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Bass amp recommendations?

#2
hi and welcome to talkbass.

please clarify:
1. will you be playing alone at home or with other musicians?
2. what are your tone goals? do you like your bass overdriven? with huge snappy high-end? maybe you have a video of your favourite bass player so it would be possible to tell, what sound do you like?
 
#4
Since you linked to Thomann, I'm guessing you are not in the USA. Here, everyone will recommend a Fender Rumble (40 or 100) and whatever pedal gets you the sound you are looking for. In Europe, Ashdown and Eden will be cheaper than Fender.

A 40-50 watt something with a 10 inch speaker is good for bedroom practice. BUT, if you think you may play out someday...100-200 watts into a 12 or 15 inch makes more sense.

Later, when you know what you want exactly, you can upgrade. Very few of us knew exactly the sound they wanted in the begining, and our tastes change over the years.

Behringer and Harley Benton can be good choices as well. Don't discount them.
 
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#7
Ar4mis said:
In general how much should i invest into the amp, i found some sub 100€ amps, but they give out like 10w, something to avoid and go dor a higher priced one?
Click to expand...

There are two levels of bass amp. The cheaper kind that's only for practicing on your own, and the more expensive kind that's loud enough to keep up with a drummer and the rest of a band.

If you want to play metal, "loud enough" is going to be very loud and require an investment of several hundred euro!

For this reason, if you're just starting out, I would recommend something like this, which you can play through either headphones or your home audio system:
https://www.thomannmusic.com/zoom_b1four_bass_multi_effect.htm

It'll give you dozens of different sounds to play with, some of which are very much suitable for metal.
Once you get good enough to want to play out with a band, you'll know what sort of sound you like, and you'll be able to spend that money on an amp that gets you that sound.
 
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#8
Hi @Ar4mis,

I have a Fender Rumble 100 and I could not be happier with it. If you go the Fender Rumble route, ensure you get a new one (or new generation).

I used to have an older Fender Rumble amp, and it weighed a ton.

My new Fender Rumble 100 is really light (unbelievably so!), sounds amazing, and is reasonably priced. I got mine through Sweetwater . I asked for a discount and got one. Not sure if Sweetwater is an option for you, but worth a look, if so. The Rumble 100 is more than enough for practicing at home and enough for small venue gigging for what I play. For metal, you may want the Rumble 200 or above, but the 100 may be enough.

Good luck!

buzz
 
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#10
I don't believe in buying bass amps that can't be gigged*. If you want something quiet for home, get a headphone amp. The good news is, there are plenty of inexpensive, giggable amps out there. I have a Hartke 112 combo that I like. Not a lot of features, but it's light and loud. I wouldn't get anything smaller than a 10" speaker. In fact, I would have a 12 or a 15 instead if it is to have just one speaker.

* This is Scott's rule of small bass amps: no matter how much you think you'll never want to play it with a drummer and a whole ensemble, one day you will. And on that day you will tear out some hair, rip your shirt, shake your fist at the sky and ask why oh why didn't I listen to Scott. 10w amps with 8" speakers end in tears. This is the way.
 
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#13
Ar4mis said:
Hi everyone!

I'm a beginner when it comes to electric instruments. I'm thinking of buying an Ibanez GSR205B-WK (https://www.thomann.de/intl/ee/ibanez_gsr205b_wk.htm), my question is what amp, for a reasonable price, should i get? Or any other hardware that i might need for that matter
Click to expand...
Welcome to Talkbass @Ar4mis ! We need more information :
What's your budget ?
How much power ?
For a band or your bedroom ?
 
#14
Just as a beginner, getting lots of practice in is essential. Being able to Bluetooth music and backing tracks from YouTube and play at the same time helps a lot. So I'm gonna recommend what I have found to be a great practice amplifier. It has a great clean sound, but also has the ability to sound much deeper bass wise than most practice amps that I've run across.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B083TKKLTH?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
it really is a impressive bit of kit for the price.

Then you could get something like this to put between the amp and your bass to get all kinds of tones.


Both together would be easy on the wallet and provide you with very enjoyable practice sessions.
 
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#16
Something around 100watts is my recommendation with 2x10, a 15, or a 12. Any brand you prefer is fine. I say 100 watts because you can hang with a drummer, but it won't be terribly expensive or large or heavy, it's reasonably sized for bedroom practice but will also fill a pretty big room if you need it to. Ampeg rocket bass, fender rumble, Hartke, GK, peavey, Orange. Pick whichever you like for whatever reason makes you feel good, it honestly really doesn't matter. If you can't afford 100 watts then whatever you can afford will be fine, you'll make it work. At this point you don't know what you like, any widely available brand is pretty reliable and most are pretty versatile. Don't agonize over the decision, just pick one and get down to business playing. After a while you'll find out your preferences and needs and you can trade that amp toward something that fits your newfound preferences. Best of luck, have fun!
 
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#17
mikewalker said:
this one gets my highest recommendation: https://www.thomannmusic.com/hartke_kickback_12.htm
The 12 inch Hartke kickback outperforms many larger and more expensive amps...
Click to expand...

I have to agree. I own one. I have only gigged it a couple of times but I was surprised at how loud it got. I think there's a lot more internal volume in that cab that it appears. That said, it doesn't have a lot of features and you do need to tame the aluminum cone (at least I do), but that's what the Treble knob is for. And the kickback feature is killer for tight stages.
 
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#18
Aloe said:
Behringer bass amps suck, sorry.
Click to expand...

Sorry you had a bad experience with them. I am not sure which product you had, but they make a lot of products.

Their Bugera bass combos are solid and loud for the price. Much praise for them in TalkBass and elsewhere. Behringer Europower amps are solid amps which, over the years have held their own against industry standards like Crown and QSC. I have never had one fail during a gig. They hold their value on the used markets as well.

The bass amps and power amps I have used have been solid and have sounded good, no question. Your mileage may vary.
 
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#19
Ar4mis said:
A friend of mine suggested i get a headphone amp, but i'd prefer one that would not require me to wear headphones. Got a question, could you possibly hook some speakers to a headphone amp for home practice?
Click to expand...

Yes. Any "headphone amp", including the Zoom B1 Four I suggested, can be hooked up to anything with analog audio inputs: computer speakers, a home stereo, an old boombox, most Bluetooth speakers, and so on.

I don't know about Europe, but thrift stores in the USA are full of old computer speakers and stereo systems that can be had for cheap.
 
#20
BassNugget said:
Sorry you had a bad experience with them. I am not sure which product you had, but they make a lot of products.
Click to expand...

I briefly played the UltraBass, double-checked before posting that it's the current line yet. I had a chance to directly compare it with a Rumble and it was night and day.
I also had a EuroLive and happily gave it away.

upd: I admit, I didn't try their digital mixers, but every Behringer I played (including the Xenyx mixers) had that signature limiting circuit, which drove me into problems with my live sound.

BassNugget said:
Their Bugera bass combos are solid and loud for the price.
Click to expand...

but Bugera is not Behringer, it's a different brand. like the TC Electronic. yes, Bugera, TC Electronic and Behringer are owned by the same holding, but those are very different.
 
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