First Rig

[sherlock10851]

Hey all! It is me again, poking around for beginner advice...
I currently only own a baby practice amp... I just started playing @ a relatively small place using their Fender Bassman250 Eminence Combo. After cycling thru BassTalk, i now realize rigs make a significant difference in sound quality and projection. Anyhow, I am looking to get my own incase I gig elsewhere and to hear a possible difference in sound...

Size wise, I think the 250 works... I am not sure if I want a combo... I also need to be able to play silently (headphones) and want something that will last...

Suggestions? Also, is buying used a safe option? What r the things to watch out for?

 

[christw]

Buying used is a great option! If you don't mind their weight, the old Peavey amps and combos always resell for suuper cheap and last forever. Just make sure whatever amp you buy has a headphone out. Be careful buying vintage amps. If it makes any strange sounds, hums, or scratches, you may want to avoid it.

Otherwise just the super cheap stuff like Behringer is what to avoid. The Guitar Center Acoustic amps have so-so reliability but a great "here's a new one" exchange policy for broken ones.

 

[RickeyC]

Buying used is your best friend! Just play through it before you buy and if you like it, great; if you don't, don't feel obligated to take it. Also, don't do what most people do, have patience and wait for the right deal to come along. We can suggest things all day, but until you go out and try some stuff you will never know what works for you! It's all personal preference.. Welcome to Talkbass

 

[groove pump]

Haven't used that combo myself, but it looks like a rather serious customer. Rather good for practicing or smaller gigs, I'll bet.

Something you can investigate with that combo is whether it will also push an extension cab. This would be a second speaker with a proper ohm rating, maybe in the form of another 1x15 or perhaps a 2x10 cab. If it's made to run a second cab, you ought to see the other speaker output on the back of the combo.

Since a significant factor behind making enough volume is simply having enough speaker to push your sound, you could look into this and maybe test drive your combo while it's running a second cab at a shop or something. Hard to believe that you wouldn't see a big boost in your volume that way.

Otherwise, used gear can deliver huge bang for your buck... it does for me! Some shops will actually carry a significant inventory of used gear. In that case, it's smart to find out exactly how their warranty policy works. Usually, the used stuff I get from a local shop includes a 30 day warranty. If there's something wrong with it, I'll probably find out in no more than a week or so.

My "big rig" is actually several pieces: a pair of 2x10 cabs that I run with a preamp/power amp setup (yes, all 2nd hand gear). I've got more power than I need, but my tone is great, I can run any conceivable cab layout, and it's easy to fit everything in my car. I've adored a 4x10 cab in the past, but bigger boxes are less portable. If you don't have a hatchback, a big box might share the ride so well.

There's an ocean of options out there. Carvin, Peavey, Ampeg, Hartke, G-K, SWR, etc. are among the builders with an array of heads that can run just great and there are all sorts of cabs around, too. If you can do the extension cab option with your current Fender combo, you might find that you'll need to get a pretty strong, capable head along with a decent cab or two if you need to get into a bigger, more robust rig.

Whatever you do, trust your ears.

 

[sherlock10851]

Thank u all for your responses... I just got back from GC, options were limited? Sam Ash is next