lanark Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 (edited) Okay, my band will be gigging soon and I'm having to upgrade my Laney 35W practice amp (which has done me nicely and even allowed me to compete with the others in practice with minimal distortion) to something bigger. Trouble is that I'm now getting very confused and my options are broader and I'm in danger of not getting anything at all. I''m guessing that I need 200 - 300w power for a live gig without a PA, but I have got about a dozen ads and offers of equipment lined up and there seems to be very little difference between them as far as I can tell. So, I'm looking for a little advice ... a) what's the main difference, between a 1x15 and a 2x10 set up. Would one have a different tone? And on the other hand, how do I compare a Kustom 100w 1x15" with a 300w 2x10 Laney RB7? Would the Laney be much louder? Would the Kustom have a much better tone? Is this why so many of you end up with so much gear? Aghh! has anyone here used a Laney RB7 for gigging? At the moment this seems to be the best value offer I have lined up (unless some ebay auctions end ridiculously cheap - but they never do when I'm interested) c) Is it possible to daisy-chain two combo set-ups in the same way you'd connect a head and multiple cabs? (I know this is a dumb noob question, but then I'm a dumb noob, never having even picked up a bass guitar 8 weeks ago). Thanks guys! Edited October 2, 2009 by lanark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Good work picking up a gig in 8 weeks... some guys never get out of the bedroom As regards 10" and 12" for a loud gig... I wouldn't be running those as single cabs if you are thinking of putting 300 watts through them Depends how you play... but a 200 watt amp or above should be a good start with a 4x10. People tend to use single cabs like 10's and 12's for quiet jazz gigs and then double them up for the louder gigs.. and they do this as they are fed up with heavy carries... Can't answer the Combo question as it doesn't really make much sense to want to do this.. Are you asking to line-out from one combo into another..? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 a) A 2x10 won't necessarily be any brighter than a 1x15. It depends on a lot of factors. The 300w Laney won't necessarily be louder than the 100w Kustom but has more scope for driving an extension cab if you ever need it. No but I've done a loud rehearsal with that amp into a 4x10 cab and it was plenty loud and sounded fine. I've used Laney gear in the past and found it to be very good value. c) You can add an extension cab to a combo. BTW You're welcome to try my Ashdown 2x10 cab if it'll help in your decision making (ie whether 2x10 speakers is enough). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanark Posted October 2, 2009 Author Share Posted October 2, 2009 [quote name='Adrenochrome' post='614568' date='Oct 2 2009, 09:54 AM']a) A 2x10 won't necessarily be any brighter than a 1x15. It depends on a lot of factors. The 300w Laney won't necessarily be louder than the 100w Kustom but has more scope for driving an extension cab if you ever need it.[/quote] The extra power for an extension is something that's colouring my decision - if possible, I'd like to be able to add parts in future, not be constantly replacing or piling up extra bits and pieces (bearing in mind that I have next to no money left over after buying the instrument and practice amp). The band is a salsa band, not a rock band, so I don't want a sound that's bright and slappy, but I do want the tone to be heard, not just rumble and growling - so I'm fighting against over-enthusiastic timbale players and a 4-part horn section rather than guitarists. I'm thinking that 2x10 should be certainly loud enough to assert myself and stand my ground in the small - mid scale venues we're likely to be playing (and anywhere bigger is likely to have it's own PA system anyway). So anyone got reviews on the RB7? I've scoured the web and found very few people saying anything about it - for or against. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanark Posted October 2, 2009 Author Share Posted October 2, 2009 [quote name='JTUK' post='614562' date='Oct 2 2009, 09:51 AM']Can't answer the Combo question as it doesn't really make much sense to want to do this.. Are you asking to line-out from one combo into another..?[/quote] Reading it back over, it was a bit of a daft question, wasn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 What's your budget? In reality [i]anything[/i] is going to be an improvement on your practise combo, so you really have no pressure. You can put enough bass through 10's, 12's or 15's to make a good noise in a Salsa band so any cab you choose would work. For starters I'd get a used separate amp (300 watts minimum) and an 8 ohm cab. Then you can add another cab later, if you need to, or you can upgrade each piece when you feel the need for more volume, tone or quality. If you can afford it now, I'd look at one of the light amps, Markbass, Genz Benz, and a light cab, a 1x12 or the Barefaced Compact, 1x15, would fit your needs exactly, in my opinion. Can you get to the SE Bass Bash? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uncle Balsamic Posted October 2, 2009 Share Posted October 2, 2009 Remember that speaker size only affects dispersion. It doesn't affect tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 I would definitely go for a 300W head (or thereabouts) and separate speaker cab. In my sorry experience I've only ever had sh*t results from Laney combos. Really sh*t. For cheap amps, Hartke are worth looking at. Fairly flat-sounding, enough features to be giggable, more clean power than you usually get from "budget" amps with the same specs. For a budget speaker cab, I wouldn't like to make a recommendation really. Although if pushed I'd say you can probably get a Peavey 1x15" with a Black Widow in it very cheap, and they're good. But really speakers on a tight budget are a hard choice, and you should try a few. Expect to be disappointed though, unfortunately. You tend not to get the same quality at low prices as you can, sometimes, when buying guitars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 [quote name='Uncle Balsamic' post='614951' date='Oct 2 2009, 04:35 PM']Remember that speaker size only affects dispersion. It doesn't affect tone.[/quote] What.... ??????? if the thing wont go over 3khz...then that is going to affect tone BIG TIME... That is like saying if I have my hi mids and treble controls missing, it will not affect tone... ?????????????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 [quote name='JTUK' post='615486' date='Oct 3 2009, 09:04 AM']What.... ??????? if the thing wont go over 3khz...then that is going to affect tone BIG TIME...[/quote] The size of the speaker alone doesn't determine how high it goes. One of the 15"s I currently use goes two octaves higher than the 10"s I used to use. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moos3h Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 Pick up something from the used section here, seriously there are some mega bargains that come up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 3, 2009 Share Posted October 3, 2009 [quote name='alexclaber' post='615533' date='Oct 3 2009, 10:18 AM']The size of the speaker alone doesn't determine how high it goes. One of the 15"s I currently use goes two octaves higher than the 10"s I used to use. Alex[/quote] Sure, if the speaker has the facility to go higher with a twin cone arrangment, but most 15's' don't ..and certainly not the ones most used in bass rigs... so a typical 15 has a lower freq range than say, a 10...or rather a lower hi-limt. But basically, you are going to spec up the chassis you use to be applicable to the range you want.. Most 15's lack range which is why they are coupled to good effect with 10's or horns etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lanark Posted October 3, 2009 Author Share Posted October 3, 2009 [quote name='JTUK' post='615845' date='Oct 3 2009, 04:54 PM']Sure, if the speaker has the facility to go higher with a twin cone arrangment, but most 15's' don't ..and certainly not the ones most used in bass rigs... so a typical 15 has a lower freq range than say, a 10...or rather a lower hi-limt. But basically, you are going to spec up the chassis you use to be applicable to the range you want.. Most 15's lack range which is why they are coupled to good effect with 10's or horns etc...[/quote] I'm wondering if a used 2x10 combo would the best idea, with the option of adding a 1x15 cab later. I'd love a wonderful rig, but my limit is barely over £100 right now, so I'm looking for later expandability really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Personally, I like the combination of 10's and 15's. My reason is this... 15's are typically low end speakers with a range upto 3khz.. or thereabouts This will give you a nice low end but you will be struggling for any highs. So adding a 2x10 with horns can take you upto 16khz..if you believe the blurb..and a lot of this hi-end is unusable anyway, but you do have a brighter sound if this is what you want. Personally, I do, and I need to use new-ish strings to make the best of this. Also, I think this combo of speakers just makes life a little easier as a 1x15 cab can be a lot smaller than a 4x10. The latter can be awesome cabs as they can have GREAT bass, big power and cover the whole range. The SWR Goliath ll is a case in point, IMO but there are others out there now who have followed that lead. But I feel you have to be careful where you place yourself with a 4x10 so they are best on larger stages, IME. 10's can be quite harsh if you are close to the cab... so you hear everything, good or bad.. Cab preference can come down to a lot of variables, not least playing styles. A Precsion into a 15" played with a pick can epitomiose that sound and if that is what you want then I can see that approach So, all in all, a decent 2x10 combo which will work very well on its own, with the option of adding a 15 underneath when money and the gig warrants it covers an awful lot of basses, IMO...no pun Only my 2p... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 [quote name='JTUK' post='615845' date='Oct 3 2009, 04:54 PM']Sure, if the speaker has the facility to go higher with a twin cone arrangment, but most 15's' don't ..and certainly not the ones most used in bass rigs... so a typical 15 has a lower freq range than say, a 10...or rather a lower hi-limt.[/quote] Both those drivers I referred to are single cone drivers in production bass guitar cabs. The key difference is motor strength vs cone mass. Put a big motor on a 15" and it'll go higher than the many weak motored 10"s out there - but that costs money! Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted October 4, 2009 Share Posted October 4, 2009 Do you use them..and in which cabs... ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 With a budget of £100 you're going to struggle to get anything decent - except for either something by Hartke or Line 6 secondhand, both of which I think are pretty good options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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