SteveC Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Ok, all the talk of "new rigs" and "finally got it" has given me a bad case of G.A.S. I am looking for some words of wisdom from all of you. I play in 2 groups. The first one is a jazz quartet that covers Yellowjackets, Spyro Gyra, etc. We play mostly small rooms and don't use a PA. We will use one for the occasional gig to beef up the sax and a little keys. The other is a 10 piece funk/soul band with 5 horns, Leslie, etc. We cover Tower of Power, EW&F, Wilson Picket, etc. We use a small PA for small rooms for vocals. Otherwise, it's a full blown set up with about 22 channels and I go DI. My basses are a pair of Modulus Q5's - one fretted one frettless - both with Bart pups and Bart 3 band preamp. I have an SWR WM10 and an SWR 2X10 cab. I currently use a WM10 by itself for rehearsal (it does keep, up believe it or not) and add the 2X10 for gigs to make a 3X10, 100 watt mini-stack. It really sounds pretty good, and is very portable, but I am wondering if I am missing out. I have been kicking around the idea of getting a 2 space rack bag with a preamp and a single space power amp and useing my 2X10 cab. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I realize it that tone, amps, cabs, etc. are very personal taste-type issues, but what the heck. I'm not made of money, but have never let that stop me. Names like Kern and Stewart have crossed my mind. If you made it through this long post, congratulations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 If I was going with something that compact, I'd get the SWR Intersteller Overdrive and . Peavey, of all companies, makes a great 1 space 1000W power amp. Benloy should be able to chime in here too, he just bought a new rig and I believe he went with 1 space stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattC Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 To quote Matthew Seligman (BP, Feb '02)- "The way to find a good bass player is to listen to his sound." I argue that portability and convience should be (albeit close) second to the sound. ...think funky thoughts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edendude Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Yep... For portability and tone I have my Eden WT300 head, and Eden D210T cab, but for loud gigs this rig can't beat my 540 watt GK-1001RB with my SWR WM4x10T cab. Lots of power and headroom and a 4x10 cab allow you full command of your stage sound. A big thick sound is definitley worth the hassle of lugging in a 4x10 and a powerful head. My Last Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kungfuken Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Sometimes one has to balance sound quality with practicality. I think you need an amp head with more headroom for the larger gigs. With your current power output, you are really missing out. Ever considered digital amps like Ampeg's PortaBass or the AcousticImage Clarus? They're ridiculously small and lightweight but they pack a punch. Now the tone might not be as warm as you're probably used to, so I always like to use a SansAmp bass driver DI. In the end, it's your call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edendude Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Well... If you're going that route... Eden's WT300 is the way to go. Arguably the best DI output in the biz, 300 watts RMS, it's 12 inches square, and weighs only 13 pounds. Completely kicks ass over the Ampeg Porta Bass head! But if I was playing with a funk band, horn section, and a Hammond, nothing less than a 4x10 cab with 350 to 550 watts would do for that gig. My Last Band Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Words of Wisdom from this group on GAS? While normally an impressive group, that's not our most "impartial" subject... First, it's great that your volume requirements are comparatively low. That means that you don't need double stacks !! Second, your sound is important - MattC's comments are well placed. The thing is that you can find good sound in small packages (you already have). I myself am on a long drawn-out quest for equipment (limited by cash). I have bought some high quality stuff, but it's slow going. The thing is that if we had lots of cash, we could have multiple rigs. It's that limitation that makes the shopping so interesting and difficult. I think getting a rack set-up sounds great. It gives you the power, clarity (I don't mean crystal-clear sound, so much as clearly getting the sound that you want), quality, and power (just in case). This will be an order of magnitude different than what you are playing. Will it sound that much better in your case? Maybe not! But you'll never wonder about having what you need. When you DI to the board, you'll know you have a first rate preamp going in.... Do you need it? Doesn't sound like you need anything. So take your time, and build it when you can!! Good Luck Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 What you have now may really be what you need. Especially if you're getting the sound you want. At the very least you can take some time and move slow on a rig change. You recently made a very conscious effort to strip down your equipment, so it might be worth remaining in your current situation a little longer. That said, I think that it is great that we can now get, as electric bass players, great tone and tons of power from a 1U tube preamp and a 1U solid state power amp that weigh all of about 20 lbs total (less than many lesser powered and tonally constricted heads!). I would like to move there myself one day. And we are also benefitting from cab designs that allow full-range, loud sound in smaller packages (like the Acme Low B2s, some EA cabs, some of the AccuGroove offerings, and the relatively recent releases of some very loud and great sounding 1x12s). My advice is that you take your time and experiment with different preamps and power amps and cabs as your time and circumstance allow. If I remember correctly, you did recently unload a 1U Demeter pre. Why run back to another 1U pre so soon? If your experimentation leads you to some sonic relevations, then go for it. Enjoy the journey! spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted January 21, 2003 Author Share Posted January 21, 2003 Good comments so far guys, thanks. I did recently downsize. I do go DI for the big gigs with the 10 piece band and have the "mini stack" there just in case, but it's barely turned up. We have a nice PA and we use In Ear monitors. Trying to cut down on lots of stage sound was the reason for going this route. I'm not sure what to do, so I'll probably do nothing for a while. I just like to be on top of things and have as nice a sound as I can, even for small rooms. Or should I say especially for small rooms. Tougher to hide. Any other thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cup Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 Excuse my ignorance, but what does G A S mean? I've read that term quite a bit recently and I hate not knowing what the rest of the world knows. "I do not suffer from paranoia, just galloping sensitivity" - Unknown author of a magazine article I read CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted January 21, 2003 Share Posted January 21, 2003 GAS stands for Gear Acquisition - the condition that people suffer from when the desire for gear becomes overwhelming. While frequently associated with musical equipment, this term has been applied in other areas such as computer technology, automotive paraphenalia, and sports equipment. Most often for musicians, this problem is stimulated by visiting music stores or by going to concerts. Symptoms range from glazed vision and minor low pitched moans to robbery and bankruptcy. Side effects have also included spousal abuse (against the musician, not by the musician), divorce, and police visits (due to sudden high volumes of music). While purchase of equipment will sometimes assuage the syndrome, the amount of time before the next attack varies greatly. Frequent viewing of bank statements (and college tuition bills where available) have limited effect. With the large number of musicians coming back into playing in middle age, the "mid-life crisis" diversion of sports cars and girls is being expanded to include handmade guitars, amplifiers, and home studio equipment. Most recently there have been some landmark lawsuits against some of the music manufacturers, claiming that they are making the equipment so attractive as to form addictive behaviors in musicians. These actions are being lauded by the same groups that filed suit against the cigarette manufacturers. So far retailers have not been included, but Lakland, Sadowsky, Stewart, MTD, Kern and Alembic are names mentioned in this regard. Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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