played bass @ church today...

thekingprawn · 02-28-2010, 05:52 PM

I really enjoy getting to play bass when the regular bassists are unavailable. However, I'm still convinced the line6 studio 110 I have is insufficient tonally and slightly underpowered for my needs. I made a trip to BassNW in Seattle a couple of weeks ago to play around and discovered that I really, really like the sounds of 15s. I played through a Hartke 2500/AK115 and was very impressed with the tone and the feel of it. I'm also interested in the LH500 head for its simplicity and headroom. I'd kind of like to check out the Acoustic B200H/B115, but I'm concerned about the weight (63lbs for the cab). Any thoughts on these setups? Any ideas on how I can get the big, deep sound of a 15 without needing a weight lifting regiment to get it to and from the church?

nbfan · 02-28-2010, 06:02 PM

maybe a head and 2x10 cab? the one we use at youth group fills the room quite well when paired with an Acoustic head.

thesteve · 02-28-2010, 06:10 PM

A big, deep sound comes from a big cab with a big speaker. You can go a little lighter with a neodymium speaker, but that's about it.

I've gotten decent results from a deep 2x10/4x10 cab, but even those can get pretty heavy.

Micahb · 02-28-2010, 06:15 PM

Did you try those amps into different cabinets?
Did you try the 15s with different heads?
You can get big deep sounds from 4x10s and 2x12s, also. Mess around and see what you find.

If you are set on a 15 and 63 lbs is too much, the Markbass Traveler 151P comes in at just under 40 pounds, but it won't be cheap.
It's the lightest 15 I have ever heard of.

thekingprawn · 02-28-2010, 06:41 PM

Micah, I'm really not into the MB sound. I find it a smidge too sterile. Also, my wife's driving skills have depleted my amp fund by a bit lately.
Nbfan, I've been pretty meh on 2x10's, but I've played very few of them. I tried out the ampeg micro-vr while I was at BNW. I liked the tone, but it still seemed a bit weak. Those cabs are rather shallow, so, to go with what thesteve said, the cab design might be the problem there.
I'll probably end up having to just suck it up and do the heavy lifting if I want certain songs to punch me in the gut when I'm digging in. Casters should help since I don't have any stairs to deal with. I'm hoping to get to guitar center soon to try the acoustic setup. It would be nice if it didn't cost me $20-$30 to try out any kind of variety of amps.
Thanks for the thoughts.

Ak_Man4Jesus · 02-28-2010, 07:08 PM

I played one for the first time last Saturday at church. I knew the basics, but never played one. The girl who playes guitar they wanted me to do the bass for a song she was gonna do, so I said OK, and did alright. It was fun. Now I want to get one.

thekingprawn · 02-28-2010, 07:26 PM

Ak, pretty much the same for me. We have too many guitar players and not enough bassists. After being badgered enough to pick it up I found I really like it and that it makes my guitar playing better because of all the theory involved. Hopefully the tone quest with bass will take less time and money than the guitar did.

Micahb · 02-28-2010, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekingprawn

Micah, I'm really not into the MB sound. I find it a smidge too sterile.

If you don't like Markbass you probably won't be able to find a 15 that is lighter then 60 lbs.

thekingprawn · 02-28-2010, 09:12 PM

GK has a 115 combo that is 33 lbs, 200W, and $400. If I liked the GK sound (I still need to demo it) I would be all over it. The Hartke cab is 54 lbs. It's probably about as close as I will get to the dream form factor and the classic rock sound. The acoustic would cost me 9 lbs but save me 300 bones. It's all still an academic exercise till I pay the speeding ticket (grrrr) and get some overtime at work.

Rainer. · 02-28-2010, 09:40 PM

Ooh, I've been to Bass NW a few times...

*has nothing more to add to conversation*

thekingprawn · 02-28-2010, 09:51 PM

There was much drooling, Rainer. I really liked the TC RH450, but there's no way I can justify spending that much on the rig I only play in public once or twice a quarter.

thesteve · 03-01-2010, 01:50 AM

I just remembered this now, but Acoustic recently unveiled a neodymium speakered 115 cab that might be worth checking out.

thekingprawn · 03-01-2010, 09:38 AM

It's heavier than the non-neo because the cab is made of mdf. And it costs twice as much as the B115, handles 400W though.

thesteve · 03-01-2010, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thekingprawn

It's heavier than the non-neo because the cab is made of mdf. And it costs twice as much as the B115, handles 400W though.

Have you seen it? I wouldn't trust published specs.

thekingprawn · 03-01-2010, 11:31 AM

There was a discussion about the weight issue on the TB forums and some guy from acoustic piped in and explained the situation. If it's at GC when I make it down there I'll still heft it just to verify how retarded it is to put a neo speaker in a cab 13 pounds heavier than one with a ferrous magnet.