So, I picked up a Bronco practice amp to go with my fender 50's reproduction p-bass and thought I would give some initial impressions. This is not a review though as this is my first amp ever so I can't really compare to anything else.
I bought it from amazon new(I am a sucker for buying stuff new Vs. used), I have amazon prime and paid $1 for next day delivery which is great. The price of the amp was the same as all the local places plus I didn't pay tax and had it the next day.
First impression out of the box, it is well packaged(I work for UPS so packing impresses me). The amp feels very study and well built out of the box, even comes with a USB cable which was a nice touch. I like the controls on the top rather than on the front, makes it much easier to use. The vinyl cover seems pretty sturdy and ready to take some abuse plus I think it looks really cool, almost a faux carbon fiber look. The grill is pretty solid and seems like it would offer a lot of protection for the speaker and the name plate looks nice. The handle is very sturdy feeling and doesn't feel like it will ever let go and allow the amp to go tumbling. The weight of the amp isn't bad, it is fine to lug from room to room as needed. I thought it may be to heavy to want to move all the time but so far it is fine moving from room to room. The guitar input being on the top I am not a huge fan of. I think with the input on the side if the cable gets yanked it can just pull right out. Being on the top it won't just pull out, I have been wrapping the cord around the handle just incase.
First time plugging in I was a little surprised that it is not that loud, 40w seems like a lot to me but I know it is pretty low in the musical world. After playing with it a bit the volume is fine for practicing. It will rumble the walls with ease and I find that I use the volume at 1/4 to 1/2 setting on the amp(half on my bass) and it is more than loud enough. Using headphones is really good and all the tones and effects sound just as good with headphones to me.
One of the main selling points for me were the various amps being emulated. I was really shocked just how much the tone changes with each different amp. I like practicing the same stuff and switching the amp type just to hear the tone change so drastically. Being able to change the amp type with the dial of a knob at any point is also very cool.
The basic effects are nice to have but I need to read the manual to know exactly what I am adjusting ha, the display lights make it easy to know what setting you are at though. Being able to save settings has been really nice also. I have already set a few types up that I really like and were able to save them easy and go back.
I haven't used the USB connection yet but I am looking forward to that a lot. It will be nice getting in there and having full control over the settings and save them. I also haven't tried the line in yet to run an ipod through it but I am looking forward to that also. I don't know how much I will use that, I will likely have a laptop or stereo near by that will have better range to play music than the bass amp.
Overall I am totally happy with the amp, the price is a little higher but I think you are getting a lot of options for that price. I was torn with going with a louder more stripped down amp Vs. this one with a lower wattage but more options but am happy I went this route. Being that I am just learning and practicing, it wouldn't help being super loud while playing poorly ha. I also really like the idea of trying out all the different amp types and then knowing what I want when I go to get a proper(Big) amp later on. It has enough volume to let you practice alone which is what it is meant for.
So there it is, initial impressions are this is an awesome setup.
I bought it from amazon new(I am a sucker for buying stuff new Vs. used), I have amazon prime and paid $1 for next day delivery which is great. The price of the amp was the same as all the local places plus I didn't pay tax and had it the next day.
First impression out of the box, it is well packaged(I work for UPS so packing impresses me). The amp feels very study and well built out of the box, even comes with a USB cable which was a nice touch. I like the controls on the top rather than on the front, makes it much easier to use. The vinyl cover seems pretty sturdy and ready to take some abuse plus I think it looks really cool, almost a faux carbon fiber look. The grill is pretty solid and seems like it would offer a lot of protection for the speaker and the name plate looks nice. The handle is very sturdy feeling and doesn't feel like it will ever let go and allow the amp to go tumbling. The weight of the amp isn't bad, it is fine to lug from room to room as needed. I thought it may be to heavy to want to move all the time but so far it is fine moving from room to room. The guitar input being on the top I am not a huge fan of. I think with the input on the side if the cable gets yanked it can just pull right out. Being on the top it won't just pull out, I have been wrapping the cord around the handle just incase.
First time plugging in I was a little surprised that it is not that loud, 40w seems like a lot to me but I know it is pretty low in the musical world. After playing with it a bit the volume is fine for practicing. It will rumble the walls with ease and I find that I use the volume at 1/4 to 1/2 setting on the amp(half on my bass) and it is more than loud enough. Using headphones is really good and all the tones and effects sound just as good with headphones to me.
One of the main selling points for me were the various amps being emulated. I was really shocked just how much the tone changes with each different amp. I like practicing the same stuff and switching the amp type just to hear the tone change so drastically. Being able to change the amp type with the dial of a knob at any point is also very cool.
The basic effects are nice to have but I need to read the manual to know exactly what I am adjusting ha, the display lights make it easy to know what setting you are at though. Being able to save settings has been really nice also. I have already set a few types up that I really like and were able to save them easy and go back.
I haven't used the USB connection yet but I am looking forward to that a lot. It will be nice getting in there and having full control over the settings and save them. I also haven't tried the line in yet to run an ipod through it but I am looking forward to that also. I don't know how much I will use that, I will likely have a laptop or stereo near by that will have better range to play music than the bass amp.
Overall I am totally happy with the amp, the price is a little higher but I think you are getting a lot of options for that price. I was torn with going with a louder more stripped down amp Vs. this one with a lower wattage but more options but am happy I went this route. Being that I am just learning and practicing, it wouldn't help being super loud while playing poorly ha. I also really like the idea of trying out all the different amp types and then knowing what I want when I go to get a proper(Big) amp later on. It has enough volume to let you practice alone which is what it is meant for.
So there it is, initial impressions are this is an awesome setup.
