html

 

[Steve Browning]

Does the OP have a budget in mind? That will have a big bearing on any suggestion.

 

My only suggestion would be sure to end up with (at least) two speakers (not necessarily in different cabinets). Two speakers are (in my experience) far more commanding sound-wise. I wouldn't go so far as to suggest a specific cone size. Try and check stuff out (which won't be possible at gig volume, of course). Your prior experience may lead you in a certain direction.

[WinterMute]

Honourable mention for Barefaced cabs, hugely loud and spookily light, I had the Big Twin 2x12 for a couple of years, it's a one hand lift and with the built in rollers it's a very easy "big" cab to cart around. If you still like big backline, it's well worth looking at with a good head of your choice. Easily as loud as a good 4x12 or 2x15 or even a 6x10 (I used to use Ampeg 8x10 and I'd say it's probably as capable as the older fridges). It fits in a Golf/A3 sized hatchback too.

 

Alternatively, something like the QSC K12.2 used as a wedge (or a couple of wedges for extra pain) will work brilliantly, especially in an FRFR situation where your amp/fx have modelled elements.

 

I have to say I still like the idea of a big, throbbing rig behind me (oooo, er) but I play live so rarely these days it made no sense to keep the big Barefaced. I used to run it with a QSC 1500w power amp and the Line 6 Pod XT Pro rack, it was a monster rig. However, the little K12.2 has proved to be more than adequate for day to day work, has a really good sounding DI output for the PA and is easily loud enough for full band work.

[Lozz196]

I had an Ashdown RM500 with two of the matching 210s, it was more than enough on its own for pub sized venues and on larger stages with FOH/monitors it handled those fine as well.

 

Whilst I’m of course recommending Ashdown here my main point is that a 500 watt Class D amp and a couple of small lightweight speakers are more than enough for most gigs. Just choose the brand that the ears like the most.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Lozz196

[Bassfingers]

13 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

I am from the same era and am delighted with my own lightweight Mesa Boogie rig.

 

+1 on the Lightweight Mesa cabs. I have the Subway 1X15 - it's deep and punchy but nicely portable. Only weighs around 17kg. 

[BigRedX]

To the OP: what percentage of your gigs is your rig completely responsible for what the the audience hears, and what percentage is it mostly the PA?

[cetera]

Get a decent wattage lightweight class D head (e.g. 500-800W) and a great neodynium speaker 2x12 cab that can handle similar and that's all you'll need. Plenty of power and headroom and anything bigger will be through the PA. Look at GK, Genz Benz, Fender, Darkglass and all the other similar manufacturers producing this type of equipment and you won't go wrong.

[Lozz196]

I should add to my earlier post, once Ashdown brought out their ABM PRO NEO cabs I bought a pair of the 210s and an ABM600 to match. The amp is something like 12kg which isn’t that much to carry about, and the cabs whilst only being 1 or 2kg heavier than my old RM cabs have metal grills rather than cloth, so more hardwearing. In one band this rig will be covering all of the sound the audience hears, in the other it will be stage sound only.

Edited January 5, 2022 by Lozz196

[chris_b]

I'm currently using 2 neo 112 cabs and a 1200 watt amp. The whole lot weighs a total of 50lbs. I can go louder with better tone than any of the "old iron" I used in the 70's and 80's.

[tauzero]

I've gone very lightweight with a GR Bass AT800 combo (under 10kg) but it's not cheap. 500W from the built-in speaker, add another for 800W. Prior to that, Tecamp Puma 900 and Barefaced Big Baby 2, which is still pretty lightweight. A powerful class D amp and decent 1x12 will do for most pub and club gigs IME.

[ead]

I mostly gig with a Genz Benz Streamliner 600 and a Barefaced Two10s.  I have a Barefaced Big Baby and an 800W Epifani amp for the rare occasion when we don't take the bass bins.  Both light and easily transportable with great tones.

[Cat Burrito]

8 hours ago, Doddy said:

I agree that big amps look cool, but in no way do small amps look amateur on big stages.

Small amps *can* do if they aren't really up to the job in the first place but I mostly agree with you here. I don't think it matters if it is quality gear and most punters don't care / don't know. Some rigs do look amateur though - by his own admission my singer's guitar amp is amateur and it shows. We did two tours in 2019 with name bands where they complained about the size of my bass cabinet, which is partly why I upsized again. Both complaints came from singers, one of whom didn't even play the bass! I took my Terror bass around the UK on several occasions and it delivered every night. On the first tour the headliners kept telling the bass player it was the best he'd ever sounded so I think it's mostly around old school visuals. But I'm 100% with you on small amps can look cool on a big stage.

[Cat Burrito]

8 hours ago, Doddy said:

I agree that big amps look cool, but in no way do small amps look amateur on big stages.

PS I probably should add the genre is a factor. Having played a lot of rockabilly and americana, amp size never really appeared to be a thing. I'm sure there are plenty of other genres that this would apply to. I did those shows on the rock scene and those rock boys do like a big cabinet to stand in front of! 

[Lozz196]

Pretty much the same with punk, bands with small amps & cabs are generally looked at as not being “proper” bands by the audiences and even some promoters, more like hobby bands flirting with doing it but not doing it right. I suppose it’s more to the fact that that’s what “proper” bands had back in the day so that’s what they should have now. I only ever heard one person actually voice such views but in the main (as in virtually all) the bands that headlined had big amps & cabs.