jaydentaku Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) Last year, I acquired a cab and a head so I could do some gigging with the band. It's just what the guitarist had lying about. We are a metal band and therefore rather loud and I have no trouble with volume, but I can't help but feel that what I have is a bit sh*t and I could do with something I have chosen and to suit me. The head is a Laney BH150. I believe its from the 90's. In Terms of features, it has some, but not many. The compressor doesn't seem to do anything. It isn't satisfying me in terms of features and size. It seems far too big for what it is. The cab is an antique, a HH Electronics 412BL. Its from circa 1976 and it is HUGE! I just fits in my car and weighs a tonne. I love it and it works. I haven't the experience or the facility to compare and contrast with others. So, am I fine with what I have or is it a total pile and could do with replacing? What do you think of the cab? Does this just need a decent amp? I could do with something smaller I guess. Given I play metal, with two loud guitars and drums in medium sized clubs and pubs, what should i be looking for. So many questions! [IMG]http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n57/jaydentaku/IMG_0814.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n57/jaydentaku/IMG_0700.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i109.photobucket.com/albums/n57/jaydentaku/IMG_0698.jpg[/IMG] Edited May 31, 2012 by jaydentaku Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 It's not so much loudness, but quality I guess. I am draw to used trace elliots at the moment. Around 200 quid. What do you think of the cab? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 [quote name='born to be loud' timestamp='1338498192' post='1675589'] But 300 watts wont be much louder than your 150 watts tbh. [/quote] Im not so sure, My first big amp was the very same as this but with 2 2x10 Laney cabs, I later changed one for a 1x15 (It was the mid 90's we all did ) even then it was quiet really. I traded it all for a Peavey TNT 150 (I think 150) and that was much louder and a great sound too even from just the 1x15 speaker built in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Id sell the lot on ebay as collectable, vintage, rare, holy makeral, limited edition and as once seen at someone else's gig by Brian May or a bloke with big hair at least, reap the rewards and start again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Ah. So its a pile of junk in other words? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 That's a bit unfair, in the right setting it would be ok but if your looking to crank the volume yet keep a cleanish tone I'd say it will struggle. Almost every rehearsal studio had something similar in the 80's and 90's, some still do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 You could try your head with a different cab and your cab with some other heads and see if either of them are capable of delivering the goods? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 I would prioritise getting rid of the head over the cab, but on the other hand, the cab is so big! I do like the look and sound of the Orange crush combo 100, but I am not experienced enough to know if that would be adequate enough for a gig environment and I don't believe it has DI. For that money, I could get a nice trace Elliot head second hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 I would sort out the head first. Don't bget hung up on wattages etc....., The vcab seems fine right now, but after you really try some proper decent gear you may then start thinking otherwise. Anything light wieght with a tube gain stage will do, even more so if the input acts like a proper tube amp and lets you get dirty. like the genz streamliner and shuttles, the markbass rocker500 and R500, GK MB fusion. If you find a head you like, then worry about the cab. Personally I would get a more compact rig. For example I'm waiting on two 2x10's and will stack them vertically so it's 8x10 size, but without all that muddy and jumbled up midrange. and it should be pretty darn loud too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balcro Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 Hi jaydentaku, My quick researches back up what you said earlier - it's something the guitarist had lying around. Indications are that it's a guitar cabinet, not optimised for the best bass. Some H&H stuff was marketed as guitar/bass, but I don't think that one was. Balcro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 Prime BASS, cheers. I think your suggested amps are out of my price range. Balcro, the 412BL is actually for bass and lead. BL being the clue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musky Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 [quote name='Balcro' timestamp='1338502316' post='1675680'] Hi jaydentaku, My quick researches back up what you said earlier - it's something the guitarist had lying around. Indications are that it's a guitar cabinet, not optimised for the best bass. Some H&H stuff was marketed as guitar/bass, but I don't think that one was. Balcro. [/quote] Seems to have been intended as dual purpose - http://www.hhamplification.co.uk/speakerpic.asp?bigpics=dbfiles/speakers/215b.jpg Speaker technology has come on a long way since the seventies however, and I wouldn't expect that to be great for much in the way of true bass. Having said that, the cab that has been my favourite and the one I've hung onto for the best part of 30 years is a Marshall guitar cab. But it's always been about the low mids rather than bass for me anyway. Sounds rather like a case of GAS to me, as you don't mention anything that you feel you're missing out on other than features. Worth bearing in mind that plenty of well regarded amps have less in the way of features, like the LH500. But if you fancy another amp a Trace is a reasonable enough place to start, and to be fair probably a 'better' amp. Whether you'll like it better is another matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted May 31, 2012 Share Posted May 31, 2012 The Orange Crush 100 will definitely not be good enough I'm afraid. As previously mentioned, wattage is not really the most accurate way of working out how much volume a head will provide. It's more to do with the sensitivity of the cab and also how much air the cab is moving, ergo, how many speakers it has. Vis a vis, a 100w head will be 'louder' through a 4x10 than through a 1x10 even though the same power is being provided for the cab. With this is mind, anything about 300w would be good for your needs based on my experience in several metal bands in my youth. Even better, I believe that on this very forum there is either a Gallien Krueger 400RB or 700RB for sale for not much money (£175 if memory serves) and they are great amps. Compact if you keep it out of a flightcase and have a great tone. I used a 400RB for years in a very loud death metal group and it coped extremely well! Cabwise, any sort of 4x10 would be perfect. There's an SWR 4x10 for sale here somewhere again for £175 and that is a real bargain. Looks a bit tatty, but it'll be smaller, lighter and more reliable than your HH cab! I also vaguely recall someone selling a Hartke VX range 4x10 for £120? Also a good buy in my opinion. Buying your first proper rig can feel intimidating, but in real terms it's very hard to end up with gear that won't do what you want it to do. On this forum there are plenty of people that really care about every nuance of their tone, for the moment though, you just need volume and enough of it! Hope this helps Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KennysFord Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 I like the look of your cab so if it were me, I'd be keeping it.and make an ongoing project of re coning it with neo drivers, I'm a bit sick like that so wouldn't suggest you do that. I've just started using my Brothers old Trace Head, it's an early AH200. I recently bought a TC electronic BH500 and the Trace smoked it for tone and output, the TC Head was returned within the week. I'm not a fan of Trace Speakers but I'm really enjoying the old head at the moment, they're cheap as chips too. Cab wise, I'd agree with the comments above, when starting out you can't go far wrong with a 410. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1338505430' post='1675729'] It'll be [b]smaller, lighter[/b] and more reliable than your HH cab! [/quote] That's the first time I've ever heard those two words used to describe SWR gear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Thanks for all the info. Yeah, this is most certainly GAS. I like the look of that 700RB. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/177659-gallien-krueger-700rb-bass-head-fs-l199/page__p__1674057__hl__gallien%20krueger%20__fromsearch__1#entry1674057 Its in my price range and it looks featured enough to satisfy my need to tinker and through tinkering I can learn a think or two about sound and get closer to perfecting my own style. I feel limited by the laney head in terms of learning and features. When using an amp with a wattage rating higher than the cab wattage rating, I assume you need to make sure it isnt turned up to high or the cab will blow? Is that right and is that all you need to look out for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 if you fancy a go with a trace head i can lay my hands on an early AH250 gp11, it belongs to my church but i could borrow it and bring it round for you to have a bit of a go, it's a lovely thing. i've also got my swr headlite that you can have a go on too, a totally different animal. if it wasn't for my bad back ant the total lack of room in my house i think i'd be using a trace gp11 as my main amp, they're cheap as chips too. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 Matt, that is might kind of you! I have to say, that very Trace model was the first amp I ever played through, when I first started playing bass in the mid 90's. I fell in love with it and have always wanted one. It started my love for trace gear in fact. I am currently leaving in Durham though, but moving back to the toon in the next few weeks. I wouldn't expect you to come to durham, Would there be somewhere we could try it nearer you, like the church for example? I don't want to impose though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 As a general rule; yes, you should try to have a cab that is rated slightly higher than the amp is. However, the opposite is also ok and provided you don't push the cab too hard it should be ok. The only problem with having a cab rated lower than the amp, is that the you won't be able to use all the juice from the amp, and some say that that is where the best tone is! But experiment! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 i'm afraid i haven't got anywere we could try it out, the church is constantly in use, i can borrow it any time though so if yo want to wait till you hit toon that would be fine, i noticed there was a nice trace ah300smx for sale in teeside in the market place, should be perfect for your needs. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 yeah, but does it have a UV backlight? no. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 later ones were backlit, the early ones have the tube in front of the panel, anyway the tube's missing on our one so i'm deprived of the uv fun. (Recently i've been using the headlite so have super bright led's instead) i think the smx is backlit so you still get groovy green glow. Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaydentaku Posted June 1, 2012 Author Share Posted June 1, 2012 (edited) Either way, I do like the idea of lights on an amp. I tend to play very dark gigs. I am sure you can get a replacement tube. Edited June 1, 2012 by jaydentaku Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt P Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 i keep thinking about a replacement tube but 99.9% of the time it's being used in a brightly lit room so it would be wasted, i have no idea if the circuit for it works either, it didn't work when i first used it so i removed the tube to get a replacement and never got round to it, the tube got broken in a house move so i don't even know what i need to get! Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted June 1, 2012 Share Posted June 1, 2012 It sounds to me you need to go on a testing spree before you shell out for anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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