Piece of scrap wood, can of cheap black spray paint, few feet of industrial strength velcro, and a small padded bag and you're set.
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Going Ampless
- Thread starter Medford Bassman
- Start date
Tried to be "ampless" for a while, but realized that my own tonal preference relies entirely on my amplifier.
Kudos to anyone who can do it and have successful results.
Kudos to anyone who can do it and have successful results.
+1 on JimmyM's gadget-box recipe- what a surprise what you can do with some stuff around the house, a trip to the hardware store and an hour or two.
I've been toying with my Sansamp BDDI tonight into a power amp. That's a nice sound alright, and if I was in a band with our own real system I'd be tempted to go ampless myself.
Logistically impossible however- but I am all about "less being more"! The problem of course being the inversely-oriented "more (money) is less (gear to have to carry)"... we're working on it.
P.S. I took some plywood scraps and made a little ramp, covered it with "Ozite", a.k.a. Rat Fur. Stuck my pedals to it with the "Hook" portion of some Velcro (tm) strips stuck to their bottoms. This way you can put the pedals/boxes anywhere on the Rat-Fur-covered thing and they'll stick. Make the ramp tall enough to stand off the floor a bit and you can stick your power supply (One-Spot, DC Brick, etc) under it.
I probably just wrote a very confusing paragraph. Best of luck man!
I've been toying with my Sansamp BDDI tonight into a power amp. That's a nice sound alright, and if I was in a band with our own real system I'd be tempted to go ampless myself.
Logistically impossible however- but I am all about "less being more"! The problem of course being the inversely-oriented "more (money) is less (gear to have to carry)"... we're working on it.
P.S. I took some plywood scraps and made a little ramp, covered it with "Ozite", a.k.a. Rat Fur. Stuck my pedals to it with the "Hook" portion of some Velcro (tm) strips stuck to their bottoms. This way you can put the pedals/boxes anywhere on the Rat-Fur-covered thing and they'll stick. Make the ramp tall enough to stand off the floor a bit and you can stick your power supply (One-Spot, DC Brick, etc) under it.
I probably just wrote a very confusing paragraph. Best of luck man!
No amp: how absolutely uninspiring. Think back to why you played bass in the first place.
That rumble, your pant legs shaking, your genitals buzzing with that big beautiful blast of
booming bounce back, Take that away from me and I quit. I'll just stick to my Theremin-
amplified and heavily effected, I might add. Good Luck.
That rumble, your pant legs shaking, your genitals buzzing with that big beautiful blast of
booming bounce back, Take that away from me and I quit. I'll just stick to my Theremin-
amplified and heavily effected, I might add. Good Luck.
For me it's always been the sound first. That doesn't depend on having an amp per se. Having an amp is important for me since I have no other way to be heard most of the time- and yes I dig having a good amp. I like the whole visceral thing, but it's second fiddle to the musical sounds I get to make with my bass. I care less about amplification than the bass, and playing it.
Hi.
The gig went very well. Less hassle in a tight "stage", less equipment in the van, no worries about some drunk effing up my amp etc.
Well I started playin' bass, it was to get chicks. Plain and simple. There was thirteen guitarists in a dozen, so playing bass seemed the logical thing to do. Of course it didn't work, chicks dig the guitarists, not the bass players. Amplification had nothing to do with it
.
As for the rumble (not talking about our tiny club-set), I wonder which rumbles more, my 200W Fame BVH300 tube head with 4*10 + 1*15 or 2KW PA with 2 18" EV bottoms and 2 15+12+two horns tops?
I'd say the latter.
And the thing that matters most if there is to be any continuity in playing for any audience:
It sounds better for a larger number of people.
Of course I love my tube amp, have several, and I am going to build one in the near future, but those will stay home on those gigs that we feel that an amp is not needed. Either the SVTDI or my DBX MiniPre through the console sounds close enough for me.
I just hope that the guitarist(s) would follow on that kind of thinking and I'll push them to that direction, that's for sure.
Regards
Sam
The gig went very well. Less hassle in a tight "stage", less equipment in the van, no worries about some drunk effing up my amp etc.
Well I started playin' bass, it was to get chicks. Plain and simple. There was thirteen guitarists in a dozen, so playing bass seemed the logical thing to do. Of course it didn't work, chicks dig the guitarists, not the bass players. Amplification had nothing to do with it
.As for the rumble (not talking about our tiny club-set), I wonder which rumbles more, my 200W Fame BVH300 tube head with 4*10 + 1*15 or 2KW PA with 2 18" EV bottoms and 2 15+12+two horns tops?
I'd say the latter.
And the thing that matters most if there is to be any continuity in playing for any audience:
It sounds better for a larger number of people.
Of course I love my tube amp, have several, and I am going to build one in the near future, but those will stay home on those gigs that we feel that an amp is not needed. Either the SVTDI or my DBX MiniPre through the console sounds close enough for me.
I just hope that the guitarist(s) would follow on that kind of thinking and I'll push them to that direction, that's for sure.
Regards
Sam
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
- 4,741
- Disclosures
- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
I'm a wee bit nervous, as I'm heading out for an early gig tonite, (acoustic set), and for the very first time in my life, I'm going ampless, too. Bringing one bass, and a very small pedalboard with a DI at the end. I'm gonna find out what this is all about. However, if this were a full-on rock band, I'd never consider leaving the amp home.
This thread has been very relevant to my interests. I left my GK/SWR rig in Houston and just brought my SansAmp BDDI to use in an ampless setting.
A virgin!
You're playing for an audience, and in a way that means it's not about you, see. You're making an offering, and that has ramifications (less than apt word). It's just you and your bass, and for an "amp-ist" (I'm one too) that's like being in the water with no breathing or floatation gear. You'll be fine, you're surrounded by life-support.
Do post with a review of your gig!
Same here. But alas, I'm married now so no more girls for me, but at least I can feel the pants flap and remember the times...
That is on gigs where they let me make pants flap, which is pretty much never
I seem to go either ampless or .. huge/tall rig for outdoor gigs... it makes the thunder rumble a treat..
I think everyone kind of hates getting used to it and dialed in.. it takes a few weeks to open up the listening to get acclimated.. takes a bit to get used to.
Only places I play medium (50-75 watt) amps are fast setups and/or small venues.
Large indoors are all ampless.
It took me years to finally listen to sound guys that anything on stage has a negative impact on overal FOH.
Someone asked about a good monitor-- if you're on a budget.. pickup a small solid state guitar amp with a single 12 high quality driver (I'll pimp vintage Peavey again --- Bandit or Special) .. do the thiel ratings and enclose/port the cabinet to your taste.
Tim
I think everyone kind of hates getting used to it and dialed in.. it takes a few weeks to open up the listening to get acclimated.. takes a bit to get used to.
Only places I play medium (50-75 watt) amps are fast setups and/or small venues.
Large indoors are all ampless.
It took me years to finally listen to sound guys that anything on stage has a negative impact on overal FOH.
Someone asked about a good monitor-- if you're on a budget.. pickup a small solid state guitar amp with a single 12 high quality driver (I'll pimp vintage Peavey again --- Bandit or Special) .. do the thiel ratings and enclose/port the cabinet to your taste.
Tim
Don't sweat it. It is no big deal.........
I do it every weekend on 3 sets. I use a Eden WP100B Pre and inears and let the house take care of the rest. 10KW or so of power on the house.
However I do recommend a pre-amp and IMO that is important. The pre-amp is just like your amp with power you can still shape your tone and make adjustment for the room if needed. Make sure you have a good set of in-ears for a bass I would suggest Shure E5's. If you don't like Shure then something else with dual drivers.
It sure is less stuff to move. Good Luck
Jerry
I do it every weekend on 3 sets. I use a Eden WP100B Pre and inears and let the house take care of the rest. 10KW or so of power on the house.
However I do recommend a pre-amp and IMO that is important. The pre-amp is just like your amp with power you can still shape your tone and make adjustment for the room if needed. Make sure you have a good set of in-ears for a bass I would suggest Shure E5's. If you don't like Shure then something else with dual drivers.
It sure is less stuff to move. Good Luck
Jerry
- Mar 30, 2007
- 4,017
- 321
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Genzler Amplification/Spector Basses/Mojo Hand FX
I went ampless a few years ago for a single gig and said I'd never do it again, but alas, I have come to the conclusion that "for some gigs and venues", it's just plain easier and makes sense...
I picked up a Line 6 Bass POD XT off the TB classifieds a few weeks ago, and spent a few hours playing with it to dial in a sound I could use (just a straight ahead Bass tone w/no effects)...and used it for the first time this weekend at a church worship gig, and it worked out great...I was set up and ready to go in about 5 minutes, and tore down and out of there in about 3 minutes!
I still prefer using a rig at gigs, but I think i'm gonna start using this POD some some things...It's just easy...
I picked up a Line 6 Bass POD XT off the TB classifieds a few weeks ago, and spent a few hours playing with it to dial in a sound I could use (just a straight ahead Bass tone w/no effects)...and used it for the first time this weekend at a church worship gig, and it worked out great...I was set up and ready to go in about 5 minutes, and tore down and out of there in about 3 minutes!
I still prefer using a rig at gigs, but I think i'm gonna start using this POD some some things...It's just easy...
...that's a good point! I've tried to go ampless w/o subs outdoors and it was horrible. Yet have played indoor venues where thier subs were shaking the stage floor. Generally speaking though, most monitors can't handle the dynamics needed for bass. I think it all comes down to Venue... .
Jimbob
A virgin!
You're playing for an audience, and in a way that means it's not about you, see. You're making an offering, and that has ramifications (less than apt word). It's just you and your bass, and for an "amp-ist" (I'm one too) that's like being in the water with no breathing or floatation gear. You'll be fine, you're surrounded by life-support.
Do post with a review of your gig!
Right, it went very well. The club had a great PA with beefy floor monitors, and HUGE side fills. My bass went DI from the stage, and through the clubs Sansamp (don't know which), and I had a nice, pleasing tone, and had no trouble hearing myself at all. Again, this was an acoustic gig, and I'd never do this with my full band, but for what it's worth, it worked out swell.
Cool! Good to see you came away unscarred.
I did something similar recently with my reggae band. The house bass rig, an SVT, was out of service so I just went into the house DI. Not quite the same, but certainly doable- I heard myself just fine, so did everyone else. Out front it was just fine.
Next time however, I'm bringing my Sansamp just in case.
I did something similar recently with my reggae band. The house bass rig, an SVT, was out of service so I just went into the house DI. Not quite the same, but certainly doable- I heard myself just fine, so did everyone else. Out front it was just fine.
Next time however, I'm bringing my Sansamp just in case.
JazznFunk
Supporting Member
I really like going amp-less for gigs where the load-in/out times are very short (festivals, etc), or where I have had poor experiences using a rig before due to room anomalies and less than stellar mixing. Some venues pump so much sub bass through the PA (and have the subs so close to the stage) that it renders my amp USELESS onstage because of the rumble and frequency cancellation. Therefore, I ask for mainly mids and highs in my monitors so I can actually feel/hear some attack. I will never understand the need for so much sub bass in venues that don't demand it. There is one local venue where I insist on using only my rig because I have never heard a good bass sound in the room using the front of house because the sound fella puts SO MUCH bass in the mix for the room. I give them a DI send (reluctantly), but luckily these lovely Eden heads have a volume control for the DI send. As the night goes on, the volume 'magically' comes down in the DI send and the mix clears up. Amazing! 
I do think that having an amp simulator like the VT Bass is a godsend in these no-amp situations. I do like the sound of my basses completely dry through a DI, but the VT really brings things to life. All the sound folks that I work with love how it sounds and have told me it's so easy to slot the bass in the mix when using the VT Bass.
I do think that having an amp simulator like the VT Bass is a godsend in these no-amp situations. I do like the sound of my basses completely dry through a DI, but the VT really brings things to life. All the sound folks that I work with love how it sounds and have told me it's so easy to slot the bass in the mix when using the VT Bass.
