Never thought I'd be making this thread (Head and cab Help)

[Scuba_Steve]

Okay so I don't normally play bass but some friends wanted me to play bass in their band a couple months ago.

After a couple months of borrowing gear, I'm going to try and get together a really basic rig. So far I have the actual bass (Fender MIM Jazz) and I have a head lined up (Acoustic 140, 125W with 200 peak, buying it for $250 CDN, seems like a rad deal to me)

what am I looking for in terms of cab? Tone isn't much of a big deal, I just want to know the basics so I don't end up ruining any of my equipment. Also, most of the shows we play are not miced so I need volume first and foremost.

[edgebass5]

While $250 CAD might seem like a good deal, you're not going to get much out of a 125 watt head if you're playing venues with no PA support. I would suggest looking on the used market (ebay, talkbass, etc.) until you can find something in your price range with more power. Unless you've got a really efficient cab (i.e. Bill Fitzmaurice, Schroeder, etc.) I wouldn't bother with that head.

[TriggerNYC]

word. u want at LEAST 300w unmiced/no DI support. at LEAST 300w.


edit: 100th post.

[rh15951]

word. u want at LEAST 300w unmiced/no DI support. at LEAST 300w.


edit: 100th post.

300 Watts don't make any noise without a cab.

[Scuba_Steve]

I should clarify, the venues my band will be playing unmiced/no DI consist primarily of house shows. As long as I can get above drums it's not a big deal.

Thus far, anything larger than these shows included Mic and DI support, I'm not really worried about having to play conventional venues this way.

[FunkMetalBass]

I should clarify, the venues my band will be playing unmiced/no DI consist primarily of house shows. As long as I can get above drums it's not a big deal.

Thus far, anything larger than these shows included Mic and DI support, I'm not really worried about having to play conventional venues this way.

Regardless, in a room with bad acoustics, 125W wont get you very far. If you're buying gear anyways, you might as well make it really nice for the price. Have you checked used head prices on Craigslist? You can probably get a nice Ampeg or Peavey head with more wattage for the price.

[Scuba_Steve]

I should have also noted that it may just be this amp, but according to harmony central reviews people have no problem with the volume level, even unmiced.

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Bass+Amp/product/Acoustic+Control+Corporation/140+Head/10/1

I appreciate the help, but I mainly posted this to find out what I needed to know when pairing it up with a cabinet, something I have very little experience with.

[TriggerNYC]

300 Watts don't make any noise without a cab.

he had a 125w head lined up. i was suggesting he not spend money on a head and cab that wont be good enough. he should go bigger bc he can always lower the volume, u cant turn it up if you dont have the power.

[rh15951]

he had a 125w head lined up. i was suggesting he not spend money on a head and cab that wont be good enough. he should go bigger bc he can always lower the volume, u cant turn it up if you dont have the power.

You can't turn it up if you havent got a cab either :p

A decent cab can make up for a lack of amplifier power - for example putting 180W through my 4x10 cab is louder than putting 300W through my 2x10.

[FunkMetalBass]

You can't turn it up if you havent got a cab either :p

A decent cab can make up for a lack of amplifier power - for example putting 180W through my 4x10 cab is louder than putting 300W through my 2x10.

That's because # of speakers = volume.

The Wattage just the power.

[rh15951]

That's because # of speakers = volume.

The Wattage just the power.

Exactly.

[Scuba_Steve]

okay so I'm just looking for something that has the same resistance as the head (4 ohms) and a higher wattage rating so i dont blow speakers?


is that all I need to worry about?

[FunkMetalBass]

okay so I'm just looking for something that has the same resistance as the head (4 ohms) and a higher wattage rating so i dont blow speakers?


is that all I need to worry about?

In short, yes...but not too much higher.


There are a million other factors you' might also consider. Some cabs will give you the RMS wattage for different resistances (2, 4, and 8 ohms are the standard). That gives you a bit more selection cab-wise.

You also need to see if your head is bi-ampable, that is, it can power two separate cabinets. If this is the case, pay careful attention to the wattage as it should give you the power and resistance handling when biamped and the power and resistance handling when bridged.

I hope that didn't confuse you too much. There's so much that goes into purchasing gear that it can definitely get confusing.

[TriggerNYC]

That's because # of speakers = volume.

The Wattage just the power.

i know that. i was just saying.