New bass... new amp

[Tarrbot]

I've got two older Avatar 2x10 cabinets. They are nice.

When I got them two years ago, Avatar's ebay rating for their store was about 8-9000 and they had 100% rating. That's pretty shocking for that many.

I know they have some great reviews and the customer service seems to be top notch.

[marc61]

I have an Orange 2x10, very compact and lightweight plus a GK210T. I can gig using just the Orange any day and it can handle 600 watts no problem

[robinje]

Thanks for all the tips! I am very intrigued by the Aguilar TH350 and it's available at very reasonable cost. I have to admit that the Ampeg PF350 seems very cool for about 200 bucks less, plus it has a headphone output and an input for practicing along with iPhone or other device. I've read some reports of failures of the Ampeg PF series, and it scares me a bit. But my feeling is that there are a heck of a lot of them sold overall, and that the reported problems are few and far between among all users. Still, it would give me confidence to buy an Aguilar just cuz I trust that their products are extremely reliable and should any problems arise, I could correspond with a small company that is likely to 'make it all right'. I know nothing of Ampeg customer service, only knowing that the brand is owned by LOUD Technologies and manufactured overseas. Hmmm... inexpensive and maybe problems, or a bit more expensive with assumed great reliability. That is my dilemma. I think I could tweak the Aguilar tone and drive knobs to be somewhat similar to the Ampeg, but maybe not vice versa. Can anyone confirm this?

[jps]

Where are you located, Jim?

From what I have read over the past couple years, I would not buy the Ampeg PF series, IMHO. Yeah, having a headphone jack and iPod/CD input is cool but the Aguilar is more intended for gigging/playing, etc. I use a good headphone amp with line in facilities (Raven Labs PHA-1) for practicing/learning songs, connecting my Mac to the stereo line, and I use Sennheiser HD-280Pro headphones, so as not to disturb others in the house (they can't hear my mistakes as I learn songs ).

Here is a photo of my Tone Hammer and LDS 2126 cabinet at a gig from last summer.

[robinje]

Your rig looks great! I bet it sounds equally nice. You've obviously got a nice headphone/practice setup that is independent of your amp, and I can appreciate that. Perhaps that is the best of all worlds... focus on best sounding playing/performing rig, and also a separate practice/headphone rig. I could see that searching for an all-in-one solution could lead to compromise in some aspect, especially at a fairly low price point like I'm considering. Maybe it's best to cough it up and just get a basic 'playing' rig for now that is reliable and sounds good at reasonable cost. I can scrounge up enough for a headphone device in the future. I do have some decent headphones already... the same model as you've got!

To answer your question... I am in Minneapolis.

Thanks again.
Jim

[jps]

If you are in the Cleveland area ever, you're more than welcome to visit!

Got your snowshoes ready, up there?