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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 160
Location: Montana | Hello again and thanks to all that commented on my earlier post about learning to play bass. Some of the advice I took and some I'm filing to consider later when I understand better. I did buy a bass and am having a lot of fun. It's kind of like meditation or hand drumming, you get in a groove and it takes you. That approach will probably get boring eventually but for now I like it.
So first question, I have yet to buy a bass amp so for now I just turn the treble and mid down on my guitar amp. Other than lack of volume and lack of tremendous bass thump, is there any danger to my amp from this for home practice?
Second question, I have a 25 watt Fender guitar amp that I rarely turn past 3 for home practice and for playing with others in the typical small spaces (living rooms) that we play. But the bass seems to like more juice, at least with my guitar amp. So is, a 25 watt bass amp likely to be sufficient for small spaces?
Thanks for your input! |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 777
Location: East Wenatchee, WA | I find in general I have to drive keyboard and pa amps much harder for my bass than any other instrument I plug in. Even my Carvin with 24v active requires me to push my 150W Barbetta at about 3/4 to full to get any sort of volume in a room, whereas with my Adamas those levels would peel layers of steel plating off of a battleship.
Not sure why that is, maybe just the omph it takes to drive low frequency, but it doesn't sound abnormal to me.
Brings up a good point, however. Make sure when you buy an amp, that it is powerful enough to fit your needs. |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Speaker size has a lot to do with the sound. If your amp has a small speaker (like 8"), you just won't get any thump at all. You need to push a lot of air to get bass sounds. |
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Joined:
April 2006
Posts: 2491
Location: Copenhagen Denmark | Bass guitar tuned to concert pitch will have the E at around 41 Hz. ( alternate tuning like DADG will have the big D at around 36 Hz. ), regular guitarspeaker will seldom go lower than 60 Hz. , so a speaker that can cope with low frequencies will be required , a big speaker is n`t a guarantee for low freq. , my opera 415 active speaker , sports a 15 incher , which goes down to 55 Hz. only , as for the amp. , more power would be nice , try to find a couple of JBL 2225 `s a 15 incher , capable to cope with 30 - 2000 Hz. ,it`s an oldie but goodie , lends a nice " drive " to yer sound , next , try to find a UREI power -amp. , chain would be , ..Bass axe - ( stomp )- UREI - 2225 `s ...and ya Will be Pleased :)
Vic
..alternatively ya could call ALPEP .. |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | There are LOTS of good choices out there. You are only limited by how much you want to spend. My suggestion for a good "starter" at a very reasonable price is the Peavey TNT. There are a lot of good used ones on Ebay usually and it is not uncommon to find them between $100 - $150. The best thing about the Peaveys is that they seem to be almost indestructable. I did say "almost". Another good starter is the Behringer. If you are looking for that big quality sound you will have to eventually fork out a bit more dough. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4026
Location: Utah | The energy in a low frequency is less than a high frequency. Which means that it takes more watts to make it as loud as a guitar or keyboard. So, you might find a 25 watt amp is fine for electric guitar, but you need 300 watts to make the bass audible in the same mix. |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | An example of what FlySig said above. In my last band (nearly 8 years ago) my friend played his Strat through a 50W Marshall combo - volume rarely ventured above 2.
I played my Fender Precision through an SWR 300W head attached to a 4x10" Hartke cab AND a Peavey 1x15" cab. My rig sounded excellent but... MY volume was rarely below '9'. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7210
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Simply put...
Get a Peavey TNT. Their cheap and essentially an industry standard workhorse. When you get to where you really feel comfortable, then shop for the high-end superamp that fits you. Orange, Hartke, Fender, Ampeg, Eden, Trace, Gallien-Krueger, Carvin... all great. New, Vintage... lots of choices, and all sound a little different.
Buy a Peavey TNT will last until you just get plain bored of it... and then one day when your $3000 hand-wired bass head fails... you'll pull your TNT out of storage, dust it off, and it will be like... well.. you get the idea..
If you are going to buy new, but want to stay affordable, go with a Genz Benz. Alpep (and maybe others) are more familiar with their current offerings, but again, A workhorse that just won't let you down.
As others have inferred, using anything but a Bass Amp and/with Bass Speaker is really doing a disservice to you, and to the amp. You can actually damage an amp and certainly a speaker that is not designed for those lower frequencies. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 160
Location: Montana | Awesome, thanks for the replies. Cap'n we need more power! |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I have to concur with that Peavey. Also, Pignose makes a small one for street gigging or garden parties. |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 777
Location: East Wenatchee, WA | +??? on the Peavy TNT. I had a TNT150W for about 15 years and it was still like new. I wanted a punchier sound than it offered so went with an old SWR Redhead 2x8 and horn. It sounded fantastic, but like the Peavy was a boat anchor to haul around so now I have no dedicated bass amp and long for the old Peavy (wonder if the guy I sold it to, wants to sell it back....hmmmm) |
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Joined:
August 2005
Posts: 3736
Location: Sunshine State, Australia | I used to hate lugging my 2 cabs around. I tried using just one or the other at rehearsals, but the 1x15" sounded too 'muddy' and the 4x10" lacked bottom end rumble.
The sound of them both together made the effort worthwhile.
I haven't played my bass in anger for nearly 8 years, but I'll never get rid of it or my 'rig'. |
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Joined:
March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | PLEASE don't play your bass through a guitar amp! You may not blow the speaker right away, but it will happen! Peavey does make great bass amps. If you head out to the pawn shops and are lucky, you may find a Peavey Microbass. Small, lightweight, and plenty of sound for its size. I can't keep them in stock. You can probably pick one up for anywhere between 60 to 100 bucks. If you're looking for something bigger, I recommend an Ampeg. Incredible sound, but a little pricey and HEAVY. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 5563
Location: Blue Ridge Mountains | Amgeg SVT: if you're serious...
Ampeg Portaflex if you can find one...
Gallien Kruger makess a great outfit too... |
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Joined:
December 2004
Posts: 1116
Location: Keller, TX | I tried a combo before. However, just didn't do it for me, nor have enough punch for live gigs.
Right now, I'm playing with a Gallien Kreuger 600BLK thru a GK 15 and a 2x10. Just right. Yes, hauling the cabs around is a pain, but my whole setup fits in the back of the suburban. When I'm at home, I just play thru the 2x10. The BLK is the non-professional line of the GKs.
The combo's are fine for home use, but if you are going to be playing live, they just won't cut it.
I'd also recommend the Genz-Benz line of heads, but they are $$$. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 383
Location: Indiana | FWIW, I've been playing(bass) out for a lotta years. Small places and big. Used a lotta stuff but generally have got by using a 200w solid state (Marshall or Hartke) or a 65w tube(Musicman) amp with a single 15 spkr. Whenever I have needed more, I run it through the PA (mic or direct).
Bill |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10581
Location: NJ | i have a peavey mini bass amp that sounds good and is cheap I could sell you.
or an swr
it all depends on your perspective.
genz benz makes the shuttle series tht come with a variety of cab combinations. |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 160
Location: Montana | Hello again. What do folks think about the idea of using a keyboard amp for the bass? What got me thinking about this is that most keyboard amps have the low range needed for the bass but also have a channel for a mic. And now that we have 2 guitarists and a bass and soon to be a drummer all trying to be heard we can't hear the vocals .... Yeah, I know we could all turn our amps down a little but what would be the fun of that?
Al, sorry I missed your post earlier. Please PM me with a price for the mini bass and any keyboard amps you might have.
Thanks! |
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Joined:
September 2004
Posts: 777
Location: East Wenatchee, WA | I currently use a Barbetta Sona 23C. 175W, 15 inch and a horn and it does a credible job presenting my Carvin LB75P. At the same time, I can run 2 microphones (one with a transformer), a guitar and keyboard. It is a wonderful mini-PA and only weighs like 38 lbs.
It was our church PA for the first year (which is why I bought it) and did fine in a smaller venue.
Many of the newer Bass combo's (see Carvin Redeye, Peavey's and others) are nothing more than Keyboard amps with upgraded speakers to handle the high powered lows of the bass. Unless you are really thrashing and constantly driving them at 80% and above on power (in which case, clipping will eventually destroy your speaker and temps your amp) a Keyboard amp would work just fine for what it sounds like is your venue.
If you are really needing full throttle, then line out to the House, and use your amp as a monitor. If that don't get it, you are stuck with something major. |
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Bass amp?
