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Amp vs Using PA and DI at church?

V

velalv

Oct 5, 2010
464
166
Woodbridge, VA
#1
So, the amp at my church is about to die. Specifically, the graphic eq no longer works, and the speaker is crackling with no rhyme or reason. I have had enough. The amp is not mine. It is a old Peavey TNT 115, with 150 Watts worth of sound. I usually set the master volume at noon, and the gain at 10 o'clock. I play with a clean signal, no effects. Our sanctuary holds 75-100 people. My personal amp is a 20 watt practice amp.

I am looking for a bit of advice about whether to get a new amp or a DI.

I play primarily at church, and every so often will hit an open mic night or a classic rock gig where I use someone else's amp. Our church is set up with a Mackie PA system that has three 8 inch wedges as monitors and two 15 inch mains. I was the only person not going through the sound system. We have no subwoofer. Our church space is used by a lot of other churches and outside groups, so my worship leader does not thik it is worth getting something too nice, or having something I can lug every week. I rather not.

Ok, I primarily play a American Jazz Deluxe bass strung with high beams or DR dragon skins. Occasionally, I will also play a p-bass with TI flats. I know that I won't get kick you in the chest lows.

I don't have a lot of money for a good amp right this second, so I thought spending $200 for a good DI. I could be talked out of this. What do you guys think?

1) Should I get an amp, or a good DI?

2) If you think I should get an amp, what type should I start looking at under $300, if they exist?

3) What are good DI's that would work in this situation?

4) Any other thoughts?

Thanks for your help Talkbass.
 
#2
I think using a DI and going through your mains ( you have no subs) will leave you less than impressed. Maybe talk them into a used powered sub.

If it were me and I was playing in places other than the church I would save that $200 toward a nice bass amp. You should be able to get into a nice combo ( certainly better than the TNT) for about $400. Especially used.
 
#3
I may get shot for this, but I'm borrowing a Fender Rumble 60 that sounds really good,is light and I understand are reasonably priced. This is used at our practice facility with drums and does ok. 100 watts would be much better. That said, if the mains will handle it, on lazy (or rainy) I just use my Sansamp or Punch factory and go direct with IEM's. Also helps the sound guy as there is less sound coming from the stage. Our venue holds 400.
 
#4
It sounds like you have really nice basses, but no decent amp to project them with. In this situation, I wouldn't go into the PA since there seems to be little/nothing of your bass that will be coming through there in the mix.

Carvin makes some EXCELLENT little combos with plenty of volume:
Invalid Link Removed

GK MB112 combo, Ampeg micro-CL half stack, Fender Rumble 150, and the Acoustic B450 are all combos below $400 with plenty of wattage. If the price tag is too rich, try looking for some used ones. IME though, buying amps new is a much better idea...you have no idea what an amp has been through when you buy it used in most cases =/
 
#8
Invalid Link Removedhere ya go, brand new and on sale. It has a sweepable midrange so you can dial out any unwanted boominess. looks to be perfect for what you need. 200 watts to a single fifteen is plenty for most small churches.
 
#9
Rooster009 said:
Invalid Link Removedhere ya go, brand new and on sale. It has a sweepable midrange so you can dial out any unwanted boominess. looks to be perfect for what you need. 200 watts to a single fifteen is plenty for most small churches.
Click to expand...

Perfect for at church. I've used this amp for about 4 years now without a problem. Just turn the horn off if you're gonna run dirt effects. I blew the first one, but it was replaced under warranty.
 
#10
Hi I have one really nice bass (my deluxe), the P-Bass is a Squier. I usually can get some nice stuff with some planning and saving. The problem here is that this came up without any planning, and so I have to look into buying something when funds are less then optimal (as we just purchased a new car and a new washer/dryer this month, they just broke down).

Here is a link to the PA main speakers we have now. We have 2.

Here is a link to the PA speakers we have now.

Anyhow, point well taken about the DI. In other circles I have been getting conflicting advice, lots of folks saying they don't bother bringing amps, they just bring a DI and use the monitors to hear themselves. My church would do that for me, but I want to make the right choice.

I think the amp options are good ones. Will they play nice with my two very different set up basses?

VanillaThundah said:
It sounds like you have really nice basses, but no decent amp to project them with. In this situation, I wouldn't go into the PA since there seems to be little/nothing of your bass that will be coming through there in the mix.

Carvin makes some EXCELLENT little combos with plenty of volume:
Invalid Link Removed

GK MB112 combo, Ampeg micro-CL half stack, Fender Rumble 150, and the Acoustic B450 are all combos below $400 with plenty of wattage. If the price tag is too rich, try looking for some used ones. IME though, buying amps new is a much better idea...you have no idea what an amp has been through when you buy it used in most cases =/
Click to expand...
 
#14
I used to be in the same situation you're currently in, even with the same amp. For 75-100 people, and depending on how big your worship team is, you could get away with a 300-500 watt combo and a minimum of a 2X12 or 4X10 enclosure. Also, most amps have a DI built in so you can have the best of both worlds. My old church didn't even put me in the mix since my combo was filling the room nicely. However, it's always nice to have that availability just in case it's needed. The main thing is to have it pointed to your head, not your knees so I'd also suggest getting an amp stand as well.
 
#15
I play at church a lot and also do sound at church and for various bands. Recommend you go with the DI solution and get a subwoofer. Sep sub amp is the way to go for flexibility and upgradability. We recently added a JBL M-PRO 255S sub to our chuch setup. WOW! This sub fills the sanctuary with awesome sounding bass! This sub has a built-in crossover so all you need it to add an amp. We also have a Crate bass amp that our other bassist uses but it sounds terrible Vs through the mains & sub. I try to NEVER use the amp and go 100% through the mains. We have also taken the JBL 255S on the road despite its size and it has always performed superbly. Looking to acquire a second one now... :)
 
#16
I just read a TB thread about GC slashing prices with Acoustic Amps. I looked up GC. A brand new in-the-box Acoustic B200 IS PRICED @ $199. Mine cost @ $349 in 2009!! Other Acoustic gear reduced as well. You won't find that much bang for the buck with any other brand, regardless of your product loyalty to your fave brand.

I am not in the business, although I frequently post in favor of Acoustic. I am more in favor not of the truth....but the whole truth. My whole truth is that when I was in the market for an amp a few years back, I had tried every amp in a boutique store. All of them distorted when I played the B-String on my Zon Sonus active bass.

Next we went to GC. I tried same bass with every amp in stock. I was looking for a combo. THE ONLY AMP that didn't distort on B String was Acoustic B200. Other more powerful A C combos weren't available at that time. I really wanted the MARK BASS and frankly, I loved MARK BASS combo's tone better, but when I played an open B, the speaker nearly jumped through the grill; I thought that I had blown the amp up; quickly shut it down. That was all the Mark Bass could do??.. a 12 " speaker and it cost over 3 times what the B200 cost. We gladly walked out with B200 and @ $349 in 2009.

At $199 today, you could buy 2 B200's and plug into an A/B/Y box and be a terror to a Marshall stack or just have 2 really great versatile bass amps....just my 2 more cents...
 
#18
Tricky situation.

I would be all over the DI option... IF your church had subs.

Minus any sort of subwoofer -- and if you can't talk them into buying one -- I'm thinking an amp is the way to go. The current P.A. you outline is not adequate to carry bass and/or kick drum, and IMO you really need to have the kick drum and bass both coming out strong thru the mains to give that "together", pro-level sound.

If you needed an amp rig that could carry the room without any P.A. support -- and you didn't have to move it -- I'd look into an older Hartke 3500 head with a 1x15 or 4x10 cabinet. Nice sound, plenty of tone shaping options, durable, and plenty loud. It might set you back a bit more than $300 though, and the cabinets (Hartkes, anyway) are heavy.
 
#20
jaywa said:
Tricky situation.

I would be all over the DI option... IF your church had subs.

Minus any sort of subwoofer -- and if you can't talk them into buying one -- I'm thinking an amp is the way to go. The current P.A. you outline is not adequate to carry bass and/or kick drum, and IMO you really need to have the kick drum and bass both coming out strong thru the mains to give that "together", pro-level sound.

If you needed an amp rig that could carry the room without any P.A. support -- and you didn't have to move it -- I'd look into an older Hartke 3500 head with a 1x15 or 4x10 cabinet. Nice sound, plenty of tone shaping options, durable, and plenty loud. It might set you back a bit more than $300 though, and the cabinets (Hartkes, anyway) are heavy.
Click to expand...

No, I do not believe our church has a sub woofer. I will ask just to be sure, but I am pretty sure we do not. I know from experience that they would not buy one.

I did want to address your point about the kick drum. Since we are a smaller church, we do not mike the drum, or have any sound reinforcement for it.

The guitars, keyboard, and singers go through the PA mains.

The drums play unamplified (we don't have a drum player very often). Honestly, they were plenty loud acoustically.

I played through the Peavey until that day it gave out.

Now, I am in the situation I noted above.
 

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