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best choice for very inexpensive practice amp

#21
If the kid ends up continuing on the instrument, buying the cheapest thing that will work "for now" ends up being a rather expensive strategy. Every amp has a volume control (so it can be quiet enough to practice at home, and almost all of them will go loud enough to make parents tell a kid to turn down.

A 40 watt Rumble is about the smallest thing I'd ever consider - it's a couple hundred bucks, which, if you got the kid a decent bass, is not really that much money (the amp is half of the instrument). It's big enough for the kid to fart around with his friends in a garage, it'll sound decent enough that the kid won't want a better one 2 months in, and it is (for some low volume gigs) something you could use for a long time. If the kid quits, it's a very recognizable thing that you can sell and get some of your money back.
 
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#23
Yeah the Ampeg would be great. I bought a Peavey Max 158 to practice with and it's loud enough to be "too loud" to practice with. I have a couple of gig rigs, but 95% of the time I'm playing my little practice amp. No matter what happens next, it will be great to have a little amp.
 
#28
AndyPanda said:
Hope you guys can help. One of my neighbors needs a practice amp for his young son who is just starting out. He was looking to spend very little (like $60) for a practice amp and was going to get a little 15 watt 8" speaker from CraigsList. I was suggesting he go for more wattage and larger speaker in something like a Fender Rumble and up his budget to to $150-180. But thought I'd ask here and see what the recommendations are.
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Tying to stay near your stated budget, Ampeg BA08 used for $100, Rumble 15 for $90 new. Young kids starting with a limited budget can get a lot out of this, whether or not experienced bassists think the sound is "doo doo." For someone with a slightly larger budget Rumble 40 ($200) has a built in 60-second looper & over 15 amp models and 40 effects controllable via Bluetooth and the Fender Tone app: easily worth the extra $$ over a basic amp.
 
#30
I'll be a little contrarian. A cheap amp isn't a permanent commitment. They should get the best they can that's reasonably within their current budget, which will mean shopping used and hopefully with the guidance of somebody with knowledge. If the kid turns out to like playing bass, get them something better when the opportunity arises.
 
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#32
lowfreqgeek said:
I do a ton of my practicing with headphones, but I'd be very leery of suggesting a young kid learn to play using headphones. That's an easy recipe for damaged hearing unless you're constantly monitoring the levels. Kids don't know what'll hurt them at that stage.

Nothing wrong with a 30W/10" practice amp for little kid. It'll be many years before they need more than that.
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Not to mention playing with hot hunks of foam on your head kills the fun. At least for me, elderly eternal student bass player.
Buy the kid a Roland Bass Cube, tons of different virtual amps, effects and excellent drum tracks. Keep the kid from getting bored. No $%#/fing headphones, please, the child deserves better.
 
#34
I still see old combo amps going for less than $100 at my local Music GoRound (a used music store).

I just looked at my local Craigslist and saw these:

Bassman 25 for $40

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Crate CR112B $60 (I once bought the similar CR115B for $50 used, 60 watts, 1-15” and sold it for $20 about ten years ago)

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Rumble 15 $40

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#35
AR_Soundman said:
Please give the advice of keeping the headphone volume at a respectable level. A hour a day or so of loud phones will cause hearing damage.

I hurt my right ear with loud cans.
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Agree. It’s too risky giving young kids headphones IMO. They say “yeah, I’ll keep it low” but of course they won’t. And you have no way of monitoring it.

Another consideration with a really cheap, tinny amp is that they’ll sound crap and get disheartened. Buy the best possible instrument and amp you can afford is my advice.
 
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#36
Geepers said:
Agree. It’s too risky giving young kids headphones IMO. They say “yeah, I’ll keep it low” but of course they won’t. And you have no way of monitoring it.

Another consideration with a really cheap, tinny amp is that they’ll sound crap and get disheartened. Buy the best possible instrument and amp you can afford is my advice.
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Worst of all they hurt your head and make your head hot. Like VR goggles except you don't fall down.
 
#37
I have an old Hartke B30 in my office at the school I teach at. It's way louder than you'd expect. My students use it for full band practices with a drummer, and it works surprisingly well in that situation. I got mine very cheap - $25? $30? It was probably 10 years ago, but I have not regretted that purchase at all. I'm a notorious gear flipper, but it's the longest-tenured amp in my collection - by far - because it was such a great value.
 
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#38
Go out & audition stuff. & perhaps spend a little more on something HE likes. @ this early stage encouragement, kindness and finding something that motivates practice. By actually sounding half decent will do more to motivate perseverance than anything else. Its not watts that matter so much as the efficiency of & quality of the speaker.My Boss Katana 210 put out around 60 wrms. But with super efficient & fairly decent sounding twin tens. I estimate about 99 to 100 dB @ 1w @ 1 M (3.3 feet) efficiency. It would do a small pub or club & compete with a loud drummer no sweat. Hartke combos sound great. Fender rumbles around 100w can perform great in a small band practice scenario. I gave a kid a Laney PA gen purpose 150 w with a 15 inch Celestion in it once. It was well used, rough & tatty but still worked fine
I was moving & didn't need it. I just felt SO sorry for him struggling to play in a live band. With a horrid little 8 inch thing & a 30 w amp. The way his face lit up when he had POWER was priceless! There are a ton of great sounding combos out there. S/H for not much coin. That's where I would be looking.
 
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