Hi.
First of all, this is my first post here so... Hello! :-)
I've been playing bass for a few years, managing to get by on borrowed or rented equipment until now. I'm looking for a speaker cabinet for rehearsals and smaller gigs. Buying Your Second Bass Amp by Dan Leseley was a very helpful article but now I'm wondering about his recommended package. I play a five-string, can most 4x10s handle the low B? I use quite a lot of slapping so the treble is important as well. Should I look for a 12', 15' or will I have to get a combo? Thanks.
Hey, welcome!
You should (if you can) go and try some different cabs out. We can give you opinions and personal experience, but they might not match with your real-world setup. Each bass is different, each pickup, each player's style - flat pick or fingers for example.
4x10s might very well do it. They put out some pretty big bottom even for 5 stringers, but there were more discussions on this at talkbass.com. Some guys say that when you're playing the B string you're not actually hearing the fundamental, but one of the harmonics and that you'd need an 18" to actually hear the fundamental. I don't know if anybody has to be that technical about it. Try some out - it's up to your own ear in the long run.
For me, if I was playing a 5-string, I'd probably just get a 2x10 or a 15 with a horn and not worry about the rest; if it's there, it's there, if not, not.
