Mesa Walkabout + Ampeg 210 vs Fender Rumble 500?

#41
sultanoswing said:
The more I consider it, a 210 8Ohm 400w cab should be about the right size/volume, and can be added to when/if needed.

Although I quite like the idea of a 212, it's hard to find the right cab at the right price.
Click to expand...
If you can find a good, compact 2x12, one could cover a lot and two (4x12) would cover pretty much anything. Same could be said for 2x10 -- and it will vary from cab to cab -- not all 210s or 212s are created equally -- but, generally speaking, you might find yourself wanting for that second cab a little more often.

That said, there are a lot of gigs you can play with a good 2x10 and a vertical 4x10 stack is nice.

Too, don't let me talk you out of a trad 4x10 if it makes sense for you and your son -- I'm just expressing my preference.
 
#42
Have settled on the GK CX210... Was briefly tempted by a GK Neo 410 second hand for twice as much $, but we really don't need that much speaker in terms of volume or weight. Yet.

The CX210 is light (36lb), a good price, has a speakon connector, and can stack with another in due course.

So many options to choose from, but this should be a good first rig!
 
  • Like
Reactions: musicman556
#43
sultanoswing said:
Have settled on the GK CX210... Was briefly tempted by a GK Neo 410 second hand for twice as much $, but we really don't need that much speaker in terms of volume or weight. Yet.

The CX210 is light (36lb), a good price, has a speakon connector, and can stack with another in due course.

So many options to choose from, but this should be a good first rig!
Click to expand...
It will be a way more capable first rig than most of us started on and more capable than what most folks start on, yet, today.

The head is something a pro player might use -- with the right cabs, even on a big gig. The cab I'm less familiar with, but let us know how you like the combination of it with the head. If you don't like it, it's easy enough to switch one component or the other out, down the road. (That is one advantage of going with separates vs. a combo.) If you do like it, easy enough to add a second cab down the road. I do think that 2x210 will be a more versatile and enjoyable rig, overall, than the same thing in a single 4x10 cab.

In getting to know the cab and head (I've played through various of the Shuttle heads a fair bit, but this would hold in general), my advice to you is to start with all the filters (LF Boost/Scoop/HF Attack) disengaged and the EQ controls at noon. Play it a bit before you do anything else. The Mid control is semi-parametric -- try dialing in small and then large boosts and cuts and sweeping through the frequency range, noting their effects. Bass and treble to taste.

You might like different EQ at low and high volumes and with a band vs. solo. The room and related factors, as I'm sure you know, can affect your EQ choices, too.

Enjoy, good luck, and please do keep us posted as to how things go.
 
#45
sultanoswing said:
Hi All - first post, but long time lurker & reader.

My son has started playing bass (Yamaha BB234) moving on from guitar. His Fender Chorus guitar amp isn't near loud enough for our house-party gigs (rock, blues) with 1 x guitarist & drums. He may go on to small venue pub gigs in a year or two, and I'd like to cater for that possibility.

I've done quite a bit of research here and elsewhere over the past few weeks, and now I've got a choice to grab a secondhand 300w Mesa Walkabout and would look to match it with a 210 cabinet e.g the Ampeg microstack (AMPEG MICROSTACK 2 X 10 BASS SPEAKER CAB). The other option I'm considering is a new Fender Rumble 500, which is similar $$$.

I like to cry once, buy once, and prefer to get good gear that'll last, be flexible & have some resale value if sold down the track. I'm in NZ, so new & secondhand gear is much more limited than in the US.

Out of these two locally available options, which do you esteemed experts recommend? Many thanks!
Click to expand...

I have both the Walkabout and two of the SVT210AV ("microstack") cabinets. Those cabinets are my favorites in the whole wide world, but one on its own will probably not hold up to the rigors of gigging. I did it for a while as a teenager, but I was always on the edge of failure, even in small venues. If you get two, though, it's a serious rig. I like stacking mine vertically to funnel that sweetness right into my ears. The Walkabout pairs with them beautifully, and has a nice wide low end that compensates for the tight and slightly light nature of the cabinets.

A lot of guys around here love the rumble, but I'm not one of them. If you're looking for a standalone solution, it'll put out more sound than the Ampeg, but IMHO that sound won't be nearly as good. Oh, and if you have the walkabout combo already, that'll handle small gigs with surprising ease. If you're not afraid of a little dirt, it can be a lot of fun when pushed.
 
#48
I can run four SVT210AV's (2 on each amp) with my Carvin BX1200 at 400w per side (200w per cab). Since each amp safely operates at 2 ohms, I can actually run 3 cabs per amp at 600w per side, but that would be just showing off.
 
#49
The GK CX210 cab finally arrived today. Plugged the shuttle 9.0 in using a brand new speakon cable and .. static background noise along with distorted bass notes.

Before getting overly worried, I remembered some old posts on here - so popped open the chassis and reseated the tube.

Perfect! No more static, just oodles of smooth bass. I love this combo already :)

Thanks to all who advised.
 
#50
sultanoswing said:
The GK CX210 cab finally arrived today. Plugged the shuttle 9.0 in using a brand new speakon cable and .. static background noise along with distorted bass notes.

Before getting overly worried, I remembered some old posts on here - so popped open the chassis and reseated the tube.

Perfect! No more static, just oodles of smooth bass. I love this combo already :)

Thanks to all who advised.
Click to expand...
Good deal, man. Glad you're digging it thus far.

If it continues to work well for you, it's easy enough to add a second, identical cab, if and when needed, down the road. Enjoy (or maybe that should be directed at your son!), meanwhile!

The 9.0 should be a good match with one or two of those cabs but be advised that if you really push it (via volume or lots of low end) you could damage the cab(s). As with anything, being attuned to the sound and feel of your rig is key -- if you hear things distort, compress -- or if turning up just results in things feeling congested instead of getting louder -- back off.

This would be the case with almost any reasonably powerful amp though -- and it's nothing mysterious. I'd feel fine using that head with one or two good 210s, myself.

Have fun!
 
#51
Thanks MarkA... Believe me, I'm keeping the gain and volume knobs under surveillance! The shuttle puts out 500w through 8Ohms. The CX210 is 400w RMS, and I don't know its mechanical limits - so there's a risk if everything was cranked on the amp, for sure.

That said, even running the 9.0 as follows: preamp gain 11am, preamp vol 1pm, master vol 930am, is plenty loud enough for our jams.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back