What would be a sensible rate between the price of bass and amplification? Maybe about 2:1 or even 1:1? The first gear i bought was about 2:1, 200EUR Squier and a 100EUR Fender Rumble. I have modded the Squier and acquired a few basses, albeit the Rumble remains the only personal means of amplification, aside from a EBS Microbass 3 and a headset. Even counting these i am close to 10:1 witch seams wrong.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Bass to amplification price ratio
- Thread starter Bassdrifter
- Start date
Does the bass and amp do what you need/want them to do. If the answer is yes, you're good to go. If the answer is no, then update the piece that is inadequate.
Different people have different needs, so the answer varies by person and situation. You may be totally satisfied one day, and need something totally different the next.
Given the prices you mention, my guess is your amp is really not up to gigging with a drummer and full band. But if you only plan to play by yourself or with acoustic guitar it may be totally adequate.
BLUF: It's totally up to you.
Different people have different needs, so the answer varies by person and situation. You may be totally satisfied one day, and need something totally different the next.
Given the prices you mention, my guess is your amp is really not up to gigging with a drummer and full band. But if you only plan to play by yourself or with acoustic guitar it may be totally adequate.
BLUF: It's totally up to you.
I don't see any benefit in trying to utilize such equations. This is about making music, and finding the right tools to do so. Cold calculations could leave you missing your true goals.
I could not begin to quantify the power to price ratio. But bass gear is getting cheaper, more powerful, lighter, and sounding spot on.
I wouldn't worry about ratios. You can have a plan and something will turn up that throws your plans out of the window.
Buy the gear that works well with the rest of your signal chain.
My main advice is don't skimp on the cabs. Go modular and buy the best cabs you can find. They are the components that present your sound to the world.
Buy the gear that works well with the rest of your signal chain.
My main advice is don't skimp on the cabs. Go modular and buy the best cabs you can find. They are the components that present your sound to the world.
If you're gigging rock and need to keep afloat between guitar halfstacks and loud drums, I'd say that the bass/amp ratio when you buy new from the shop would be around 1:2.
When you're roughly in the same quality/bang for the buck area, you spend around a thousand bucks on cab and head, plus around 500 on the bass.
That whole equation gets tossed around a bit as soon as second hand items are allowed in.
You can get a decent head and decent cabinets for next to nothing if you're going for solid state amps from the 80s/90s and the cabs that went with them. They are big and heavy, and compared to today's amps, not super loud (but hey, instead of one 410 just bring two and you're golden). If you don't mind the schlep, you can make a dollar stretch a long way here.
Also, with that 1:2 ratio on will be set and ready to go. As soon as one takes the first steps on the path, everyone will experience different things. One might feel underpowered and wish for more cabinet or more watts.
The next might feel that the amp is fine, but crave for a better bass.
There is no right or wrong here. As soon as your equipment meets the minimum demands ( the stuff is reliable, the amp goes loud enough, the bass is playable and intonates right), the upgrade path is up to your financial situation and your personal taste
When you're roughly in the same quality/bang for the buck area, you spend around a thousand bucks on cab and head, plus around 500 on the bass.
That whole equation gets tossed around a bit as soon as second hand items are allowed in.
You can get a decent head and decent cabinets for next to nothing if you're going for solid state amps from the 80s/90s and the cabs that went with them. They are big and heavy, and compared to today's amps, not super loud (but hey, instead of one 410 just bring two and you're golden). If you don't mind the schlep, you can make a dollar stretch a long way here.
Also, with that 1:2 ratio on will be set and ready to go. As soon as one takes the first steps on the path, everyone will experience different things. One might feel underpowered and wish for more cabinet or more watts.
The next might feel that the amp is fine, but crave for a better bass.
There is no right or wrong here. As soon as your equipment meets the minimum demands ( the stuff is reliable, the amp goes loud enough, the bass is playable and intonates right), the upgrade path is up to your financial situation and your personal taste
I know this is a "how big is a fish?" or "how much is a car" type question. You might play your Wal, Fodera and two Alembics exclusively through a headphone amp or you might be satisfied playing a Squier Affinity, as long as the amp is loud enough. Even though it of course varies, there is a median, a typical ratio.
An advice would have to take many parameters into consideration, but just out of curiosity; what is your typical ratio? More than 10:1 or 1:10 i would think is unusual.
An advice would have to take many parameters into consideration, but just out of curiosity; what is your typical ratio? More than 10:1 or 1:10 i would think is unusual.
Are you factoring your total investment, or just what you take when you play out? (Bass guitars seem more practical to collect than bass amps for most people.)
The latter figure seems more relevant to me and I have a bunch of different scenarios for that. For electric bass my onstage $$ ratio might occasionally vary from 2:1 to 1:2 but is usually closer to the ballpark of 1:1. (The passive parts bass usually goes with the funky old tube amp & cab and the Roscoe usually goes thru the Bergantino rig.)
Rock might call for a larger amp and a simpler bass while Jazz might favor a boutique BG (or of course an expensive upright) and a smaller amp.
No hard rules, of course. (If you're going DI/IEM the ratio would be infinity!)
The latter figure seems more relevant to me and I have a bunch of different scenarios for that. For electric bass my onstage $$ ratio might occasionally vary from 2:1 to 1:2 but is usually closer to the ballpark of 1:1. (The passive parts bass usually goes with the funky old tube amp & cab and the Roscoe usually goes thru the Bergantino rig.)
Rock might call for a larger amp and a simpler bass while Jazz might favor a boutique BG (or of course an expensive upright) and a smaller amp.
No hard rules, of course. (If you're going DI/IEM the ratio would be infinity!)
i've honestly never thought about comparing the costs of instruments and amps in this way.
for me:
- first and foremost, the instrument has to play just the way i like it = no matter the cost!
- the amplification i use should be an appropriate match for the playing context, although i'm not that picky if it "just works."
but if i play the "price ratio" game: using my most expensive ax (a parts bass) with my most expensive amp/cab rig (bi-amped*) then my ratio would be 2:1, rig:bass. when i was playing more expensive instruments (e.g., custom pieces) the ratio would have been reversed, and then some.
* i don't typically bi-amp, but it would be the most pricey of my options.
You will always have a sliding ratio.
Spend between $500-$1,000 for an amp, and another $500-$1,000 on cab/s and you can play anything anywhere.
Use the $150 bass for the first set then use the $8,000 bass the next set.
Next week play a $500 bass the whole gig.
Then you play an Ampless gig the following week and it is just your bass (whatever cost) and a DI Box that will most likely be less than your bass.
Sometimes you will get an even 1:1.
Spend between $500-$1,000 for an amp, and another $500-$1,000 on cab/s and you can play anything anywhere.
Use the $150 bass for the first set then use the $8,000 bass the next set.
Next week play a $500 bass the whole gig.
Then you play an Ampless gig the following week and it is just your bass (whatever cost) and a DI Box that will most likely be less than your bass.
Sometimes you will get an even 1:1.
Interesting question. I think earlier posters have actually answered correctly, so I do this only for argument’s sake and also strictly all IMHO.
The premise is you are jamming rock with a drummer and electric guitar, maybe two, or guitar and keyboards. For a beginner, first few rigs, I’d say the bass:amp&cab ratio should be 1:2 or maybe 1:3.
For a more experienced player who also has more cash flow, 1:1 or 2:1. For a top-level pro I’d imagine 3:1 on up, even 20:1 or 30:1. Think Entwistle and his huge bass collection.
But like @Wasnex said, it depends entirely on what level of amplification you need for your r/h and gigs.
The premise is you are jamming rock with a drummer and electric guitar, maybe two, or guitar and keyboards. For a beginner, first few rigs, I’d say the bass:amp&cab ratio should be 1:2 or maybe 1:3.
For a more experienced player who also has more cash flow, 1:1 or 2:1. For a top-level pro I’d imagine 3:1 on up, even 20:1 or 30:1. Think Entwistle and his huge bass collection.
But like @Wasnex said, it depends entirely on what level of amplification you need for your r/h and gigs.
It depends…
If you have a boutique amp & a boutique bass it may be 1:1…
This not a good measure…
If you have a boutique amp & a boutique bass it may be 1:1…
This not a good measure…
I think the OP's question is even weirder than most of the responses are assuming... I read it not as "how much should my main rig cost compared to the main bass I am playing through it," but instead as "how much should I be generally spending on my bass collection versus my amp collection in total?"
The second question is even more impossible to answer than the first given that it is so highly dependent on what the player cares about. You may have only one modest rig that does everything you need but have 10+ basses for fun and variety, or vice versa, or anything in between.
The second question is even more impossible to answer than the first given that it is so highly dependent on what the player cares about. You may have only one modest rig that does everything you need but have 10+ basses for fun and variety, or vice versa, or anything in between.
Thank you sir. Actually my friends just call me "Weirdo". The intended question is more "what do you think?" than "what should i do?"
Bass is more important. Intonation stability and pickup. Most professionals are recording direct
My bass, amp, and cab are about 1:1:1, for no other reason than that's just what they cost. My bass-amp-cab to pedal ratio is more like 1:4...
It's not hoarding if it's pedals!
It's not hoarding if it's pedals!
Latest posts
-
-
What I am finding out with regards to playing as I grow older
- Latest: Admiral Akbar
-
-
-
