Metalmoore Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 I am thinking of buying my first head and cab. Any advice? I dont have much money so a decent cheap-ish one would be fine. A link to some sort of guide to help would be great too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted July 16, 2009 Share Posted July 16, 2009 (edited) More info on your budget, intended musical genre (jazz, punk, metal, indie etc), any artists whose signature sound you like, current bass guitar, size of venues you intend to play, etc., will all help the worthies here to tailor their advice accordingly. Don't expect any unanimity of opinion, though, particularly on the subject of the inexpensive and ubiquitous Ashdown! Useful guide: [url="http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/"]http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/[/url] Edited July 16, 2009 by skankdelvar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 If you buy a 300W amp head, you won't have to worry about having enough power. Anything less, and you might find yourself wanting. So save until you can afford a 300W amp head. Hartke heads sound good and they're fairly cheap. Cabs... If you've got a friend to help you load in and out, look at the Ashdown MAG 410T. It'll handle 300W happily, sound good doing it, and it's pretty cheap, especially if you can find one used. But it's a two-man lift. If you want a personally-portable bass cab, especially if you've got stairs to negotiate, you'll be looking at pricey gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='542846' date='Jul 17 2009, 04:32 AM']If you buy a 300W amp head, you won't have to worry about having enough power. Anything less, and you might find yourself wanting. So save until you can afford a 300W amp head. Hartke heads sound good and they're fairly cheap. Cabs... If you've got a friend to help you load in and out, look at the Ashdown MAG 410T. It'll handle 300W happily, sound good doing it, and it's pretty cheap, especially if you can find one used. But it's a two-man lift. If you want a personally-portable bass cab, especially if you've got stairs to negotiate, you'll be looking at pricey gear.[/quote] I did buy the ashdown evo 300w head and found it lacking (through mag cabs) in a pub gig situation, it was with a loud band, but the gear I am using now is fine and although I have the headroom dont think I am using more than 300w of it to cope, obviously I cant comment on any other 300w head Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_pokkuri Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 [quote name='Metalmoore' post='542467' date='Jul 16 2009, 06:05 PM']I am thinking of buying my first head and cab. Any advice? I dont have much money so a decent cheap-ish one would be fine. A link to some sort of guide to help would be great too.[/quote] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=48813"]Shameless link to my Warwick rig in the For Sale section[/url] As mentioned above you need to give some indication of budget, size of venues, type of band set up etc. I guess from your name you'll be playing metal? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metalmoore Posted July 17, 2009 Author Share Posted July 17, 2009 Well i just wanna get a better amp and think maybe a seperate cab and head would be the way to go. At the moment i have a [url="http://www.laney.co.uk/show_prod.php?prod=rb2"]Laney RB2[/url] and would like a little more power. I play alot of metal but i do play some classic rock and some jazz and all kind's of other stuff. Im not in a band and dont actively gig and at the moment i have a noname PJ bass from ebay, but soon i will have a custom jazz i am making and another custom 5 string fenderbird too both will have audere preamps and wizard pickups. I havent worked out how much my budget would be, but a cheap set with good reviews would be nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skankdelvar Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 I walked this path recently, so can confirm S/H Hartke, Peavey, Ashdown, Laney and some old Trace rigs can all be found at reasonable prices. The 'for sale' section here on BC has stuff that's a lot cheaper than the bay or shops. IMO, £300+ notes should see you clear for some sort of a starter rig - 300w + as mentioned above. My solution turned out to be a 300w Ashdown Mag combo (heavy) on top of a Hartke 410TP (light). Maybe not the most desirable or conventional rig, but cheap (£290) and serviceable if not particularly 'zingy'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatgoogle Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Ashdown mag 300-600, hartke lh500,ha 3500 and peavey tour 400 are all heads know that are good and cheap easy to use and sound great. Check out ebay here and local classifields and you might be able to pick up something second hand thats what your looking for. I wouldnt go lower than 300 watts and more if you can. All those heads have matching cabs that are all great but you cab mix and match. Try find a 4x10/2x10 or 1x15 to go along with it that can handle 300 watts or so at 8 ohms. You might be able to get away with less watts if youve got a good pa to use when ever your giggng practising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 [quote name='thisnameistaken' post='542846' date='Jul 17 2009, 04:32 AM']If you buy a 300W amp head, you won't have to worry about having enough power. Anything less, and you might find yourself wanting. So save until you can afford a 300W amp head. Hartke heads sound good and they're fairly cheap. Cabs... If you've got a friend to help you load in and out, look at the Ashdown MAG 410T. It'll handle 300W happily, sound good doing it, and it's pretty cheap, especially if you can find one used. But it's a two-man lift. If you want a personally-portable bass cab, especially if you've got stairs to negotiate, you'll be looking at pricey gear.[/quote] I think this is good advice. I used Ashdown 300 mag and 4 x 10 cab for years and they did a great job. Infact I still have them as a back up rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Balsamic Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 Just remember to not skimp on the cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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