1st Post, need quick advice

[Gravedigger Dav]

BW for sure. The Affinity is good for a start.
Love me some G&L - I'm pretty much a passive P bass old school guy (with emphasis on the old) and IMHO, the SB-2 is as good a bass as there is. That and an Ampeg is .9944% as good as a P and an Ampeg.
And welcome to the abuse.

 

[Session1969]

Good choice on the 300. They were a staple in the eighties and probably the loudest combos available at the time. They might still be the loudest, especially the ones with the eighteen and two tens. Lol ! Welcome to the forum !

 

[danosix]

Hi all, first post here. I've played guitar for 27 years, and just recently acquired my first bass. Its a cheapo, a Squier Affinity P-bass, cost me $65 used. While I cant foresee bass becoming my #1 instrument, I WANT to learn it, get proficient enough to play blues/rock/country bass.

Anyhow, I need a bass amp, a cheap Craigslist special bass amp. Have researched extensively, and it seems for under $150, an older Peavey is most probably what I'm looking at. A bass player friend of mine told me get as many watts as you can, but 100 watts thru a 15" or 2x10" should be the absolute lowest you go for playing with a band, and even thats questionable volume wise. So I found 2 amps, both Peaveys, one a TNT115S from @1995(150 watts, Sheffield 15" speaker) and a Combo 300 from @1985-89(300 watts, Black Widow speaker). So, which one to buy and why? I'll be buying one of them tonight.

I appreciate the whole "save up for a good amp" argument. I play my 3 G&L guitars thru a Dr Z. I totally get that. But here, right now, cheap but usable is what I want. If I take a serious liking to bass, I'll buy a G&L and an Ampeg, I promise Thanks!

Combo 300 - the combo of DOOM - especially for your back - but if you start gigging regularly you can "upgrade".
You will definitely wand to invest in casters (wheels).
As far as your bass and amp future desires go - that's a pretty good starting point, but don't assume you'll necessarily want the sound those produce when you are ready for a several thousand dollar rig - and this is from someone whose plays and loves both Ampeg and G&L. The Ampeg - good chance you'll want that - it's a pretty versatile sound - the G&L is a particular sound which people either REALLY like or not so much - again a GREAT SOUND and probably my best bass if I had to pick one - but not necessarily the one sound every bassist will want - even the L100 and SB200 are G&L sounding versions of a P or PJ.
Did I mention get wheels for the Combo 300?
Well, just in case - get wheels.

 

[danosix]

Good choice on the 300. They were a staple in the eighties and probably the loudest combos available at the time. They might still be the loudest, especially the ones with the eighteen and two tens. Lol ! Welcome to the forum !

There was a COMBO 300 with an 18 and two tens?
Holy ****, who played that, Godzilla?
The ones with the 15 weighed well over a hundred pounds....

Yeesh, just hinking about it makes me want to call my chiropractor.
But I do agree for pure SPL per dollar I don't think they can be beat.
And despite the snobs, they don't sound all the bad either.

 

[danosix]

I'm sorry if I didn't put enough "1st post, I don't know jack about bass and bass gear" disclaimers up front. I was just relating it to guitar gear, where I know some speakers may be better than others but not markedly better based on the sound one is looking for. I don't have "bass tone trained ears" yet, ain't looking for a particular "sound" but know bad bass tone when I hear it. Thats about all I know right now. So, I will take that as a yes, the BW is way better than the Sheffield for bass in general. Thanks

The Black Widow is a VERY LOUD (and very heavy) driver that sounds to most ears pretty good as a bass driver. They are known to be slightly bright and mid-heavy, but this is part of their appeal when seeking dispersion on a loud stage.
To get the same kind of volume and what people will refer to as "great" tone rather than good (or good enough) will generally cost you several times more and likely involve multiple drivers.
Don't worry about the best tone yet - one thing you need to know now is most of your tone will be eat up by the drums and guitars so being slid and audible is the goal to start with.

 

[Session1969]

As a teenager , I would hear alot of smack about Peavey from the guitarists I played with. Primarily, because that's all they could afford. I remember an Airforce band that played at our high school for an assembly and the bassist had one. He was playing a Musicman and it sounded awesome. I knew then that to a point, an amp is an amp is an amp.

 

[Bigben55]

Again, thanks everybody. Here's what $185($65 for the bass, $120 for the amp) gets you off of Craigslist in Cincinnati. Low end, but I figure its giggable and good enough to learn on.

Some of you mentioned pedals. I don't want a "bass pedal board," but are there "must have" pedals for bass? I know they sell them, but what does one REALLY need? I'd be playing blues, rock and some country.

I'm sure if I take a liking to bass, I'll upgrade. I'm a big fan of G&L guitars(have 3) and I cant see their basses being any less awesome as their guitars. And as far as amps, time will tell. Either way thats a long way off. I just want to get good enough to be "open blues jam, all night" competant, like I am on guitar. My favorite bass players have always been the rock solid but less flashy guys, like Tommy Shannon, Cliff Williams, Dusty Hill.

 

[iualum]

Again, thanks everybody. Here's what $185($65 for the bass, $120 for the amp) gets you off of Craigslist in Cincinnati. Low end, but I figure its giggable and good enough to learn on.

Some of you mentioned pedals. I don't want a "bass pedal board," but are there "must have" pedals for bass? I know they sell them, but what does one REALLY need? I'd be playing blues, rock and some country.

I'm sure if I take a liking to bass, I'll upgrade. I'm a big fan of G&L guitars(have 3) and I cant see their basses being any less awesome as their guitars. And as far as amps, time will tell. Either way thats a long way off. I just want to get good enough to be "open blues jam, all night" competant, like I am on guitar. My favorite bass players have always been the rock solid but less flashy guys, like Tommy Shannon, Cliff Williams, Dusty Hill.


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That buck eighty-five went a good long way.

No, no "must have" bass pedals, but lots of guys like compression. Not me so much.

Other boxes to seriously think about (if you're thinking stomps) would include OD/Distortion/Fuzz, Chorus, Filter, Octave & Delay. Phasers/Flangers are fun.

 

[Bigben55]

That buck eighty-five went a good long way.

No, no "must have" bass pedals, but lots of guys like compression. Not me so much.

Other boxes to seriously think about (if you're thinking stomps) would include OD/Distortion/Fuzz, Chorus, Filter, Octave & Delay. Phasers/Flangers are fun.

Thanks man. And good! Ill skip the pedals.

Here's a question. Does upgrading pickups make as big of a difference in bass as in guitar? The Squier I have, craftsmanship wise, really isn't terrible. But I'm CERTAIN the electronics are as cheap as possible. I can solder pickups. Id rewire everything. If I did that, new bridge and tuners would make this bass pretty darn good. Obviously, dropping money into a Squier, Made in Indonesia, is unrecoupable money, but what the heck.

 

[Brother Goose]

Thanks man. And good! Ill skip the pedals.

Here's a question. Does upgrading pickups make as big of a difference in bass as in guitar? The Squier I have, craftsmanship wise, really isn't terrible. But I'm CERTAIN the electronics are as cheap as possible. I can solder pickups. Id rewire everything. If I did that, new bridge and tuners would make this bass pretty darn good. Obviously, dropping money into a Squier, Made in Indonesia, is unrecoupable money, but what the heck.

Hardware/pickup upgrades can make a huge difference. Head on over to "accessories" under classifieds and you'll find a zillion options from nice folks.

 

[Session1969]

Thanks man. And good! Ill skip the pedals.

Here's a question. Does upgrading pickups make as big of a difference in bass as in guitar? The Squier I have, craftsmanship wise, really isn't terrible. But I'm CERTAIN the electronics are as cheap as possible. I can solder pickups. Id rewire everything. If I did that, new bridge and tuners would make this bass pretty darn good. Obviously, dropping money into a Squier, Made in Indonesia, is unrecoupable money, but what the heck.

Yeah, I found a pair of Fender CS vintage pups for my Squier Jazz 5 'r I use as a backup and it made a nice difference. It was from a Marcus Miller , right here on TB for about $80.

 

[iualum]

Thanks man. And good! Ill skip the pedals.

Here's a question. Does upgrading pickups make as big of a difference in bass as in guitar? The Squier I have, craftsmanship wise, really isn't terrible. But I'm CERTAIN the electronics are as cheap as possible. I can solder pickups. Id rewire everything. If I did that, new bridge and tuners would make this bass pretty darn good. Obviously, dropping money into a Squier, Made in Indonesia, is unrecoupable money, but what the heck.

Absolutely. Same as g****r . Personally, though, I wouldn't go crazy with ultra upgrades on a Squier, SX, etc...

 

[iualum]

Hardware/pickup upgrades can make a huge difference. Head on over to "accessories" under classifieds and you'll find a zillion options from nice folks.

 

[Bigben55]

Yep. Electronics are easy. I'd go $50 for pickups used. Maybe used SD's or AmStd Fender P-bass pickups if I can find them. The tuners are cheapo as is the bridge on this bass. Even I can tell. What are good "upgrades on a budget" replacements for tuners and bridge?