35W at home ? Is it enough ?

[AshInAmsterdam]

I use a fender rumble 15 at home. With 8" speaker. It's the older version with metal grille.

More than enough, I play usually with the volume set at 2. After 5 the volume control serves as a compressor but that is too loud for my apartment except maybe in the day.

Tried the rumble 25 with I think 10" speaker and it was considerably fuller sounding so I think that your plan will be just fine.

I had briefly a hartke ha3500 350w through a 2x10 and it sounded decent even at low volume (the joys of solid state).

 

[GeneralElectric]

It depends on what you're going for. 90% of my home practice goes through either headphones or a modded Fender Champion 600. The Fender has a whopping 5 watts of power, a single volume knob, and upgraded tube and speaker. It sounds pretty good for learning songs and maybe playing with a couple of guys on hand percussion and acoustic instruments.

I used to have a Roland Bass Cube 30 which was pretty good. It handled a lot of stuff well and had some modelling stuff built in. They're discontinued but can be had cheaply

 

[ColonelZulu]

What are you playing for live gigs?

I use 2x210s with an EA iAmp 800. But I also have an EA Micro. So I keep one of my 210s and the Micro in the room where I practice and mess around.

It sounds fine as a practice amp, plus, the Micro is my back up head.

 

[buldog5151bass]

It's not the watts that's the problem, it's the crappy speaker in inexpensive practice amps that always disappoints.

This.

Also depends on what you need it for. When I practice, all I need is to be heard over my computer's speakers, and be able to hear technique flaws - a cheap 20w guitar amp works if becessary.

 

[troubledog]

I recent bought the new little Ampeg tube head, the PF20T. 20 watts. I have it hooked up to an Ampeg 15' cabinet and it's tone heaven. More than enough volume to shake the windows and more.

 

[Sav'nBass]

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 ?

Between the 3 you mentioned I would go with the Hartke A35. I would also consider a Fender Rumble 40. Both of tjhose have XLR outs and sound decent with 10" speakers. They both also have XLR outs.. so that way they offer a bit more flexibility (not that you couldn't use any out to run to a direct box.. ) I use my 60W/10" Tech21 bass power wedge with my B3 as a pre at home and it works fine.

 

[Blankandson]

My experience: 4 or 5 string passive into 35 watt 10" is fine for home practice. It will not give you correct sound with pedals. It will not handle an active 4- or 5-string. In a band you will not hear yourself. If you plug in a nice active bass you will likely blow the speaker quickly. I think you'd be better served with at least 75 watts into a 12". My 2 cents. Compare prices and you may find there's not much price difference between 35 watts and 100 watts.

 

[Up the dose]

The 100 dollar and under price point practice amp is where Peavey quality really shines

 

[aaronious]

I bought a used Fender Bdec and replaced the speaker with an Eminence 10. Best 30 watt practice amp ever. Loud, articulate, punchy and it keeps up with a loud guitarist in living room Jam sessions. All the drum tracks with accompaniments and effects is an added bonus, it's a great practice tool. I'd suggest going that route. If something were to happen to mine, I'd scour the internet and do it all over again before even looking at any other option.

 

[Turock]

You need an Ampeg BA112.

 

[higain617]

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.

You call those ancient? I have a 70's Ampeg combo.

 

[Linnin]

I don't see why not. I get very nice tones from my Fender Rumble 40.

+1

 

[shoulderpet]

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 ?

Your best bet is to try a bunch of amps and pick the best of the bunch, when i was recently shopping for a low wattage combo for practice the tone from the amps varied enormously,an awful lot of the amps had a tonne of honk and no real bass or treble,in the end i went with the rumble 25 which was one of the few practice amps that i could actually get a warm rounded sound from

 

[grillman]

What are you playing for live gigs?

I use 2x210s with an EA iAmp 800. But I also have an EA Micro. So I keep one of my 210s and the Micro in the room where I practice and mess around.

It sounds fine as a practice amp, plus, the Micro is my back up head.

I play and SVT-4 Pro though an 8x10" Ampeg Heritage cab.

But it doesn't have to be Ampeg. I used to play a Hartke HA4000 and an Eden WT800 that I loved.

I am fine with my live rig. I don't need this practice amp to have an XLR output. This will never leave my place.

I heard good things about the Orange Pix 50BXT. Anyone tried it ?

 

[grillman]

Your best bet is to try a bunch of amps and pick the best of the bunch, when i was recently shopping for a low wattage combo for practice the tone from the amps varied enormously,an awful lot of the amps had a tonne of honk and no real bass or treble,in the end i went with the rumble 25 which was one of the few practice amps that i could actually get a warm rounded sound from

There is no place to try all those amps around my place right now. It will have to be an internet purchase. Which can be dreadful. This is why I need to read some opinions before making my mind.

 

[onosson]

I use a 50w 1-12" open back guitar combo for home use, but add a 10" bass cabinet for more bass response. Sounds fantastic without pushing it at all.

 

[LT131]

Hartke A35 for me.

Pros- I chose it because it does have a nice pre-amp section and a DI out. For home it is actually overkill but is adequate for practice and live when our drummer uses his digital kit. Got it for $100 from GC in like new condition. It is a quality piece of gear unlike some of the starter amps you see in the 100 range.

Cons-It is like a concrete block with a handle. Heavy for its size.

 

[Ric Vice]

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 ?

When I was in college, I routinely played gigs with my Ampeg B-15N(C) I still, own that amp and use it to practice through, on occasion. I also used an SB-12, that I had access to for many practice sessions and gigs. The B-15N produces 25 watts RMS while the SB-12 produces considerably less, around 15 watts RMS. They have Double and Single Baffle Reflex Cabinets. They were designed to be very efficent, because they had to be.
So you can definitely practice and even play rehearsals with a well built 25 watt amplifier. We have several Acoustic 20 Watt Bass amps at school that do well in both rehearsals and concerts.

Ric

 

[Billybass02]

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 ?

I have a Crate BFX 15 works great for home use for bass and guitar, it has a 10' speaker.

 

[S.Harrison]

I just picked up an SWR LA10 for living room noodling and it has been a nice surprise. No d/i, but for my needs it's not an issue. Handles the B on my active sixer just fine. Nice size, nice weight. I use this strictly for solo practice but wouldn't hesitate to use it in a lower-volume jam.