Will a head and cab be better than a combo

In my experience, combos are fairly clumsy to lift and carry. I've never owned a combo that had the handles at the balance point so they're just a pain in the , um, back to move. Some are set up for casters, but that doesn't help on stairs. Now I have separate heads and cabs. Class d heads are very light. My Rumble has a nice carrying case. My cabs all have casters on them, and the handles are installed at balance points. I've played some really nice sounding combos, but I'll never go back to them because they're so difficult for me to transport.
The Mesa Walkabout fits the bill here, such a pain in the a** to shlep but what a great amp it is..
 
Hey guys I've been playing in my band for the past six months or so when I started out I bought a Fender BXR 330c combo amp for like $100. My band plays alternative music kinda like the Clean or American Football and I like to use drive pedals in my playing.

I've always had issues with this amp. Firstly it is just so loud, I find it hard getting it on a volume that doesn't deafen me while not sounding a bit lame. Two it has no DI out so that means I can't shape my tone when playing live gigs to what i'd really like it to be. Three it doesn't have any gain to speak of its really clean and a bit boring sounding. But the most difficult thing about it is the fact it is soooooo heavy. I was playing a gig and threw my back out taking it up like three steps (it weighs an absolute god damn tonne).

I've got a bit of money together and i've been looking around at other stuff. I am more inclined to get a head and cab just because I think they look a bit better and as far as I can tell they sound better.

The things I've been looking at are the Peavey MiniMax 500, the markbass nano 300, and the Orange Bass Terror 500. The cheapest cabs I can find is either a laney 1x15 or a 2x10.

But the question I have to ask is will I really worth selling my combo and buying a head and cab or will I still have the same issue?
I would say a separate amp and cab is better than a combo, but they both have their place. I played through the Nano 300 and it sounded amazing. I sent it back due to a broken DI on the back of the amp, but it really sounded good. The nano is built very well. I've played through a couple of MiniMax amps in stores and didn't care for the tone of the amp.
 
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I loved the BXR300c. A truly great amp. It has an HPF in it and all. Great tone. One of the best combos around at the time. But amp tech has come a long way in the past 30 years, and you don't need that weight. Do your back a favour and get a smaller combo, or a head and cab. There's no "might" about it. You are looking at future back problems if you are continually moving that thing up and down stairs on your own. A Rumble 500 would do the job, though the DI does not, I believe, offer pre-post EQ selection.
 
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Little amp rig - grab and go combo is convenient.

Big rig - components are easier to carry and give flexibly.

If I only had 1 rig I'd get my favorite head and a variety of cabs that suit different scenarios
Yes Sir just like this!
 
With all the light, powerful combos available now (Fender Rumbles, G-K, etc.), I think they've become a much more viable option for regular gigs. For example, a Rumble 500 2x10 combo is actually lighter than one of my first-gen G-K Neo112 cabs, and it sounds great. And for some gigs, you only need a stage monitor and DI, so a decent combo is plenty.

But the flexibility of head/cab is still an advantage. For example, I've played some gigs and venues with a supplied cabinet, but no head. Even if I ditch my speaker cabs for a lightweight combo, I'd keep my MB-500 head for these situations.
 
With all the light, powerful combos available now (Fender Rumbles, G-K, etc.), I think they've become a much more viable option for regular gigs. For example, a Rumble 500 2x10 combo is actually lighter than one of my first-gen G-K Neo112 cabs, and it sounds great. And for some gigs, you only need a stage monitor and DI, so a decent combo is plenty.

But the flexibility of head/cab is still an advantage. For example, I've played some gigs and venues with a supplied cabinet, but no head. Even if I ditch my speaker cabs for a lightweight combo, I'd keep my MB-500 head for these situations.
Unless you have a combo where the head is easily detachable and usable on its own, your thoughts here are exactly why I lean towards separate pieces as they offer all kind of flexibility and options for very little to no convenience downside.
 
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Oh I meant like my friends have always told me buy an expensive head and just run it through anything but a lot of people have said to buy a better cab than just the cheapo one

IME, if your combo has an extension speaker out, switching to a modular rig can be accomplished in a series of steps as your budget permits.

I believe your BXR 330c does permit an extension speaker cab to be connected as long as the impedance of the ext. cab is 8 ohms. So, if you find a great cab, get it and use it as an extension speaker until you can buy an amp head.

Then, you could sell the combo to help finance a second identical cabinet, OR, keep the combo as a spare/rehearsal amp, and save up for a second (identical!) speaker cabinet. Used is your friend, but with the above strategy, you can buy new gear if you are patient.

The downsides of the above strategy: It is a drag to schlepp the combo and a cab. Worse yet, EQing a rig with mixed cabs is usually problematic. The frequency response of the two cabinets may not be similar, making it hard to get a sound that you like.
I've been there. It is very motivating for saving up for a new head, LOL!
 
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Now that heads fit into a gig bag, and cabs are light, I would say go head and cab. 10 years ago I would have said combo.
And yes your BXR sounds rodent like. It always did.
Concerning you D.I. output, your front of house person gets you your front of house tone. You are allowed and encouraged to work with him/her. There is a good chance that if you use a post eq D.I. and start fiddling with it, your FOH person will come on to the stage with a machete and teach you about messing with his sound. Consider your EQ to be for you are your band mates listening pleasure.
 
I bought a BXR300 combo back in 1996 as my only bass rig . I liked it but after hauling it back and forth from home to practice and up and down a staircase everytime I built a headcase for the amp and another speakercab so all I had to hall back and forth was the head . I've had nothing but heads and cabs ever since . If it had been light like the Rumble 500 combo it might have been a different story .
 
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Bought a Fender rumble 100 when my ancient Yamaha combo died. It was decent, and very light weight. A month later I sold it because I found great deals on a Genzler Magellan 800 & a Mesa Subway 15. Massively better, but even with the incredible used deals it cost 2.5x and weighs about 2x. Totally worth it!

I say research which amp heads & cabs you’d really like & hunt for used deals. In the long run it will save you money. (I took a beating on the rumble)
 
I have the fender BXR300C amongst 4 other heads and all different cabs and I think the fender is a great combo yeah its heavy but its loud, clean sound that is great by itself but also a good platform for effects and usually cheap money but honestly playing shows I need heads because most shows they will have a house cab around here so I reach for the class D head if its a big house of blues size show I'm bringing one of my heavy tube heads and big cabs . the big combo I use that when I'm sketchy about where I'm jamming and leaving it there doesn't bother me as much as my boogie stuff so if you have an early sound check just leave the combo there who cares.. my band is currently in a place where most of the rooms in the building are squatters so that's the perfect place to leave the big combo. keep the combo but get a head and cab too,, the combo will come in handy later trust me.
 
You are only $100 NZ/US into the combo and not digging it. No biggie. Someone will give you at least what you paid for it sooner or later.

For $1600 NZ you should be able to find something quite serviceable and much easier to shift, combo or head and cab.

A lot of the stuff listed on Trademe is overpriced junk. The rest is overpriced. Every now and then some really good deals pop up.

Looks like a couple of NZ professionals are importing gear they like to try out and flipping it. I've seen virtually new Ampeg, Barefaced, Quilter, GenzBenz all go very reasonably. Orange seems to sit beyond anyone's pocket.
 
You are only $100 NZ/US into the combo and not digging it. No biggie. Someone will give you at least what you paid for it sooner or later.

For $1600 NZ you should be able to find something quite serviceable and much easier to shift, combo or head and cab.

A lot of the stuff listed on Trademe is overpriced junk. The rest is overpriced. Every now and then some really good deals pop up.

Looks like a couple of NZ professionals are importing gear they like to try out and flipping it. I've seen virtually new Ampeg, Barefaced, Quilter, GenzBenz all go very reasonably. Orange seems to sit beyond anyone's pocket.

Its good to see another New Zealander on this site!
 
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I think a preamp will be an important piece of the puzzle. Find one you like the sound of, then you can buy a head/cab based on price, weight and power and you don’t have to worry about the tone of the amp as much. Happy hunting!
 
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I suggest separate amp and cabinet. There are a load of great class D amps that are very lightweight, lots of power
and sound great. Here's a TC Electronic that has 500 watts, weighs 5.1 pounds, has a Speakon out and XLR.
Only $248 in the US. Just an example. It is nice to have two Speakon or 1/4" outs so you can hook up two cabs
if desired. TC Electronic Thrust BQ500 500-Watt Compact Bass Head
I use two of these GK neo cabs. They've gone up in price since I bought them. I would also suggest going used if
you can. You'll save money. Gallien-Krueger Neo 112-II 1x12" 400-Watt Neo Cabinet w/Horn 8-Ohm
 
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Excellent replies so far.
I like using a combo amp when I'm on a big stage with FOH support and there are other acts on the bill, causing me to have to hustle quickly on and off stage.
I'm always a bit obsessive about bringing two of everything, in case something breaks. (This has almost never happened, but I do it anyway. :confused:) In the scenario described above, the FOH support is there if the combo amp fails. For every other situation, I like to bring a cabinet and two heads. Having two heads also gives you flexibility with your sound, depending on the acoustics of the venue. In time, you can build up a collection of heads and cabs to mix and match depending on the acoustics, the music, what bass(es) you're using, etc.
So, I'd recommend the head and cab option, and don't skimp on the quality of the cab. As others have said, you might be able to find an affordable used one made by one of the many major non-boutique companies (Ampeg, Gallien-Krueger, Fender (the Rumble line is good), etc.)
Also, make sure you have a good speaker cable! I like 14 gauge weight. Buy a couple, and take good care of them.