Members xRolandx Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 I'm thinking about buying a cheap-ish bass combo because of lack of money because all thats happening at the moment is maybe the odd band practice. Is it possible for me to purchase a bass combo that might be used later to connect to a cab? Because i'd prefer to spend the money progressivaly, rather then dish out loads of money on something that might not be needed. cheers:thu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members johnny6644 Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Many combos have extension cab plugs. Just check for plugs on the back or check the specs if you're buying online. Very common. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members liko Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Yeah, most combos can take an extension cab of the same impedance as the built-in speakers. In my case my Peavey combo is 4 ohms by itself, minimum load 2 ohms. It currently has the matching 4ohm 2x10 speaker, giving me something like a 300W half-stack. The 2 things to watch out for are the impedance and power rating. Impedance is a biggie; make sure you don't run the amp at less than its minimum load. 9 times out of 10 the extension cab on your combo will be directly in parallel with the built-in speakers. The formula for resistance goes like this: the inverse (1/x) of total resistance is equal to the sum of the inverses of the resistance of each parallel path. In other words, two 8-ohms cabs have a resistance of 1/(1/8+1/8) = 1/(1/4) = 4 ohms. An 8-ohm cab and a 4 ohm cab have a resistance of 1/(1/8+1/4) = 1/(3/8) = 8/3 ~= 2.667 ohms. Take that last case; that rating is just fine for an amp with a 2-ohm minimum load, but it overloads an amp with a 4-ohm minimum. Overloading an amp damages the amp and the speakers, as the amp is outputting more current than it is rated for and the speakers are spreading the extra wattage among them which may be more than THEY are rated for. Like I said above, most combos have a minimum load that is half the normal load of the combo, allowing you to add one cab of the same impedance as the combo by itself. With most combos power handling isn't a big issue, but it can be; always make sure that the extension cab is rated for at least half the wattage the amp will output at the load the rig will be operating at. For instance, my amp outputs 300W at its minimum 2-ohm load. The extension cab is rated for 175W, so the 150W maximum the amp will pump into it is just fine (I don't max out my amp anyway). However, I might find myself in trouble if I tried to use this cab as an extension for a GK 1001RB combo, which runs at 480W at minimum load. I would also find myself in trouble if I looked at the 210W power output of the combo by itself and thought a 125W cab would be plenty. Overpowering a speaker cab overheads the speaker cones and can burn out, warp or dislodge the voice coil. In the extreme you could rip the cones right out of the cab. More to what I thought this thread was going to ask when I clicked on it, there are combos that are pretty much made of a commercially-available head in a rackspace built into a speaker cab. GK's Artist series combos are like this; the exact same Artist Series heads (700RB/1001RB) that you can buy seperately are simply screwed in and hooked up into a speaker cab, and can be removed and used as a seperate head if you so desire. Carvin also did/does this with their Redline series amp heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rummy Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua=en&cat=3&vedi=39 :D:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xRolandx Posted September 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Im planning to buy online and when I mean cheap i mean a max of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members johnny6644 Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Look at Ashdown stuff... avoid Behringer if possible. If you can get Behringer there. Maybe an Ashdown Electric Blue 15-180 or Ashdown Five FifteenCombo Bass Amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted September 12, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted September 12, 2007 I'm thinking about buying a cheap-ish bass combo because of lack of money because all thats happening at the moment is maybe the odd band practice.Is it possible for me to purchase a bass combo that might be used later to connect to a cab? Because i'd prefer to spend the money progressivaly, rather then dish out loads of money on something that might not be needed.cheers:thu: Mesa has a combo with a removable head. The Cub or something like that. IIRC it's whippin' 'spensive. Just get a decent small combo. You'll always need one....unless you figger you won't be doing small band practices or local small gigs in a few years. You really only need a big amp/cab rig for large venues with {censored}ty PA support. Otherwise, the combo is your stage monitor, or the whole rig for a smaller venue, and you run a DI to the PA for the majority of your room support. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members xRolandx Posted September 12, 2007 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Yeah, but considering that what would be the best setup on a combo to have?Ideally I dont want to spend hardly any more as im a skanky kid with no job, who'll need money for a future in University. soooo the choice is rather limited.I doubt anything major will happen with our band, so its just a matter of something that'll do the job and make it sound average Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roguetitan Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 A combo will never be a head however you can run an extention cab off of your combo if your combo is equipped to do so.:poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted September 12, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted September 12, 2007 A combo will never be a head Actually it can. Found what I mentioned in my previous post: http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Bass_Amps/walkabout/WalkaboutScout/WalkScout.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members johnny6644 Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Yeah, but considering that what would be the best setup on a combo to have?Ideally I dont want to spend hardly any more as im a skanky kid with no job, who'll need money for a future in University.soooo the choice is rather limited.I doubt anything major will happen with our band, so its just a matter of something that'll do the job and make it sound average Look at Ashdown stuff... avoid Behringer if possible. If you can get Behringer there. Maybe an Ashdown Electric Blue 15-180 or Ashdown Five Fifteen Combo Amp.________________ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Yorkville BM400 combo is a 400W 1x15 & you can remove the head from the cab and use it as a rackmount if you want. It's also 2Ohm stable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jonathan_matos5 Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 i imagine this could to the trick in fact its one of those things on my GAS list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members johnny6644 Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 His price range is around $300. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members claypoolfan Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 This amp has XLR Direct Out with A.I.R. processing, for direct hook up to a board. Lots of other cool features too. It models 4 different famous rigs. its 75watts and goes for about $250. U.S.I have the LD150 and really like it. Go test drive one when you get the chance.http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-Low-Down-Studio-110-Combo-Bass-Amp-?sku=480048 Line6 LD75 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted September 12, 2007 Moderators Share Posted September 12, 2007 Actually it can. Found what I mentioned in my previous post:http://www.mesaboogie.com/Product_Info/Bass_Amps/walkabout/WalkaboutScout/WalkScout.htm I own the 12" version. The head is removable, but the rack ears are extra money, as with anything Mesa. And you're right about the cost. New I think it was $1199. Definitely not something that is in the price range of the OP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob O'Brian Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 Not played one myself but I think Ashdown would be the obvious choice in that price range... try looking at used gear too. Fireball-73 seems pretty chuffed with Ashdown EB-180 or whatever it is. Oh hang on I think it died or something recently No need to spend a fortune. HCBF isn;t as bad as some places but I find internet forums tend to persuade you to always up your budget, it cna be easy to lose perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zachoff Posted September 12, 2007 Members Share Posted September 12, 2007 His price range is around $300. You can maybe get a BM400 for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMS Author Craig Vecchione Posted September 12, 2007 CMS Author Share Posted September 12, 2007 If it were me, I'd get a Peavey combo used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.