Home Silent Practice Rig HELP

[SactoBass]

I use the Ampeg SCR-DI for silent practice. Headphone out, Aux in, nice piece of gear IMO.

Same here!

And I use Sony MDR-7506 headphones. It's a great sounding setup, IMO!

 

[SactoBass]

I personally wouldn't recommend the Vox "AmPlug" headphone amps, but some people here love them. I own one, and think it's noisy (hissy), very limited, and doesn't sound so great.

I agree with Crater on that. Once I got the Ampeg SCR-DI, I haven't touched my Vox Amplug (and probably never will again).

 

[DavC]

headphones ... my fav for the last 15 yrs ... Sony MDR 7509HD .. have a couple pairs , bought a second pair as they were discontinued ... still $3-400 ... they have started having unrepairable issues ... retired to home entertainment duty ...

having had some Focal earbuds for a while , and they sound very good ... i thought i'd try these , below , especially now that they're marked down to $199 ... they are Closed-back ... so the sound stay IN ... which is good for practicing/recording ... but i choose Open-backed for Mixing ... when Quiet is needed

the still in production Sony MDR 7506 is a good choice at just under $100 ... !

Focal Spirit Professional Closed-back Reference Studio Headphones


take care blasting lows right into your ears .. !

i use a Tactile sub in my guitar/keys/studio seat ... it's just a gamer seat sub ... but it has saved my ears by adding deep lows via vibrations .. !! or as i call it " ass-bass " .. !

 

[fhm555]

I've got a PJB Bighead and I love it. I got it when I had to do silent practice and it did just fine. I don't use it that much these days but every time I think it's time to move it out, it saves my bacon. It's not as loaded as the Bass Buddy, but I can plug in an MP3 player, my bass and phones and the gain/volume and bass/treble knobs actually work really well. It also does analog to digital if you need that kind of thing. After the Bighead, I'd bet the Buddy would be a killer box to own, but then I remember the Bighead has always worked for me so why mess with what works?
Here's the dope on both.

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[StatesideRambler]

Zoom B3 into headphones and Invalid Link Removed Although designed for a bass drum, it is awesome with anything bass.

There must be a version of that thing for "the cars that go BOOM!"

 

[franvarin]

I use the Ampeg SCR-DI for silent practice. Headphone out, Aux in, nice piece of gear IMO.

+1 for the Ampeg SCR-DI!

 

[mpdd]

korg beat boy, but you need to use it with a high output bass like a g&l unless you don't mind overdriving it to hear yourself

 

[pudgychef]

Zoom B1on is great and cheap. I wouldn’t use it on a gig. But for practice it’s perfect.

I haven’t tried the other suggestions, which I’m sure are also great.

B1On is great for OP's needs and very inexpensive.
I have gigged mine at PA only Home/Small business Expo type gigs here....(short 6-8 songs sets at multiple stages in the Expo center..) worked great.
Has rhythm, headphones... batteries ..

 

[Spidey2112]

I use a pair of $40 Sennheisers with it... sounds awesome! Pretty versatile, too.

 

[nilorius]

My way - a little mixer, with gain, eq and volume on all lines, plus good headphones. Perfect to hear waht you are doing with your bass.

 

[Bodeeni]

I do a lot of my practicing early in the AM. I currently use a Presonis Audiobox into my PC. It has a blend knob so it delivers a direct out to the cans I can blend with any music I am playing to off the PC. I can also run through one of my Studios in the PC. These days I run my comp and reverb into the Audiobox and listen to the direct.I can just switch the cord to my little practice amp if I want to practice that way. I used the Sony MDR-7506 cans.
It has been a great setup

 

[johnpbass]

I do the same thing but mine has a weird issue. The battery only last and hour or two then I get crazy screeching sounds. I got it used but maybe that's why. Anyway, on the power supply it works perfectly.

Same here. It's a known issue though from what I've read here on TB. I still need to get a power supply for mine.

 

[jaysbass2002]

I picked up one of these. Works wonderful!! Ton of routing options.

New Palmer Pocket Bass Guitar Amp Effect Pedal Amplifier Simulator | eBay

 

[andruca]

I've been using a Zoom 708ii for years (headphone capable output, aux input) but this beats it in terms of tone. Some 150€ total (new)...

 

[Ductapeman]

I picked up a GK Micro a while back-- love it to death. It has an input for a signal source and a headphone out, and best of all, all that glorious GK tone I get out of my big rig, in thimble. But everyone here knows how much I dig GK (if they don't, they will).

 

[Phil508]

Zed10FX you can plug into the Hi-Z inputs (3 and 4) , plug in your headphones, also run stereo music into it, and even use as a mixer for vocals (hi quality)
Allen & Heath ZED-10FX Mixer with USB and Effects

 

[rtslinger]

I use this

It's rechargeable and has a battery life of up to 15 hours

Ideal for home use, college dorms, traveling...wherever the music takes you.

The Axehead Mini Headphone Guitar Amp plugs directly into your guitar or bass for instant pro sounding audio¦anytime, anywhere. It's the perfect practice tool---listen though our headphone, crank it up without disturbing anyone around you! No need for your bulky amp. It features built-in amp simulation-tailor your tone, from ultra clean to heavy distortion. Up to 15 hours play time with convenient built-in Li-ion rechargeable battery-no need to change batteries. To recharge, connect supplied USB cable to computer's USB port or optional AC adapter (note: only for recharging AxeHead, not for computer recording).

 

[MrLenny1]

Tascam makes some nifty products for headphone practice.
Munjibunga has a good idea about a budget amp that will do everything
including a live amp.

 

[peterpalmieri]

Zed10FX you can plug into the Hi-Z inputs (3 and 4) , plug in your headphones, also run stereo music into it, and even use as a mixer for vocals (hi quality)
Allen & Heath ZED-10FX Mixer with USB and Effects View attachment 2971507

Great choice. I practice with it, multitrack record into garage band and use it live with two bands. It’s a really usable tool.

 

[Nick Thorpe]

My suggestions:

1. Phil Jones Double Four compact amp. 2x4" speakers, 70 watts, aux in and dedicated headphone jack. Sounds great in headphones, sounds great played aloud. I've even used it on pit gigs and it kept up fine. Really cool versatile little amp. I use Audio Technica M50X's ($150 or so) with it and it sounds awesome. There are also a trillion practice amps on the cheaper side like the Fender Rumble or the low end Ampeg combos that have this function.

2. DSM Omnicabsim. Great pedal to use at gigs in front of the mixer and it sounds awesome with it's headphone out. Every bassist should have one anyway.

3. Multieffects unit. This might be too expensive for your problem, but if you were interested in using a lot of effects it's two birds with one stone. I have a Line 6 Helix (not cheap - about $1500 new) but that thing is incredible. I A/B'd a simulated Mesa Bass 400+ against the real thing when I owned one, and it was surprisingly accurate. Same goes for it's simulated M9 Carbine (one of my favorite amps). Combine that with headphone/aux functions and a boatload of effects and it's really a killer unit. But if you're not interested in effects or amp modeling that's a huge waste of money.

4. Phil Jones Bass Buddy or Bighead. Cool pocket-sized unit that sounds good with headphones, but I don't find them very useful in any other aspect.

IMO there are enough very useful tools for bassists that have headphone/aux function on top of their main purpose that there isn't really a reason to get something that's only a headphone amp. That is, unless you're getting one of those cheap Vox things, but I really dislike any of those sub-$100 practice setups. I have a Yamaha "Session Cake" unit that does the headphone thing for like $70. It doesn't sound very good but it fits in my backpack. For home practice I have a Helix and a Double Four.

Just my two cents. Hope this helps.