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Cart before the horse...?

rzamites

rzamites

Total Bass Hack
Jun 27, 2020
137
442
Michigan
#1
Good morning all,
Being new to the bass guitar world, I’m tryIng to do as much research/legwork before diving in real deep, and spending my money on things. That said, I know what my needs for an amp will be, and have narrowed down my choices.
My question is if I’m getting too ahead of myself in choosing/buying an amp while the body of my bass is still a 2” thick slab of cherry - the bass specs are on paper, and parts are starting to come in, so the bag is definitely being built.
Would the prudent course be to wait the 4-6 months for the bass to be finished, then test it on different amps (I’m lucky to live where there’s several music stores conveniently located), or just plow ahead with picking an amp and buying?
For the record, I don’t plan on gigging, maybe jamming with a friend in his music room, and doing some recording at home with a small mixer and Garage Band. 40-50W is all I expect I’ll ever need, so the amp choices are pretty narrowed down.

mods: if this is in the wrong forum, feel free to relocate or delete.

Cheers,

Rob
 
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#4
rzamites said:
Good morning all,
Being new to the bass guitar world, I’m tryIng to do as much research/legwork before diving in real deep, and spending my money on things. That said, I know what my needs for an amp will be, and have narrowed down my choices.
My question is if I’m getting too ahead of myself in choosing/buying an amp while the body of my bass is still a 2” thick slab of cherry - the bass specs are on paper, and parts are starting to come in, so the bag is definitely being built.
Would the prudent course be to wait the 4-6 months for the bass to be finished, then test it on different amps (I’m lucky to live where there’s several music stores conveniently located), or just plow ahead with picking an amp and buying?
For the record, I don’t plan on gigging, maybe jamming with a friend in his music room, and doing some recording at home with a small mixer and Garage Band. 40-50W is all I expect I’ll ever need, so the amp choices are pretty narrowed down.

mods: if this is in the wrong forum, feel free to relocate or delete.

Cheers,

Rob
Click to expand...

Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

@dbase is correct. You'll go on a journey of sorts. So I wouldn't sweat the first amp buy. Basically, that amp will serve to teach you a few things about what you do an don't want in an amp. If you get lucky, and you're right on the first try, great. If not.... "....and so the journey begins".

But the journey is fun too. So no harm done.

The "Luthiers Corner" section if our forum is filled with incredibly helpful and knowledgeable weirdos. Even those if us without those talents love to follow build threads with lots of pics....even ones that take 6 months to complete. Hint, hint. ;)
 
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#5
two fingers said:
Welcome to TalkBass!!!!

@dbase is correct. You'll go on a journey of sorts. So I wouldn't sweat the first amp buy. Basically, that amp will serve to teach you a few things about what you do an don't want in an amp. If you get lucky, and you're right on the first try, great. If not.... "....and so the journey begins".

But the journey is fun too. So no harm done.

The "Luthiers Corner" section if our forum is filled with incredibly helpful and knowledgeable weirdos. Even those if us without those talents love to follow build threads with lots of pics....even ones that take 6 months to complete. Hint, hint. ;)
Click to expand...
Well, someone else is doing the build (I used to build too, but the apartment manager busted me trying to sneak a 16” bandsaw into my 3rd floor abode - a story for another day...) - so I was going to just hoard all the documentation until the bass was done then post it all.
Regarding the amp, I suppose I can wait it out and keep researching until the bass is ready to go.

Thanks everyone, for the feedback and welcoming words!

Cheers,

Rob
 
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#7
As I told someone else this weekend, if you can afford it I’d go with the Genzler Magellan 350/Bass Array 10 combo. If that’s more than you want to spend, then the Fender Rumble 40 is a solid choice.

.............here’s a crazy thought though: how about grabbing one of those Squier packs that come with a Squier Affinity P bass and a Fender Rumble 15. You’d have a decent sounding practice amp and a decent starter bass to “get your feet wet” with. I think the pack is around 2 or 3 hundred bucks.
 
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#8
One issue with a custom build is that you really have no idea how it will sound or play. I would have suggested an off the shelf bass that you can play to determine if it was suitable, AND that you could then try with some different amps to see what migh (and might not) work for your needs.

Because nobody knows what your bass may be or how it might sound, I can't see how any suggestions could be anything more than rough guesses.

So yes, buying an amp is putting the cart before the horse imo.
 
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#9
You have to look at it that [(bass guitar + amp) + effects] = your sound.

Right now it's anywhere from an educated guess to a SWAG (that is, a Silly Wild-Ass Guess) as to what your under-construction bass is going to sound like. Of course, any of us could say buy this or that and it would probably work out OK (and my first suggestion is 50-100 watt bass amps make great door stops in most cases, especially with fives or sixes). How much do you want to spend? Any speaker size preferences? Anything in particular feature-wise you require? Lots of boxes to tick off.

But this is all very subjective and the smart thing would be, indeed, to get the horse, THEN try as many amps as you can and see what hits you.
 
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#10
I should have asked... are you already a musician that plays other instruments?

More specifically, do you already have (or have access to) a high quality powered PA speaker? If so, a whole other world of possibilities are open to you because you can use different preamp pedals to get different amp sounds.
 
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#12
Lots of great information already posted here! 4-6 months with no bass? I will echo the suggestions of others and say "Get a cheapo bass to learn on for the time being". Also, if your landlord is "watching you" and is concerned about you making noise, wouldn't a NICE set of headphones be a better purchase? (That's what I gather from your posts. Let me know if I am off base)

Also, thinking you will ONLY need 40-50 watts is setting yourself up for disaster. As soon as you play the 100 watt or 200 watt version of that combo, you will ONLY need 100-200 watts. Chill out in the meantime! Try out some gear, listen to others play, learn more about bass. Good luck!
 
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#13
Recording or no, 40-50 watts isn't going to be enough unless it's all-tube, and not even then if your guitar player buddy plays a tube amp. I second the 'get a cheapo bass and cheapo amp for now' sentiment, and say take your completed bass with you to try out some 200-350 watt combos or head/cab rigs once it's complete. There's no knowing how it'll sound til you have it.
 
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#14
Again, I’d agree with those that have said get a cheapo beater and practice amp just to get started. There should be plenty of those starter packs available used, either from beginners who give up or from ex-beginners who are upgrading to their first ‘serious’ rig. Remember, the cheaper you get now the nicer your custom will seem when it’s ready! Also, if you’ve got a few months in you’ll be in a better place to assess the custom when it arrives and have a head start on knowing which sounds you’re looking for. Make sure you post pics of the custom here when you get it, TB loves pics! Good luck and welcome to the world of bass.
 
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#17
IMO, getting an amp now wouldn't be putting the cart before the horse so much as ordering a custom bass as your first, provided you're going to have something to play through it while you wait & you don't overdo it. 50 tube/250 solid state watts w/ a moderately efficient cab seems like it's been enough for small band practice/stage volume if those you're playing w/ don't feel the need to be as loud & broad spectrum w/ their sound as possible IME so far, but mileage may vary.

For me it's a process of discovery of what I'm looking for w/ any gear. You can't really depend on a youtube video or anecdotal review for any given piece of gear to accurately represent how it will sound & feel to you when you get it home. The only way to know that for sure is to try it for yourself IMO. Getting a general first hand idea of what a couple/few options do for you might make it easier to get to the "one" in the end, it seems like it has for me anyway (although it's more of a "few/many" than a "one" ;) ).
 
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#18
Got me off balance. Normally I'd say go buy a bigger amp than you need because bigger and louder is good for you. But since it's your first bass I'd agree with all the smart folks above. You'll be better off waiting for it to be built so you know what will be most complementary. Plus, an amp without a bass is just furniture so unless you need a place to set your beer you might as well wait it out. Those amps will still be there.
 
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#20
Sage advice from all of you - I really appreciate the time taken to respond. Yes, I do play other instruments (guitar, bouzouki, trichordo and pennywhistle) - by no means a master, but constantly practicing and learning. I have lyrics written and decided that creating music for them would be a nice pastime for me. I decided to get a bass to go with the other instruments - partly GAS, partly because I’d rather invent music on a bass than try to do the same with the Garage Band software.
I did play (for a couple of hours) the builder’s guitars and bass, they were well made, solid and played nicely, so I have confidence in his attention to detail; that said, I think I’ll look around for a cheap beater and experiment with my mixer and headphones.

FWIW, the builder is a custom framer by trade, and this is his foray into luthier work. Take a look at his current stable of instruments below - the bass is a short scale and was a blast to thump on :). Thanks again, so much!

Cheers,

Rob

A6ABB96C-EA38-4991-905A-C4FDCAA5AB36.jpeg
 
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