Looking for advice on a gigable amp upgrade

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I’m looking to upgrade my amp so I can play gigs in the near future. Right now I’m playing with a band that plays a lot of 60s, 70s, and 80s rock. But in the future I’d like to also play pop, R&B, and maybe even some funk. Not going to be playing arenas in the near future, and I don’t plan to ever do metal. I play a Sterling Stingray Ray34.

I’m looking at something like a Darkglass 500 watt Microtubes amp with their 500 watt 210 cab. Or something similar (also wanting a rig that’s on the lighter side weight-wise). Seems that’ll probably be plenty loud enough. What do you think?

Edit to add: I’m currently playing on a Katana 210, which so far has been plenty loud for band practices (we haven’t played any gigs yet). However I’m getting tired of lugging a 48 pound amp around. I have pedals for all the effects I need, so I rarely use the onboard effects. I’d also prefer to have a separate amp and cabinet. I’d also like something loud enough to handle any gigs we might have in the foreseeable future.

The head I mentioned is around 5 pounds, and the cab is around 32. So lighter overall, and I don’t have to carry them both at the same time. Also the cab is a lot smaller than the combo amp.

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I highly recommend my current “big” rig, a GR Bass AT Cube 500 combo and AT Cube 112 cab. The combo weighs 17.2 pounds and the cab weighs 13.4 lbs. Each has a custom SICA/Jensen 12" speaker. Very clean, uncolored sound. Super-well built in Italy. Excellent EQ section: Low, Low-mid, High-mid, Treble. The Low-Mid and High-Mid each have a 3-position switch for selecting the peak freq. There’s also an EQ bypass switch.

GR Bass AT Cube combos

AT Cube 112 cab

Note that there’s an AT Cube 112+ cab that weighs a bit more, but is rated for 450 watts (versus 350 watts for the 112) for use with the 800 combo or head.

Mine. They have the same dimensions, but the angle messes with the aspect ratio.

GR Bass AT Cube 500 combo and 112-8 350 cab
GR Bass AT Cube 500 combo and 112-8 350 cab1038×1384 250 KB

Here’s a quick tone example of the 12" speaker.

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I don’t know how loud that setup will be, but from the specs, you won’t get the full 500W out of it, as the cab is 8 Ohm.

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I’d get 250 watts, right? Which is more than my current amp, which is 160 watts. I’m thinking this will be louder than what I have, more than loud enough for now. But in the future, if I need more, I can get another 210 cab or a 115 cab.

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I mean the obvious GAS here would be that you need two of the cabs to run in parallel, because we can’t be wasting wattage here

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Yeah that’s what I’m thinking for the end game. The one cab will be enough for now, and then later I can get another cab (210 or 115) if I need it. I have a buddy who has a similar setup, and I really like it because a lot of times the one cab is enough, so you don’t have so much to lug around. But if you need more, you can bring the second cab. I’m just wondering how loud it’ll be with just the one cab, because that’s all I’ll be able to afford right now.

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I do recognise my way of thinking there, even though I opted for the DG112N :sweat_smile:

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Thanks for the idea, but those don’t seem to be available around here. I also prefer the sound of 10" to 12" speakers (my first amp was a 112). Dig the carbon fiber though. I’ll have to see if I can find some cabs around here that use that.

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Now that I’ve done more research, I’m thinking I should wait until I can afford the 900 watt version of the amp, since the cab is 500 watts. Then I’ll get full capability out of the one cab and will have headroom for days.

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Yes, you could wait, but will you ever need 900W? You’ll most probably use it dialed at 3-4 max.

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There was a video by Philip Conrad on YouTube about amp wattage, however I can’t seem to find it anymore. Most recent video is one year old… :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

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Maybe, maybe not. I may never need more than the one cab. Who knows? But I like the idea of not having to buy another amp again and having options. Better to have too much and not need it than not enough and have to buy another amp, and sell the one I already have at a loss (I’ve already done that lol).

Also the 900 watt version has a pre and post DI and a better fan. Seems some people have issues with the 500 watt version overheating due to a crappy fan.

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Well, the Darkglass has a DI out that could gon to FoH, if needed :grin:

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I’m pretty sure I saw the exact video you’re talking about.

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Deleted this post because I read the manual, and it says the 500 v2 delivers 250 watts at 8 ohms, not 450.

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Ok yeah, after more reading, seems the 900 watt would definitely be overkill and more than I’ll ever need. :rofl:

Do at this point I’m wondering if anyone knows of any good sounding lightweight 500 watt amps and/or good sounding lightweight 210 cabinets?

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If you like the Fender scooped tone, the Rumble 500 is probably hard to beat. I haven’t checked but Ampeg might have a similar model Rocket Bass combo with a more Ampegy sound to it.

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Thanks @howard. My first amp was a Rumble, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the tone. It’s too bad, because I know they’re lightweight, solid, affordable amps. Yeah I’ll look into Ampeg, see if they have any lighter amps and cabs. I’m trying to avoid another combo.

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Looks like they do have one, it’s a 210 and under 18kg.

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I’ve got an RB-210, it’s like the Rumble. It’s great if you like the Ampeg sound (which I do). You can also hook a cab up to it to get the full 500W. On its own, I think it puts out like 200 and something watts. I’d consider picking up an 8 ohm 2X12 cab to go with if I need to some day.

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