Newbie- Mic Preamp with cab ???

alxi · #1 07-01-2011, 07:50 AM

HI all.

( Did a search and couldn't find anything on the subject )

Been playing bass on my own for about 4 years. I'm thinking about joining a band so i'm slowly shopping for a amp loud enough to compete with two electric guitars and a drum. I will probably be going the USED way. For 200$ there's a few old peavey and yorkville i can get my hands on. For 300$ there's also some fender and Ampeg i could reach for...

Anyway....

I got a Art Prochannel Tube mic preamp that i really like. It's got a D.I input. a compressor and a eq. I use it to record my bass and some vocals. The tube eq it's where it's at. I can get really nice tones with it. Smooth, round and rich tone

So i was wondering, is it possible to simply buy a cab. lets say a 15 inch, and connect my preamp to it ? If so , will i have enough power to play in a band scenario ???

Thanks

escaraBAJO · #2 07-01-2011, 08:01 AM

You won't be able to amplify your sound with a preamp. It is not what it is for.
Not even a 15 w cab. Which, by the way and IME, won't be enough for anything that involves a drummer. You'd need an amp plus cab or a combo

3506string · #3 07-01-2011, 08:05 AM

If you buy a cab you would need a power amplifier to drive it.

alxi · #4 07-01-2011, 08:07 AM

Hi escaraBAJO

So you're saying that the output of the preamp won't be loud enough to feed a cab,
Right ?

If not, i guess i will have to go the combo way. I can get my hands on a used Yorkville BM200, 200 watts for 200$. It's in very good shape.

alxi · #5 07-01-2011, 08:09 AM

Hi 3506 strings

So a bass head is a preamp + an amplifier, correct ??

escaraBAJO · #6 07-01-2011, 08:14 AM

Hi!
I'm not an expert on preamps but what i know is that those are devices to modify your sound or give enough signal power to feed an amp, use the eq, etc. Active basses have on-board preamps and you won't get a sound if you hook them directly to a cab.

So, in short, no, it won't give power to run the cab.

A combo is a good alternative
Good luck!

alxi · #7 07-01-2011, 08:17 AM

Thank you sir

3506string · #8 07-01-2011, 08:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alxi

Hi 3506 strings

So a bass head is a preamp + an amplifier, correct ??

Yes. When you buy a bass head you get a preamp and poweramp together.

You can use a preamp with a head but if all you want to do is amplify the art's signal you would need a power amplifier.

alxi · #9 07-01-2011, 08:27 AM

Allright thanks.

In the meanwhile, Any thoughts on the Yorkville BM 200 ?

Marko5657 · #10 07-01-2011, 10:24 AM

If you like the sound you get from your preamp, maybe you should just get a power amp to put between it and the cab. You could put them both in a rack if you like.

Then just find a cab that suits your live needs, and with the rack setup, you could switch cabs at-will.

alxi · #11 07-01-2011, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marko5657

If you like the sound you get from your preamp, maybe you should just get a power amp to put between it and the cab. You could put them both in a rack if you like.

Then just find a cab that suits your live needs, and with the rack setup, you could switch cabs at-will.

Hi Marko.

Not a bad idea... but do you think that an amp and a cab would cost as little as a used bass combo ??

Downunderwonder · #12 07-01-2011, 06:45 PM

That's a bit of a piece of string length question.

You get what you pay for in a combo. At the bottom end of the market you get amazing bang per buck.

For a few dollars more you can have a heap of power and ability to mix and match cabinets. That's what I'd go for.

bassgod0dmw · #13 07-01-2011, 07:22 PM

I would purchase a power amp and a cabinet. You can find some really good deals in the used market.

Dean N · #14 07-01-2011, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassgod0dmw

I would purchase a power amp and a cabinet. You can find some really good deals in the used market.

+1.

A used cab and power amp is the way to go here. You can get both for cheap. Yorkville is a very solid, if not boutique, name. I've had a Y100b for something like 20 years and still play through it.

PhiDeck · #15 07-01-2011, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alxi

In the meanwhile, Any thoughts on the Yorkville BM 200 ?

From the BM200's schematic it appears that you may be able to bypass its front-end and feed your tube pre-amp's output into the BM200's effects return input.

alxi · #16 07-01-2011, 08:38 PM

Thanks guys for all the answers.

Any recommendations on power amps ???

Phideck. That's exactly what i was thinking about but i wasn't seeing any line input. That would be great if i could use the effect return. Will have to try

Downunderwonder · #17 07-02-2011, 01:56 AM

A power amp is a very generic item but stay away from anything modern and cheap.

Scout your local "ebay" for an old solid state power amp that's going. Heavy, reliable and cheap, accent on all three, but you can't complain when it's cheap. It'll go and go and go and you'd never know it was an old amp except to look at it and lift it.

The Behringer EP series amps are probably out of your budget but they are apparently one of B'ringers standout really good products, unlike most of the rest of their cheesy stuff.

Being Canadian there's probably a heap of old Yorkvilles floating around.

alxi · #18 07-02-2011, 12:04 PM

Thanks Downunderwonder
That's what i'll do

bassgod0dmw · #19 07-02-2011, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downunderwonder

A power amp is a very generic item but stay away from anything modern and cheap.

Why stay away form anything modern? That's kind of a bad blanket statement. There are plenty of excellent "modern" poweramps out there that are more than suitable.

alxi · #20 07-02-2011, 02:00 PM

Hi BassgodOdmw

Witch newer amp would you recommend ? It's an unknown territory for me. I usually mix music and do some recording. I don't know much about power amps, bass cab, bass amp and etc.