Cab recommendation.....
 

The Ampeg 410HLF is a good little cabinet for sure. With a 500W RMS rating and 48Hz-18KHz Frequency Response it can pump. It does weigh 110lbs and has great wheels and tow bar; just be prepared to bend over to pull it though as it is a low profile cab.

If you want a GREAT cabinet with half the weight, go with the Eden 210XST. At 59lbs, 30Hz-14KHz and 500W Power Handling, you cannot beat it. I would challenge anyone to give it a shot, just aint gonna happen, I promise.;)

Cab suggestion.....
 

Eden 210XST.

Well, I did try (and have owned) a number of different amps and cabs over the years (most recently a Trace Elliot rig from the early 90s), but I guess the main reason I went with the Epifani cabs is because they have been the only ones (to me) that reproduce the same bass sound that I hear in my head. It's hard to describe with words. They just have the tone that I like, especially with the Smith basses. To my ears, the T115 with the UL210 and the 502 amp reproduces that tone I've always wanted to hear. The T115 is a little bit heavy, but the UL series cabs are so easy to move, which is a plus.

There are a lot of great cabs available from many high quality builders, and to say which is better or worse (to me) is pointless, because it's whatever works best for the individual player. I've found that the Epifani line just speaks to me. The Walter Woods with the UL112 is a great compact rig, although I've read that some don't like the WW amps with the UL cabs. Again, all very subjective, but it works well for me.

Back-UP Bass Head
 

Being that I utilize the Ampeg SVT Classic all Tube Bass head I thought it wise to invest in a back-up head, for the times I need to have my tube head serviced. I decided on the Ampeg B2RE.

http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/7492/b2roh3.jpg





The Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head cranks out 450W of solid state thunder at 4 ohms, 250W at 8 ohms. 3-band rotary and 9-band graphic equalizers let you hone in on the perfect sound for your style. 1/4" and Neutrik Speakon speaker outputs, XLR balanced line out, preamp out/power amp in jacks, and effects loop. And don't forget that killer Ampeg tone!
Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head Features:

• 450W @ 4 ohms, 250W @ 8 ohms
• 3-band rotary EQ
• 9-band graphic EQ
• -15dB input pad
• Neutrik Speakon and 1/4" speaker outs
• Preamp out/power amp in
• XLR balanced line out
• Effects loop

Ampeg B2RE Rack Bass Head Specifications:

• 19"D x 3-1/2"H x 15"D
• 26 lbs.

Ampeg XLR out to house......
 

Albert, I'm curious, on your Ampegs (ID which one), do you have a Line Output Level control? If so and if you use it, how effective/strong is that signal +/- Adj. to the house running an XLR Line Out?

On my SVT III Pro head, the Line Output Level IMO is weak at best. For the sake of comparison, my Eden heads have an Output Level send and they are anything but weak! XLR sends out of the back of these amps with any +/- adjustment to Output Level is significant (pre or post EQ)!

What has your experience been with the Ampegs?

I mainly run stock, meaning I never run through the house system or even a stationary board. My reasoning for this currently is because the board we have at our church and the speaker system installed is shall I say less than desirable, so I mainly run direct. Sorry my friend.:o

Clarification...
 

I'm confused. You said you "never run through the house" but then say you say you "mainly run direct"??? :confused: If you are running "direct" than I would interpret that to be, running out (i.e. XLR out) to the house.

I think what I am hearing you say is that, you let the Cab carry the house, correct?

No sir, not at all I must be more specific when I'm speaking with my brother who is so techno literate, in essence I run directly from my axe into my SVT Classic Bass head into my Bass cabs.:rolleyes:

Ok, I think....
 

Ok, I think we are on the same page now. If you ever get a chance to run XLR out to the house, please let me know how strong the Output Level send is out of the Ampeg. ;)

No question consider it done, I'm hoping that our place of worship upgrades it's sound system this year. It really needs to the equipment isn't really that bad, it's just the way it's currently arraigned that's not appealing sound wise to me. Oh by the way here's a shot of my 6 string Kens currently repairing the neck on, I coped this off of eBay but it had some neck issues. I'm praying Ken can restore it without destroying my wallet. LOL

http://img112.imageshack.us/img112/7771/lilalik4.jpg

6-String fix....
 

The 6 looks like a 6MW (looks like Ebony front with a Tiger Maple Core - if so, nice wood choice!). What was wrong with the neck? At any rate, you can count on a top-notch job from Ken at a fair price. ;)

The 6 is a CR6 my brother, I know Ken will take good care of the neck for me and my wallet. Hey you get what you pay for and I want my 6 bumpin, so I got to pay the price. The neck had a broken truss rod and the frets were worn down due to someone inadvertently attempting to adjust the neck not realizing the truss rod was not reacting properly.:cool:

Not a problem....
 

Ken can handle this just fine. Just let him do what he needs to do and when you get it back, it will play like a new bass. :D

I mainly play Contemporary Gospel. The rig I leave at church is a Thunderfunk head and a Bergantino Ht-322 cabinet. I also have a Walter Woods high power stereo head and another Ht-322. Because my church is not in the best neighborhood I prefer not to leave the Walter Woods there. (Yes in Cleveland Ohio some sick people do break into churches.)

Sick people....
 

Hi Willie, by the way, I am actually from Dayton, Ohio. :eek:

I would never leave my gear any place I played. Unfortunetly, there are thieves all around us, inside and outside of Church, but you are among the wiser to protect your gear accordingly. ;)

I used to use this:

http://www.btinternet.com/~garethand...ulworthrig.JPG

But I have recently gone to this as a more versatile, lighter, simpler rig:




http://www.btinternet.com/~garethandsteph/PICT2101.JPG

Still Epifani though - won't use anything else now.

Cheers

Gareth

Nice rig, but man I love that quilt!

I know. It's a stunning bass.

Bass Amp used - Alembix F1X/Trace Elliot V-type and Bag End Speakers
 

I generally use the Alembic F1X preamp, but I also have a Trace Elliot V-Type pre amp. Both have that creamy tube tone. The V-types are underrated. For speakers, I use Bag End 2x10 and a 4x10 both with the coaxial speaker. For extra bottom I use a custom speaker Nahas - 1x15 and horn - wedge shape cabinet; and pointing directly up at me - like a monitor speaker - but for the bass!

Once in a while I connect them all together - spread the all over the room with long cablies - it's just too much - and it sounds so full and clean. I got that multiple speaker idea from and old guitar-player magazine article form 1983 - multiple speakers really works well for balancing out the sound of the bass - if you are not going through the PA.

Chris, that's HOT, I like that idea of the multiple speakers I got to try that out. Your avatar photo, what type of Bass is that? I know its at least a 6 or is it a 7.
Al Smith

Avatar Photo - it's a 7-string - MD7
 

Al, that is "THE" bass! Just sitting on the stand - many people look and go --- "oohhhh".

The MD-7 is a heavy bass also. Luckily I can strap her on and play a few tunes - easily. Big Shoulders!

You can hear the tone of this bass well in the below video link.

Here is a youtube.com video link:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=RgYJbwvmkms

You have to be careful with spreading out your speakers. You can wind up really messing up the sound distribution in the room due to phase interference from the different speaker distances.

Chris, that was on point, great video it looks as though you and your group were having fun. Great groove.
Al:cool:

I couldn't help but notice the drummer toss a stick up in the air around 1:08 :p Good recovery though ;) he was not even phased by it :D

Wow, I didn't even notice that.. you're right.. that was a good recovery.. he never even wavered on the timing while he was fishing out a replacement. That's a pro drummer there man..

Aguilar
 

Does anyone on the board play out of the new Aguilar 810 cabinets?
I've heard good things about the clarity and over all tone produced by the cab, some people are rating it a close second to the Ampeg 810E.


http://img409.imageshack.us/img409/1...t810elgwv1.jpg

http://img246.imageshack.us/img246/9...b810grnlf2.jpg

Amp Rig for Smiths
 

Euphonic Audio iAMP-600 Head
Avalon U5
(For recording and I sometimes use as a pre for the iAMP power section)
Euphonic Audio VL-210 Cab
Euphonic Audio VL-110 Cab x2
Gramma Platform

Been a great match for everything I plug in and the Smith's sound superb through it.

Not Weak at All
 

Tim, I finally got the opportunity to run out of my SVT Classic XLR jack, which is my preamp output. I ran it to through the house system at the church we visited last Thursday evening. It was anything but weak, no problem with output.

Hmmmm....
 

Hmmmm, so, on the SVT Classic, I would assume there is no output level control, just the XLR out? :confused: If this is the case, we are comparing apples to oranges. I was hoping your other Ampeg amp would have a similar output control as my SVT III Pro.

Correct-o-mondo
 

That's correct my brother, you have the Pro-Series same as Vic-Woo (big dollar-bill) your equipment is the state of the art, I have the classic joints with the Motown sound, two different flavors my brother.:cool:

Al,

I just picked up a DB 410 Monster Green. I compare it to the Ampeg 410 Hlf - but with more clarity. It is very loud and has very good presence in the room. I especialy like the size since I do not have a truck to haul cabs around. I can see the comparison between both 810 cabs.

Hope it helps!

Bill Doss

Comparison
 

Thanks Bill, for your response, my question to you though is when you say more clarity then the SVT410HLF are you referring to the low end or the high end of the spectrum? I personally have not played through the DB 410 so I cant be objective on this one, but I do play through the Ampegs daily.

Aguilar Db series cabinets
 

Al,

I would say that the main diference in the low mids and lows. The DB is a little less boomy than the 410 Hlf, but more agressive sounding in the low mids. The very low frequencies are there but they are tighter than the ampeg.

My opinion is that Aguilar created these cabinets with the specific intent of winning over some Ampeg users. It is mainly a rock cabinet and not hi-fi sounding at all. I have used the GS series cabinets from Aguilar and the SVT 410 hlf. To my ears the DB has more in common with the ampeg than with its cousins.

BD

I would concur...
 

Bill, I would concur with your assessment of the 410HLF cabinet. I've used the 410, 610 and 810 as well. I currently have the 610HLF. Great cabs, just a different flavor.

Because I use Eden Cabs exclusively (any combination of the 210XST, 410XLT, or 115XLT), I have not found anything (at this time) that would warrant a change to a different Cab for me. I would rate the Eden Cabs as "among the best", if not THE best: The cleanest 30Hz-14KHz that's ever passed between my ears. ;)

In The Ear of The Bass Player
 

Thank you both Bill and Tim for your expert opinions, I feel as though Tim really hit home with his ending comment. Its all about "What's Sounds Best in The Ear of The Bass Player", that's what ultimately determines what Bass or rig he/she plays, or plays through. If we all had the same exact equipment I can promise you we still wouldn't sound the same, nor would we want too. Everyone has a different "Flavor" sound, tweaking set-up that hopefully allows them to pronounce to the world what they hear in their respective heads. For me its Ken Smith Basses and Ampeg rigs.
God I love this forum its so cool to be able to agree to disagree and learn something in the interum.
Al :rolleyes:

Of course.....
 

Of course the PLX3602 and F2-B Pre-amp helps a bit....:rolleyes:

Oh, and one more thing...
 

Oh, and one more thing. I top that off with any one of my Smith's. :rolleyes:

Aguilar DB
 

I agree. It is great to be able to discuss gear with such luxury of detail. If this forum was around years ago it would have saved me a lot of cash from buying stuff that for one reason or another did not do it for me.

Al, one more thing about the Aguilar cabient that i did not mention was that I was using an Aguilar Ag500 solid state head with my Fender jazz (stock). I have not played my Smith through it,as it is in Ken's shop being given some TLC. :D

of course!
 

I agree!!!!!

Fender Jazz, really, might I ask what year and if its American or Mexican produced? It would over whelmingly seem as though the majority of the Bassist on this thread prefer the Aguilar and Epifani products. Indeed that makes a powerful statement, one would assume that their products are the ones (if your wallet can afford it) to acquire.
Al :cool: