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100W head = too much for bedroom practice?

I

islademuerta

Aug 4, 2011
2
0
#1
Hello. I'm new here and need help buying my first bass amp. Just started out on a Fender Jazz. I'm a guitar player and have only played with guitar tube amps.

My main question is the difference between lets say a 15W combo with an 8'' speaker and a 100W head with 2x10'' cabinet as a bedroom practice amp. Both are solid-state. Can I just turn the 100W head volume down to be as quiet as the 15W combo without losing low end or character? Or do I need an attenuator for it like with guitar tube amps? If I match the volumes, does the 100W sound better, deeper and fuller than the 15W. And what are the good/bad sides of doing so?

I have my eyes on these:
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I just need something that can be used at bedroom volumes but also can hold the bottom end without making fart noises on low notes :hmm:
 
#2
The 100W combo with a 2x10" would almost certainly sound better then the 15W when at the same volume, the speakers can, to put it simply, move a lot more air and would have a lower frequency response, and you can just turn it down anyway, you won't have any less low end relative to the rest of the sound, although your ears are less sensitive to them when it's quieter. You'd also probably get more dynamic range (a bigger difference between quiet and loud) with the 100W as well because you aren't pushing it nearly as hard and clipping it or hitting a limiter.

There aren't really disadvantages besides the bigger size and higher cost, so if you've got the money for the 100W, I'd say go for it :D. A 15W would still be fine for just practicing in the bedroom, unless you want to be loud, though.
 
#5
I use a 1000 watt amp with a 112 three way cab for my bedroom amp . That's what the volume control is for . At very low volume it still sounds about the same as cranked up . As long as your amp doesn't take up too much room and upset the wife or whoever about anything goes . I don't think I could get away with a full SVT rig though .
 
#7
IMHO, the only reason to buy a 15W amp is when you can't afford a 100W amp.
The first amp that I bought as a simple 15 W practice amp and it was really all I could afford as an 18 year old. Loud enough for the bedroom but it pretty much fell short at any attempt to play along with others.
 
#9
+1 to all.

People get 15 watt practice boxes for their kids to start because they're cheap, (the kid may lose interest) and because a kid can easily carry it with them on the bus or to their lessons, etc.

You're sticking with it so get the 100 watt 210. It'll be enough to jam with your friends when you get that far and will probably be enough to play some of your first gigs. Heck, some people still gig with an amp that size after 40 years of playing depending on the gig.
 
#10
Use your guitar amp, and turn it down or fool with the knobs when it distorts or farts. Keep researching bass amps and cabs. Your views will change. Shop what's available used, and keep resale in mind when you buy. 500 watt and 410 is what I would go for.
 
#11
Play at home with what you gig.

I play at least 450Watts at home and I feel that if you can't shake the walls at home you live in the wrong home or neighborhood anyway.

If you worry about reselling your gear - then buy and sell basses and amps for a living and forget about becoming a musician. Otherwise just play what floats your boat and don't worry about making a profit down the road.

Buy the biggest mutha amp and combination of cabs or an expandable outfit you can afford and you won't be lost in the mix - ever.

Just use your volume knob with discretion.
 
#12
Scoop the mids out at low volumes. Then it should sound just as full as when it was cranked up.

I wouldn't buy a 15w bass amp for any conceivable purpose. You may or may not be familiar with the idea that bass amplification can easily require 5x as many watts as guitar amplification. Or more. So if you ever wondered why your bass player showed up with 500w, it's probably because you showed up with 100w. Similar story for speaker cabs. This is why pocket-sized amps for guitar are neat and surprising novelty amps that can sort of sound like the real thing while pocket-sized bass amps are sad and useless items that could only benefit someone if they were crushed up into tiny bits and scattered on slippery sidewalks.
 
#14
For bass, 15 watts ≈ 0 watts. Right now I've got a 900-watt amp going into a 600-watt 410 in my practice room. As others have said, the tone from the bigger gear is far superior to that of the little stuff, even at low volumes. You would be greatly diappointed with a 15-watt amp, even for practice only.
 
#18
^^ if the headphones aren't too big.

I actually have an older Fender BP15 (I think it is anyway) and I use it as a preamp for my harmonicas when I work in my electric blues group. Well - that or an A.R.T Tube pre too - but that's sometimes heating up something else like a mic for my wife or another singer.

The Fender toy amps distort so well that I can use them to get a raspy sound from the harps - but that's NO WAY to listen to a bass.
 
#19
I have a Mesa Walkabout and a Ampeg SVT-410HE in my bedroom for practice...overkill no?

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But really, you could have 1000 watts for bedroom practice, just turn it as loud as you like and roll with it. To me its get the gear you want. So you want a Ampeg SVT-810 and a SVT-CL for bedroom practice, fine by me. Your money, your rig, your choice.
 
#20
Blues Bass 2 said:
I use a 1000 watt amp with a 112 three way cab for my bedroom amp . That's what the volume control is for .
Click to expand...

+1. I have a 1000 watt amp going through a 4X10 cab in my bedroom, and it sounds fine when turned down. If you can afford to buy more power, by all means go for it. At least you can jam or play small shows with 100 watts... 15 is really only good for solo practice and that's it.
 

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