Bass amp wattage for 3pc. gig?

#81
BassNugget said:
I played plenty of small and medium rooms with a four piece band. The drummer knew how to play and how to take it easy. The magic combo for me was a Stingray and a SWR Working Man's 12. I think that combo was only 100 or 120 watts. Loud AF though. Bigger rooms were DI-ed into the PA with the SWR as a monitor. I now use the Fender Rumble 12 inch, but it is not as loud or clear as I remember the SWR to be. I used.to ride trains to my gigs, so, I needed the most compact combo to do the job. If you can use a car, get two 2x10s and an amp that can handle the combined impedance. You can leave one cab home or....essentially have that 4x10 plus a little extra gain from having two cabinets.
Click to expand...
One of the siblings of the SWR is Eden. They make nice cabs. Another one is DNA by David Nordschow, founder of Eden. David designed the sucessful line of Workingman's cabs for SWR then went on to form his own company.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: BassNugget
#83
alaskaleftybass said:
...David Nordschow, founder of Eden. David designed the sucessful line of Workingman's cabs for SWR then went on to form his own company.
Click to expand...

Uh, pretty sure Nordschow's designs for SWR were the original goliath I and II. The Workingman's cabs, head, and combos were a later budget line, though perhaps he was the designer. My point is that the goliath stuff, especially the goliath I & II 410 cabs really made him a star in the amp world, about 10 years before the WM series, IIRC.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bassdirty
#84
Jim Carr said:
Uh, pretty sure Nordschow's designs for SWR were the original goliath I and II. The Workingman's cabs, head, and combos were a later budget line, though perhaps he was the designer. My point is that the goliath stuff, especially the goliath I & II 410 cabs really made him a star in the amp world, about 10 years before the WM series, IIRC.
Click to expand...
Glad you cleared that up for me. I stand corrected.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jim Carr
#85
alanloomis1980 said:
So, what are you using for rehearsal? What do you have experience with (in regards to what works) for this band?

IMHO choosing cabs is a matter of volume vs convenience, and matching the rig to the band. You won’t truly know what works until you try it, but you can make educated guesses.

Personally I used to haul a 410 to everything. But a 410 can be heavy, and they sure don’t fit in my trunk! I now use 2x 112. And 112 is enough for 99% of what I do. The 112 was chosen specifically for my 2 bands though- I think a 210 is a better all-purpose cab. (And 2x210 a great all-purpose modular option.) Sure a 2x410 is loud and fun, but most likely not necessary. Are you confident you want to take a 410 to every gig? Not to talk you out of 410s, just something to think about

@bherman and @dkelley said a lot of what I was gonna say, saved me some typing mates ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks, yea, I recently went from 210s to 112s. Actually, back to 112s... I really like them.

Loud, light, efficient... if you go neo.

And small.

I want to build a fake front for my 112 out of balsa that looks like a 412 lol. Unfold it before gigs, velcro to my cab. It SOUNDS like that, so might as well look like it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: alanloomis1980
#87
timh28 said:
Lots of different rigs I’ve seen in this thread already, thank you for all of the responses they have been a world of help!

Regarding the gig, it’s only one gig for now however we are hoping to play some more after this one and therefore I would like to start building my rig now and wanted some inspiration and advice from those who already have, it would appear, great rigs themselves. However, with all that is going on at the moment and with a possibility of having to tap into my potential rig budget, there is a possibility that only for this gig I may have to hire, which I have no issue with as where we practice has various combos and even a hiwatt head and cab which I could hire. There’s also the chance we could ask the venue or even the band we are supporting to lend us however I don’t really want to be that guy and while playing a few pub gigs people have been kind enough to ask US if we want to use their gear, I feel the other way might not go down so well and I know there are lots of mixed feelings about this in the music world. So hiring could be a useful possibility but if I am able to invest entirely into rig which I could expand and improve then I most definitely will
Click to expand...
Where abouts in the UK are you?
 
  • Like
Reactions: timh28
#88
Thundertips said:
I used to play guitar before I discovered I was meant to play Bass. Haha. Anyway, these guys that used to treat me like crap in High School call me out of the blue and ask if they can borrow my Marshall 100 watt Head cuz they have a gig and there amp just blew up. I said, "no way, man." I believe in only helping people that deserve it. Paybacks, man.
Click to expand...
That’s a fair point you raise! I understand a lot of people have had horror stories with lending gear etc. and sometimes people do take the michael, I’ve lent a few guitars in the past and they’ve all returned fine however one of my mates was cheeky enough to tell me to get new tuners hahaha
 
  • Like
Reactions: Ed Byrnes and Thundertips
#90
timh28 said:
Alternate between Sheffield and Manchester!
Click to expand...
Argh, too far. Anywhere nearer Newcastle and you could have borrowed something of mine.

A 2x10" might be a little limiting in some cases. I'd rather have a 4x10" (particularly if you're looking at cheaper gear) just for the peace of mind. I recently helped put a rig together for my brother's friend, first rig for pub gigs, strict £500 budget. We ended up with an Ashdown Mag 300 head and a Mag 4x10" cab for £250 on Gumtree. The remaining £250 went on a cheap Amoon pedalboard (the only bit we bought new) a Boss TU2 and a Sansamp. We did this over spending the whole £500 on the amp reasoning that that way there's always awesome tone to the PA and the amp is plenty for stage volume.


Besides, there'll be another 4x10" added soon I'm sure.
 
#91
alaskaleftybass said:
Glad you cleared that up for me. I stand corrected.
Click to expand...

Sorry to be such a nerd. :cool: My old goliath II said "designed by David Eden" (a pseudonym) on the jack plate on the back. That is the extent of my "scholarship," ;) except that I read somewhere that when the original goliath debuted at a trade show around 1979, (was it NAMM? AES?), it cause a stir and engendered a lot of imitators.

People flipped out over the original goliath 410 because it sounded great, was super loud, had a tweeter and a rear port (unusual at the time), and was quite small by the standards of the day, which were typically big 215 or 810 cabs.

And dang it was light! Not some 125 lbs monster, it was a mere 83 lbs.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Bassdirty
#92
Jack said:
Argh, too far. Anywhere nearer Newcastle and you could have borrowed something of mine.

A 2x10" might be a little limiting in some cases. I'd rather have a 4x10" (particularly if you're looking at cheaper gear) just for the peace of mind. I recently helped put a rig together for my brother's friend, first rig for pub gigs, strict £500 budget. We ended up with an Ashdown Mag 300 head and a Mag 4x10" cab for £250 on Gumtree. The remaining £250 went on a cheap Amoon pedalboard (the only bit we bought new) a Boss TU2 and a Sansamp. We did this over spending the whole £500 on the amp reasoning that that way there's always awesome tone to the PA and the amp is plenty for stage volume.


Besides, there'll be another 4x10" added soon I'm sure.
Click to expand...
Ah that sounds good! I have looked at ashdowns as well and although I’m yet to use one they do look and sound great from what demos I’ve watched! My initial plan was to sort amps before pedals but with lockdown in effect I decided to splash on some pedals so I had something to play about with whilst in lockdown!
 
#94
CyberSnyder said:
Sure, bringing an SVT/810 to an intimate gig would be overkill, but within reason, you can always turn down, but when you hit the limit and can't turn up further, you're screwed. I usually go for a little bit of overkill.
Click to expand...
Makes sense! I knew I’d inevitably have to go for some overkill but I didn’t know if there was “too much” so to speak!
 
#95
timh28 said:
Makes sense! I knew I’d inevitably have to go for some overkill but I didn’t know if there was “too much” so to speak!
Click to expand...

"Too much is just enough," is the unofficial motto of Talkbass, isn't it? ;)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Stumbo and timh28
#96
CyberSnyder said:
Sure, bringing an SVT/810 to an intimate gig would be overkill, but within reason, you can always turn down, but when you hit the limit and can't turn up further, you're screwed. I usually go for a little bit of overkill.
Click to expand...

Better to have too much* and not need it rather than too little and get drowned out on stage.

Yeah, if you have FOH support you can get away with being shackled to an 8" speaker right by your ear on stage, but is that how you want your stage to sound? When I'm playing guitar, I like to hear a nice foundation of bass on the stage. (Of course, this entire discussion assumes you're not using some kind of in-ear or closed monitor system).

I have tried a 2X10, and it definitely did not put a nice foundation of bass on the entire stage. Indeed, when I walked about four feet away from the rig it disappeared.

*Just try not to take the "too much" thing to unreasonable lengths. You might come to regret the chore of moving too much gear that you only use 1/10th of after awhile. Modular 8 ohm cabs is a smart strategy. I can always stack two 15's or two 4X10's if I play a large outdoor or theater stage, and that cuts the ohms in half and increases the wattage of the amp in the process. They're doing wonderful things with 12" speaker cabs these days too.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Jim Carr and CyberSnyder
#97
electracoyote said:
...*Just try not to take the "too much" thing to unreasonable lengths. You might come to regret the chore of moving too much gear that you only use 1/10th of after awhile. Modular 8 ohm cabs is a smart strategy. I can always stack two 15's or two 4X10's if I play a large outdoor or theater stage, and that cuts the ohms in half and increases the wattage of the amp in the process. They're doing wonderful things with 12" speaker cabs these days too.
Click to expand...

Yes. Moderation in all things—including moderation. :roflmao:
 
  • Like
Reactions: timh28
#99
My only suggestion is if you want to get a 4x10 or larger to get them used instead of new. People are practically giving away their old Goliaths and 8x10s as no one wants to haul them around anymore. The used ads are full of gear that people thought a little overkill won't hurt, and then they realize how much it sucks to move a 80lb cab that they are using at 20% of its potential.
 
#100
Papuzzo said:
My only suggestion is if you want to get a 4x10 or larger to get them used instead of new. People are practically giving away their old Goliaths and 8x10s as no one wants to haul them around anymore. The used ads are full of gear that people thought a little overkill won't hurt, and then they realize how much it sucks to move a 80lb cab that they are using at 20% of its potential.
Click to expand...
I was looking at the GK MB410 which Sweetwater called compact and light. 67 pounds! Nooooo thanks. Nowadays 35 pounds is my limit which is most 115, 210's or 112's, which can handle most gigs. If not buy a second cab.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back