Hello and bass guitar stack questions :)

[HarleyM]

Hello, I'm a bass guitarist from Southern California!
Been reading up about BFM designs and I'm very impressed, not to mention it looks like fun.

I would like to build a bass guitar stack for performance on stage.
My current set up is a solid state class D Crown XLS 1000 power amp (bridged mono at 4Ω 1.1kW) into an Ampeg SVT-410HLF (4Ω 500W RMS).
This set up works adequately with the loud rock band I play with but I would like something better. In small clubs/medium sized bars with no PA support on bass, my rig is at it's limit since the drummer hits very hard. For most medium/small venues, the PA is already taken up by the keys/vox and I'm on my own.

Fortunately my amp can run 2 channels stereo or with crossover at 2Ω550W, 4Ω350W or 8Ω215W.
Figuring out which plans to buy, a single J112 and a T24/30 stacked look like a great setup, or maybe a J212? Or are DR200/250s better for bass guitar? Can anyone point me in the right direction? What are the typical ohm ratings of these speaker configurations? Are tweeter arrays overkill for bass guitar and only a single driver per cab needed outside PA use?

I'll admit I do not have the skills to build a jack lite but I have access to a workshop with a table saw, basic power tools and can purchase a cheap router.
Sorry for all the questions. Thank you

[LelandCrooks]

Pair of Jack 12's. Scalable, easy tote.
Or an Omni full range, comparable in size to what you have now.

[Ryan Sober]

As an alternative, for an easier build, you could do an OmniTop12 and a Titan39 or Titan48 in the same width.

You would never have trouble being heard with that setup!

[HarleyM]

Pair of Jack 12's. Scalable, easy tote.
Or an Omni full range, comparable in size to what you have now.

That's my thought too . This SVT 410 is a pain up and down stairs.

As an alternative, for an easier build, you could do an OmniTop12 and a Titan39 or Titan48 in the same width.

You would never have trouble being heard with that setup!

Reading http://billfitzmaurice.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=358, it does seem the Titan would be a better choice than the Tuba for bass guitar after all.

It appears the Jack is the successor to the Omni, are they comparable?
How hard is it to scale the width to match a bottom and top? I would really love an uniformly ≈23" stack to put a rack unit on top.

[Ryan Sober]

Reading http://billfitzmaurice.info/forum/viewtopic.php?t=358, it does seem the Titan would be a better choice than the Tuba for bass guitar after all.

It appears the Jack is the successor to the Omni, are they comparable?
How hard is it to scale the width to match a bottom and top? I would really love an uniformly ≈23" stack to put a rack unit on top.

The cabinet on the OT12 is 21" wide. You could triple-stack the left and right sides to get 23", if you aren't extremely concerned with adding some extra weight.

A Titan39 can be loaded with a 12" driver and built at 23".

A Titan48 could be loaded with a 12" or 15" driver, built at 23".

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Standard racks are 20 inches wide. So are the airhead versions of our cabs.
A separate top/sub is fine if you always use them together, but it's not a scaleable rig, you can't leave one piece at home when you don't need the output.

[HarleyM]

Standard racks are 20 inches wide. So are the airhead versions of our cabs.
A separate top/sub is fine if you always use them together, but it's not a scaleable rig, you can't leave one piece at home when you don't need the output.

Ahh thank you, the specs for my Gator case must be including the wheels and handle etc.
That's a really good point. Is there a top/sub combo where the top would be adequate on it's own for small gigs, like possibly a J12/Sub combo?

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

s there a top/sub combo where the top would be adequate on it's own for small gigs, like possibly a J12/Sub combo?

You could do that. It would be best, though, with a bi-amp rig.

[HarleyM]

s there a top/sub combo where the top would be adequate on it's own for small gigs, like possibly a J12/Sub combo?

You could do that. It would be best, though, with a bi-amp rig.

Great, my amp has a highpass/lowpass crossover for two separate channels. I'm not sure if that's as good as true bi amping though.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Great, my amp has a highpass/lowpass crossover for two separate channels. I'm not sure if that's as good as true bi amping though.

That is true bi-amping. It needs to be able to crossover in the vicinity of 100Hz.

[HarleyM]

Great, my amp has a highpass/lowpass crossover for two separate channels. I'm not sure if that's as good as true bi amping though.

That is true bi-amping. It needs to be able to crossover in the vicinity of 100Hz.

Thanks Bill, you're a huge help!

[DJPhatman]

Pair of Jack 12's. Scalable, easy tote.
Or an Omni full range, comparable in size to what you have now.

+1. There's no sense making your rig overly complicated. Build 2 Jack 1x12s and 1 Jack 2x12. Or 4 Jack 12 Lights. Loaded with the 3012HO, and let them scream for you!

For most medium/small venues, the PA is already taken up by the keys/vox and I'm on my own.

Why? Is there only 4 channels? If the drummer is a heavy-handed animal and the drums are mic'd, there needs to be an open mixer channel for bass.

[HarleyM]

Pair of Jack 12's. Scalable, easy tote.
Or an Omni full range, comparable in size to what you have now.

+1. There's no sense making your rig overly complicated. Build 2 Jack 1x12s and 1 Jack 2x12. Or 4 Jack 12 Lights. Loaded with the 3012HO, and let them scream for you!

For most medium/small venues, the PA is already taken up by the keys/vox and I'm on my own.

Why? Is there only 4 channels? If the drummer is a heavy-handed animal and the drums are mic'd, there needs to be an open mixer channel for bass.

That does make sense, but would something like one J112 + J212 really push more bass than my current Ampeg 410?

I'm not sure but usually most of the PAs are very small, something like 2 JBL 15s and a sub. I don't have a chance to look at their mixer but most sound guys at shows I've played don't seem to prioritize micing up or even DIing the bass. We don't even get a sound check so it's nice to know I'm at least set on my own.

[Bruce Weldy]

most sound guys at shows I've played don't seem to prioritize micing up or even DIing the bass. We don't even get a sound check so it's nice to know I'm at least set on my own.

Probably because most bass players are so loud that adding it to the PA in a small room isn't worth the trouble.

Personally, I always want everything in my mixes and try to get those who play too loud to turn down. If I'm not successful, I just take it out of the mix and feel musically frustrated for the rest of the night.

[HarleyM]

most sound guys at shows I've played don't seem to prioritize micing up or even DIing the bass. We don't even get a sound check so it's nice to know I'm at least set on my own.

Probably because most bass players are so loud that adding it to the PA in a small room isn't worth the trouble.

Personally, I always want everything in my mixes and try to get those who play too loud to turn down. If I'm not successful, I just take it out of the mix and feel musically frustrated for the rest of the night.

I agree completely. My trouble is, our drummer hammers extremely hard, all the time. I would love to get the drummer to soften up but getting drummers to do anything you want seems impossible. Always seems like the weak link. We're lucky if he shows up, let alone finding anyone else.