NEED HELP w/ a bass amp

Shake, I've used my mental calculator and bringing back the GK and Peavey to swap for an SVT 3Pro with the 410HLF will leave your brother a few hundred out of pocket. That said, I think you have a rig that any player would be proud of. I hear only great things about the HLF but I haven't got an op on the SVT vs the B (but, if IIRC, there's not a big difference in price between the cabs). Some money can be saved by opting for the 450H but, from what I've heard on the 'vine, the B2RE may be struggling at gig volumes.

Onto the bass, I haven't played that Peavey. Looking purely at the specs, it looks to be decent kit and the +ve reviews on the site come from players who should know. I have a Jim Reed BE5, and the 4-string (http://www.jim-reed-guitars.com/eng/catalogo/text_zoom_vert.php?dim=400&id=16) is of a similar design to the Peavey. I would say that, in common with many twin-soaps, there isn't a lot of difference to be had from switching pups. The Jim Reed uses fairly cheap Kramer pups and I was tempted to ditch them quickly.

However, as I've got more used to the bass, I've got more out of its stock setup. Make sure that your bro isn't just whacking the plec in between the pups all the time. Try finger or thumb pad close to the neck joint and the sound alters remarkably (a lot cheaper than replacing pups). If you're still not satisfied, an active preamp with treble and bass boost/cut may be worth a go, especially if you know a solder monkey. I found EMG's BTC easy and cheap to buy in the US, or you could look at the BTS seeing as you have enough potholes. Only then would I go for a pupgrade - perhaps a "Jazz" soap near the bridge to give a different tone.

I don't watch much baseball (too late over here - I've even given up on watching much NFL) but I have the opposite effect on "soccer". Every time England shine, it's because I've missed the match.

Back to bass stuff, a "desperate" Ashdown 410 cab seller was briefly intriguing, but you're best off sorting things through GC by the sounds of it. The 410HLF has the power handling to cope with the 3Pro and also has a 4ohm impedance so you'll get the max out of the power amp. You may never feel the need to add a 1x15" (and the wardrobe-sized 8x10" has never appealed to my back). If you can get a good price deal, I think it'll work out nicely.

I'll talk more about improving the Peavey bass another day. Keep the messages coming.

Hi Shake,

That IS a great rig that you've gone for and, yes, it IS a heckuva outlay. If your brother goes gigging then he'll want for nothing else but, if he loses interest quickly then he's going to take a hit. I'll say one thing; an SVT3 with 410HLF can be sold five years down the line and still attract good offers (cf a Fender Strat, LP or a Marshall stack) whereas I suspect the Peavey cab and even the GK head would depreciate like a stone and struggle to make the remaining payments after a short while.

Would I take a store-demo SVT3 at $575 vs $750 for the NIB? Yes, I would - for the same reason I would with a dealer-demo car sitting in the showroom with 1,000 miles. Let GC take the initial depreciation. As soon as the head is taken out of the box and used for a coupla rehearsals, you've lost money anyway.

If you really want to cut back on costs, have a valve (that actually does something - many amps have them almost for show), keep separate head and cab and don't mind playing the 2nd hand market, Marshall's Dynamic Bass System (the DBS 7400) springs to mind. Excellent - tried one out in the '90s - but I don't know how available they are your side of the pond.

HS all T, getting that rig NIB for $1400 from the local GC (not internet + s+h deal) shows excellent negotiating skill. You certainly got your bro top kit at a good price.

:) , must be murder looking at the head but waiting for the cab to arrive. There are enough knobs there to keep even Paris Hilton occupied for a week.

Before I forget/die, I must mention one thing. Your bro has spent enough in more ways than one. The cab you bought has enough power handling to max the SVT3 output and, importantly, has an overall impedance of 4ohms. Check carefully before being tempted to plug in an additional 15" cab. Yes, I know it looks cool all stacked up on stage like that, but there is something important about impedance.

The SVT 15" has an impedance of 8ohms. Plugging this in with the 4x10" (in parallel is how it'll happen) will present your amp with an overall impedance of (if my maths is right) 2.67ohm. Using another make's 4ohm, 15" cab will result in an overall impedance of 2ohm. Either will be so low that the head shuts down immediately. Worse still, it might not - and burn out. The amp is only designed to operate down to 4ohm. There is a way of series-linking cabs but this will raise the overall impedance and reduce the watts your head is putting out - defeating the object.

Before you worry too much, my personal op is that modern 10" drivers capable of going down to 30Hz (and that cab has them) make the best speakers out there. I know others will disagree and swear by the air-shifting properties of big drivers, but I wouldn't swap my 10" drivers for anything else at a gig. Make sure your bro twiddles fully with that SS/valve preamp sweep. Love that feature. Next thing you know, I'll be recommending better 12AX7s than the Groove Tubes fitted as standard. By then, you'll be bored of me and avoiding my posts :lol: