5150iii 50 watt as bass head

[wetpenny]

I've agreed to do a few gigs with a band as bassist
I sold my bass rig a few years back and the only head I have is a 5150iii 50 watt
If i put it through a bass cab (match impedences yada yada) am I going to get volume enough for rehersal with one loud ass motherfuckin' drummer and a guitarist??
I can scratch together money for a cab if i go second hand but cant stretch to a bass head at the minute..
(if this IS a viable (volume)option with the 5153 ;what wattage cab should i be looking at??)
I'm just tryin to spitball some ideas here guys if you can help??

Muchos grasias advancias

 

[drew_drummer]

I very much doubt it.

 

[wetpenny]

I very much doubt it.

In a parallel universe, you would have answered "yes" Drew..
It WAS wishful thinking..

I shall draw up a contingency plan
read: try and borrow some money

 

[Trevoire520]

Nah 50W isn't going to cut it. For a bass amp you should really be looking for something 300W+ with a 4x10" cab.

If you go secondhand (get on the Facebook music gear buy/sell pages) you can grab bargains. I got a 450W Peavey Nitrobass head for £80 the other week. Slap a sansamp or something similar in front and you're sorted for a killer bass setup.

 

[crillemannen]

I actually tried with my 5153 50w last week. Sounded quite nice and could play loud as fukk! Try!

 

[waav studios]

im insane enough to try shit like that. i've heard great things come out of a 50 watt music man amp. don't get scared by what the amp is "supposed" to be for. plug it in and try it out. if it sounds good, fuckin do it. if you can get nice lows and it gets loud enough, who the fuck cares.

also, 50 watts tube sounds a lot fuller and louder than 50 watts solid state, so i would have to disagree with the above statement on wattage. its all relative until you try it.

 

[Rex Rocker]

It depends on what you're going for. I've used my 20-watt Krank Rev. Jr through a 1x15 cab at band practice competing with a 50 W Orange half-stack, a 180 W keyboard amp, and a loud as hell drummer, and it was definitely loud enough. Fat and clean, though? Nope. Not at all. More of a Motorhead-y kinda vibe.

 

[egan.]

I've never tried it in a band setting but a 5150II through my 8x10 was loud as hell. Different head, twice the wattage, no reality check but it seemed loud and proud to me.

 

[tgs]

In a parallel universe, you would have answered "yes" Drew..y

I'm pretty sure physics apply in all universes.

 

[wetpenny]

Thanks for all the answers guys!!!

 

[wetpenny]

Now I'm thinking there must be a way I can utilise my EVH cab and head along with some sort of crossover unit, and a bass head/cab for one motherfucker of a rig...
I might just have to do that...

remember kids ; G.A.S kills

 

[Manicompression]

In the Sound On Sound magazine where they talk to the guy who did the newest Van Halen record, he talks about how they used the EVH 50watt as part of the albums bass sound. I forget if it was used as the blended grit approach that most of us are familiar with or in what context, but I feel its worth noting.

 

[xFkx]

Used a marshall dsl as a bass amp, sweet distorted bass sound. No reason why the EVH wouldn't cut it too

 

[wetpenny]

In the Sound On Sound magazine where they talk to the guy who did the newest Van Halen record, he talks about how they used the EVH 50watt as part of the albums bass sound. I forget if it was used as the blended grit approach that most of us are familiar with or in what context, but I feel its worth noting.

Interesting!!

 

[CraigJohnsJr]

I forget who it was, but I remember hearing a bassist run through both an Orange bass head through an Orange 8x10, as well as a 5150 through an Orange guitar cab (4x12). It sounded insane... the good kind.

 

[crillemannen]

Bumping this thread with I tried my 5153 50w with a 4x10 ampeg cab. At 50% of the volume and just tiny bit of gain it was loud as fukk. Easily overpowering the rest of the band.

 

[guy in latvia]

Awesome news! I definitely want to try that approach myself. What is a good reasonably priced 4x10 bass cab that records well?

 

[newamerikangospel]

You won't have a lot of bass, but I nailed a black metal bass tone with a 25 watt 10 inch fender amp 10 years ago while playing bass. You are going to hear a lot of power amp compression/dirtiness, in my experience (since you won't have the headroom)

 

[Trevoire520]

Hmmm, I'm gonna have to try this myself!

 

[wetpenny]

update: scored a Peavey Pro410 cab and the EVH sounds f*ckin badass through it!!
More than enough volume and low end.
Happy