Why do you "need" an Amp??!??

[seamonkey]

You need a good practice solution. And once you've got one it can usually translate to live use these days. Look for good modeling solutions. IOS is very popular and portable these days. You can plug that into your home theater, a studio board, a FOH, or an amp if you ever need one.

[BassSurfer]

Why does KFC or Popeye's NEED to provide dipping sauces with their fried chicken buckets?

[topo morto]

Originally Posted by BassSurfer

Why does KFC or Popeye's NEED to provide dipping sauces with their fried chicken buckets?

Because otherwise the chicken would be a bit dry, and the meal would be less palatable, and people might choose to eat elsewhere.

[fkh006]

Because I practice at home, rehearse at the studio with my bands, and perform live all with the same amp and effects.

For me it's about consistency.

[TheEmptyCell]

I need an amp for practice because some guy on TalkBass told me that what he does with a home theater system is better.

[Mykk]

I need an amp so I can play with others, and play for others.

[BassSurfer]

Originally Posted by topo morto

Because otherwise the chicken would be a bit dry, and the meal would be less palatable, and people might choose to eat elsewhere.

An excellent, well thought out response my good sir!

[topo morto]

Originally Posted by BassSurfer

An excellent, well thought out response my good sir!

Oh yeah, I am riding this thread

[RickenBoogie]

But that's not an answer, it's just a platitude that fills up space and conveys no information./Quoting unclejane.

It was not an answer, correct, as the opening sentence revealed, it was a question.
Not everyone understood the question, obviously, but it was an honest question, nonetheless.

[khutch]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

I have a similar question. Why do people who think that THEY don't need an amp, feel the need to question everyone else on the subject? Is it for approval?

One normally asks a question because they are seeking information. That seems to be the case with this OP's question. He has a home practice setup that he describes and then characterizes as sufficient for his needs. He understands the need for an amp to perform at gigs, although a whole lot of people here would not consider 100W a gigging amp. That alone tells you that the OP is somewhat outside the norm. The truth is that a home theater system does have a perfectly functional amplifer and speaker array and if the OP is happy with that then he doesn't need an amp. But he wonders if he is missing something that others see so he asked his question. Some have given him good things to consider related to that question, some have just criticized the question.

I don't really need an amp either. I happen to have one that my father gave me so I use it to practice with but I could practice perfectly well with a headphone amp which of course is an amp, just not the kind the OP is asking about. I don't need a gigging amp, I only play at a church and the church provides the PA. Some may say that makes me unprofessional but I cannot recall ever being offered money for performing at church so I guess I can only plead guilty to that charge. Oddly enough the person in charge of the church PA is a paid professional at his craft and I believe he can get any bass sound required from the house PA. So I am not sure that I believe that only non-professionals would rely on a house PA. Of course I admit that I am well outside the norm myself, I do not own a single pedal....

Ken

[mmx6]

Originally Posted by khutch

One normally asks a question because they are seeking information. That seems to be the case with this OP's question. He has a home practice setup that he describes and then characterizes as sufficient for his needs. He understands the need for an amp to perform at gigs, although a whole lot of people here would not consider 100W a gigging amp. That alone tells you that the OP is somewhat outside the norm. The truth is that a home theater system does have a perfectly functional amplifer and speaker array and if the OP is happy with that then he doesn't need an amp. But he wonders if he is missing something that others see so he asked his question. Some have given him good things to consider related to that question, some have just criticized the question.

I don't really need an amp either. I happen to have one that my father gave me so I use it to practice with but I could practice perfectly well with a headphone amp which of course is an amp, just not the kind the OP is asking about. I don't need a gigging amp, I only play at a church and the church provides the PA. Some may say that makes me unprofessional but I cannot recall ever being offered money for performing at church so I guess I can only plead guilty to that charge. Oddly enough the person in charge of the church PA is a paid professional at his craft and I believe he can get any bass sound required from the house PA. So I am not sure that I believe that only non-professionals would rely on a house PA. Of course I admit that I am well outside the norm myself, I do not own a single pedal....

Ken

Exactly why I asked my question

I was wondering if I am missing out without having an expensive amp and preamp combo

All I know is that I like my DTS more than the Fender Rumble 15 and 30 at my teachers place.


The store is a few hours of long drive away, that is why I asked on TB from those experienced bassists and even semi pro or pro bassists

[jthunderbass]

You do not need an amp. But why wouldn't you have one?!!! Plug your bass into an SVT running an 810. Hit it hard!!!! Amps have tubes. Amps have coloration that we all love. The Hi Fi system is a very interesting idea, but why wouldnt you have an amp.
One thing that I love is when Im doing sound and the bass is run with a DI, because then you can actualy get great sound at a very very low volume. Dont get me wrong I love my vintage amps. The Sunn and the Musicman amps are killer, but if I had my way when doing sound I would have the bass on a DI and the whole band on In Ear Monitors. But thats coming from a cranky sound guy. Another great setup would be a Sansamp DI, into a DBX compressor into a power amp into a 410 or 810 cab. Gotta have the wireless, and IEMS with a room mic. Maybe throw a BBE on there too. 31 band eq would be great too. Put all the rack mount gear in a rolling rack, the cab in a case with wheels on the back. LOVE IT!!!!!

[mystic38]

not sure i can agree with that.. to me, changing eq cannot model the colorations and transient response of a driver..

by example, i had the opportunity to have at home for a while the hartke hydrive combo and the attack pedal thru my 1200W PA.. 10 out of 10 times the difference was noted and to me, significant...

Originally Posted by topo morto

Most of those units make an attempt to model that tonally (Of course you may not feel they do it successfully) and of course you can play with EQ etc yourself. It doesn't take you as far as the physicality of having an 8x10 pumping away next to you, which again points you towards using an amp if you need it. But you can do a lot to give you different tones without swapping amps around.

[lfmn16]

It's not mandatory to have an amplifier, but I found that when I stopped practicing with no amp, or with a practice amp and starting practicing with the amp I took to gigs, I started to notice a lot of things in my playing that I never really heard before. It's all about making the most of the time you spend on the bass.

[mmx6]

Yeah, I feel the subwoofers give my bass more Low End, and the mid frequency drivers and the high frequency tweeters give me the string definition (don't know if you get what I am saying)....


The bass single cabinets or even double I have seen and tried are just single type of dynamic speaker with either external tube amp or built in tubes....(Not to mention a lot of used amps on the market has very dirty and worn out tubes that need replacing....)

I have seen some really expensive cabinet stacks that has a Mid-range driver and a main driver...... (These are typically wayyy to expensive, not to mention you have to buy the stack amp as well....)


With the surround sound DTS with 2 Subs or more even, you get a more "circular" sound....

Although the output is still mono, but you have many speakers blasting the same mono signals at you, makes it better for critical monitoring (with speakers anyways).....

Of course you can do it with some good headphones (Shure SRH 840s or 940s or even the Q701/K701/702s (if you amp them well and EQ the bass on these AKGs)....


With an amp, the sound when I hear it sound it coming from the same direction, if I stand up and practice and move around, the speaker (sound source) is still remain in place, and feels I am indeed not "surrounded" by bass.....

[BawanaRik]

I think you're proven that you don't need amp amp to practice.

And it may just be that you don't need one playing out. Getting a Pandora and playing through the house system is a viable option that I'll bet more and more people will use.

Originally Posted by mmx6

Currently I do not have an amp

I am using my Fender Jazz 60s with my Vox AmPlug Bass hooked up to my Denon receiver going into my Home Theatre 7.2 system 1400 Watts RMS

Set the AmPlug on overdrive and set to gain to an 8, the output is extremely clean and so bassy the whole house shakes when on the lowest note lol

Also the definition of the plucking is realistic and very clear on the higher frets


At lessons, the teacher only got an 15W and 30W Fender Rumbles

They do not have much low frequencies and output is not clean

Why do you need amos for practice at home??? Amp is useful for gigs especially 100W or so since it is not io big or heavy.

[JoeWPgh]

I find that a decent practice amp might see duty at a jam session or small venue. So, why not?

[mmx6]

Originally Posted by JoeWPgh

I find that a decent practice amp might see duty at a jam session or small venue. So, why not?

Price paid does not justify sound quality

[HolmeBass]

OP, what I don't think you realize is that you *have an amp* - your home theater system has an amp, and that's the amp your using. I guess by "amp" you mean bass rig, as in a dedicated musical instrument electric bass amp. But with no amp at all your bass is going to be pretty darned quiet.

[JoeWPgh]

I have no idea what you are trying to say.

Originally Posted by mmx6

Price paid does not justify sound quality