Ampless Bassist's Club?

[micguy]

I play 1 gig that requires an amp. I have to keep up with an unamplified piano, and that's about it. I have a 110 cabinet that I built for that gig, and even that's overkill. I could use a really good 10 watt head, but alas, the smallest I have is 200 watts.

My other gigs - in ears and a PA with somewhere between 2 and 20 KW of subs.

 

[RoadRanger]

I play 1 gig that requires an amp. I have to keep up with an unamplified piano, and that's about it. I have a 110 cabinet that I built for that gig, and even that's overkill. I could use a really good 10 watt head, but alas, the smallest I have is 200 watts.

Welcome "micguy" ! You are Official Ampless Bassist Club member number 24 .

I love my 30 watt Ashdown CTM-30 I use at one rehearsal. Also have a vintage "Tube Works" 10" combo (60 watts) for acousticy gigs. The one ampless gig I have has two Bose towers with the smaller "subs" - I run a Zoom MS-60B pedal into it and use a Mackie SRM150 micstand monitor.

 

[Geri O]

Really late to the game....

I play ampless at church and on small gigs. I usually need to bring an amp to the bigger ones flr fear that the monitors (wedges) can’t handle the bass levels that the band wants to hear (old-school country and 13-piece horn band).

Hopefully I qualify for a number. If not, that’s okay too.

 

[RoadRanger]

Really late to the game....
I play ampless at church and on small gigs. I usually need to bring an amp to the bigger ones flr fear that the monitors (wedges) can’t handle the bass levels that the band wants to hear (old-school country and 13-piece horn band). Hopefully I qualify for a number. If not, that’s okay too.

Welcome "Geri O" ! You are Official Ampless Bassist Club member number 25 .

 

[JBTaylor]

I have been in the ampless club for a dozen years or more. Played with high quality headphones or in ear monitors with large house system doing the heavy lifting. Then in smaller venue, reasonably good PA support that I could hear my self fine for where they had be in the mix. But now I am playing in different situations where I don't know what to expect and depend on going in. And shopping for a small combo to monitor and maybe provide sole sound if needed. This this mean I'm almost out of the club as soon as I found out it existed?

 

[Flippy]

Staying true to the ampless craze

This is my gear for an acoustic/unplugged/-ish side project rehearsal.
Luckily there's no drummer so a portable speaker will suffice It can get very loud with the compressor pedal.

 

[Paulabass]

I've had to go ampless a few times, usually because useless, or faulty supplied backline. I use in ears anyway, but I have to feel it or lose the groove. I can use 15" wedges, but then, why not just bring a rig?
Bottom line- I have, and I will in a pinch, go ampless, but I'll never give up having an amp whenever possible.

 

[Tulsa Teddy]

So, What do you use? What is your rig?

I'm using a Aguilar Tone Hammer DI and Shure wireless IEMs.

 

[Tulsa Teddy]

I plugged my iPhone direct to the board at a gig yesterday through an iRig interface. I selected an Acoustic 360 simulated amp and it sounded pretty good. As good (or even a hair better) than my Aguilar Tone Hammer DI (which still sounds amazing IMHO). I was pleasantly surprised.

Does anyone else run this type of rig live? What are the major concerns with using this a live gigging rig all the time?

 

[Ethereal Thorn]

I'm running ampless and inears with my pedal board as well. My whole band Run thru a Behringer x18 mixer each member goes thru a P16M personal mixer for stereo wired inears atm eventually we will be feeding outs on the P16M mixers to wireless units. Here's my messy board I'm in process of rewiring and mounting the powersupply underneath my board and getting a custom patchbay/panel made from Bestronics for it.

 

[RoadRanger]

Last couple gigs I've been refining my smallest PA - now has two 250w Behringer B208D's on stands behind the band as monitors and two of the newer 300w Behringer B108D's as mains - one on a stand and one pole mounted over a single 500w Behringer B1200D subwoofer. With the addition of the subwoofer I've been going direct using my Zoom MS60-B (was using two 12" cabs with a TH-350 head). The mixer is an old Yamaha MG82CX - 4 XLR inputs, a stereo input, tape input (used for an iPod for break music), and one aux return I'm using for me. Plenty for sane SPL levels for 150 or so sized rooms. The subwoofer takes a stereo feed from the mixer and has high-passed outputs for the mains and monitors (daisy-chained no separate monitor mix). That band normally has two vocal mics, kick mic, and keys in the mix - two gui****s not mic'd. The sub is light enough to carry with one hand and everything else is much lighter. I might get another sub someday but the one seems to be enough. We were flashing the limit lights on the mains and sub tonight at first but I had to turn down anyways. It was the kick limiting the sub anyways, not me.

This PA started out with just that mixer and two B208D's behind a low volume jazz project - plenty loud enough for even outdoor gigs we were doing. Rock (and bass) capable now - I need earplugs on-stage with it for sure - but that's pretty much always the case with a drummer next to me anyways.

 

[ghostinthemach]

Hello room, this is my ampless setup, used with iem’s at church, headphones typically at home. I still struggle a bit with the listening-through-a-straw feel I get when my ears are plugged w/iem’s, but sometimes you gotta go with the flow.
I got an amazing price on the Eleven Rack and I’ve been a fan of modeling for quick major tone changes for a long time. This thing has all the processing I need in a 2 space rack mount. Bam!

 

[RoadRanger]

Just as an aside it's somewhat amusing to see that inexpensive Behringer MIDI pedal running that high end modeler. Strange that no-one else has come out with one as good .

Are you using the stock ROM or this one:
https://www.amazon.com/EurekaPROM-EPROM-upgrade-Behringer-FCB1010/dp/B01N6OV53P
or ?

I do have a barely used Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro I'd like to mess about with again someday...

 

[el jeffe bass]

I am no longer playing gigs so I have sold most of my amplifiers. I have kept a few guitar amps and an older BA115 in case I need one for a jam. I have been using a Zoom ms60b into a SABDDI into a behringer zenyx802usb. I can add audio from a computer or phone and can also add a ambient microphone so I can hear what's happening with my dogs, doorbell, phone etc. To be honest, I enjoy not having to deal with a boomy bass amp in a smallish practice space.

 

[RoadRanger]

[...] and can also add a ambient microphone so I can hear what's happening with my dogs, doorbell, phone etc.

I practice with open back headphones myself...

 

[el jeffe bass]

I use semi open akg K240 headphones but really like having an ambient mic. Also, My wife is an R.N and works night shift so I have to keep my playing VERY silent.

 

[bucephylus]

FWIW, my ampless rig continues to evolve. I got some 64 Audio A4’s a while back and have worked through the bugs with those. They sound great. This is the rig I’ve been using:

...with a Mesa Subway Preamp/DI mounted on the mic stand above. The Subway is a well designed unit; but after messing with my actual rig hardware the other day, I was reminded how much I prefer the tone I get with my Demeter VTBP-201/800. So, I located a Demeter VTDB used, and have that on its way. Going to try replacing the Subway with the Demeter and see how much of the Demeter tone I can get to FOH.

 

[MODELL]

This is my amp for 90% of our gigs. We are a 3 piece with drum machine: female singer, me on bass and an acoustic/electric guitarist. We play in small venues and just all go through PA. If we play a larger place, I have a GK MB150E and matching 112 cab.

 

[Rob66]

It's very interesting to read all the descriptions of your equipment and how you use them. thank you all for sharing.
Quite some time i went ampless and use IEM's. The bass goes directly into the Behringer Air X18. The sound is ok to me and also for the soundtech. The guitarist in the band bought a Mooer Radar. (A very small device that is in fact a amp and cab similator) so he can simulate his favo sound. He offered me to play with it because there are also bass amps and cabs in this apparatus. it's very empressive, i love the Ampeg SVT tube en 8x10 sound, it sounds almost the same as the original. But then i remembered that i still have a Zoom MS60b stompbox that has also some popular amps and cab sims in it. I connected it to the XAir18, turning knobs and there it was, the Ampeg tube sound on my IEM's. Still very happy playing ampless (read: traveling light)

 

[micguy]

Welcome "micguy" ! You are Official Ampless Bassist Club member number 24 .

Really? that's all there is to this?

Don't I have to post a picture of "not an amp" to qualify?