First bass amp advise?

[SamJ]

If the question is what wattage gets you the ideal tone you want, or how much works for a 500-seat room, sure. I'm just saying that the question I thought the OP was asking was what he would need to survive on a gig in a bar. Most bars I gig in, at least, don't seat 500, and while 500 watts might be ideal for headroom to get a clean tone and still be loud, it's hardly the "absolute minimum" that some people treat it as.

I made it work in a bar gig with a walkabout 300W and 1x12. I know what you are saying. However my guitarist was acoustic and the drummer completey subdued in volume. Just depends on the bar gig he's talking about.

 

[McFarlin]

I made it work in a bar gig with a walkabout 300W and 1x12. I know what you are saying. However my guitarist was acoustic and the drummer completey subdued in volume. Just depends on the bar gig he's talking about.

Good point, guys. Context is important. The Walkabout's 185@8oms through a 112 has also worked for me in smaller rooms, and surprisingly I carried a small stage in a small/medium room once through a 4ohm 112 with a 5-piece (electric guitar & drums also stage volume, sax & violin through PA). Soooo many variables.

 

[honeyiscool]

500W and 4x10" minimum? Some of the punk bands I see playing around town have bassists playing out of an Ampeg B100R, a 1x15" 100W solid state combo amp. I should go up to them and tell them how deficient their amps are.

It all depends on the band, the gigs you're getting, and how loud you need to be on stage, but as a rule, most gigs have PA support, and having reasonable stage volume will make the audience like you more, not less. A lot of bands with full Marshall stacks and Ampeg 8x10s tend to clear out the first 15 yards of the stage area. Do you really want that?

 

[honeyiscool]

Thanks for the thoughts, everybody.

If I go with the Rumble and its 1x15, would a 2x10 extension be a good supplement? Does mixing 10s and 15s get you a best of both worlds situation or does it tend to be a mess?

Is it usually an option to line out to the PA?

I'd personally get the Rumble 500 and be done with it for now. It's not that much more money than a Rumble 200 and while it's not actually that much louder by itself (more watts, but less efficient speaker setup), it's a way more flexible setup once you start adding more cabs, as the Rumble 500 will reach full 500 watts once you give it an extension speaker. Adding a second speaker to the Rumble 200 has less potential because it'll still only go up to 200 watts. So if you need volume, get the 2x10 extension at a later time. To me, I never really see the benefit from mixing speakers as the speakers tend to have different responses and especially when you're right in front of the amp, I found the 10" speakers to completely dominate the mix. The 15" just sort of added a little of air, not much tone.

And while it's a good point that used will give you more value, don't underestimate the beauty of an amp you can carry with one hand. Most amps that aren't Fender Rumbles are a lot heavier, and the lighter stuff doesn't tend to end up on resale all that often. It's usually the heavy crap that people want to sell for cheap. And that should tell you something.

 

[Don M]

I'm in the same spot (well its an upgrade amp) and have really been looking at either the Carvin MB1215 or BX500-210. The MB is a 3 way combo amp with a tweeter, a 6 inch and a 12 inch speaker and the 15 is a 15 inch speaker extension cabinet. It runs at 250 watts. The BX has a 500 watt head attached to a 2 X 10 inch cabinet. They are both in the $500's brand new.

And for another combo to look at is the Ampeg BA210v2. Several stores currently have it for $419!

 

[JimmyM]

500W and 4x10" minimum? Some of the punk bands I see playing around town have bassists playing out of an Ampeg B100R, a 1x15" 100W solid state combo amp. I should go up to them and tell them how deficient their amps are.

It all depends on the band, the gigs you're getting, and how loud you need to be on stage, but as a rule, most gigs have PA support, and having reasonable stage volume will make the audience like you more, not less. A lot of bands with full Marshall stacks and Ampeg 8x10s tend to clear out the first 15 yards of the stage area. Do you really want that?

Seriously now! Not like they don't have volume knobs. I think you need to actually read the thread and see what's REALLY being said instead of freaking out over 500w and a piddly 410.