Hypothetical Rig Question

[anothertxn]

I might be coming into some money in the not too distant future, so I want some advice from the gallery in terms of how to invest this windfall. Pretend $2500 is to be spent (total, no bending) on amplification and speaker equipment, with both the amp and the cab below gone: what would you do with it? I know three things I want.

 

1) Tubes: the more, the better. I've tried hybrids, but they don't do much for me.

2) Bi-amp: looking at 1x15 or 1x18 that can handle extreme lows and loops, and a 2x10 or so for the highs.

3) Tone: Reference points include Jesus Lizard, Trevor Dunn, Isis. I want to be able to get an aggresive pick tone as well as a massive thump.

 

Conditions:

1) I'd prefer new, in case I need to use a warantee.

2) I need something I can actually find, rather than something I have to wait 6 months for to appear on ebay.

 

If I can spend less, that would be great. I've got a few things in mind, including Acme cabs and the usual standards when it comes to heads (SVT, 400+), but I'm interested to hear other suggestions. Racks and all that are fair game as well. Fire away, and thanks in advance.

 

EDIT: Recomendations on replacement pickups that would reduce noise from my bass are also welcome. Thanks again.

[bassman1956]

Go with a quality 1x15 and 2x10, and add a great all-tube head, like this:

 

 

$1200 as she sits, with $600 in the head, bought brand new, and $600 in the cabs, bought used, would be about $1100 new.

 

Okay, that shows a Traynor YBA-200 head. Not bad. Actually, I've been very pleased with it! But, if you can, a Sunn/Fender, 400+, etc, are higher-dollar all-tube heads with more power. Bi-amp? Buy 2.

[anothertxn]

 

Originally posted by bassman1956 Bi-amp? Buy 2.

 

 

No, I really do need to bi-amp. I play in drop-D, and occasionally I'll drop that down an octave with my Whammy. If I don't cross that over and have a speaker dedicated for that sort of thing, I'll blow all my speakers again, just like I did with my Ampeg.

[beam]

Hmm, I'm not sure about the biamping, but the meanest tube heads I can think of are an SVT, a Mesa 400+, and one of the old Trace V-series heads.

[burdizzos]

Could you use a solid state power amp for the lows?

 

If it's going to be crossed over, all you're after with the low speaker is the fundamental frequency anyway.

 

It would make sense to run preamp, crossover, lows to the SS power amp, highs to a tube head with all of you effects except the whammy in the loop of the tube head.

 

That way you'd get huge lows and tube tone for days.

 

 

BBE B-MAX-T Tube Bass Preamp $600

DBX 223 Crossover $150

QSC RMX 850 $300

Traynor YBA200 $640

Yorkville LS608 $500

Yorkville XC210 $400

 

 

Just under $2600, but you could easily do better by shopping around. Those are the standard retail price.

[beam]

$200

 

http://www.bassnw.com/usedamps.htm

 

1x18" SWR Big Ben with a Bag End driver.

Supposed to be a pretty tight 18"

 

As for pickup suggestions for your Jazz bass, I'd suggest the DiMarzio UltraJazz pups. Humcanceling humbuckers that give you a pretty fat jazzy tone. You won't get that single coil snap, but they will boost your low and low-mid responce by quite a fair margin.

They are damn near identical to the design that Sadowsky uses for their humcanceling jazz pickups. You can land a set of new ones at www.bestbassgear.com for $100.

Clips

 

Another preamp suggestion, along with burdizzos's:

 

The Fender TBP-1

Tube preamp and has it's own distortion circuit, if you ever wanted to dial that in.

 

Also there is the Ashdown RPM-1 Preamp, which is just a little bit more expensive, but has a nice rich tube tone to it that would suffice as well. It's the same preamp that goes into their hybrid EVO II series ABM heads. It's also got an octaver built in that might add some extra depth to your lows.

 

Lastly, there is the Ampeg SVP-CL preamp for $500. It's the same preamp that goes into the SVT heads, and gives a really nice non-distorted fat tube tone.

[FebruaryStars]

I play a SWR SM-500 through a Mesa Powerhouse 1000 (4x10 1x15)

 

My band uses a tuning that equates to C# as the low... My rig can handle it with no problem... That cab is a monster, it handles the low noted accented with authority like nothing.

 

My amp however is a hybrid... and I love it. I swear by the SWR SM line. It's been a staple in the industry for years for a reason.

[anothertxn]

Thanks for the suggestions. I wonder if the Traynor will have enough grit to it to make me happy. I used to have one of the old YBAs before it exploded...I really liked that amp, but in retrospect it proved more middle of the road than I desired. Assuming I go with something like the Mesa 400+, would I ijust send that to the 2x10 and then use the poweramp to hit the 1x15? Second, Guitar Center here in town has two used Eden cabs, a 2x10 and 1x15, selling for around $500 each. Would that be a better bet than something like the Bag End, or should I go with the BE 1x18?

 

Also, does anyone have an opinion on the Acme cabs? They seem designed for the kind of lows I plan on putting out, but I'm not sure how people view them tonally. Thanks for your help.

[illidian]

Acme's are flatter than anything out there. The cost is how power hungry they are.

 

If you plan to back them up with a large poweramp (start at the QSC RMX1450) they would be about ideal for providing the lows without a lot of their own character.

 

phatster bi-amps I believe (or planned to).

[phunkyhick]

What is the lowest note that you actually hit with the Whammy?

 

I have 2 Mesa/Boogies, a 400 and a 400+. I bought the 400 on ebay, and it turned out to be a real lemon, and pain in the ass to fix. So then I bought a 400+. I re-tubed it and had a slightly micrphonic tube. After a few months, I had pretty much ruined that tube, and I had to set the amp on a cushioned chair, because it would get a horrible sound every time the bad tube vibrated. Well the 400 got fixed, and I've been rockin' it ever since. I don't have the 180 bucks to retube the 400+, yet. The 400 is easier to carry.

 

Anyways, I run the Mesa into an Avatar 2x10 PROat all times, sometimes I augment it with a 1x15 PRO, depending on the situation and my level of laziness. My bandmates bitch that I am too loud with the 210 alone sometimes. And I use a jazz bass, tuned BEAD, Timmy C style. I run the preamp anywhere from 6-8, depending on my strings, soundman, etc.

 

Anyways, get Avatar PRO speakers, and the Mesa, or an Ampeg. You will be well under your budget and very satisfied. Bass 400's go between 600-1000 dollars. I prefer them to Ampegs, personally. I think that the Ampeg is better for a P-bass, and the Mesa is better for a J-bass.

[T. Alan Smith]

Mesa Boogie 400+.

Bag End cab configuration of choice.

 

Well, that's what I'd do!