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35W at home ? Is it enough ?

grillman

grillman

Dec 15, 2014
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#1
I am thinking of buying a small combo amp for home use.
Right now I am hesitating between the Hartke A35, the SWR LA 10 or the Ampeg BA110 so that gives you an idea of what I am looking at.

I tried a couple of 20W amps with 6" speakers and they always saturated or sounded mushy even at low volume. I think they just could not handle the bass very well. It was not a credible sound.

Can you get a decent sound at low volume from a 35W amp equipped with a 10" speaker ?
 
#4
I have used many in that range, personal favs are the inexpensive little Peavey Minx 110's ... I have two side by side, one for me, one for students when they are here ... practice at home time for me is about a solid tone, with good clarity to show/not hide the little nuances in technique and playing ... its easy when playing alone to go for a nice scooped mid tone, that almost makes everything sound good, it also hides lots of little technique flaws ... ;)

35 Watts into 110 ... cheap used (<$75), and last forever ... perfect for at home practice, although one of the Minx was even used in an orchestra pit of the local playhouse for a production and was plenty ...
 
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#6
tjh said:
practice at home time for me is about a solid tone, with good clarity to show/not hide the little nuances in technique and playing ... its easy when playing alone to go for a nice scooped mid tone, that almost makes everything sound good, it also hides lots of little technique flaws ... ;)
Click to expand...

Exactly. I want to be able to hear my mids and the nuance of the playing.

I also want to be able to test pedals on it. Right now I can only test pedals when I go to the rehearsal room where I get reunited with my main rig. That means only once a week.

I tried to test some pedals (octave, OD, etc) on smaller amps and it sounded like it was about to explode.
 
#10
I have 2 rigs for home practice: an ancient Fender Rumble 15 in the lounge room and a similarly ancient Traynor YBA200 in the garage (generally too powerful). The Rumble is a bit characterless but is plenty loud enough for both me and my neighbours. I keep it because it's great for quiet noodling while Missus Jughead is watching TV.

If I was to buy a new practice amp I would try to get one with a pleasing tone, hopefully a tone that matches my gig rig. Volume is not so important.
 
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#14
I would rather listen to headphones than some of these cheap quality SS amps out there....unless you spend way more than $250 new.

Seriously buy a solid quality used 100 to 200 watt head and at least a 2x10 or 1x12 cab imo.

I'm not saying there aren't good practice amps out there that are very small....there certainly are but the good ones aint cheap.

I have a broken cheap Acoustic 1x12 combo I bought for $15...the speaker isn't half bad but I loaded another speaker in to it..... yanked the chassis out (use that space for storage) and use it with my GK 400RBIII which was under $150 used.

Small enough to move anywhere and good enough to gig with.
 
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#15
Try to find an older Fender Bassman 25. It's the one that tilts back. It had RCA inputs that can easily be adapted to a 1/8" jack from a phone or iPod so you can jam with your favorite music. Headphone out. Ported 10" that will really thump.
 
#17
Jughead6 said:
Are you playing an extended range bass? Low B string? Or drop tuning? High C string? That may impact on your selection of amp.
Click to expand...

I have a 5 strings but I rarely go as low as low B for home practice.

Downunderwonder said:
band volume at home is indeed madness but without band volume there is no test and without the band no confirmation of the result.
Click to expand...

Maybe I didn't express myself properly. I meant pedal testing as in testing if they are working properly or not. But with the crappy amp I had at home I couldn't even tell. When it comes to pedal settings I do it strictly on my main rig with my band. So you were right but I was not clear.

DavidEdenAria said:
Seriously buy a solid quality used 100 to 200 watt head and at least a 2x10 or 1x12 cab imo.
Click to expand...

That seems a bit overkill to me haha
I'm just looking for an amp to use in my appartment (with neighboors). My main rig is Ampeg SVT-4 pro with 8x10 heritage cab. I know I will never get close to it at home but I'd like at least to have a pleasant and defined sound.
 
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#18
I have owned two practice that were good. A Peavey Minx, as was mentioned before. The other one was an Acoustic B20 from Guitar Center. 20watts and one 12" speaker. Good tone, nice clarity and enough power to hear it above a stereo playing.
Both can be had used for about $50~$75.
If I needed a practice amp, I would buy either one again without a second thought.
 
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#19
I've been using one of these as my home practice amp since they were introduced : Roland - CUBE-30 BASS | Bass Amplifier

Plenty of volume and full sounding for practice. Handles a B string, no problem. I also test any new pedals through it and it gives me a good feel of how they will sound with one of my bigger rigs. This model is discontinued, but you might be able to find a used one. I have no experience with the newer models, but I would certainly consider those as well.
 

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