# Friend has 1000 dollars for a bass rig



## Andrew (Nov 9, 2009)

what would you recommend? death metal.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 9, 2009)

As far as new gear goes, I'd suggest looking into Hartke. Their quality and tone at such a low price point has always astounded me. You can get a pretty decent sized gig ready rig for that budget.

Just look into the Hartke 5500 Head and possibly the Hartke 4.5XL 4x10 cab. Brand new, with warranty that all adds up to a hair under $1000.


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## Andrew (Nov 9, 2009)

word.
i think he's going for used stuff.

off topic sorta: but is this a legit bass?
NEW KONA 5 STRING NECK THROUGH DELUXE EXOTIC BASS GUTAR - eBay (item 360204496339 end time Nov-10-09 11:11:08 PST)


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## mattofvengeance (Nov 10, 2009)

ampeg anything

The B2Rs are solid, and the SVT series are the greatest sounding bass heads ever, but they're rather expensive.

/discussion


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 10, 2009)

New ampeg is not good value for money.

I'd recommend trolling Craigslist for some Eden D410XLTs (Eden 4x10.) They are the old touring standard cab and are built like tanks and sound fantastic, and since they're a bit out of vogue you can score one for $300-400 pretty easily. I saw a few in the New York area for $300.

As for an amp, I'd recommend getting something powerful and clean with a decent, versatile EQ section. I use an Eden WT400, but look around a bit and see what you can find. If you get a cleaner-sounding head and want the SVT sound, buy a Tech21 Sansamp VT Bass pedal... I use it to get the Ampeg grit through my Eden rig for some of my other products.

My current rig is an Eden WT400 head and an Eden D210XLT (2x10) stacked on top of a D212XLT (2x12) with a VT Bass in front, a 4U rack holding the head with a power conditioner and Korg tuner, and an X2 XD95 Wireless system stompbox receiver in front of the VT Bass on my pedalboard. It's plenty loud for outdoor parties and bar/club gigs without PA support, and the semi-parametric EQ on the head lets me dial in just about any sound, with the VT Bass adding grit or flat-out distortion when I need it.

The whole thing used cost me around $1100. If you want a single 4x10 you can get away even cheaper; if you're only snagging one cabinet though I'd recommend picking up a 4 ohm cabinet as most solid state heads will put more power through a 4ohm cabinet than an 8ohm one.


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## Andrew (Nov 10, 2009)

thoughts on this cab?
SWR 8x10 Bass Cabinet Megoliath - eBay (item 220507147491 end time Nov-14-09 11:29:04 PST)


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## nordhauser06 (Nov 10, 2009)

Andrew said:


> death metal.



He'd probably do better without one.


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## TomAwesome (Nov 10, 2009)

Andrew said:


> thoughts on this cab?
> SWR 8x10 Bass Cabinet Megoliath - eBay (item 220507147491 end time Nov-14-09 11:29:04 PST)



I think that might be the cab my friend used to have. It's all right, but the Ampeg 4x10 he has now smokes it.


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## Bevo (Nov 11, 2009)

Does he play now and if so what kind of gear does he have..does he play a 5 or what is his tuning?
Some cabs play B better than others.

I second used and Eden, old Ampeg, GK, Traynor is a good place to start.
Would also recomend your local Craigslist just so you can try before you buy.

8-10's are for after you have all your gear, idealy you want a few cabs so you have a choice as to what to bring. A 2-10 and 1-15 is a great place to start even a decent 4-10...Two 4-10 will be better than one 8-10 for a few reasons, sound, flexability, weight, resale...
Powerwise this is a bit more important than the cabs..for me.. you will always swap cabs around but your head won't move to much.
Go for as much power as you can, also make sure your features like EQ and speaker connections are versitile so you can do anything.

Couple ads from your area to look at..the old Peavey stuff is solid specificly EV speakers..

http://cnj.craigslist.org/msg/1460304348.html
http://cnj.craigslist.org/msg/1450149733.html
http://cnj.craigslist.org/msg/1444998357.html
http://cnj.craigslist.org/msg/1444101796.html


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 11, 2009)

I've heard good things about the Megoliath cabs... but can he fit that in his vehicle? Those are NOT easy cabs to haul around if you don't have a hatchback, van, or SUV of some sort. I'd recommend a single 4x10 or a 2x10/2x12 setup initially. That will give plenty of volume and speaker area while remaining portable.


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## Scar Symmetry (Nov 11, 2009)

Second hand Mesa


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## Seebu (Nov 11, 2009)

nordhauser06 said:


> He'd probably do better without one.


*slap*


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## SargeantVomit (Nov 11, 2009)

$1000 isn't going to take him very far for a bass rig. Most of the stuff that's been mentioned in this thread is fairly obsolete gear nowadays. 

The Hartke gear mentioned is heavy and underpowered. 
The SWR megoliath is way too heavy. If your friend ever wants to upgrade to a large cab like that there are MUCH better and MUCH lighter alternatives nowadays.
Mesa is too pricey for the pricerange and although their cabs are bulletproof they are also too heavy for a single person to schlep every gig unless he gets a couple 115's. 

Eden was a good suggestion, buy used if you can. D410XST or D410XLT if you can swing a good deal on it. XST will be better than XLT, but XLT will be more available. 

If you buy new go for an Avatar 410neo, it's almost identical in quality and production to a D410XLT. That's $550 brand new. That leaves $450 for a head. 

When it comes to heads he should be trying to put in some more money if he can. Tell him to save up over christmas, maybe his parents or whatever can pitch in for his present. There's a simple formula to calculate the wattage needed by a bass player. Three times total guitar players wattage then three times tube wattage. 

So if each guitar player is playing a 100w tube halfstack the bassist would need 1800w solid state to compete in volume. Now most guitarists don't crank their amps full tilt, so say half power. 50w tube + 50w tube = 100w tube..... you need 900w solid state to keep up. 

I'd recommend a Traynor DB800H at 800w to keep him up to speed with a band on stage. 

Buy Traynor DynaBass 800H Bass Amp Head | Hybrid Amp Heads | Musician's Friend

So $800 with free shipping plus $550 shipped is going to give him a quality 800w halfstack that will keep up. That's only $350 over budget and he wont need to upgrade anytime soon. And brand new in box gear too.

I


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 11, 2009)

SargeantVomit said:


> $1000 isn't going to take him very far for a bass rig. Most of the stuff that's been mentioned in this thread is fairly obsolete gear nowadays.
> 
> The Hartke gear mentioned is heavy and underpowered.
> The SWR megoliath is way too heavy. If your friend ever wants to upgrade to a large cab like that there are MUCH better and MUCH lighter alternatives nowadays.
> ...



That wattage - volume level comparison is not exactly right. A lot of it has to do with how much air your cabs are pushing, in relation to the size of their speakers. 

For instance on some gigs in the past I have run my Ampeg SVT 4PRO at just 300 Watts into a single 8ohm 4x10. I could MORE than compete with two guitarists, one using a 50w and the other a 120w (which they never had a problem with one drowning the other out). 

Wattage itself has far more to do with clarity than perceived volume levels, and that goes for both tube and solid state. Of course giant differences will catch up to you. For instance trying to pit a 5w 112 against a 100w 112. Though, not as much as you would think. 

I guarantee if you hook up a 300w solid state bass head to an 810 cab it will ALWAYS be louder than a 600w head into a single 410. No matter how much power is behind a set of speakers, at some point a speaker simply can't move more air. 

I agree with you opinions on the gear though. Hartke would probably never be my first choice, the Megoliath is heavy and not the best option, and Mesa is certainly out of his price range, even used. 

If used is the route he's comfortable taking he should look into a GK700RG or 1001RB, they're light, powerful, well built, and feature laden. I scored a 700RG-III for about $400 last year, so they can be had for fairly cheap. As for a cab, a solid 410 should do the trick, but a 115 & 210 would probably a be bit nicer. As for brands I've seen a lot of nice GK, Peavey, and Fender bass cabs go for really cheap.


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## SargeantVomit (Nov 12, 2009)

It's a generalization about wattage requirements. With a 4pc band I wouldn't walk up on stage with less than 600w through a 4x10 unless it was for light rock/blues/etc. I was also talking in regards to halfstack size. Adding a second cab is always a better option, but not always the lightest or most affordable.


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## Andii (Nov 12, 2009)

Carvin. Hands down best deal in bass amps. You can get really high end stuff for the price of the cheapie stuff from other brands. For example $1,200 gets you a 1,200 watt carvin stack(4x10 and 1x15). 1,200 in another brand gets you a 1,200 watt head, and no cabs.


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 12, 2009)

Andii said:


> Carvin. Hands down best deal in bass amps. You can get really high end stuff for the price of the cheapie stuff from other brands. For example $1,200 gets you a 1,200 watt carvin stack(4x10 and 1x15). 1,200 in another brand gets you a 1,200 watt head, and no cabs.



This too!

I always forget about Carvin's bass amps/cabs. They really need to promote it a bit more. It really is some amazing stuff for the price.


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## Andii (Nov 12, 2009)

MaxOfMetal said:


> This too!
> 
> I always forget about Carvin's bass amps/cabs. They really need to promote it a bit more. It really is some amazing stuff for the price.



It's not just plain stuff either. They really sound great. Their bass amps won bass player magazine's award. The preamps on them are great. Lots of control. The eq section is parametric and it has a eq fader section. The compression is also adjutable. It has xlr direct out and all kinds of stuff.


Carvin.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio: Professional Bass Amplifiers


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## MaxOfMetal (Nov 12, 2009)

Andii said:


> It's not just plain stuff either. They really sound great. Their bass amps won bass player magazine's award. The preamps on them are great. Lots of control. The eq section is parametric and it has a eq fader section. The compression is also adjutable. It has xlr direct out and all kinds of stuff.
> 
> 
> Carvin.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio: Professional Bass Amplifiers



Oh, I know, I used some of their "Red Eye" series in the studio, it's hella flexible.


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## Bevo (Nov 12, 2009)

Great information guys!

The pro 4-10 and 1200 head is perfect!

Think we are done..


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## Andii (Nov 12, 2009)

Bevo said:


> Great information guys!
> 
> The pro 4-10 and 1200 head is perfect!
> 
> Think we are done..



You mean this one?
Carvin.com :: SBX410


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## Bevo (Nov 13, 2009)

SBX 410 $999.00

Or the kick ass never need another amp and I can blow the roof off the house BRX 1510 at 1900 MF Wattsfor a bit more $1150.00

MF = Most fabulous


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## SnowfaLL (Nov 13, 2009)

Carvin BX500 and any Carvin speakers..

Im so happy with my BX500, amazing little tube head. It can get any bass tone I can think of, unfortunately I just suck at dialing things in, but so far it sounds great even with my shitty settings.


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## TemjinStrife (Nov 14, 2009)

Hell, I play rock/metal/NWOBHM on a funk rig 

$1200 total for my Eden WT400 + Eden D210XLT + Eden D212XLT + VT Bass pedal for those gritty or distorted moments. That is a seriously loud rig, able to punch right through mid-sized venues, noisy bars, and loud punk rock clubs. It's even enough to do small- to mid-sized outdoor parties.

Buying used is your friend.

Had I not found my Eden stuff though, I'd likely have gone Carvin or Aguilar. 

Hell, I ran a Line 6 LD300 for a year and a half with no issues and just used the DI out to the PA for sound reinforcement on larger venues. That was a surprisingly nice and versatile amp, with plenty of punch for rehearsal and stage volume. It just needed help out front to the audience for mid-sized gigs, and PA support fixed that.


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## xtrustisyoursx (Dec 6, 2009)

GK Gold Tone


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## Spinedriver (Dec 10, 2009)

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Mark Bass gear 

I have a Little Mark II (it puts out 500w @ 4 ohms) and I run it on about 2 or 3 (through a Peavey TVX 4x10) and can easily compete with our guitarist who's running a Mesa MK III. I also use a Tech 21 VT Bass pedal and couldn't be happier.

Before I tried it out, I tried a GK 400RB, Ampeg SVT3 Pro, Traynor DynaBass 400 and a Mesa M9 Carbine. The best of the lot was the Mesa but since the MarkBass was 1/2 as much and almost as good, the choice was easy. Honestly, I've never had an amp that was that easy to dial in.

So if your friend has the ability to try one, I'd say he would do very well to try one out.


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