Best Practice Amp

[riprorin]

Looking for advice on a good practice amp for my son.

Suggestions?

Thanks!

[ian_s]

Acoustic B20.

[MontzterMash]

I was looking for a practice amp just a few months ago, and was looking for something fairly small (it's gotta hide nicely in the corner), reasonably priced, and which sounds good enough so I'll want to practice all the time.

The Acoustic B20 and GK MB112 were the two that came out heads and shoulders on top.

I myself went with the GK; both are great.

[jlepre]

What is your budget, and will he be using this alone or at some point in a band situation?

[RickenBoogie]

It's always best to go out and play with these candidates, before making a decision. Nothing beats ears on experience, and with small practice combo's, anything with a "name" brand would be suitable, but also, they all sound different.

[Lennihems]

I really like my small Warwick blue 20

[JimmyM]

I'm crazy about my Ampeg BA108. Not the loudest amp on earth, but it sounds like Ampeg, has a lot of low end, and costs $100.

[adivin]

I picked up a used Fender Rumble with a 12'' speaker for $150 at GC. It's got aux input and headphone jacks.

[tsverrir]

Line 6 - LowDown Studio 110 75W Combo Bass Amplifier - 99-015-0505

I have one of these and couldn't be happier with it. It's very compact and sounds great. I use it for practice, small concerts (coffee shops and record store gigs). I even have used it for recording.

[floydman]

Headphone jacks are very useful for odd-hours playing

[DLESSING]

Agree with the Acoustic B20. It has two 1/4" inputs so you can use a drum machine and the bass, also has a ipod size input so you can play with the ipod. And a headphone jack. The 12" speaker will handle the low E. At 20 watts it won't gig, but for practice its a good amp. Usually sells for around $150, but MF occaisionally has it for $100. I have one and use it with an ipod and drum machine and it works well for me.

[impactwrench]

I'd look for whatever you can find used for cheap. IMO practice amp are rather worthless in resale. I use a Crate BX25, which is a whole lot better than the base BX15, and a GK backline 110.

[Ironderby]

Peavey Basic 50. Old, but i even used one for band practice, 150w 12inch speaker, people on tb will say its nowhere near enough but with 2 guitarists it was fine when you were standing near it. And was great until i managed to get my 4x10 over, but anything about that size is more than enough

[tdub0199]

I'd look for something with a Aux. Input so he can jam along to his favorite songs on his Ipod, alot of the major brands has the Aux. Input....

[Twocan]

1) Something that tilts back (key)
2) Something with two inputs (so that you can also play drum machine)
3) Headphone jack (for parents' sake)
4) <100 Watts
5) The smaller the better

The Fender BDEC may be worth a shot?

[kenstee]

+1 on the Acoustic B20. Fantastic tone for this price level (typically $149.) Four EQ adjustments make it quite easy to dial in "your" tone. Also, really sounds amazing using a Tech 21 VT Bass pedal in front of it. Also, great price for one with a 12" speaker.

For $10 more ($159) at Music123 you can get:

The Acoustic b20 bass amp and...
Electric bass stand
Bass gig bag
Digital tuner
Instrument polish and cloth
String winder
Strap
Instructional DVD
Picks


http://www.music123.com/Bass/Bass-Am...2000000000.sku

[rockstarbassist]

Peavey Microbass.

Not even kidding, either! Lol. I got mine over 13 years ago and I still use it to this day.
I need to clean out the input jack as it's a lil scratchy but otherwise, I'd say that initial investment has panned out nicely.

[skychief]

for the money ($150)) the acoustic B20 is pretty good.

Mine sounds boomy and lacks definition. Theres a few craftsmanship defects also (the metal corners were put on crooked, the white piping around the spkr grille bulges out in spots, the little aluminum caps on the control knobs keep falling off, etc..).

Theres much better practice amps out there, but if money is a concern, you might consider the B20.

[gnjpowell]

Buy something used, get more for your money, and buy something big enough to jam with.

[riprorin]

Ended up getting this one for $95 used.

KBA COMBOS TECH