Starting to teach: what can I recommend as good beginners amps?

[Willem]

Hello

I want to start giving bassguitar lessons to beginners. I expect some students (and/or their parents) will ask me advice on what kind of amp to buy.

Can you guys give me amps which I can recommend will be good for beginners?

Bedroom amps...

Which wattage/speaker combination is minimum for practice with a drummer?

Also, what do you think of this idea? Instead of buying a bedroom amp which can not keep up with a drummer, I would recommend getting a headphone amp which won't bother their parents and be cheaper...
I'm especially thinking of the Boss-TU88. A tuner, metronome and headphone amp with aux in for a mere 50 euros. The money they safe with buying seperates could be spent on a better bass or nice headphones... What do you think of this?

Thanks guys!

[CamMcIntyre]

There are tons of great little amps for bedroom use. Fender, Peavy, SWR, and Ampeg all make amps for this need.

I agree with your assessment of getting a headphone amp. For a multifunction unit, I like the Tascam MP3 bass trainer. Metronome, tuner, enough effects to keep me amused, and has a nice slow down function for transcribing.

Minimum amp size for use with a drummer? I'm a fan of 1X12's with around 100 watts. They aren't super huge, heavy, or expensive. They are also generally cost effective enough to function as a first amp.

I use an SWR WM12 for the vast majority of my gigs. I play theatre, free jazz, some rock, and pop. It keeps up fine with nearly every drummer (except those that are really heavy handed) playing small-medium bars. The vast majority of the places I play, beyond tiny coffee houses, provide some sort of PA support.

[beans-on-toast]

That's a tough question because most of the alternatives are fairly expensive.

I would put more money into a playable instrument and a minimal amount towards the amp. If you can find an affordable model, I'd recommend an acoustic bass.

Renting until the student demonstrates that they have the desire to pursue learning the instrument beyond a few months is a good alternative. Some teachers offer this as an option.

The small combos with headphone outputs like those mentioned are a good starting point. You don't always want to use headphones so it is nice to have the choice available.

It is also nice to have a computer interface. On a MAC you can plug in directly and use programs like Garageband. A great tool for learning.

[Gopherbassist]

If the kid owns no gear, I'd recommend an Ibanez starter pack. The little ten watt amp is more than loud enough for them to play along with a stereo, and I'm always astounded at how nice the bass actually is. I don't know what to recommend for practice with a drummer, I went straight from that little amp to a 300 watt Sunn.