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A rant on the term "Practice amp".

#61
I can see both sides of this, in the end each person's needs are a little different. I can see the utility of a cheapo practice amp for use when traveling, to keep at a vacation home where you don't gig but want to play on the couch and get some sound, etc...
That said, modern technology has changed the landscape a bit. Personally, if I had such a need, my quilter BB800 is so small I'd consider just using that, and find the smallest 1x8 cab on the market and use that for travel. Of course I'd need to keep the volume low so as not to blow the speaker. That said, those little practice amps are so cheap it might be cheaper to just buy a rumble 15 or something that to get just a 1x8 cab.
 
#62
Everything has it's purpose, the problem is surely yours, lol

I use different practice amps and gigging amps, and I feel the more varied rigs you play through, the more confident you are when you play through any rig :)
 
#63
The whole "practice amp" thing has evolved over the years, and doesn't mean all that much anymore. You can get small, yet very high powered amps and lightweight cabs that can be used for practice and gigs. If I'm playing on my own (learning songs, etc), I just go through my audio interface and into my computer, and just use my studio monitors for the sound. No need for one of those small, 40w combos or anything like that to clutter my space. The only reason I can think of where a small "practice amp" is useful is if you don't have an audio interface/computer setup and you're just beginning to learn how to play (i.e. don't spend a lot of money on gear in case you lose interest)
 
#64
Sometimes it's difficult to get lower volumes out more powerful setups, as the volume dial can be super touchy close to zero. Also it seems like a lot of higher power amps dont fully find their ideal voice until they are turned up a fair bit, way louder than ideal for home practice. My GK MB110 sounds absolutely great at practice volume, and my MB210II sounds muted and boring at that same volume. I don't know what the science behind this is, but to me it is a big deal. People who suggest buying bigger than people need, saying "you can always turn a powerful amp down" don't seem to factor this in. To me a practice amp for practice is a preference, not a compromise.
 
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#65
SJan3 said:
Well, I have a "for practice only" amp at home. It's an Ampeg BA110v2 and it sounds great for home purposes. In fact, sonically, it may sound better than my gig rig for such a small controlled environment(my home office), and I don't have the hassle of having to set up my rig at home. I bought it NEW for $135 on SALE @ Musicians Friend, a cheap solution that affords me convenience and good tone. It allows me to practice in silence with headphone and aux in jacks and It records well too. Larger rigs were not designed for home use, especially the cabs. They can't "open up" in the home.
IMHO, there's plenty of justification for an at home practice amp and there are some good ones for not a lot of money.
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I use an Ampeg BA108 for 90% of my playing time (practice) usually with headphones, but not always. I have used it (via the headphone out jack) to drive my Quilter BB802 when I wanted that Ampeg tone with some real volume at a gig. Nothing wrong with little amps. How LOUD do you need to practice at home anyway? You'll hear your mistakes better at lower volumes while your ear still has usable dynamic range.
 
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#66
I guess it depends on who you are and how much you care about bedroom tone. I don't really care at all about it, just want to be able to hear the notes I'm playing and get enough definition to play cleanly.

I know that my bigger rigs are going to deliver well when I am playing gigs. Practice for me is never about achieving some sort of tonal nirvana, but I'm also a clean, straight-in kind of player, whereas many people here are not.

So, in my case, I have a little 25w jobby next to my workstation in my front (solo practice) studio that works for learning new material and brushing up new material. It's never meant to be gig-worthy, so why would I call it something else?

In my rehearsal studio where the bands play, I have two gigging cabinets, my main head, and a 100W jobby. Often I don't bother with the cabinets/head in there because the 100W jobby (which does get taken out on occasion) puts out enough power for me in that context and it saves me from having to unpack and hookup my stage gear between show/rehearsals.

I guess at my age I'm more about convenience than I used to be, but it's also a matter of knowing what I'm going to get from what I have already, and not being too worried about it.

What I don't really get is why someone would toss a lot of money at an expensive rig just to have it around for practice. So I don't actually understand the OP very well. Different things have different purposes and I don't need a Ferrari to get to McDonald's.
 
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#68
i play ampless gigs, so I don' t really have any amps that I actually use - one of my bass cabinets I uses a a stand for my pedalboard when practicing at home. My practice rig is almost the same rig that I use at a gig - a pedalboard, a heaphone amp, and a pair of headphones. The gig rig uses IEM earbuds - only difference.
 
#69
jastraw said:
Amp makers are in the business of selling amps. Viewed through that lens. It all makes sense. No?
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When I was selling gear, people often came in looking for learner rigs. They had kids in elementary or middle school. They weren't going to drop upwards of $500 on this kind of thing. The reason "practice amps" exist is pretty simple. Lots of people buy them.
 
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#70
DuluthDank said:
I just picked up an RB110 for home practice and recording. I tried turning the master volume to about 1 o'clock the other day just to test it, and heard a fair bit of clipping/OD without the OD turned on. This is with a passive P bass. Does that sound normal for this amp? It's not a problem for me, I just want to make sure I didn't get a lemon.
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Sounds pretty normal. Mine just won’t do loud.
 
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#71
I've been using a Phil Jones Double Four 70w two 4" speakers with my bass ukes that have piezo pickups and mini bass guitars with magnetic pickups. Even though I see it called a practice amp, I use it for all kinds of indoor and smaller outdoor gigs with up to 30 uke players in my group. It's way more capable than just for practice.
 
#72
cheapbasslovin said:
That said, for practicing along to recorded music I actually prefer a pretty thin tone, and I usually get it out of a guitar amp. It's easier to hear the note definition against the track as I learn new songs.
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Yep. As much as I like playing through my stage-power-level amp at home, even at lower volumes, it's not nearly as useful for learning new songs, which I'm constantly doing for sideman and sub gigs. For that, I've got a bass preamp/DI running straight into the same powered mixer as the tracks, and I boost the upper mids and even treble (shudder) to make sure I'm capturing every change correctly.
 
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#75
My question is, in this day and age where recording interfaces / headphone amps are plentiful and affordable, does this class of amplification need to exist?

Back in the 90's when I started, I needed SOMETHING to make some noise. Got a cheap yamaha and combo of some kind (wild, I can't remember what it was, but it made noise and worked for my uses). I used that when I jammed with other kids and one time at a highschool talent show. The wide variety of small / usable options did not exist really at that time.

If I was starting out today, though, I'd probably buy a cheap / loud solidstate amp that works in a band setting and an interface for at home practice and bypass the small "practice amp" altogether. So, again, do these things still need to exist?
 
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#76
groovepump said:
I use an Ampeg BA108 for 90% of my playing time (practice) usually with headphones, but not always. I have used it (via the headphone out jack) to drive my Quilter BB802 when I wanted that Ampeg tone with some real volume at a gig. Nothing wrong with little amps. How LOUD do you need to practice at home anyway? You'll hear your mistakes better at lower volumes while your ear still has usable dynamic range.
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Clever idea driving the 802! I have an 800 up for sale. Maybe I'll keep it..
 
#78
BadSanta1281 said:
Isn't the beginner/student/hobby market a substantial piece of the overall pie?
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It's more than substantial. When I was in MI sales I'd say it was at least 75% of our sales, and we had a reputation for selling to local pros, so that was kind of low compared to other stores.

Talkbass is a pretty rarified view of the real world in these terms. We have a lot of older folks here who have disposable income and want whatever they see as "the best," and there's nothing wrong with that. Corporations have successfully marketed to this segment of the instrument buying public and convinced a good portion of them that they aren't really doing it right unless they have the right toys. That's probably not a bad thing; if this is your hobby you're doing at home, part of it is going to involve messing around with bells and whistles and wanting to make a good sound.

Moms and dads and early learners don't necessarily have the income for this nor the commitment to this as a hobby (yet) that's going to be worth the money spent, so what most people buy is a little more utilitarian in function. And working musicians who have been doing this for a long time are often more concerned with practicalities. But there's nothing wrong with having nice gear, if you have the money and space for it.
 
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#79
Jack Butler said:
I can see both sides of this, in the end each person's needs are a little different. I can see the utility of a cheapo practice amp for use when traveling, to keep at a vacation home where you don't gig but want to play on the couch and get some sound, etc...
That said, modern technology has changed the landscape a bit. Personally, if I had such a need, my quilter BB800 is so small I'd consider just using that, and find the smallest 1x8 cab on the market and use that for travel. Of course I'd need to keep the volume low so as not to blow the speaker. That said, those little practice amps are so cheap it might be cheaper to just buy a rumble 15 or something that to get just a 1x8 cab.
Click to expand...
..and that's a great point. How many cabinets only worth their salt are under $200? But you can get a practice amp for less than $200 NEW.
 

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