Combo for use with Subwoofer

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BtokenThumbNail

Nov 30, 2021
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#1
Greetings,

New member, first post.

Try to keep my preamble brief-

Sold my bass gear years ago, been playing other instruments, but want to play bass again, too.

I've been looking at a combo to use in my pretty loud ( but not deafening) band; one that plays well with a subwoofer. We have a QSC sub- really loud and clear, grateful to have it.

I've mostly played Ampeg's in the past, in my prime I had a '72 SVT and 8x10; definitely over kill for my situation now.

Anyway- I've been looking at the BA 210 v2 @ 450w or the Ampeg Neo 115. Generally prefer a 15" if I cant have both 10's and a 15 but I think that's splitting hairs for my current needs.

I've also been looking at the Orange combo but worried it won't have enough headroom for a loud band.

Open to other brands as well, those are just what I know best.

Price wise I'd like to stay under $1000 and would prefer @ $600 or so, but will stretch it for joy.

Lastly, seeking advice about the sub compatibility, I would prefer to not have to add a crossover to my rig. Keep it simple stupid > me. So if anyone knows if anyone has experience with a plug and play m9del- that would be great with my TPS * reports.

Thank you in advance!
I hope this isn't redundant.

P.s. I already have some pedals that can push subs- Meatbox, Data Corrupter and Downer to choose from.

* edit- office space joke, not the pedal show.
 
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#3
Jaygetsreal said:
Sub = boom IMHO
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, what do mean by boom?

I've run my guitar thru the pedals described in OP thru our sub and they have been pretty punchy and clear.

My drummer supplements his acoustic kit with a drum pad that pushes subs, part of our sound. Definitely have to respect each other's space or lock in, but it works for us so far. Definitely not for everyone.
 
#4
I had the Ampeg BA 210 v2. Sounded good at low volumes in the store, rattled like crazy when i cranked it up. Took it back.

Is the sub part of your PA? What else is going through it? Are you carrying the room with it or is it going to a PA for further reinforcement? If the latter I'd probably steer clear, I've never found a sub necessary in any genre, and your FOH sound person will hate it. If you must though, maybe rent a few different combos to see which one sounds good with it.
 
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#5
Like @AceOfBassFace alluded, I can’t tell from your post if you’re wanting a sub for your bass rig, or you’re talking about your PA system’s sub.

My stage rig includes a subwoofer that I use for gigs where the PA doesn’t have any subs. Not sure what your intended purpose is, but mine is to simply to dial in the low fundamentals that the main bass cabinet can’t reproduce. If blended properly there is no boom. Of course, it can easily be made to boom if that’s what you’re after.

The biggest problem I had adding the sub actually came from the bass cabinet, a popular 12”-2-way model. The problem was that the port is tuned for an 80 Hz “boom” in order to make the cabinet sound substantial. I had to high pass the speaker at 125 Hz in order to flatten it out. From there, it was simply a matter of bringing up the sub level for a nice blend to round out the lows.

If done properly, (at least IMO), the sub is only going to add something for notes from about the A fret of the E string and down. If you’re getting a lot of sub action on the A string beyond the first few frets, it’s not set up right.

Based on that, in my estimation the 10” combo you’re considering should work better with a sub compared to the 15-incher, especially if you’re going to run it full range with no high pass filter. The 15” speaker might give you the same 80 Hz problem I had, but worse.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

Ecclesia: Unique Arrangements of Hymns, P&W Standards, and Original Tunes
Administrator, Pedulla Club #45
Administrator, Tobias Club #133
Fretless Club #943
Big Cabs Club #23
My Rig: Stage and FOH Friendly
My Basses
 
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#8
The subwoofer should be for your PA sound, and your combo should be for your stage monitoring sound. You run a DI output from your combo to the FOH so that the sound engineer can take care of the PA sound. Make sure whatever combo you get has a good DI output.

If you insist on using a subwoofer for your bass, you absolutely will need a crossover to send it only the signal it can reproduce. I think you need to clarify your expectations.

I'm not sure I understand your second choice: the BA-115 is indeed a combo but only 100 watts to the internal speaker, not enough for a band IMHO, and it does not have a way to connect an external cabinet. The PN-115HLF is a cabinet only, with a neodymium speaker. I'd recommend not basing your prejudice for 15" speakers based on anything from 2 decades back: a lot has changed.

The Orange Crush 100 is the largest combo in their current production. Once again it's 100 watts into the internal speaker with no means to connect an external cabinet.
 
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#11
BtokenThumbNail said:
Greetings,

New member, first post.

Try to keep my preamble brief-

Sold my bass gear years ago, been playing other instruments, but want to play bass again, too.

I've been looking at a combo to use in my pretty loud ( but not deafening) band; one that plays well with a subwoofer. We have a QSC sub- really loud and clear, grateful to have it.

I've mostly played Ampeg's in the past, in my prime I had a '72 SVT and 8x10; definitely over kill for my situation now.

Anyway- I've been looking at the BA 210 v2 @ 450w or the Ampeg Neo 115. Generally prefer a 15" if I cant have both 10's and a 15 but I think that's splitting hairs for my current needs.

I've also been looking at the Orange combo but worried it won't have enough headroom for a loud band.

Open to other brands as well, those are just what I know best.

Price wise I'd like to stay under $1000 and would prefer @ $600 or so, but will stretch it for joy.

Lastly, seeking advice about the sub compatibility, I would prefer to not have to add a crossover to my rig. Keep it simple stupid > me. So if anyone knows if anyone has experience with a plug and play m9del- that would be great with my TPS * reports.

Thank you in advance!
I hope this isn't redundant.

P.s. I already have some pedals that can push subs- Meatbox, Data Corrupter and Downer to choose from.

* edit- office space joke, not the pedal show.
Click to expand...

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

Are you talking about using the sub as part of your PA? Or are you talking about using the combo and sub as just your bass rig?

Also, roughly where are you geographically speaking? We have bass players from all over the world here. Answers might differ based on availability where you are.
 
#12
As others have said, if the sub is just part of the PA, all you need is just enough amp to hear yourself on stage. If you line out of that amp to a channel in your PA, you won’t only be going through the sub (depending on who is running sound), you will be going through all of the PA at full range with the sub supporting all low end instrumentation going through the PA (bass, kick drums &/or floor toms, etc.). Depending on how good your monitor system is, you might not need an amp at all, just a good preamp….
 
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#13
Every time I have a sub available my Markbass CMD 121p is plenty. I’ve also used the 102 version as backline, equally excellent. I have the 12” extension, but went the whole year without needing it once. I’ve historically been an “Ampeg guy” but I have come to appreciate the clarity of the Markbass on stage. Easier to add “warmth” than it is to take it away.

But if you’re thinking Ampeg why not the RB210? Or a Portaflex rig? I actually just picked up a PF350 to power my lonely Markbass 12” cabinet and it’s a fantastic head. And the RBs are getting great reviews
 
#15
The description isn't exactly clear to me, so I have this question for the OP: is it your intent to use a sub along with the combo as part of your bass guitar 'rig', or are you referring to your band having a sub that you use in conjunction with conventional full-range PA speakers? Or is it possible that you are attempting something other than those options? I'm just trying to get a clearer picture of what your intent is before offering my irrelevant opinion. :D Welcome to TB, BTW.
 
#16
Could describe the exact setup you currently use and what your end goal is? Also what do you not like about it?

Am I reading correctly that your drummer uses subs at rehearsal? Is he playing an electronic kit?

Could you maybe just want a good combo + extension? Ideally the extension cab is a passive box made with the same driver and tuning/ voicing as the combo.

Are you using really low tunings?
 
#17
I like the idea of using a sub as part of a rig (and having a full-range cab above it) to give a bit of the kind of "bottomless depth" that one gets when playing through a giant PA. By having it on the stage with the rig, one eliminates any phase issues inherent in having subs at the front of the stage (even if those are time-delayed etc.).

That being said, they have to be intelligently crossed-over and EQ'd by someone with a good ear to avoid blooming at the resonance frequencies of the stage/room etc. Also, my guess is that it would be best to use a cardioid sub such as a KS212C to minimize any boundary additive/subtractive problems.
 
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#18
If you liked your ampeg any 12" or bigger Ampeg combo amp will be loud enough and in your price range. If your looking for a replacement for your old SVT get the ampeg pf50t and a 115 or 112 (about $1800 total). My pf50t and my 112 replaced my boogie 400+ and 210 115 stack (which collects dust now). I play large outdoor venues in a loud rock band with it, plenty loud. If you want to go ampless a sansamp DI works great, I used one for yrs but missed having a stage amp.
 
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#20
So, you are wanting to stack some sort of combo on top of the QSC sub. Is the sub powered? My main rig is a simple Fender 500C combo but I stack it onto a BFM Simplexx 115 and the 2 work great together. I have bi-amped this rig just for the heck of it but the improvement in sound isn't worth the hassle.

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