New amp and cab for under £1000 - advice please!

[MichaelDean]

9 hours ago, HP BASS said:

Ah, I see, thanks. I guess when they go they just go quickly? But I guess that can happen with any sort of failure...

Even when they do go, take the head out of the wooden case, pull the old valve out, plug in the new. It's a preamp valve, so no biasing is required. It's really easy. 

[Blue_floyd20]

I've played through Ashdown gear for 20 years as it always seemed to have a level for my budget at the time, starting out with the EB180 combo (which I still have). I would say that there are limitations in some of the single speaker cabs when used alone, so my preferred setup is a 12" and a 15" cabinet even for smaller venues, the current ones are the whiteline Rootmaster cabs. I have a 300w Original head and never found it lacking in power. All in would be less than £1000.

 

The best thing about it is the portable nature of all of the kit, the cabs are less than 15kg and the amp is tiny, so finding your way from - to the car park and past the drunken hoards is no issue. I've had the larger MAG cabs and they are heavy as hell, not something that is an issue if you can park and load in at the stage, but that's not the reality for the majority of small venues. Your back will thank you for lighter gear. Playing for 3 hrs and then packing up with a 30-40kg cab is no fun after midnight! 

 

As for the Original head, I play a broad range of stuff from punk, through indie, pop and dance music and not found it lacking at all. The EQ is simple and can be dialled accordingly. I've played back rooms in pubs with the 12" cab only, through to large outdoor marquees with both cabs with no PA assistance on the bass and not had any issues with the sound. Anything bigger gig wise and you'd likely need to be plugged into the PA anyway. 

[HP BASS]

16 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

The difference between the RM500 EVO I & II is that the I has a shiny front panel rather than matt and is double the weight (tho still only about 4kg). Volume, EQ and soundwise they’re the same, I’ve had both, still have the EVO II.

I wonder if the slightly heavier might suit me - slightly less chance of yanking it off the cab through clumsiness:)

 

Do you happen to know if it's possible to use both passive and active inputs at the same time?.. only at low volumes, I'm thinking of potential for use for home practice or teaching.

[HP BASS]

2 hours ago, Blue_floyd20 said:

Anything bigger gig wise and you'd likely need to be plugged into the PA anyway. 

True! That's partly why I've never felt the need for anything massive or very powerful. The OriginAL looks great, or maybe the Rootmaster 300 that is on Ashdown website, if I can find anywhere that actually sells it..?? Maybe not released yet, I guess?

 

[Blue_floyd20]

43 minutes ago, HP BASS said:

I wonder if the slightly heavier might suit me - slightly less chance of yanking it off the cab through clumsiness:)

 

I should mention - this is actually an issue. The tolex cover and handle are not very good for keeping the head in-place. I have some black foam that I put under mine to stop the head from moving purely through the vibration of the cab, there have got to be more elegant solutions but mine works! Otherwise, I always wrap the cable (Pedals > Amp) around the back so anything out the front is floor level and less likely to end up dragging the amp to the floor. 

[HP BASS]

17 hours ago, Blue_floyd20 said:

I should mention - this is actually an issue. The tolex cover and handle are not very good for keeping the head in-place. I have some black foam that I put under mine to stop the head from moving purely through the vibration of the cab, there have got to be more elegant solutions but mine works! Otherwise, I always wrap the cable (Pedals > Amp) around the back so anything out the front is floor level and less likely to end up dragging the amp to the floor. 

Good to know, thank you. I guess this is a problem with lots of Class Ds that you don't find out til you actually gig with them.

[HP BASS]

Thanks for all the help people, it's a steep learning curve for me so thanks for being non-judgemental and generous with your knowledge.

 

I think my rough plan is to spend more on cabs on the whole.  I've contacted Alex at BF so see what he recommends too, but maybe try to get hold of a Barefaced One10, see how I go and whether need to double up in the future, or maybe just a Two10 if I can find one.

 

And look for an Ashdown RM 500 or OriginAL, then maybe invest in an ABM later on, (and hopefully keep the class D for spare/portability.)

 

 

 

 

[Downunderwonder]

23 hours ago, HP BASS said:

Good to know, thank you. I guess this is a problem with lots of Class Ds that you don't find out til you actually gig with them.

The other thing to do should already have been SOP. Loop your cable through the cab handle before inserting in the amp input. Very much harder to do any damage.

[Phil Starr]

On 29/04/2024 at 22:26, HP BASS said:

Want something pretty small and light if possible. Longevity/reliability is also a high priority.. I don't want something with a lot of upkeep or that can't be fixed if needs be.

Your £1,000 is a generous budget. I'd go along with the general advice that if you want reliability with after sales then Ashdown is the first stop for an amp. so what do you do for a speaker?

 

Small and light and loud is an issue. If you want all three then one more word comes to mind... expensive. I don't think a single Barefaced One 10 is going to cut it if you are expecting to play alongside a full acoustic drumkit. You might want to look at the LFSys speakers, particularly the Monza if size is the issue https://www.lfsys.co.uk/bassguitarproducts  They use PA quality drivers with larger than usual voice coils in the bass drivers and better horns and crossovers than anything else on the market. Their designer worked for Kef and Yamaha so knows a bit about crossovers. He's also a Basschatter

 

@stevie is a friend and I might be biased but I use the 12" Monaco and it's my forever speaker. Loud enough to do anything I'll ever need, the best sounding speaker on the market if you want a clean sound and light enough to be easily carried by a 70 year old bassist. You can see reviews by other members who have bought his cabs on Bass Chat.