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Beginner looking for an amp

eric_B

eric_B

Apr 19, 2015
876
1,152
The Netherlands
#1
As just posted in another thread, I'm a drummer just picking up the bass guitar so I'm looking for an amp to use for practice in my home studio.

I've done some research and came across the Ampeg BA-108/BA-110, Fender Rumble 15/25/40, Hartke HD25/50 and Orange CR25BXT/CR50BXT, all seem to get good reviews. Besides woofer size and wattage, the differences seem to be the larger models have more features like sound sculpting, built-in tuner and a (DI) output.

I also saw the Fender Bronco 40, seems like a Fender Mustang for bass. I already own a Mustang I for my guitar so I'm familiar with the concept.
That got me thinking: how important are all those sound options for a bass guitar? I have to admit I didn't pay much attention to it in my past band experience.

The reviews on the Bronco are fine but I also noticed that the Bronco has just one model and has been around since 2011 (or so) and hasn't been update while the Rumble is at version 3. Isn't the Bronco concept so well received by bass players?

Would it be better to get one of the more 'simple' amps to start with than to get an amp with a lot of options and end up tweaking all day instead of focus on learning to play?

Any thoughts?


Eric
 
#3
I wouldn't go smaller than a 15 or a couple of 12s or 10s for speakers, gigs or not. Most often the drums set the volume of the ensemble, and an acoustic drum set can and will bury anything less. If you're absolutely sure you're not going to use it outside the studio, you'll be good. If you'll eventually want to gig it, I'd start thinking modularity: an amp head and a pair of speakers, each one useful by itself and double trouble when used together. Get identical 8 ohm cabs and at least 500 w (@ 4 ohm) amp. Of course, buying used saves a ton of money.
 
#4
Thanks for your replies.

To clarify: I'm a drummer but, being in between bands, I thought to pick up the bass to broaden my musical experiences.
I don't know if I'll ever join a band as a bass player, but who knows.
So I'm just looking for an amp to practice at my home (studio), don't need a lot of volume there.
Therefore I was thinking to get a small combo, like the ones I mentioned.
Budget is less important.
 
#5
eric_B said:
...I thought to pick up the bass to broaden my musical experiences...
....looking for an amp to practice at my home (studio), don't need a lot of volume there...
Click to expand...

I like the CR50BXT. A friend in Austin, TX has one, and likes it. I think the feature set is good, and it sounds fine.
 
#6
If budget is not important forget the combos and get yourself a mini stack Aguilar TH500+GS112 cab or less expensive EBS Reidmar+1x CL112 cab , if later things get serious you can add another cab if not you can sell them, speaking of combos ...all are pretty the same , you'll be happy with any of those 4 mentioned but I would pick the Ampeg
Good Luck ;)
 
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#7
If you never turn it up loud enough to have to raise your voice, the guitar amp you have now will be fine. If you want to be able to give the room a good shake, then sure any of those combos you mention would be better. A solid DI/Pre with headphone out and aux in would suffice, too. If you're just doing it for kicks, anything with a power section and speaker CAN be alright, as long as you respect it's limits. You could throw it into a 10 watt guitar amp with a 5" speaker if you keep it turned down. I use a pair of AV-40's for the vast majority of my playing at home. I run my bass straight in the aux on the front... with a mono to stereo adaptor, or from my trainer. I'd suggest making due at low volumes on your current amp. If it turns out you like the experience and want to continue, then look for bass gear. Combos like you describe (for example the ba108) turn up at GC in the used pages for as little as 50 bucks; sometimes these kinds of combos show up new on sale for $99. You can skip this tier altogether for the most part. A 40 watt guitar combo CAN still be a better bass amp than the large majority of the 1x8 or smaller bass combos. Save the cash until you know for sure you want a bass amp, and buy one that can be used for a group. My$0.02
 
#8
i would get a better amp which can still come with less bells and whistles. a better tone will inspire you more. as i get better on playing, the tone gets more important to me.
 
#9
Hey, thanks for the replies.

basscooker said:
If you never turn it up loud enough to have to raise your voice, the guitar amp you have now will be fine....Save the cash until you know for sure you want a bass amp, and buy one that can be used for a group. My$0.02
Click to expand...

I hear you and that makes sense to me, thanks.

Taha-b said:
i would get a better amp which can still come with less bells and whistles. a better tone will inspire you more. as i get better on playing, the tone gets more important to me.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that is what I was wondering about. But what defines a better amp than, say, the gadget loaded Fender Bronco?
A more powerful one like the Crush CR50BXT or maybe the Rumble 100? Another brand, more wattage?
 
#10
Your mileage may vary, but I'm not big on getting bass amps with a certain sound baked in. I wouldn't use a guitar amp, as it isn't likely to produce the tone shape I expect from a bass guitar and the EQ will be voiced wrong for the instrument as well. But once you've got a bona fide bass amp, I'm all for a relatively uncolored sound. I get coloration when I need it from my pedal board or from the studio mixing desk (like amp sims added in post, etc.). In a way I look at my bass amp and cabs as a hi fi monitor, only reproducing what goes into it as opposed to doing a lot of signal processing itself.
 
#11
eric_B said:
Yeah, that is what I was wondering about. But what defines a better amp than, say, the gadget loaded Fender Bronco?
A more powerful one like the Crush CR50BXT or maybe the Rumble 100? Another brand, more wattage?
Click to expand...
i played a rumble100 last week which was good enough for this purpose yes. but i still can't keep my mind from an ampeg PF-350+PF115 stack. it's 700$ on sweetwater but you can go used for less price. or a microVR+210AV stack maybe?! :D
 
#13
Talking about an uncolored sound: my, inexperienced, mind says a bass guitar sound would be expected to be pretty clean to fit in with most songs/bands unless the specific sound is an important part of the song/band.
Or am I missing something by assuming this?
 
#15
I think that's mostly true. We bass players usually don't go for the real wackiness as often as guitar players do. When I say "coloration" I'm not only talking about things like a high gain distortion and a wah effect (although that does happen, see below). I'm also referring to, say, a bass-heavy EQ for motown sounds or a "smile" EQ for a hi fi but smooth slap sound, or possibly just a little sizzle to emulate a tube amp for those occasional The Who or Zeppelin sounds.

 
#16
I'm sticking to my guns here :-) Give it a few months of woodshedding through anything that produces sound. Grow the budget. Buy once you know what your goals are.
Tone is so hugely subjective, and sometimes I feel chasing it and tweaking effects and settings can take away so much from learning how to play. Just get the bass amplified for now. Save for a proper rig if necessary; or if it turns out bass isn't for you, you now have a GAS savings for a new piece for your drum kit and NOT a dime-a-dozen, low-powered bass amp.
 
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#17
Still absorbing all thoughts around here, thanks :D

Another thought is this: I've heard (and have been told) several times guitar combos sound better cranked up a bit. Is the same true for bass guitar amps?
Say, I would buy a 100W one and only use it at 10%, would the same model in 25W sound better at 40%?
 
#18
eric_B said:
Still absorbing all thoughts around here, thanks :D

Another thought is this: I've heard (and have been told) several times guitar combos sound better cranked up a bit. Is the same true for bass guitar amps?
Say, I would buy a 100W one and only use it at 10%, would the same model in 25W sound better at 40%?
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Depends on your tonal goals. If your goal is crunch, then the lower wattage amp might sound better to you at 40%. If your goal is clean, then the 100w one might sound better at 10%.

Anyway, for now, I think you could do pretty well with a BA108 or BA110 or something in that range. I've got a BA108 and used to have a BA110. Generally, the bigger you go, the better they sound, but if you don't need a lot of volume and don't plan to play out any time soon, I think the BA108 sounds pretty good and you'd probably dig it.
 
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#19
Too many factors... I'd bet the 100 watt and 25 watt versions would have very different speakers. Anywhoo, tone is too individual. If you're wanting overdrive, sometimes the amp has to be turned up and pushed. I haven't heard many solid state amps that I like the sound of when they're pushed, but have never heard a tube amp pushed hard that I hated.

In my suggestion to ignore tone for now and just play, getting loud is not part of the equation. If there is any sort of reason that you'd be louder than conversational speech, you'd be better with a real bass amp.

For the most part, if you're at least going to be in the same room as a drum kit, anything LESS THAN a very good (and pricey) 1x12 or bigger combo amp over 150 watts will likely fall short. If you can avoid that tier of the amp market by just learning how to play quietly through a guitar amp, why not?
 
#20
Only thing that worries me about using a guitar amp is the speaker. I blew one of the speakers in my Super Reverb last year by playing bass through it. First speaker I ever blew. Wasn't even up that loud.
 

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