Lack of bass amp solutions

[BobbyTouche]

Hey guys. I'm a member of a contemporary worship band in my church as a guitar player. It seems I'll be taking over the roll of bass player for a while until we find a new one.

I have a nice bass, but no bass amp. What I do have is a Fender 1275x floor monitor and a Samson S-direct plus DI box.

Is there any way to use these together as a poor mans bass amp. If I need any other components, I need to keep it on the cheap. Way cheap.

I'd just hate to run the bass through my Mesa Rectifier and see her burn.

[rockstarbassist]

If you already have monitors, use your DI box to send the signal to FOH and then get it put into your floor wedges?

[BobbyTouche]

That would definitely work in the church. We rehearse at our Keyboard players house where there is no PA. Would I need a powered mixer?

[rockstarbassist]

That would work, or you could possibly just get a used power amp and do it that way, if your DI has a hot enough signal to drive it.

[waleross]

I am not familiar with that Fender monitor but a used Fender Rumble amp might work and used they are not a lot of money.

[BobbyTouche]

I just found a 4 channel mixer with phantom power for cheap. Would that work?

[BobbyTouche]

And your right waleross. Those rumble amps are a decent price for sure.

[rockstarbassist]

As long as it's got enough juice to power your monitors, I don't see why not.

[rekesbass]

get a cheap bass cab and use your Rectifier head

[oldcatfish]

You have several options:
1) Run direct with a DI box as suggested.
2) Get a small power amp or powered mixer to use your floor monitor; if yours isn't a powered monitor.
3) Use your guitar amp head with a BASS speaker cab.
4) By a used bass or keyboard amp.

Option one will be the cheapest and will work well. You can also do a combination of number one, but then use one of the other suggestions with it....use the through out to split the signal==one goes to the PA, one goes to the other option as a monitor that you control.

For what it's worth, I am a regularly gigging bassist, and I don't own a bass amp. I go through a multieffect unit then go to the board with one side..then either use a powered monitor, in ear headphones, or the venue's bass amp as a monitor. I don't play any really loud gigs, but I do play with some loud drummers. I never have a problem being heard.

[Stumbo]

Originally Posted by BobbyTouche

What I do have is a Fender 1275x floor monitor and a Samson S-direct plus DI box.

I looked around a bit and found out the following:
Fender manual
MODEL 1275X
PART NUMBER 071-1275-200
CABINET 3/4" (1.9 cm) Particle Board Particle Board
CONNECTIONS (2) 1/4" Phone Jacks
DRIVERS
Low:15" (38 cm) woofer 2" (5.1 cm) voice coil
High: Dual Piezoelectric
FREQUENCY RESPONSE
On Axis Half Space 50 Hz to 20kHz +/- 6 dB
ON AXIS SENSITIVITY SPL @ 1W/1m 95 dB
COVERAGE PATTERN Vertical 70º @ 5 kHz, Horizontal 35º @ 5 kHz
POWER RATING 200W program, 100W EIA RS 426A
NOMINAL IMPEDANCE: 16½ ohm
DIMENSIONS Height 19.2" (48.8 cm),Width 25.2" (64.0 cm), Depth 15.8" (40.1 cm)
WEIGHT 47 lbs. (21.4 kg)

Mesa manual Your amp appears to have a 16 ohm output available so the monitor matches up to it fine.

I suggest you run the monitor with your Mesa (clean) for rehearsal. Put the monitor upright and get it up to ear level.

If you don't put a lot of low bass through it, it may work out for rehearsal and the performance. For the performance, I suggest keeping the the monitor behind you and at ear level as well.

Also, for the performance, from the Samson DI manual you can plug into the DI and run one output (1/4') to the Mesa and another (XLR) to the P.A.

Test it and see how it works. If it works okay, you've saved some cash.

Also, maybe you can find a better, used bass speaker and replace the one in the monitor to get a better bass response/more spl out of it.

[fingerbun]

Considering that many sound guys just want to stick the bass thru a di and into the PA then yes a PA based rig would work. But it will sound dull.

Suggest you at least go look at pedals to try and get some edge. I think Behringer make a poor man's version of Sansamp that might do something for you.