Band says NO Amp or Cab needed.

[40Hz]

Depends on the PA. With a top notch FOH system in a club that's set up for regular music shows, they can sound great. Better than any old fashioned backline ever did. But most of the ones that are easy enough for a band to cart around and set up quickly aren't able to get a really good sound all by themselves. Used in conjunction with some properly setup standalone instrument amps is one thing. But in place of everything? Not really. Those few times I've heard a local band try to "get with the times" and do everything through a PA they could afford, the sound suffered.

IEMs I have mixed feelings about. I generally don't care for them - although a few times they've been lifesavers in a room with horrendous acoustics.

And I'll reemphasize a point somebody else previously made. If you're going to go direct, always use a quality DI.

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Thanks for the feedback! I think I'm going to research a Preamp/DI pedal. Suggestions?

Oh man, it's a good time to be alive with your current situation...

Practically everyone and their brother has a super solid preamp pedal out these days. Tech 21 VT Bass or Ampeg SCR-DI for classic Ampeg tone. GK has their PLEX preamp coming out, there's the Tech 21 Sansamp pedals, Darkglass B7K and Vintage Microtubes get a lot of love, MXR Bass Preamp gets good reviews, Aguilar Tonehammer gets lots of love, and there probably MANY more that I haven't mentioned. I'd check some of those out for starters. Great part is, what you hear in the demo videos is going to be very close to the sound you get since they record the demos DI.

Do you have IEM's yet? I'd look into those as well, some people are divided on them, but our sound cleaned up a lot more when we could hear everyone clearly. GL with the hunt!

 

[draygriff]

I would definitely insist on a pre amp with a DI. So I assume you have a FOH sound person. If you don't run to the nearest exit because these folks are dangerously insane. AND you better have one heck of a PA. Rehearsals are one thing...all you need is a sound to work songs and arrangements out. Gigging is a totally different bag of worms. Personally I think that whole concept of running just through the PA is just wrong for so many reasons.

 

[73jbass]

If you are going ampless,get at minimum,a quality DI. Or get something with some tone shaping capabilities. You could,as has been said, use your bass amp DI. I quit using amps over a year ago. I use to go through my effects pedals,into a Radial JDI,then to the board. Worked great. Now I'm using a Fractal AX8 and couldnt be happier. No amps in the band and everyone uses IEM's.

 

[ThePresident777]

So I recently joined a band and they have a studio for our practice sessions and a powered mixer. They asked me not to bring my amp and cab, just my pedals and bass. They're like, "it's great that you don't have to carry extra stuff around. I haven't used a guitar amp in years!"

While I appreciate the gesture, I did not really like the sound I was getting out of the studio monitors (they're using two 15 in. PA speakers, Yamaha I believe). It was muddy and sounded pretty terrible. Not at all like the sound I get out of my Ampeg 2x12.

They also plan on gigging in this fashion plugging directly into a powered mixer instead of my amp DI to the mixer and they all want to do in-ear plugs instead of using monitors on stage.

I feel like an amp and cab have an important effect on tone and despite hauling the extra gear to practice, it's worth it. Should I insist on bringing my gear? Or at the very least DI my amp to the mixer?

Have you guys faced a similar setup? How's that working out?

What are your thoughts on this issue?

But, you choose your bass and pedals to go into your amp. To go ampless, you will need an amp in a box that's going to make your bass and pedals sound the way you are used to hearing them.

 

[M Sterling]

Get a good DI and comp. That should help.

 

[sean_on_bass]

I'd be open to going ampless, but would need a pre-amp at the very least to give a suitable bass tone. Sansamp into mixer doesn't sound like such a bad idea, as long as i have sufficient stage monitoring.

I wouldn't be concerned with the bass though. Do their guitars actually sound good without an amp? Are they running through some sort of digital modeling unit, like a POD?

 

[David Canady]

Get a SanAmp Programmable, a Rolls PM351, and good in-ear monitors. You can have total control over what you hear of yourself and what you get from the others. You don't even have to bother the sound guy. Not that it is perfect but if you work a casino in our area you do not get to use a real amp. The Programmable lets you set and store 3 tones. I have an rock tone, a slap bass tone, and a Ska tone saved on mine. As for practice, it all fits in my gig bag...what a pleasure.

 

[chadds]

In ears is different than average PA speakers. A great DI and it still may sound like poo. For some of us our rig is part of our sound. Guitarists understand this.

Hate to say it but it's a good idea if they have the PA to do present it. If they don't then it's just a good idea. The bass is felt too. What's the guitarist doing? You know I've found articles where good engineers mic the top of a Marshall cab to pick up the the resonance of the wood.

If you have a sound that is yours and you can't bring it because of limitations shop for another band.
I showed up to an outside gig with my entire rig. The bassist in group before us was going DI only. I asked the engineer if that's what she wanted. She looked at my rig and said, "you've spent time and money assembling a quality kit, that's what we're using." Then she mic'd my cab! No DI!

 

[superheavyfunk]

But, you choose your bass and pedals to go into your amp. To go ampless, you will need an amp in a box that's going to make your bass and pedals sound the way you are used to hearing them.

This has always been something that I wondered about. Drive pedals especially, ime

 

[chaak]

D.I. Radial Engineering JDI or JDV

 

[pudgychef]

I am guessing when they said pedals, they assumed you would have an amp modelling DI of some sort. Sans Amp, Tone Hammer etc...
Its a great way, imho, to practice and gig...stage volume no longer an issue once the set up iss dialed in and a much more controlled sound overall. Takes some getting used to..but a great chance to learn as well.

 

[superheavyfunk]

Get a SanAmp Programmable, a Rolls PM351, and good in-ear monitors. You can have total control over what you hear of yourself and what you get from the others. You don't even have to bother the sound guy.

How do you get the rest of the band back into your ears from the board? A 1/4" in as a return from the board seems strange... Wouldn't an XLR be better, since you're basically running your own monitor and most house monitors (IME) are being run on XLRs? Or do you use a funky 1/4" to XLR cable or some sort?

I'm basing this question on this diagram from the Rolls site:

 

[BAG]

Without your bass amp you're totally at the mercy of the sound person, which may or may not be of some concern to you.

Even if you have an amp on stage, if you're going through the FOH at gigs you're at the mercy of the sound person anyway. In most cases the sound the crowd hears has very little, if any, of your amp sound anyway.

 

[kurth83]

I am both a sound guy and a bass player, and we run everything through the mains too. I arrive early and use a looper and do my own eq on the board. The sound guy can set the volume, but my tone is mine.

Our mains lack mid-bass so I still can`t get a perfect sound, but it is much better once I learned to work sound.

 

[beaglesandbass]

Thanks for the feedback! I think I'm going to research a Preamp/DI pedal. Suggestions?

If you like the Ampeg sound you have, check out the SCR-DI

 

[dponbass]

I am a big fan of the Ampeg SCR-DI and it could work well for your situation. The reason is it has EQ of course, but also has AUX in meant for CD/MP3 player for practice. It also has dirt. What's cool and what would work here is the AUX in does not go to the XLR out, so you can put you bass in the input thru the EQ with a monitor mix going to a hardwired IEM setup out of the phone jack on the pedal to Shure 425 IEMs. I get a 1/4 inch mix in, bass EQ'd and XLR out to the board. Sounds good to me and I could live without the amp for my cover band. I rather walk in with a bass and a pedal board than an SVT anymore. It was fun, but it's hard to play a room in my area that requires an amp. I also like an amp, but if I were required to go ampless I think I could make it work. The benefit of the hardwired IEMs for me is not burning thru batteries which aggravated me. I tried rechargables, but got thru most of a set with one, brought one per set. Is it the same as an SVT with 810s, of course not. Gigging is gigging, not gigging is not gigging. In your case it might make it better for you to work with this group or keep searching.

 

[Bullitt5135]

Old rig: Bass > GK MB500 Fusion > GK 212 Neo Cab | No bass in stage monitors or FOH-PA
Pros: Sounds great out in the audience; looks cool; pushes some air
Cons: Even with tilt-back stand, I was never quite in the sweet spot to hear the true/best tone; contributed to volume wars onstage; more gear to haul and pack onto tight stages

New Rig: Bass > Tech21 VT Bass Deluxe (DI) > Mixer | Custom IEMs & bass to FOH PA+Subs (no wedges)
Pros: Less gear to haul, no stage clutter; zero stage volume (cleans up our entire mix); I can clearly hear the tone of my bass; it's the best sound I've ever had in my ears when playing live; zero ear fatigue; sounds great through a good PA system with subs
Cons: doesn't push air like a powerful cab; IEMs can give the feeling of being isolated from the crowd (doesn't bother me)

Conclusion: I'll gladly go with No amp/No cab every day of the week. The only caveat is you have to have a FOH system and and IEM setup that can handle it.

 

[micguy]

95% of the time, my pedalboard is my amp - it does all the things I want to do to the signal to get a decent sound.

Without a second source (your amp) the bass will almost always sound better in the house. And more consistent throughout the audience member. Simple physics - less comb filtering from less sources.

Not schlepping an amp makes my back feel a lot better, too.

 

[Ric5]

So I recently joined a band and they have a studio for our practice sessions and a powered mixer. They asked me not to bring my amp and cab, just my pedals and bass. They're like, "it's great that you don't have to carry extra stuff around. I haven't used a guitar amp in years!"

While I appreciate the gesture, I did not really like the sound I was getting out of the studio monitors (they're using two 15 in. PA speakers, Yamaha I believe). It was muddy and sounded pretty terrible. Not at all like the sound I get out of my Ampeg 2x12.

They also plan on gigging in this fashion plugging directly into a powered mixer instead of my amp DI to the mixer and they all want to do in-ear plugs instead of using monitors on stage.

I feel like an amp and cab have an important effect on tone and despite hauling the extra gear to practice, it's worth it. Should I insist on bringing my gear? Or at the very least DI my amp to the mixer?

Have you guys faced a similar setup? How's that working out?

What are your thoughts on this issue?

I played in a band like that ... I used a bass amp ... stage monitors suck for guitar and bass ... I used an ampeg 300 watts and 4 10s