my amp likely sucks... advice for starving person.

[jackofwands81]

hello

this is my first post im excited i found this site.

currently my tone sucks when i turn up loud (ie a live setting) im sure its my bargain setup as follows (ten year old fender 4 12 cab, peavy 150watt'ish pa head) its ok to laugh haha

i dont have much money to spend but i can invest about 300 into it, or shoot for something else perhaps. though if i had 3000 to invest id probably wouldnt be asking this question =(

my bass is a p bass with active emgs. sometimes i think my pickups are largely responsible for my lack of enthusiasm in my sound. anyways not sure about any of this but id appriciate any comments or thoughts!

thanks.

[AwkwardLoudness]

It may help if you tell us...
....where you're located in the world. Price and availability varies by country.
....if you want tubes or solid state
....what your style and volume needs are

Combo amps from Fender, Peavey, and Gallien Krueger seem to be popular choices for low budget rigs. Here's some reading...


Newbie needs an amp! $200-$400 budget...
Budget bassist needs advice
Tube head on a budget?
Budget Amps?
rock/metal bassist looking for budget amp loud enough for gigs?

Edit: Also, make sure that you keep a good 9v battery inside the active bass.

[bThumper38]

welcome aboard, stick around for awhile, eventually you'll find a way to get new bass rigs, and new bass's and soon You'll be addicted to G.A.S. along with the rest of us. tons of fun. happy new year

[ezstep]

First, welcome. Don't be a stranger.
Second, probably everyone here at one time or another used a p.a. head of some sort to play through - even if only for a gig or two. I know I have.

Your equipment is not bass-friendly. You have a Fender 4x12 (common among old Fender Bassman's), and you complain about your tone not having enthusiasm. Well, the Bassman cab is more "old school" or "vintage" sounding than many, many more modern cabs. You have a slight problem there. You are currently using a p.a. head for an amp, so much of the eq is out of the "bass" range. You will have trouble dialing in something more enthusiastic. The EMG pickups, however, are modern, and more hi-fi than anything else you are using. I don't believe that would be your problem.

Look at the second post and answer those questions. Lots of guys here will try to help you.

[Standalone]

Keep the bass for now. I'd get a new cab first if I were you, then upgrade the head later. That Fender 412 makes me think that it is a Guitar cab.

I think that a modern bass specific cab will do the most for your tone out of the three things in your current rig. You could find a cheap 410 on craigslist (I've seen SWR Workingmans' going for $100. Take the other $200 and put it towards one of the new crazy micro heads that go for $250.... and boom you're there. Keep the P bass unless it's really a POS. Nothing wrong with EMG's.

[ezstep]

Originally Posted by Standalone

...That Fender 412 makes me think that it is a Guitar cab.

Hmmm.... I hadn't thought of that. Fender did make some Bassman cabs with 4x12's...not so sure about 10 years ago, though. I thought they were older (could be wrong).

Yeah, check that first and make sure you have a Bassman cab and not a Fender guitar cab.

[tk4207]

Originally Posted by ezstep

First, welcome. Don't be a stranger.
Second, probably everyone here at one time or another used a p.a. head of some sort to play through - even if only for a gig or two. I know I have.

Your equipment is not bass-friendly. You have a Fender 4x12 (common among old Fender Bassman's), and you complain about your tone not having enthusiasm. Well, the Bassman cab is more "old school" or "vintage" sounding than many, many more modern cabs. You have a slight problem there. You are currently using a p.a. head for an amp, so much of the eq is out of the "bass" range. You will have trouble dialing in something more enthusiastic. The EMG pickups, however, are modern, and more hi-fi than anything else you are using. I don't believe that would be your problem.

Look at the second post and answer those questions. Lots of guys here will try to help you.

Regarding the 4x12 configuration, I use an Ampeg V4 4x12 guitar cab for my bass rig, and it sounds phenomenal; lots of bite and punch, so idk if your cab is really the problem.

I think with your setup, the best thing to get right now is a proper preamp (maybe a Tech 21 Sansamp RPM or RBI) and run that in front of your Peavy. The Sansamp RPM and RBI are both $330, right in your price range, and it'll certainly help your tone.

I use a similar configuration for my own rig (bass > Sansamp RPM > Crown power amp > 4x12 cab) and it sounds pretty beastly.

Hope this helps!

[derridiandrift]

You could pick up a used Ampeg B100r or B200r for $300-400. They both sound really good and they would be the kind of gear you would keep if you upgrade to a bigger rig.

[ilovenofrets]

+1. It's not your bass. And as mentioned, there are a wealth of amps out there in your price range that would be fine choices; GK, Hartke, Peavey, Fender, Yorkville, SWR, Trace Elliot, Warwick and others I'm sure I'm even overlooking. It comes down to a matter of tone preference. Hit your local music shops. Try out as many as you can, but be sure to take your own bass with you. There's nothing worse than thinking you found a great amp, only to find out it doesn't sound like it did in the store because you played a different axe through it. And never overlook used gear, in most cases you'll get a sweet deal on something better than you thought you could afford. Hope all this helps. Good luck in your quest. Cheers!!!

[Munjibunga]

Welcome, Jack, but don't lowner us. It's the worst thing you could do on your first post.

[allexcosta]

Your bass is fine, as are EMG pickups...

Don't do anything now, or maybe try to sell your rig, add the cash you have and see if you can get a nice como like a Roland CB100, or even a Hartke A70 or Kickback 12. Also, look into GK's MB combos, or the little MB200 and add a 1x12" cab of your choice. Lots of info here, just keep reading and within a couple of weeks or so you'll have a good idea of what to do.

[GrantStuff]

I would probably get a new bass amp head. The 4x12 will give you quite a lot of power to work with, but with a 150w head you're not gonna have much headroom, which means, not-so-good tone. Or get a reputable combo, something with good enough power. That would also be a lot easier to lug around.

[Marginal Tom]

Here's some good advice -- finish your profile. You'll get better advice if people know where you live, the types of music you play, and the like.

If you're in a small town, try to visit the music stores in a nearby city, find an amp you like, then try Talkbass, eBay and Craigslist for similar amps used. Your local CL is probably best because of shipping costs, but try before you buy.

[jackofwands81]

thanks a lot everyone!

he whats "Lowner us" mean?

ok ill fill out my profile. lol

[Calaverasgrande]

A Loooooooong time ago I used to ply amy bass through a PA head. I figured out that what makes 100% difference in the sound is using a preamp or DI box. Otherwise it will just be coming in too low for line level or too high for mic level. Try that first, it's the cheapest thing you can do right now.
You can likely find a used Pearce/Intersound IVP1 for less than $100. Yamaha, Boss, Ashly, Furman, Barcus Berry, and a few others have made instrument pres that can be found for not too much on the used market.

[rok51]

I have used PA heads too...they worked...but...well...you know...if you have used them...if your 4X12 cab is a guitar cab...then that would have a significant bearing on your overall sound...imho...moreso than the PA head...your bass is fine...my best advice is to play as many different setups as you can and then try to isolate what makes one setup sound better to you than the others...and then target your likes and dislikes in order to find a rig that is 'your own'...tone is subjective...if you hang around here...and we ALL hope that you do...you will find wildly varying preferences for 'tone'...'feel'...etc. In the end it is YOUR ears that make the difference...more than likely you have a particular sound 'in your head'...the exercise is to find the gear that most closely replicates that sound for you...and, trust me...it has nothing to do with the price of the gear...but you must commit to the research...trial and error...until you find the sound...the feel...that makes YOU smile...

Kim

[jakelly]

Originally Posted by ezstep

First, welcome. Don't be a stranger.
Second, probably everyone here at one time or another used a p.a. head of some sort to play through - even if only for a gig or two. I know I have.

My first bass amp was an old Standel solid state guitar amp. LOL Sounded OK though, got me started practicing anyway. I never turned it up very loud because it had real nice original Jensen speakers in it that surely would have been destroyed if I had.

[Floyd Eye]

SansAmp RBI ( or RPM). Best bang for the buck and the head you use makes no difference.

[calmb4tehpwn]

If you want a cheap cab, this micro rig would be great for you:
4x6" + 2x8" Micro Rig for $100 + shipping!

It wont play to a huge crowd, but it'll get you above the drumset. You should be able to sell the 412 for atleast 100, and then you're back to your 300, letting you pick up something like an SWR 350x, or an equivalent.

And then you can sell your current amp head and pocket the extra.

SWR 350x were far overproduced, so the market's flooded with 'em. You can get one pretty cheap.

[Soverntear]

for $300 id grab an old peavey head. decent enough tone and there bloody bullet proof