Drum Amplifier?

[deathoftheparty]

Hi there.

I'm a pretty new bassist that is currently playing on an old Squier Affinity P-Bass that sat in a garage for years. I've had my bassist friend look it over, and it can't really be salvaged or repaired. The action is super high, and I get fret buzz at multiple places, but does the job for the time being. I will be purchasing a new short scale bass from Rondo this coming weekend.

I am not looking to gig, or even record (at least not currently) so I'm kind of lost on what I need in an amplifier. I currently own an electronic drum kit, and use a 50 watt drum amp to voice it. It is a Kustom KDA50, and from what I understand, is essentially a small portable PA. I've been playing the P-Bass listed above through it, and get a decent tone I guess, but I don't know if the bit of buzzing and feedback I get it is from the basses setup, or from the amp itself.

I'm basically asking if this drum amp will suffice with a newer Jazz style bass that I'll be picking up, or if I risk blowing the speaker with such low frequencies? I can hear a bit of a crack while playing the low E string. I have the amp volume at about 8:00, but am afraid to go much higher due to the cracking I hear already. It is just barely audible.

If I am at risk to damage this unit, I'm not opposed to buying a bass specific amplifier, but don't really know what I need. I would eventually like to jam with friends, but it will mostly be guitarists. I don't see me playing with an acoustic drummer at this point in time, but I'm sure friends will play along with electric kit. With that being said, can someone recommend me an amplifier that will suit my needs? I am trying to stay below $200 for the amp for now, in hopes of maybe picking up a nicer amplifier once I feel confident enough to play outside of my home.

Sorry for the long post, but I figured it would help to be thorough.

Thanks for the help here.

 

[Roland GR 88]

It should be fine for home use. Any other sub $200 amp will have similar limitations and I would guess that your old crackly bass is likely the source of the noise. Try cranking it up with an mp3/phone plugged into the aux and see if it plays clean. Elec. drums can produce very low freq. so I wouldn't worry about blowing it up.

 

[hasbeen]

you're good to go

 

[Jim Carr]

IMHO, you should not be getting feedback unless you are getting the bass right on or very close to the speakers—in which case, it is not the same as microphone feedback, but rather the sound of the speakers exciting the strings. Simply keep the strings muted with your fingers, or stay away from the speaker.

Also, there are very few issues of action or fret buzz that can't be fixed, contrary to what your pal says. Even if the neck needs to be heat-treated, there is little chance that will cost as much as a new neck or a new instrument.

Finally, your "drum amp" will probably be fine as a minimal bass amp. IMHO, you would be better served by something with a preamp designed for electric bass, but if it sounds good, it is good.

 

[lz4005]

I used to use a very similar setup when I didn't want to lug my amp and cab to my drummer's house for rehearsals.

If the bass you're getting is passive, the best way for you to spend another $~200 would be an active DI or amp simulator (like a bass sansamp) to go in front of the drum amp. That will give you EQ and gain controls that are made for bass and you can just use the drum amp for volume.