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1st time buying a bass amp head
- Thread starter Gutta Bassist
- Start date
I would think that you would be quite content with a Hartke HA3500, which is a lovely amp with a low price bought new. I'd have one if my priorities weren't for light weight and portability (though it's only 15kg or so - about 43lb).
The combos recommended above are also a viable option, The Rumble series are awesome, but it depends where you think you're taking your music. If you're staying forever in this band in this room then a combo will be awesome and comparably affordable (Rumble combo costs barely more than it's equivalent head).
Sure they do... we have drums, 2 guitars and bass in a room smaller than that. It's a squeeze but its bigger than some stages. Of course, cubic feet are more useful so you can stand instead of squishing into a two dimensional plane
The combos recommended above are also a viable option, The Rumble series are awesome, but it depends where you think you're taking your music. If you're staying forever in this band in this room then a combo will be awesome and comparably affordable (Rumble combo costs barely more than it's equivalent head).
Sure they do... we have drums, 2 guitars and bass in a room smaller than that. It's a squeeze but its bigger than some stages. Of course, cubic feet are more useful so you can stand instead of squishing into a two dimensional plane
The room where the band is set up is 15'x14' the room also has a sliding wall that opens up the room to about twice that. I understand that the room is small and a combo would be better suited but im also thinking about when we gig in other venues and their stages are the size of our room. I don't think a combo would be suitable for a large venue. I already stick out like sore thumb with an iced out bass, having this outdoor sub with a bass head at a large venue would be just embarrassing, lol.
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This is the outside sub. It's a Peavy.... That's all I know, its too badly scratched up on the back to tell how much wattage & ohms it can handle.
This is the outside sub. It's a Peavy.... That's all I know, its too badly scratched up on the back to tell how much wattage & ohms it can handle.
i wouldn't use a sub, unless i was running a bi-amp rig. in you're situation i would go with something like this: Invalid Link Removed ,a bit above budget but worth it . these combos are LOUD, i use the rumble 40 for my home amp and small jams w/o drums. For me it sounds exceptional,these rumble V3 combos really punch above their weight class IMHO.
I honestly don't know what you mean by pre-amp & power-amp combo. Could you give some examples to look up.
I have a gk mb115 combo I got from a pawn shop for 120. Plenty loud enough for club use, decent tone. It is my living room practice Amp i built into a table so you don't even know its there. I used to use it for backline when our bass player (drums are my primary instrument) had his swr in hock (a lot). He loved that gk, actually more than my markbass 121p. We are in a 6 pc with drummer, key, gtr, sax, 3 vox and perc and it did fine, but we are not playing hard rock or anything. Mostly jaz, funk, sould, contremporary rock 80% originals. I don't know if it would keep up in a real loud rock band. Used market is the way to go, just thoroughly test it out, and don't be afraid to turn it up in the store. Amp issues some times only happen when you push them. The 300w is a good rule of thumb, I just thought I would post this amp as I was pretty impressed with it for its wattage and price.
Modular is definitely a good way to go as you can hone in on your sound better without replacing everything, but it is more expensive in the short term buying the components.
The preamp shapes the tone but provides no power to the speakers. The preamp usually has an eq section, gain, output signal, maybe compressor etc. This then runs into a power amp. this is just straight power/wattage, no eq or tone control, just output volume. Class d is much lighter than others. That output then runs into your cab or cabs.
100 square ft is the size of a small stage, are you sure that is correct? it would be a super tiny bedroom size. The other posters examples of the sansamp/power amp are a very common combination. You could probably even find tht combo on youtube and actually see and hear it with various cabs, but I think it might be close to the top end of your budget without a cab if you chose a decent power amp.
Lots of options!
I'd like to weigh in, by mentioning that whatever you choose to purchase, being able to send a balanced signal to a house PA system will be important. Plenty of venues have a house PA that you can run out to and not have to worry about whether you have enough juice to carry the low end. If you purchase a DI, combo, or head that has a clean DI, it will stand you in good stead.
Also, everyone starts somewhere equipment wise, so I recommend that you don't worry about the appearance of a cobbled together rig. In fact, the only people who will care what your rig *looks* like, will be other bassists...play your cards right and they'll compliment you on the awesome tone you get, (while shaking their heads). I agree with other contributors that the sub will probably not be an asset as much as a hindrance. If it doesn't have any sentimental value, perhaps consider selling it and using the proceeds to help fund your new rig?
Given the size of the room you are talking about, everyone in your band is going to have to be very sensitive to volume. Being able to pump out big watts never hurts, but the sound quality is more important (in my opinion).
Experience wise, I used a 2x10 cab and an Ampeg pf-350 for almost four years in small clubs, and it did just fine for me, playing jazz, blues, and some classic rock. If you could get into a quality used combo with your budget, that would be the route I would take.
Best of luck,
Jake
I'd like to weigh in, by mentioning that whatever you choose to purchase, being able to send a balanced signal to a house PA system will be important. Plenty of venues have a house PA that you can run out to and not have to worry about whether you have enough juice to carry the low end. If you purchase a DI, combo, or head that has a clean DI, it will stand you in good stead.
Also, everyone starts somewhere equipment wise, so I recommend that you don't worry about the appearance of a cobbled together rig. In fact, the only people who will care what your rig *looks* like, will be other bassists...play your cards right and they'll compliment you on the awesome tone you get, (while shaking their heads). I agree with other contributors that the sub will probably not be an asset as much as a hindrance. If it doesn't have any sentimental value, perhaps consider selling it and using the proceeds to help fund your new rig?
Given the size of the room you are talking about, everyone in your band is going to have to be very sensitive to volume. Being able to pump out big watts never hurts, but the sound quality is more important (in my opinion).
Experience wise, I used a 2x10 cab and an Ampeg pf-350 for almost four years in small clubs, and it did just fine for me, playing jazz, blues, and some classic rock. If you could get into a quality used combo with your budget, that would be the route I would take.
Best of luck,
Jake
I've been doing some shopping and found 3 amps that are in my price range and has the wattage that I want.
1. Hartke LH500 500 Watt Bass Amp Head
2. Ampeg PF500 Portaflex 500W Bass Amp Head
3. Gallien-Krueger Goldline 500 Bass Head
1. Hartke LH500 500 Watt Bass Amp Head
2. Ampeg PF500 Portaflex 500W Bass Amp Head
3. Gallien-Krueger Goldline 500 Bass Head
lol, make it 2000w and a train horn. A standard small house bathroom is 5x10.
Like was posted before. You take the preamp that could be something like this Sansamp Bass Driver: For Sale - Tech 21 Vt bass XXL BASS Sansamp Bass Driver Mxr Bass Chorus Deluxe
That would go into a power amp such as this: PEAVEY CS 800S Stereo Power Amplifier Stereo 260 Watt 8 ohms #24133
Then you just need to buy the cables and you should be right around $350. Basically you run the preamp into the poweramp. This also gives you many options such as running a DI from the sansamp into the FOH at a gig or using your poweramp (in this case the Peavey) to run the monitors through one channel and your bass amp through the other.
I should note that I although I do have the exact Peavey CS800S power amp that I quoted in this post, I have never run a Sansamp through it. Others have commented that the Sansamp - Power amp combo (even a power amp with 1.4V sensitivity like the Peavey) works quite well.
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I once practiced with a drummer at his house. He had his massive drum kit set up in a 10x10 bedroom. The guitarist and I didn't have a lot of space. That said bc it was a full kit in a small room, we still needed loud amps bc we had to be heard over the drums!
I've practiced with bands in a single car garage - maybe 8x18? But it wasn't empty, so space was tight.
Anyhow - OP: skip the sub. Look for a combo amp with at least 100 watts behind it and at least a 12" speaker. Outdoor gigs require a magnitude larger amps. Then you're in 8x10 and 500+ watts territory and even then the sound just goes and disappears.
I've practiced with bands in a single car garage - maybe 8x18? But it wasn't empty, so space was tight.
Anyhow - OP: skip the sub. Look for a combo amp with at least 100 watts behind it and at least a 12" speaker. Outdoor gigs require a magnitude larger amps. Then you're in 8x10 and 500+ watts territory and even then the sound just goes and disappears.
You've asked about the GK Goldline 500 a couple of times....
This is what Mr. Gallien said about that amp right here on TB
Good luck.
This is what Mr. Gallien said about that amp right here on TB
"The Goldline amplifier is actually an excellent amp at an incredible price. It used the power amp from the 700RB with out the horn amp, and included a great preamp. It was inexpensive because we made it in China and sold it only to GC in high quantities. It was part of the Goldline series and by far the best product in the series. The whole Goldline concept was dropped when GC started bringing in their product line from China called Acoustic. The Goldline 500 is a ridiculously outstanding value that is rarely seen in this world.
RAG."
Here is the post url: Gallien Krueger Official Club: Pt. 9
Thanks to TB icon B-string for highlighting Mr. Gallien's post and ID'ing the amp as a "sleeper." Guitar center has them used from about 125 to 180. I bought a 'new' one today.RAG."
Here is the post url: Gallien Krueger Official Club: Pt. 9
Good luck.
