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Amps in College Dorms

S

Sterling_Bass

Jul 7, 2005
1,428
4
Central New Jersey
#1
Ever since testing out the LMII a few months ago, I've wanted to sell my rig and purchase one with either a 210 or 112 cabinet. This coming fall I will be attending college and plan to dorm. I need some advice as to what is the smartest purchase to make.
Should I get the LMII or would a pre-amp/mixer and headphone set up be better? Currently I am not playing bass with any band, but I do play guitar for one. I hope to be able to jam with friends and new people in my room next year, and I wondered if a mixer set up would suit me best. Although I'm certain the LMII will be the next amp I purchase down the road, I'd like to hear some opinions as to whether I should hold out on it. Thanks for the help.
Sam.
 
#6
Well, I had the misfortune of assembling a really hot setup (in my imagination) before going to college, and it being the wrong amp for all occasions when I got there. The problem was that things changed in a hurry for me. My dreams of being a rock star vanished, and I joined the jazz band.
 
#7
I second the recommendation to wait - Having been lived in dorms in University, I would suggest that you find out what is acceptable in that particular dorm before planning on being able to do any serious playing there. From my experience, anything with more output than a moderate size practice amp is going to be overkill and more than likely to get complaints from your dorm mates unless you exercise some serious restraint ;)
 
#8
i only had a 60watt combo in the dorms, but now that i live in an apartment i have a powerhouse 210 powered by a bassman 400 head. It is way overkill for practicing in my apartment, but works well for practicing in my band. If you are just going to be jamming in the dorms, then i think a head/cab setup would be overkill. If you are going to play with a band with drums, down the road, then i would say a head with a 112 or 210 would be a good investment.
 
#10
i have a 15watt amp i keep in the dorms but i have a 200watt combo amp i keep at my singers house for band pratice. I dont know how big your room is gonna be or their policy on amps but i suggest getting something small and storing a bigger rig somewhere else.
 
#11
My freshman year in the dorm, I had a 1972 50 Watt Marshall (wattage grossly under-rated) and an Acoustic 106 2x15 ported reflex. After about a month, my room mate got a Strat and a Fender Super Twin Reverb with the JBL's. We had a blast. The stereo next door was no competition. Once we started auditioning drummers we had to move it all down to the basement rec room. But that was the 70's and even at a major university we could get away with that in a freshman dorm.

Memorable day: After Spring Quarter finals Tinsley Ellis knocks on the door looking for the bass player. It seems everyone on campus knew where to find me.
 
#12
cash87 said:
i have a 15watt amp i keep in the dorms but i have a 200watt combo amp i keep at my singers house for band pratice. I dont know how big your room is gonna be or their policy on amps but i suggest getting something small and storing a bigger rig somewhere else.
Click to expand...

That's really a great idea, get a nice big amp to keep somewhere else, and use a headphone amp at the dorm, super low-profile.:hiding:
 
#14
Having recently been a Stanford University "Resident Fellow" for 5 years (adult faculty living in a cottage attached to an undergrad dorm and managing student dorm staff), here is my humble opinion:

Basically, you can't use an amp in your room at anything much above a whisper. But being a bassist without an amp at school is no fun. Figure out how to not disturb fellow residents, and also how have an amp for jams/bands/gigs outside the residence hall.

I took a Fender Dual Showman (2x15) and a Guild Starfire Hollowbody to school in Boston, but hey, it was 1968! :smug:
 
#17
I'd recommend a Roland Cube 100. It's light and relatively small, yet loud enough for rehearsals and small gigs if you join a band. Plus it has a headphone jack. It lacks audio inputs for practicing along with CD, iPod, etc., but otherwise I think it's perfect for college.
 
#19
I went through this same situation last year when i lived in the dorms, but the decision was easy for me since i was moving 1200 miles from anyone i knew that was musical. I just got an Ibanez Artcore bass for like $300, and the semi acoustic body was just enough for me to jam in my room and figure out some new tunes
 
#20
I took a SWR Workingman 10 to my dorm room. Throughout the year no one ever complained about the noise. I suppose I was enjoying myself so much I didn't wonder if I was bothering anyone. Towards the end of the year a few people mentioned they could hear me all the way down the hall. In retrospect, I would have preferred to just use headphones from a mixer or preamp gadget than to bother the rest of the floor. I hope I didn't interrupt anyone severely, but I would rather have not interrupted anyone at all.

If the school has any kind of music program at all, there will likely be practice spaces available and even lockers you could use to store your amp.

An unamplified acoustic bass guitar could work well in this situation.
 

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