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First Amp question...

W

Ward B

Mar 11, 2010
49
0
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
#1
Hey all!

After putting two kids through music lessons I finally succumbed to the bug myself. I've been taking lessons for just over two months now and have bought myself a Spector Classic Legend 5 to start out on. The problem I am having is choosing an amp to learn on. It seems that every shop that I go into wants to sell me a very cheap practice amp and then when my low B makes the speaker fart they immediately try to upsell me to a 410 cab with a seperate head.

That's all well and good but do I really need to be spending that kind of cash at this early stage of learning? Isn't there a decent combo out there that won't break the bank but would still allow me to jam with the kids?

My son plays lead with a Line6 15w amp and my daughter is playing drums (but I'm sure that the only thing that she would play with us would be some lite weight indie type stuff - she's a percussionist... not a drummer if you catch my drift)

My personal preference for music is stuff like Rush (the early stuff). Any suggestions/insight would be greatly appreciated.
 
#3
There's a rather broad spectrum of combos out there these days and I'll bet you could find a keeper eventually. It just might mean that you need to keep shopping though (the "hitting the bricks" sort), so that you can let your ears give you the thumbs up or down.

I'd expect most combos with maybe 70-100 watts to take care of you just fine, but some are a lot beefier that that. My accidental find a while back was an early M-Line 1x12 combo from Genz-Benz, which I found 2nd hand for very low $$ and this rig is still amazing me on occasion.

Nemesis by Eden puts out some serious combos, but there are plenty of others from builders like G-K, Peavey, Ampeg (I had a bad experience with their BA-112, though), and others. Not sure if Yorkville is in your neck of the woods?

Not that you need that big 4x10, but you might also find an inexpensive setup with a small, simple head and a smaller cab like a 1x15, 1x12, or 2x10. You may find a lot more for reasonable options if you looked for something like that.
 
#4
Speaking from personal experience, I'd look for a 2x10 or 1x15 combo. I've always preferred Ampeg, but there are several brands out there that would suit you like Acoustic, G-K, Peavey, etc. If buying new, you'll be looking at somewhere between $250 and $600 or so for this type of combo, but you could certainly pay more depending on the specific brand and model.
 
#5
Ward B said:
Hey all!

After putting two kids through music lessons I finally succumbed to the bug myself. I've been taking lessons for just over two months now and have bought myself a Spector Classic Legend 5 to start out on. The problem I am having is choosing an amp to learn on. It seems that every shop that I go into wants to sell me a very cheap practice amp and then when my low B makes the speaker fart they immediately try to upsell me to a 410 cab with a seperate head.

That's all well and good but do I really need to be spending that kind of cash at this early stage of learning? Isn't there a decent combo out there that won't break the bank but would still allow me to jam with the kids?

My son plays lead with a Line6 15w amp and my daughter is playing drums (but I'm sure that the only thing that she would play with us would be some lite weight indie type stuff - she's a percussionist... not a drummer if you catch my drift)

My personal preference for music is stuff like Rush (the early stuff). Any suggestions/insight would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

see if you find a Roland Cube 100 (bass). Pretty good sound, nice size, good volume, not bad price...
 
#6
Buy used!! I originally purchased a Fender Rumble 15 when I started bass a couple years ago. Big mistake! I rarely use it. It's only good for solo practice at the house.

I soon found a slightly used Fender Bassman 250 on craigslist for $300 (U.S.). That's less than half of retail. It's loud enough to jam with, and has a decent D.I. for use at a gig with P.A.

My point is there are great deals to be made on used equipment, especially if you are not tied to one brand. If any brand with good wattage and features pops up, grab it. You should be able to find info on almost every brand here on TB. Do your homework and happy hunting.

Good luck!
 
#7
Thanks for the feedback so far guys. The combos that I've had a chance to look at so far (beyond the tiny beginner amps) are:

Eden EN15 ($490) - kind of pricey, but maybe I should bite the bullet.

Kustom KBA 100 ($420) - seemed OK but kind of muddy (maybe just me!)

SWR LA12 ($300) - online reports seem to indicate that the
SWR LA15 ($350) amps don't last.

Peavey Max115 ($350) - seemed OK but without a lot of oomph.

Trace Elliot 715 ($399) - amp tech advised 'Hell no'.

The used market seems to be next to none existant in these parts... guess I have to go back and look at all the same things all over again. If I still don't find any love for anything local I seem to end up at a seperate head and a 115 or a 410 again but that ball game seems to start at about $700.
 
#8
Crunktacular said:
I soon found a slightly used Fender Bassman 250 on craigslist for $300 (U.S.). That's less than half of retail. It's loud enough to jam with, and has a decent D.I. for use at a gig with P.A.
Click to expand...

+1 on the Fender 250. Solid unit with all the bells and whistles that you can do anything with and plug into a soundboard. I have a better rig now but still use mine all the time for rehearsals and goofing around.
 
#11
+1 for a combo loaded with a 15, or 210's. Also, keep it at the 100 watt level. Some great suggestions already, I'll just add, don't buy without test driving. Everyone's ears are different. Find something that sounds good, to you. Expect to pay for good tone, though.
 
#14
If it's do-able and you actually want to make a better choice in my opinion - then go for over 300 Watts in a combo with a 2-10 w/piezzo horn.

Why? It's like trying to learn to play guitar on a $29.95 +tax instrument.

You'll quickly get tired of it and sense the frustration of no power even if you don't need it now.

You will. Believe me! We can't all be Wes Montgomery and play with a toy amp until we learn.

Sooner than later you'll find you can't keep up with the lead guitar and his 85 Watt unit - (and you won't) - you'll lose a lot of respect for the amp you've got. :crying:

I know when I first started playing on a cheap St George or was it a Regis bass (maybe it was the St. George - I'm old and forget a lot now) and a cheap amp - I got frustrated and couldn't get interested for many years since I felt so power- and style-crippled.

Bass freqs require a LOT more power to get into the same apparent volume as a lead 85 Watt guitar. And you know that you will play loudly at first and that's just normal. I think everybody does that until they learn how to modulate and create sounds that are significantly better, but not necessarily louder.

We all know that "Louie, Louie" and "96 Tears" needs a lot of power!

It's always nice to have that power though. Kinda like a 500+ HP Camaro. You KNOW it's there but you don't have to prove it all the time.

For the mo, I'd not go for a 1-15 all alone. There aren't a lot of HIs in a 15 and that too may be frustrating and restrictive.

I'm making a personal, non-pro comeback after 40+ years out of the loop and I bought a new $500.00 2-10 + P-horn combo amp (600 Watts) and it would have suited me very well all alone but I also bought a short stack 1-15 + p-horn and another 2-10 + p-horn for side boxes - but this to me is just a good, if not better, venue than sitting here drinking Tecate beer, opening my SS checks and getting fat.
 
#15
You might want to check out the "Being in a Band" link in my sig. below. There's a section on amps, cabs, combos and speakers with lots of links that may help you out in purchasing your first amp.

Good luck.
 
#17
good advices mentioned here already...
I would say though that if you're apt to stick with it, get something usable for the future as well
....you could step up to 300-500watt combo and might not need anything else except for some serious gigs...
some to mention
Hartke
Gallien Krueger
Peavey
Markbass
Fender
Roland
Ampeg
etc
...go listen using your bass :D

there's also some high end 1x12s, etc that could be matched up with a good head and could add a cab later.....if you think the bug might intensify...:D
 
#18
So I did a little 'pavement pounding' this weekend. The Eden EN15 ($490) was nice but I'm not sure that I like the sound of a single 15. It seems to lack clarity for lack of a better word. Found a used GK 1001/212 combo (700) that sounded awesome but the tolex is pretty chewed up in the back (speaks of some rough handling) and a used Hartke 5410c (with the built in LH500) for $600 that was apparantly sitting on a showroom floor somewhere. The store with the Hartke doesn't carry Hartke so I don't know who's floor it was sitting on. Both used units sounded tight and clean but I think that I like the 212 tone better. The only other units of Interest that I ran across were the new Hartke Hydrive combos but they all run around the $680 range here and were tough to hear as there was someone else in the store trying to kill a stack o' speakers with an increadibly distorted lead guitar.

I was most impressed with the two used units but I am leary about going so much overbudget on a used unit with a questionable back story.

End result... I guess I can say that I am getting a better idea of what I like the sound of while at the same time completely loosing sight of any budgetary considerations that I had started out with. Not sure if that means I'm getting anywhere or not as I am still practicing in silence!

Continuing to pound...
 
#19
Well, since my last update exactly two things have come up on the used market here. A GK 800 RB head ($475) with an Avatar B410 (4 ohm, $439). The other item that just showd up today is a Mark Bass Little Mark II ($500). The GK head is an older one (sideways power switch) and is serial #84854. Is there anyway to know just how old this head is?

Just trying to arrange to see these items... anything I should be looking out for?
 
#20
I just played my 5-string through the Gallien-Kruger MB210 and MB115 yesterday; the sound was incredibly clean. I really had to try to distort the sound, and the electronics in my bass are almost too powerful.
The Hartke Hydrive combos (already mentioned) will take the low B with no problem as well. I will second the suggestion to get at least a 2 x 10" combo, or even better, a 2 x 12" or 1 x 15".
 

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