A rant on the term "Practice amp".

[hasbeen]

I disagree. My "play at home" amplifiers are small, but they aren't "cheap". The OP is saying "practice amp" but then describing the performance of "cheap" amplifiers.

 

[dpbass66]

With todays high powered class D amps (from 200 to 2000w) and light, single speaker, high-powered cabinets (300w and up), there is no reason other than finances for not having a decent home practice set up that could double as a gigging (or part of a gigging) set up. I mostly use Bergantino gear, and my practice setup is a Berg 1x12 (28lbs, 300w) and a Berg BAmp (6 lbs, 800w). I just about never practice at loud volumes, but when I turn my bass up a bit once in a while, it always sounds great. I also dont ever have to tweak my technique or attack because the set up sounds like shiznit. Also, the footprint is no larger than almost any so-called practice amp.

 

[MisterUbu]

Sometimes when discussing the purpose of these amps on the market, a prospective buyer looking for something utilitarian can get confused in what to even look for that fits their needs, because you have one side (talkbass and its ilk) which is more steered towards enthusiasts of Class D, 800 watts 2x12-2x10, expensive modular setups for mostly small gigs, and the other side consisting of the average younger working musician who most likely doesn't use much more than a 100 watt combo or IEMS to FOH.

A practice amp is more marketed for the average hobbyist in mind or a parent that's NOT on talkbass, where a 15 or 40-watt amp is more than enough for their needs for them or their prospective player

For me I find my "practice amp" nowadays is my Focusrite Scarlett and IEM earbuds to my laptop, with a Bluetooth speaker connected through the aux headphone input in case I want to have an "amp feel" at low volumes.

 

[Blues Bass 2]

To me a practice amp is one I can play along with recorded music to learn new material or go over older stuff to keep it sharp . Not something to play with other musicians unless it's with a guitar player at very low volumes , it's just for me . My wife bought me an Ampeg BA108 a few years ago new for $100 . It sounds pretty good for doing that , it resides in my bedroom . The cool thing is it has an aux input with a volume control to mix the aux with the bass pre , very handy for learning tunes with headphones . I can haul it from my bedroom to the kitchen and hook it up to my computer and practice silently .

I used to just use one of my smaller gigging cabs and my gigging head and use that to play along with CD's . Not uncommon to have my 1000 watt RBI/Crown small rack or a LMII on a 112 cab and I loved the way that sounded and felt but these days I really like my little Ampeg better . It's more versatile and honestly even though it doesn't have the tone of my gig rigs it works great at what it does , a very good tool .

I have one of my gig rigs at our rehearsal spot and I have another rig in my basement family room when I want to make some real noise or test a bass or cab for tone.

Different tools for different jobs . Here is one of my old bedroom practice rigs .

Here is what I use now .

 

[Ignatius]

It's all about money. Look at almost any brand and you'll see that as you go up in price you get more wattage, bigger/more speakers and usually more features. Everything is about having an amp at every single price point so that a buyer can go into a store looking for a <name popular brand here> amp and find something for their budget, even if it's a POS.

That's why the non-intuitive thing is to just buy something used that's not an amp for beginners. Even my very first amp (a terrible Univox) was bought used. The trick is finding an amp that's currently out of vogue so it's selling for peanuts.

What I miss is the good old days when a beginner's amp had a 12" or 15" speaker. In the early 1980s I found a 1970s 20 watt/1-15" all-tube Traynor BassMate that was loud enough to use on gigs. Nobody makes amps like that any more and used prices for tube beginner's amps have gone through the roof.

View attachment 4932475

Oh yeah, I got it for $65 from some guy who was using it as a PA monitor Those were the days!!! I sold it years later for $150 (with the original tubes!!!) but now I see people asking $400+ for them.

This is my practice amp!! Sits on its side under my desk in my home office.

bought it for $50 years ago.

I have gigged with it in the past. It sounds great with bass, even better as a guitar amp with a dirt pedal in front of it.

 

[wazzel]

I like having a practice amp. Leaving it set up next to my desk at home is convienant. Was using a fender rumble 25 until it died a few weeks ago. Not sure what is going to replace it. I also have a small mixer that I use with earbuds. I don’t need booming bass when I practice, just need to hear the notes.

 

[majbass]

I've one of those little Ampeg BA-110 practice amps.

It can't put out band volume, but I'm nearly always using it for silent practice, and it has the only features I need which are the line in and the headphone out.

I don't feel it's useless, it gets used every day in my house.

 

[Marko 1]

The only advice I have for those looking for a beginner/practice amp (their first amp)

is to get the biggest one that's still suitable for their particular circumstance

just in case they find themselves in a situation where they want to play with others

which typically happens.

 

[gstaats]

Most of my practice is after the kiddos and wife are asleep... Direct in w/ a good set of cans. When I do get to play louder, I use my B-15R on the 60w setting w/ an impedance mis-match to essentially be a 40w 15" all-tube practice amp. I've never owned a "practice amp" as most have already mentioned, they are usually terrible.

The only advice I have for those looking for a beginner/practice amp (their first amp)

is to get the biggest one that's still suitable for their particular circumstance

just in case they find themselves in a situation where they want to play with others

which typically happens.

That is super solid advice. Good amps can be found used pretty cheap. Easier on the wallet that way when just starting out.

 

[Clark Westfield]

Here’s my practice amp.

I play daily through a 210.

I had a Rumble 10 inch, but I was always fiddling trying to find the right tone, and never played the instrument due to the distraction.

I play through one of my heads, which are set for my gig sound.

I just keep the volume down, so I don’t blast a hole in the ceiling.

 

[tothemax]

But you are changing the original thread from "Practice Amp" to "Beginner Amp" - totally not the same. I bought a Fender Rumble 100v3, because I really liked the light weight of my Rumble 40 "practice amp" (in my studio) to use for band practices, and so I didn't have to load and haul my Ampeg gear. It didn't keep up and I returned it. So my point is that there's practice and there's "practice" which wasn't really specified by the OP differentiating between "live band practice" or "sitting around by yourself practice".

There's plenty of junk out there, but there are also a bunch of pretty decent low wattage "late night" volume amps that work pretty well (and many are reasonably priced). Just need to be clear on what you're describing. It's fun to rant about something that really doesn't matter...
Cheers

 

[groovaholic]

This is my current “practice amp”.

It fits in the palm of my hand, literally.

I would have loved something like it when I was starting, and it’s still handy now.

 

[SJan3]

Beg to differ; with just one of these I’ve gone up against all manner of guitar combos and Bandmasters…
View attachment 4932921

Granted, it’s 60 watts(not that it matters much), but ultra linear design, KT88’s, and those D140’s.

That's one amp I never owned but always wanted! I'm SUNN curious.

 

[five7]

I have a Simmons DA50 drum amp I picked up for $20. Sucker sounds good and has a decent aux and headphone mix. Tried the little ampeg 108, the markbass 801, rumble 25. They were weak with no low end. Playing a MM 5 though.

 

[Pilgrim]

One of the best practice amps I've used (and still have) is my 1967 blackface Bassman. Plug my bass into the Bass channel, and connect the output from a computer or other sound source into the Normal side. You have to turn the source down low so you're not re-amplifying an already strong signal or it will distort, but this does work.

Then you can play your stream, CD or whatever and have separate control of the volume of your bass and the music you're playing with. And yes, I do have the 1/4 plug adapters needed. (BTW, note that I still have the original Fender cover for the amp, seen just in back of it.)

But this is only good for practice at home since the Bassman amp is pretty heavy and you need a separate speaker cab.

 

[agedhorse]

When I take a break from working, I have a 25 watt amp and 8” cab that I use with my keyboard (surprisingly, I’m not a bass player). I’m playing loud enough to enjoy but not so loud that I bother anyone else in the shop. The rig is ideal fit my needs (tone and volume)

 

[Hasty]

When I take a break from working, I have a 25 watt amp and 8” cab that I use with my keyboard (surprisingly, I’m not a bass player). I’m playing loud enough to enjoy but not so loud that I bother anyone else in the shop. The rig is ideal fit my needs (tone and volume)

That makes perfect sense to me. The person most critical or appreciative of my bass amps was a keyboard player I used to play with before arthritis did him in. I had a few rigs that he absolutely loved to play his piano through when I'd let him.

 

[BassBrass]

I could have bought into this Rant 10 years ago, but I too have an Ampeg BA110 and 2 Fender Rumble100's slaved to each other, it's loud enough but a bit mushy sounding, but don't weigh much of anything, so trade off. Some of the new practice amps are much better than the old generation. I take the Ampeg to a cabin in the Maine woods quiet with a stone floor and it seems like an SVT with a good headphone output.

 

[fdeck]

I think some of the gear makers are coming around to this idea: Half or more of playing is practicing and learning. A gear maker could find out how learning actually occurs -- at home, online, etc., and add features to a small amp that help with those needs. For instance, I'll bet a lot of practicing is done with a guitar in the lap, sitting in front of a computer. An amp could have a computer interface, aux input, headphone output. Some already do. Think about what "practice" and lessons really mean, and how the technology can make it more convenient or enjoyable.

 

[chris_b]

My home practice rig is whatever amp and cab I'm not currently gigging. Right now it's an 800 watt Thunderfunk and 2 Barefaced One10's. Last week it was a TH500 and those BF cabs.

Why do people think big amps can only be played loud? My volume is totally under control. I'm as quiet as a whisper. The neighbours don't even know I'm playing and the beauty of quality gear is that even at low volume the tone is great. No "practice" amp has come close.