High end rig ??

[Basstech21]

What do you think guys?

I want to upgrade my rig to a 900 - 1000 RMS  amp and 2 -cab (4x10) + (2x10) set up.

Tried out ampeg SVT - not impressed.

Mesa + Eden are in the running.... V impressed with WT Eden & cabs though....(  OR Barefaced??)  HELP!!!!!!!!!

JB 

[Lozz196]

For this sort of thing I usually recommend seeing as many bands as possible and trying the gear which has most impressed you as a listener. I had loads of different amps/cabs, and found Ashdown by accident, as every time I used one as a provided rig, I just liked the "slam" of the sound better than anything else. Previously my gear was small/costly/lightweight, whereas now it`s none of those, so don`t discount lower-end gear. Get out there and enjoy some bands/bassists, and set your ears to work.

[chris_b]

What style of band are you in? What gear do you currently play? What are you trying to achieve with this change?

[itsmedunc]

All of the above are comments are appropriate but the early Eden gear is phenomenal. Used an Eden 2x10 Metro combo with a 4x10 for a good number of years. An absolute beast of a rig. Highly under-rated and can be bought cheaply in comparison to Boogie and Barefaced. With the Eden you don't even need to find your tone, it's already there with everything at 12 o'clock. Just alter the enhance  knob. The Metro goes to 2ohm, so loads of scope for cabs. I'm sure mine went to 750w but I think some models were 650. More than you would ever need, they sound big! However, you will need a van just to move the bass gear. Barefaced eliminates that. Compact, light and beastie! Every brand you mentioned are great but it all depends on personal preference and circumstance.

Good luck with the search!

[Quilly]

I just recently purchased a Barefaced two 10 and it just has a really warm low end thump. I just love its portability and construction, you just know its higher end. I use a Trace Elliott 500W and an Ashdown CTM-100. I found that with the more expensive barefaced cab, the CTM-100 holds its own a lot better in the mix. I just think the Barefaced cab is really efficient.  Previously I had a pair of Genz Benz focus cabs and they were really excellent cabs for the money, you just need more watts going in is all. As regards Amplification, I've owned an Orange terror bass, and an Ampeg PF350 before, good amps, but I've ended up with a Trace Elliott AH-500. These are relatively cheap at the moment second hand as they're not exactly lightweight amps compared to lighter class-d ones but they just cant be beat IMO. 

[fretmeister]

Darkglass M900 and a Barefaced cab from the more trad range.

 

Two10 or a Four10 cab would be awesome and light.

[stingrayPete1977]

I honestly wouldn't bother, get an RCF 745 and a killer preamp, get a pair of you really want to go crazy! 

[Cuzzie]

Cabs - personally I recommend Barefaced in any modular variety you choose making of a 610, Tecamp and Genzler cabs have always been pleasing to my ears.

Amp - I love the Form Factor Audio Bi1000.

Its a true 1000w RMS and very articulate.

A bit left field but their cabs are also fantastic and they have Ceramic or Neo

[Dan Dare]

On ‎08‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 22:15, Lozz196 said:

For this sort of thing I usually recommend seeing as many bands as possible and trying the gear which has most impressed you as a listener. I had loads of different amps/cabs, and found Ashdown by accident, as every time I used one as a provided rig, I just liked the "slam" of the sound better than anything else. Previously my gear was small/costly/lightweight, whereas now it`s none of those, so don`t discount lower-end gear. Get out there and enjoy some bands/bassists, and set your ears to work.

This. And go to a few decent shops and try stuff out (Bass Direct an obvious choice because they stock so much of the higher end makes and you can compare to your heart's content - provided you go in the week when they're not busy - which is what I did when I upgraded last year). The Market Place is stuffed with high end kit because people bought it on the basis of recommendation/reputation alone  and found it wasn't what they wanted.

[T-Bay]

I have recently bought a pair of Barefaced cabs and have nothing but praise for them. Ridiculously light and sound amazing. Having the compact/ midget combination gives great flexibility.

[jacko]

I'm using a big Mesa rig for bigger gigs - Big Block Titan V12 (1200 watt twin channel monster) , PH410 and PH210.   Up till 6 months ago i was using a PH210 instead of the 410 which gave a nice rounded tone for my old wedding band stuff but the PH410 is much more suitable for the harder rock i'm now playing.  Plenty of that mythical beast 'heft'.   

the only trouble is it all weights a ton. 

photo of the 212/ 210 set up

 

[mcnach]

Predictably, most people recommend what they own because they're happy with it... I'm no different:

Mesa D800+ and a pair of Barefaced Two10 vertically. Chances are you will not really feel the need for a 610 combination, although it would definitely be a sweet sounding solution if you got a Four10 plus a Two10.

The Mesa is super versatile, and that adjustable HPF is fantastic. The Two10 cabs are pretty portable yet they move a lot of air together and sound really good. I have tried quite a few different things over the past years but I was never "at home" until I came to this.

[Cuzzie]

@mcnach it’s all you can do really, for each person there is a reason why they settled on it.

All we can do is give the OP ideas and he/she has to then explore and mix and match

[Al Krow]

@mcnach Nice rig! Put's a slightly different spin on 'high' end, right? 

There's a Mesa D800+ currently in the FS and it's very tempting (in a way that its smaller sibling somehow just doesn't ever manage to be, for me).

Obviously your (or any other) rig is not going to be as good as a RCF 745A on bang for your buck basis, or so I've been reliably informed on another thread , but it looks good to me and I suspect it sounds great...which leads to me to my next Q: any uploaded clips of you and your band playing live?

[mcnach]

1 minute ago, Cuzzie said:

@mcnach it’s all you can do really, for each person there is a reason why they settled on it.

All we can do is give the OP ideas and he/she has to then explore and mix and match

 

Of course! And that's what I did too. I was merely anticipating the almost inevitable "on this threads everybody just suggests what they use"   Like you say, there's a reason why people arrive at what they use. If I thought that my previous rig was better... it would not be my PREVIOUS rig

 

 

[mcnach]

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

@mcnach Nice rig! Put's a slightly different spin on 'high' end, right? 

There's a Mesa D800+ currently in the FS and it's very tempting (in a way that its smaller sibling somehow just doesn't ever manage to be, for me).

Obviously your (or any other) rig is not going to be as good as a RCF 745A on bang for your buck basis, or so I've been reliably informed on another thread , but it looks good to me and I suspect it sounds great...which leads to me to my next Q: any uploaded clips of you and your band playing live?

 

I'm not sure it's really 'high' end, but it's the tallest I've got right now if I stack them that way

I borrowed a D800 for a few days, and I much prefer the D800+. I found the D800 was a bit too dark by default and turning treble up didn't quite fix it. The D800+ has a bright switch with is permanently on in mine (and no, I don't go for a very bright tone at all). Then there's the semiparametric lo/hi mids, which is nice, and especially the HPF. 

The RCF sounds like a nice solution, to be honest. But I'm *very* happy with the Mesa/BF combination, especially as I do play a few gigs where I don't use PA support.

Live clips... ha!  No... nothing using this... in fact we don't have any recent clips at all. We're due to record our third album this year but we still haven't booked the studio and knowing us... it might not happen. But our trumpet player is moving to CHINA in August, so we should really record something. Anyway, we plan to record a gig on May 12th. Nothing too fancy, just getting the separate tracks from the desk for audio and having a few cameras around. It's at a venue where I generally use their stuff (Orange Terror 500 head and matching 410). I will use my head this time, but not bother with the BF cabs as I'll just be DI, so no much point.  

So, in short... no, no clips yet and no plans for any proper ones showing the Mesa/BF combination... but there will be some clips at least. I bet I'll make 5 mistakes per song this time. Still, the beauty of playing originals: I can always say I meant it that way

[Owen]

If you like Eden cabs and don't mind the weight then you can get VERY capable boxes for not much money. When I was young enough to not worry about weight I ran an Eden 410xlt driven by Chevin Audio A3000 bridged into it. Obviously never at full tilt, but it was a fearsome combination. Power corrupts but massive power gives you fabulous headroom.

[Hellzero]

If you have the money and the back, go for Glockenklang. I have used their gear, and now I'm playing an AER BassCube, because it's quite light and ultra powerful for broken backs. 

[LukeFRC]

On 08/04/2018 at 20:51, Basstech21 said:

What do you think guys?

I want to upgrade my rig to a 900 - 1000 RMS  amp and 2 -cab (4x10) + (2x10) set up.

Tried out ampeg SVT - not impressed.

Mesa + Eden are in the running.... V impressed with WT Eden & cabs though....(  OR Barefaced??)  HELP!!!!!!!!!

JB 

What's your current amp? 

[Kevin Dean]

On 4/8/2018 at 22:15, Lozz196 said:

For this sort of thing I usually recommend seeing as many bands as possible and trying the gear which has most impressed you as a listener. I had loads of different amps/cabs, and found Ashdown by accident, as every time I used one as a provided rig, I just liked the "slam" of the sound better than anything else. Previously my gear was small/costly/lightweight, whereas now it`s none of those, so don`t discount lower-end gear. Get out there and enjoy some bands/bassists, and set your ears to work.

I agree ,reading all the theory about stuff is all well & good but try  to use stuff on a gig if possible .

[chris_b]

12 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

What's your current amp? 

I asked that 3 weeks ago. Still no reply!!

[Al Krow]

4 hours ago, chris_b said:

I asked that 3 weeks ago. Still no reply!!

Chris - I think the OP has done a runner / gone AWOL since his post. I guess we continue to talk amongst ourselves in suitably erudite fashion the meantime...

Who was it that said 'I stand at the edge of an ocean in darkness and cry out, but hear nothing in return' ?

[Dood]

17 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Chris - I think the OP has done a runner / gone AWOL since his post. I guess we continue to talk amongst ourselves in suitably erudite fashion the meantime...

Who was it that said 'I stand at the edge of an ocean in darkness and cry out, but hear nothing in return' ?

Was it the same guy who stood next to a mountain and chopped it down with the edge of his hand?

[Al Krow]

Nope 

[Basstech21]

Hey guys! 

Soz for delay .... I use a Genz Benz Streamliner ( backup) and an Aguilar 751. Am thinking about 4x barefaced 4x10s... 

I tried out Bergantino cabs & wasn't too impressed. Also Ampeg 8x10 .... What does everyone rave about these for? Sounded muddy/too much middle and not enough definition. 

I think I better call Alex at BF...... 😉

 

 

 

Edited May 5, 2018 by Basstech21