Best portable practice bass combo amp?

[bassbourne]

For the small price difference, the Rumble 25 is a good choice. Sounds good at low volume and can be loud enough for your acoustic jams. I’m surprised though that you don’t find the 40 to work for you.

I love the rumble 40 to be honest. But I've not once had the chance to turn it up past about 1 or 2 (if it had numbers) and so it seemed unnecessary to me to have an amp with that kind of power, especially when it's taking up too much space. I'd only replace it with something if it was significantly smaller though and still had some low end. Otherwise I'll just keep it in the corner and get it out once or twice a week as I do now.

Another thing I forgot to mention is the fact the Rumble has that soft vinyl covering on the front which I have to keep away from my son at all times or else he'll destroy it (trust me ). Hence why I was considering the Roland micro cube or the Hartke HD15.

 

[bassbourne]

Thanks for the great responses y'all. A lot to think about.

As for those suggesting the rumble 40 can't be too big for my apartment, I'm afraid it is. I love the amp and wouldn't consider getting something else if it wasn't. I guess it's hard to imagine unless you saw the apartment. But yeah, my wife works from home (she's a baker) and our living room/kitchen area is filled with her stuff as well as my son's toys, so my amp is hidden away in the only spare corner down the side of the couch with the speaker facing either the couch or the wall as there's not enough room for it to face outwards. Because of that I usually leave it in the corner and play unplugged or wait until my son is asleep and use headphones and my laptop. I figured if I can find an amp that's significantly smaller (so not just an inch or two like the rumble 25) it would mean I can get it out during the day and leave it out without turning our living room into an obstacle course. Also, why have an amp with that kinda of power and tone when I never really get to utilise any of it. Would rather get something usable (but with a decent enough sound) for now and then buy a rumble 100 to cover all uses (gigs, jams etc) once we move to a bigger place.

Another thing I forgot to mention earlier (but I mentioned in my last comment above) is the fact the rumble has a vinyl cover on the speaker. My son WILL destroy this in no time if I leave the amp exposed. Hence why I was looking at the Hartke HD15 and the Roland Micro Cube. A harder cover isn't essential as I could keep the amp raised and of his reach if it's small enough, but that's not an option right now with the rumble 40.

Anyway, as I said, that's plenty for me to go on. I'm going to do some research on the suggestions and then narrow it down to a couple. Will keep y'all posted!

 

[gigetto]

For little amp i suggest MArkBAss Micromark or Vox or Phil Jones. The others are cheap and fluffy compared with these that are agiant killer

 

[lug]

FYI, the Phil Jones also makes an excellent "radio" in the kitchen by buying an $11 FM receiver and plugging it in the Aux In. Ask me how I know this.....

 

[CAILLOUX]

[QUOTE = "lug, post: 23735568, member: 53113"] Pour info, le Phil Jones fait également une excellente "radio" dans la cuisine en achetant un récepteur FM à 11 $ et en le branchant dans l'entrée Aux In. Demandez-moi comment je le sais ..... [/ DEVIS]
how ? with what model ?

 

[lug]

[QUOTE = "lug, post: 23735568, member: 53113"] Pour info, le Phil Jones fait également une excellente "radio" dans la cuisine en achetant un récepteur FM à 11 $ et en le branchant dans l'entrée Aux In. Demandez-moi comment je le sais ..... [/ DEVIS]
how ? with what model ?

Added this to the Double 4
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0787NYGC5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[bassbourne]

Is anyone familiar with this model (and how it may compare to the Hartke HD15)?

LX15B - Dedicate bass practice amp

Quite cheap where I live and is smaller than the Hartke, but also 15 watts. Can't find any videos on the 15B, only the 10B.

 

[BassmanPaul]

My practice amp is an Ampeg B15N and I love the brute!

 

[Playbyear]

Is anyone familiar with this model (and how it may compare to the Hartke HD15)?

LX15B - Dedicate bass practice amp

Quite cheap where I live and is smaller than the Hartke, but also 15 watts. Can't find any videos on the 15B, only the 10B.

No, but it looks interesting with the 2 x 5" drivers

 

[Playbyear]

My practice amp is an Ampeg B15N and I love the brute!

Will that fit the OP's small apt or budget...

I was thinking an Ampeg fridge, lay it down and use it as the bed platform

 

[bassbourne]

All great suggestions.

Was temped to buy the Laney I mentioned above, but couldn't find any videos on it and didn't want to take the risk.

Ended up going with the Hartke HD15. The dimensions listed a page or two ago weren't correct. I checked the manual and it's actually quite a bit smaller than my current amp:

Hartke HD15: 12.5” x 12.2” x 8” (HWD)
Fender Rumble 40: 16.5" x 16.5 x 12" (HWD)

Significant enough for me to justify the purchase. Good news is I don't need to sell the Rumble 40. Found a storage space for it (on top of the wardrobe) at least until we move.

Will report back once it arrives...

 

[bassbourne]

Will that fit the OP's small apt or budget...

I was thinking an Ampeg fridge, lay it down and use it as the bed platform

Was reading your comment and noticed we joined the site the same day. Think that deserves a thumbs up

 

[BassmanPaul]

I was thinking an Ampeg fridge, lay it down and use it as the bed platform

Feed some low frequencies into it to get things rocking while their rolling!

 

[BassmanPaul]

Will that fit the OP's small apt or budget...

I don't think budget or size factored into the OP. Add to that the fact that a B15 is just so awesome!

 

[Playbyear]

I don't think budget or size factored into the OP. Add to that the fact that a B15 is just so awesome!

Ive never played through a B15 and never heard one live, but would like to. There is a seller or flipper of them locally, most are $1200 and up.

 

[bassbourne]

The Hartke HD15 arrived...

What an amp! Better than I was expecting in pretty much every aspect. Much smaller than the Rumble 40, but can go very loud (more than loud enough for an apartment). I was worried I'd get a lot of distorting, but no such issue.

I have a habit of overthinking a purchase and then going for the wrong thing anyway. Finally got something right and couldn't be happier.

If anyone is looking for a small practice amp that won't take up much space, while still maintaining a decent sound, look no further.

PS Very robust too. More so than the Rumble 40. No danger of my son damaging it

 

[el murdoque]

IMHO, it is super easy to build a small practise amp. They can be had cheaply all over the place, both new and second hand.
Building an amp for bass guitar that is small and sounds good at lower volume levels however, is a tough one.
You will need top notch components. The electronics need to be fairly high quality because you can tolerate a lot less hum and buzz from the components.
The speaker must be of high quality - because you need a fair amount of low frequencies from a small surface.
I guess you can shave off a few cents off the total because the enclosure does not need to be the very best, since it is small.
There's a reason the Phil Jones stuff costs what it costs.

 

[WoodyJ]

Probably overkill as a practice amp but this is what I use, a 14 year old Mesa Walkabout Scout 12, 300 watts of tonal bliss!

 

[Sav'nBass]

Another thumbs up for the Roland. I originally bought it for my ABG ... but wound up using it as a practice amp in limited space. Great time... The ba5ery thing is a huge plus.

 

[bassbourne]

Another thumbs up for the Roland. I originally bought it for my ABG ... but wound up using it as a practice amp in limited space. Great time... The ba5ery thing is a huge plus. View attachment 3751148

Thanks for the response.

The Roland was 2nd on my list, but because of the price difference and other equipment I'd like to buy, I ended up going for the Hartke HD15. No regrets so far!