What would be the recommended wats for an amp?

[Maxcamp92]

hi guys. im still a novice bass player and im gunna buy my first amp. i play in a band and we mainly practice in a warehouse. "i use an extra guitar amp" i dont want to break my friends so im buying my own. we are gunna mainly start playing at house shows in backyards and bars. how strong of an amp should i get? ive been told 75-125. and what is a recommended brand? "btw i play in a punk band" help would be nice please

[canadian*eh]

Well I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. For me the more watts the more clean head room i got with out over driving my preamp. Some people like less watts cause they like the sound they get from Over driving the preamp "Hitting the rails" As for me i like clean power not big into the overdriven sound...so i run 700 watts my self cause it is clean and i can always turn down if i need to. For me and what i do i much prefer have to much power then not enough...i always say...you can turn down but it is hard to get more head room out of a amp that is already maxed!! How loud do you guys play?? what kind of amps do your guitar players use?? What kind of cab are you planing on using??? I mean you can have all the watts in the world... but if you dont have a good enough cab to handle them you are kinda sunk!! for me i have to have at least 400 watts and a 410 cab... thats just me that just how i roll. Right now i am using a GK 1001rb II 700 watt head through an SWR Megoliath 810 cab and also have a SWR Goliath IV 8 ohm 410 cab for my smaller stuff..and my head at 8 ohms puts out 475 watts!! Give us some details and then there are alot of people here on TB that can help you find what works best for you!! All the Best Cheers Mate!!~Elliot

[spaz21387]

The ultimate punk rock tone would be an ampeg svt cl head through an ampeg 8x10 but I doubt you have the cash for that. So look into the micro svt and the matching 2x10. Jimmym got one for christmas if I remember right. And hes only said good things about it on here. I was very impressed with the head I didnt get a chance to try the matching 2x10 but through a usa ampeg 1x15 it sounded great.

[Maxcamp92]

my price range would very between 150-300. and i dont know anything about amps "im a novice"

[canadian*eh]

Originally Posted by Maxcamp92

my price range would very between 150-300. and i dont know anything about amps "im a novice"

Man you are not going to get much of anything for that price at least not new or in very good shape. What are you using right now?? If you have something that is working and can use it for a wail...i would suggest saving up some money so you can at least get something that is going to be half ways decent, sound good, last and meet your needs for a wail!! If i were you i would look in to some peavey Combos or something like to get you started cause if you looking for a head and cab setup you going to need more more the $300!!

[spaz21387]

Craigslist is a broke punks best friend. I have seen some great deals on combo amps go on there.

[JimmyM]

you can get a nice little 100-200w combo used, and it'll most likely be pretty good for you for now. i would go that route. lot of good combos out there at that price. if you want new, you might consider bumping up what you'll pay a little more if you can. at those prices new, either it won't quite get the punk rock job done, or it'll suck.

[canadian*eh]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

you can get a nice little 100-200w combo used, and it'll most likely be pretty good for you for now. i would go that route. lot of good combos out there at that price. if you want new, you might consider bumping up what you'll pay a little more if you can. at those prices new, either it won't quite get the punk rock job done, or it'll suck.

If you listen to anybody on here listen to this guy...He knows his stuff and has been around for a Very Long time...sorry jimmy not trying to make you out as old or anything..lol He's a wealth of Information!!

[Sartori]

Buy used. For $300 you probably can't get much really worthwhile new.

[Jack]

The Ashdown MAG stiff can be had cheap. 300W and a 4x10" might be overkill for a bit now, but you'll be very pleased you have a slightly more capable rig when you guys move out the garage.

I know you'll do what I (and most others) did, which is to say that you'll think that no one can ever really need that much amp and you'll be just fine with a 15" combo amp with around 100 watts. You're wrong, but we've all been there. I had a Crate BX80, the standard is one of the Peavey combos. Look for one that's missing some tolex covering, they're the cool ones.

What might be useful is to get yourself some coffee (or some whiskey) and mentally prepare yourself to read the relevant bits of this. Set aside an afternoon. But it's worth it before spending any of your hard-earned cash. Certainly at least the 'Reality check on amp prices, performance, etc' and the 'How many watts and cabinets do I need to gig with?' bits.

Welcome to TB! Stick around and get involved.

[BBQV]

A tube amp around 200 watts works well for me. They sound good and break up nicely without being too loud while doing it. Unfortunately tube amps seem to be 100 or 300-400 watts, never inbetween. Mesa 400, D180 or Buster are the only ones I can think of.

Solid state amps need to be a little more powerful as they don't break up as gracefully...

[Pollinator95]

I doubt you´ll find a good tube amp + cab for your budget. Whatever you do, don´t cheap out on the cab.

[RoboChrist]

400 watts is a good start. Bass frequenices suck a HUGE amount of power to be heard at volumes that can be heard with a guitar, so never listen to guitar players who say you only need 150 watts.

Get a head that can put out 400 watts at 8 ohms if you're going to use a combo or a single 8 ohm cab, or two 8 ohm cabs into a mono amp will give you 400 watts at 4 ohms.