Bass head / cab advice please!

[bottlebassman]

Hi all! I would appreciate some advice from those more experienced than me! I am currently playing in a rock covers band, we play a mixture of stuff from free/bad co./ deep purple type 70's rock through to more recent material from bands such as foo fighters /red hot chilli peppers along with some bluesy stuff a'la gary moore / dr.feelgood.
I am currently using a behringer head and cab which I picked up cheap from the bands old bass player, however I am not that impressed with sound/tone available. I use a fender "geddy" jazz bass. We aren't gigging at the moment, but are looking to shortly. These will be your average pub/club gigs.
If/when I upgrade my head/cab what would people recommend? I was looking at perhaps something like GK MB2 500 or Markbass little mark 3 for a head perhaps? Would it be better to get a new head first and use it through the behringer cab, then get another cab later, would this help the sound? Sorry but i really ain't clued up at all with amps, having not played live for a very long time. Willing to spend maybe £400 to 600 on head, not sure about cab, maybe £250 to 400.
Thanks.

[nugget]

Hi I play in a band doing similar music and struggled for years to get the right punchy tone that cuts through, full bass with clarity so you can hear all the notes I'm playing.

I'm sure others will stongly disagree but I waisted a LOT of time with numerous 2x10 cabs (some high end stuff) and never got it, I changed to a 6x10 and the the difference is huge! same bass and amp but now you can hear everything with such clarity and punch - clarity with LOADS of bass not a thin weedy sound. I've heard loads of local bands and finally I've got the best bass sound I've ever heard - and without spending a fortune.

I would stongly suggest getting a good 410 or 610 or even 810 (yes more trouble to move and looks over kill but the benifits are massive) make sure it has a tweeter, spend more on the cab than the amp but dont get carried away with trendy boutique stuff. Loads of top quality 2nd hand gear on here at a very good price.

Finding a good tone isn't easy!!!

[Ian Savage]

Cabs-wise I'd agree with the previous poster, there's a reason you'll see most pro bass players with sod-off big rigs and that's because you need to move a lot of air to get a decent bass sound! Personally I'd look at either a 4x10" or a 1x15" as your 'basic' rig, and maybe splash on an additional 2x10" for bigger gigs.

As far as heads go, in the mid-price range you've got tons to choose from - Hartke are generally good, the two you've already mentioned would also do you fine - as a cheeky pimp, I'm also possibly selling a Laney B1 head with footswitch, which is hands-down the most versatile head I've ever played through (SO much control over the sound, plus footswitchable graphic EQ, preshape and effects loop - and cool blue LEDs ). You need to run a compressor into the front of it to stop the protection circuitry from tripping if you slap the bass at all, but I'd throw one in...

Sorry for the hijack!

[chris_b]

[quote name='Ian Savage' post='818159' date='Apr 25 2010, 04:21 PM']....there's a reason you'll see most pro bass players with sod-off big rigs and that's because you need to move a lot of air to get a decent bass sound!....[/quote]
Call me cynical, but I think you'll find that most of these pro players will use big rigs for visual purposes and the idea that that's what you do when you've joined the "pro" club. Most of them are listening to themselves through "in ears" or fold back so the backline is mostly for show.

But, you are right, more speakers will move more air and have the potential to sound better and be louder. Almost any rig will be an improvement on a Behringer head and cab, but for the OP's style of playing I'd look at a 410 and a 300 watt to 500 watt amp.

[Ian Savage]

[quote name='chris_b' post='818508' date='Apr 25 2010, 09:47 PM']Call me cynical, but I think you'll find that most of these pro players will use big rigs for visual purposes and the idea that that's what you do when you've joined the "pro" club. Most of them are listening to themselves through "in ears" or fold back so the backline is mostly for show.[/quote]

True indeed, I'll bow to you on that - the guys playing arenas and suchlike generally have no need of backline at all because the foldback's so good. That said, having done countless 'mid-size' gigs myself, often with professional outfits (think venues of 300-1000 capacity), you can't always rely on the foldback and/or engineer and I thank my lucky stars for being able to go out with several hundred Watts of power through a fifteen and a couple of tens, otherwise there'd have been dozens of those gigs I'd be struggling to hear myself!

[alanbass1]

Don't dismiss 12" cabs. I use a pair of Bergantino 1x12's and they are great as well as portable - huge sound

[Conan]

Keep an eye on the amps and cabs for sale thread on here - there really are some stupendous bargains to be had every so often. I'm not sure I would ever buy brand new again TBH...

Everyone on here will recommend what they use of course, which makes sense as they have first-hand experience of how it sounds, how heavy it is, potential problems, etc.

Most of my experience is with Trace Elliot, and I would recommend that whole-heartedly - but I also have had very positive experiences with Ashdown and Ampeg.... Gallien-Kruger are very well respected in that "upper-mid" range as well. On the other hand, some of the other gear that will no doubt get touted at you is silly prices! I'm sure it's great, but is it really twice as great as the mid range gear? I know that MY ears probably couldn't tell the difference!

One thing that seems to be pretty unanimous is that Behringer bass gear is NOR very good (understatement!). So almost everything will sound better than your current set-up I suspect!

If you're ever down in Newcastle, come round and have a try of my Ampeg/Ashdown stuff!

[bottlebassman]

Thanks everyone for your advice! Appreciated!

[Doddy]

Check out the Hartke stuff. The new HyDrive cabs are cool,and their LH series heads are simple
and good. You could also look at the Ashdown gear. I prefer the Hartke,but a lot of people like
Ashdown.
Don't dismiss buying secondhand either. However,if you want new stuff I'd look to buy the head
and cab together. I wouldn't like to run a nice head through the Behringer cab. I had a student
who bought an Ampeg B-2R head and a Behringer 4x10 against my advise, and the cab broke
after a couple of months.
Plus you will get a better deal if you buy both together.

[JTUK]

Depends a lot on what the other guys are using in the band.

A decent 4x10 is a good old workhorse.

Anything bigger is getting very loud and a hassle to transport.
Even if guys on tour used the backline as full monitoring without sidefills etc, they would probably be on an open stage
and need FAR more volume for the space on stage than most pubs would provide.

I play in a loud band and the drummer dictates the volume..this is a real problem.. but I easily get by with 2 12" cabs.
There is no way I will run out of power in a closed room and I have all the low end I need..or have ever had.

IMV, a very desirable rig from the second hand pages here, would be;
A Mark Bass LMll/lll amp for £400-ish
and 2 GS112 for £500.

I think you'd get your money back on that easily enough if it didn't work out....or pretty damn close.

The only downside to that rig I could see...would be that it may not look that rock n roll as it is compact, the amp especially.
Of course, the tone may not be what you are looking for either, as in too clean, but it would wipe the floor with most set-ups, IMV, for the money.

Just my 2p...

[ikay]

[quote name='alanbass1' post='818847' date='Apr 26 2010, 08:19 AM']Don't dismiss 12" cabs. I use a pair of Bergantino 1x12's and they are great as well as portable - huge sound[/quote]

+++ a pair of Bergies is a great way to go, fantastic depth of sound and easy to lug around. I use mine with an LMIII and it's a no hassle great sounding rig. Not cheap but the best gear investment I ever made

[Mr Fudge]

[quote name='alanbass1' post='818847' date='Apr 26 2010, 08:19 AM']Don't dismiss 12" cabs. I use a pair of Bergantino 1x12's and they are great as well as portable - huge sound[/quote]


Yes! I also made the plunge and got a MarkBass SA450 amp to go with the bergs. Cost a few £ but I have everything I need for every occasion. Loads of power and the tone of my Jazzes cut through loud and clear at all frequencies. The lightweight of the bergs is also a big +.

I also used Ashdown Mag 300 and 4x10 ashdown cab for years which was great in a covers band. I just wanted a little less wool and more true output as most gigs the bass is not through the PA.

[Mr Fudge]

[quote name='ikay' post='820659' date='Apr 27 2010, 02:13 PM']+++ a pair of Bergies is a great way to go, fantastic depth of sound and easy to lug around. I use mine with an LMIII and it's a no hassle great sounding rig. Not cheap but the best gear investment I ever made[/quote]


ditto, beat me to it.

[bottlebassman]

Thanks again everyone, some very handy advice. I don't think having a "clean" sound would be a problem, one of the things I don't like about the behringer is that I can't seem to get the volume AND a clear sound, to be heard I seem to have to put up with a poorer tone.

[BobVbass]

[quote]I thank my lucky stars for being able to go out with several hundred Watts of power through a fifteen and a couple of tens, otherwise there'd have been dozens of those gigs I'd be struggling to hear myself![/quote]

+1 for that! I much prefer controlling my own destiny - I play rougly the same stuff as you (vinyl tap tribute) and I've finally settled on a Peavey Firebass 700, 2x10 and 1x15 BW's - awesome amp - superb - these go for seriously silly cheap money these days as well - make sur eyou're backs up to lifting it tho!