I'm looking to purchase one of these amps but haven't found a solid review from the perspective of a double bass player. If anyone could help me out I would appreciate it.
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Double Bass Ampeg ba210sp
- Thread starter invisiblexinc
- Start date
I don't play double bass but I have one of those amps. My review will probably be a bad one, as I fried the power section in my BA210sp. Overall the amp sounds pretty good for a jam at home combo. I would say that the failure of my amp was due to me trying to push it to do more than it was designed for. I typically use an SVT with an 8-10 cab and play what would be considered a blues/ traditional rock type of music. Before I bought another Large rig I was trying to use the amp at practice with my band when we were jamming at my drummers house. It worked pretty decent for a while but I kept cranking the volume to it like a jerk. At any rate if I were choosing a combo amp for performing live I wouldnt recomend the BA210sp. I would go ahead and spend the few extra bucks and get the higher watt model, or go for the markbass 210 combo. As far as amp wattage goes I would rather have and not need, than need and not have.
I have the Ampeg BA210SP. I got an unbelievable deal on it ($298 brand new). ZZounds had it on sale for $350 for a while and one day I noticed that they had marked it down even further so I bought it. I had a six month old Fender Rumble 100/210 that I kept as a practice amp so I did a side by side comparison. The Ampeg crushes the Fender in every way. The amp is solid and has Tolex instead of the cheap carpet covering like the Fender. The Ampeg just sounds so damn good. I have compared it at the music store to many other amps and it really does sound far better (if you like the Ampeg sound). About half of the effects are fine. In fact, the SVT effect is almost dead on. There are a couple of others that I really like too but most probably can't be used when gigging. They are fun to play around with though. As far as overall volume, I read several user reviews that stated it didn't have quite enough volume for a bigger to large venues. I would say that I may agree but there are a several fixes that address this problem.
First solution - Plug your active bass into the 0db input. That may be enough.
Second - Run the Level knob at a higher setting. The amp has a volume knob which controls the signal to the preamp and a level knob which controls the amount of signal to the power amp. Both work like limiters. So, crank the level to 8 or 9 and set the volume to the desired volume. Then set your tone. You should be able to compete with the drummer and loud guitars.
Third solution - Buy a Sansamp Bass Driver DI. It has a 15db boost button. The average human perceives a doubling in volume every 10 to 12 db. That, all by itself solves any volume problem and makes a world of difference in tone shaping ability (for about $200). This little box is the best piece of equipment I have ever seen. You MUST try one out. You may go trade through 10 or more amps in your life but you will always have the Sansamp - it's just that good.
Fourth solution - If you already have the amp and like it but are still not happy with the volume, I suggest replacing the speakers with the Eminence Legend BP 102's. They have far greater excursion than the stock Eminence speakers so you are moving more air. That makes a world of difference too.
Hope this helps. I love the Ampeg sound and this amp really delivers it. I have used it at a couple of gigs and it delivered in every way. I hope I get a long life out of it.
First solution - Plug your active bass into the 0db input. That may be enough.
Second - Run the Level knob at a higher setting. The amp has a volume knob which controls the signal to the preamp and a level knob which controls the amount of signal to the power amp. Both work like limiters. So, crank the level to 8 or 9 and set the volume to the desired volume. Then set your tone. You should be able to compete with the drummer and loud guitars.
Third solution - Buy a Sansamp Bass Driver DI. It has a 15db boost button. The average human perceives a doubling in volume every 10 to 12 db. That, all by itself solves any volume problem and makes a world of difference in tone shaping ability (for about $200). This little box is the best piece of equipment I have ever seen. You MUST try one out. You may go trade through 10 or more amps in your life but you will always have the Sansamp - it's just that good.
Fourth solution - If you already have the amp and like it but are still not happy with the volume, I suggest replacing the speakers with the Eminence Legend BP 102's. They have far greater excursion than the stock Eminence speakers so you are moving more air. That makes a world of difference too.
Hope this helps. I love the Ampeg sound and this amp really delivers it. I have used it at a couple of gigs and it delivered in every way. I hope I get a long life out of it.
