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Combo amps, where is the cutoff between toy and tool?
- Thread starter subdude67
- Start date
I've been pleased with my Ampeg BA8. Maybe I have low standards (likely), but I never heard any complaints when I used it to jam with a single guitar and a one armed drummer (stroke victim).
I dissagree.
I think I'm quite a gear snob, and I own 3 expensive heads and 2 high-end cabs.
I used to think that when it comes to amps, "you get what you pay for".
No longer.
When you practice alone at home you don't need volume or headroom, you need a solid low end and clear & tight articulation, without the boominess. Believe me, you can get that from modern 4" drivers.
From my experience of the PJB Double 4 and the "PJB Nano X4 vs Joyo BA30" shootout, I'm 100% sure that the later would suffice for my needs when I practice at home.
There are few stores in Kenya and those who sell halfway decent gear are crazy expensive. I would buy and import one. I have 2 cabs and 2 amps but I'm considering a combo that's easy to move but sounds reasonable at volume you would play on a very small stage with a very quiet drummer.
Your point is?There have been a rash of post from out of US some from Timbuktu
They almost all never mention that in Original Post(many not obvious in profile)
Then after members spend the time to read and offer their thoughts, opinions and recommendations about a day or so later OP post I live in (fill in blank) and don't have access to any of your recommendations
In my experience, a combo stops being a toy at 50 watts or more and a 10” or larger speaker. I gigged for years with a 75 watt Traynor combo which paid for my first high powered amp head. There are some exceptions, low wattage tube combos like a B15 or my old 20 watt Traynor BassMate are giggable.
In my experience, the best practice amp is a gig amp run at low volume and turning down the level at the instrument as well if needed. When I could only afford a single amp, my gig amp was my practice amp. For decades I’ve used a backup gig rig in my practice space, plugged into the wall all the time and until I started using a computer based practice setup a bass sitting on a stand plugged in all the time, too.
In my experience, the best practice amp is a gig amp run at low volume and turning down the level at the instrument as well if needed. When I could only afford a single amp, my gig amp was my practice amp. For decades I’ve used a backup gig rig in my practice space, plugged into the wall all the time and until I started using a computer based practice setup a bass sitting on a stand plugged in all the time, too.
I'm going to agree about 40-50 watts minimum and a 10" speaker. Don't waste your money on a Joyo, or Blackstar Flybass, they are going to sound like playing through a transistor radio unless you are putting them on your desktop and playing at super low volume. Here's my Blackstar, which even with its extension cab definitely sounds like a kid's toy.
Attachments
I think the point was pretty clear, what did you not understand?
If one has particular contraints, like not having access to the most common gear in the country where he lives, what's the point to ask for advices without mentionning the particular contraints?
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
I never owned a combo that wasn't a viable practice AND gigging amp. My first combo was a Fender BXR100. Heavy and hard to move, but got the job done for a long time. Then, the SWR Workingman's 12 (and its 1x10 extension cab) served all purposes for me for years in rehearsals and on gigs until I started playing shows where I needed more power and more speakers - and the Workingman's held its own with PA support too, despite being woefully underpowered compared with modern amps of similar specs. My default 'practice amp' at home now, if I feel the need to use one, is a little MarkBass NanoMark micro amp into a 1991 SWR Goliath 4x10. Most of the time though, my 'practice amp' is a pair of headphones into my recording interface, or my studio monitors. With those el cheapo tiny amps, I'd contend its a waste of money to buy something you can't use outside of the house, which probably doesn't sound as good as a pair of headphones, at least for practice.
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I dunno. You might need to up your investment level to say maybe more like (ahem) $110. lol… Just kidding….
Seriously, the only practice amps I’ve ever owned were gig worthy, meaning enough to cover a room seating 500 at an appropriate level with the ensemble. Oddly, I’ve found that even with the unused amount of headroom, the rehearsal and home practice experience is much improved.
Yeah the Rumble 30 is a cool little amp if you can find one for a fair price. I got mine for $60 used about 15 years ago, but for some reason they usually get listed for $250 these days. It is a 10" speaker. I find it to be just barely not enough to play with a drummer unless they have pretty exceptional control or are playing with brushes / hot rods.
More than $100.
In 1996 I paid $250 for my old GK MB150s at a pawn shop. One of my all time best gear scores. (It lasted over 20 years.)
I now see a used MarkBass "Micro" at a local shop now for $375. That would be very tempting for home practice & some rehearsals.
Except, I already have a class D head and a really potent 1x10 cab that are paid for.
I really would like to get another combo, eventually. But my bar for performance, portability and value is awfully high.
Isn't there some combination of your amps and cabs that would work well enough? Is it really worth the small fortune you'll pay to import something just to save a few pounds or cubic inches? Besides, it's often the case that moving a cab and separate head is easier than moving a combo -- for example, with one in each hand.
On a separate topic, I also have to ask what this thing is that you refer to as a "very quiet drummer." Is that something you can only get in Kenya? I've never heard of such a thing.
That Joyo is a great option for a practice amp for it's price.
I'm not really sure I understand why anyone needs performance level volume, or tone for that matter, in order to "practice" at home.
How loud are you "practicing"?
How loud are you "practicing"?
It depends on what you mean by "practice" amp. If you want to use it at band rehearsals (some people call that "practice"), I've found that nothing less than 200 watts will do. I purchased a used 200-watt bass combo amp (Acoustic B200 for $125), and it fit my rehearsal needs just fine. I sold it off again for that same amount. I previously had an 80-watt bass combo amp (Yorkville BLOC80B) that just wouldn't cut it without having to turn it up so much it just constantly was distorting (which wasn't the tone I wanted).
If you just want it for practicing at home by yourself, then obviously you can do with much less power. When I first learned to play the bass, I practiced at home through a 60-watt guitar combo amp (Crate DXJ-112) that I had, but when I brought that to my very first audition, I was laughed at. Luckily, they had another bass amp there and I got the gig, so I went out and bought a used Ampeg SVT3-PRO 450-watt amp (for $625) and a new Ampeg PR-410HLF cab (B-stock for $650) that could handle it. Played that rig for 25 years and then sold it for $1000.
My advice: buy good stuff because it generally keeps it's value if you take care of it.
If you just want it for practicing at home by yourself, then obviously you can do with much less power. When I first learned to play the bass, I practiced at home through a 60-watt guitar combo amp (Crate DXJ-112) that I had, but when I brought that to my very first audition, I was laughed at. Luckily, they had another bass amp there and I got the gig, so I went out and bought a used Ampeg SVT3-PRO 450-watt amp (for $625) and a new Ampeg PR-410HLF cab (B-stock for $650) that could handle it. Played that rig for 25 years and then sold it for $1000.
My advice: buy good stuff because it generally keeps it's value if you take care of it.
I've been using a Phil Jones Bass D4 (recently upgraded to the D4 Plus, 90w) for years with my 35 person ukulele group, rehearsing in the backyard of one member, and for indoor gigs. In my opinion, it's far more than a "practice" combo, there are times when I'm asked to turn it down.
His point is that sometimes location is germane to the discussion so if the OP asking the question has limited access to purchases, it is often good to frame the discussion with those conditions.
I tried that setup as well and returned it because I felt the sounds was not so great.
I did like the Roland Micro Bass Cube, but I sold mine after the rotary selector pot failed.
It and the Joyo one that I'm using today are definitely not loud, but they're loud enough for practice (for me) and I do use it lot on the desktop.
I have 4 Rumbles: 15 (15w, 8") - a toy. No low end.
-25 (25w 8") - small practice amp, acoustic jams, way better than the 15. Sounds like a bass amp.
-40 (40w, 10") - pretty decent practice amp. I've done small acoustic gigs with it no problem. Restaurant, coffee shops, house parties.
-100 (100w, 12") - it COULD work for a gig. But I've played it at near full volume in my living room and it wasn't that loud. I have not gigged it yet, though.
My "gigging" setup is my reliable Ampeg BA115 (100w, 15" and a horn). That thing hits. I've done plenty of bar gigs (indoor and outdoor) doing rock with multiple guitarists and no problem. It weighs 65 lbs, though!
I'd like to get a 4x10 and a separate amp but no need for it....at least yet.
-25 (25w 8") - small practice amp, acoustic jams, way better than the 15. Sounds like a bass amp.
-40 (40w, 10") - pretty decent practice amp. I've done small acoustic gigs with it no problem. Restaurant, coffee shops, house parties.
-100 (100w, 12") - it COULD work for a gig. But I've played it at near full volume in my living room and it wasn't that loud. I have not gigged it yet, though.
My "gigging" setup is my reliable Ampeg BA115 (100w, 15" and a horn). That thing hits. I've done plenty of bar gigs (indoor and outdoor) doing rock with multiple guitarists and no problem. It weighs 65 lbs, though!
I'd like to get a 4x10 and a separate amp but no need for it....at least yet.
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