How much is too much for a bedroom amp?

[Aloe]

a 500w amp is just twice louder than the 50w one (well, other things equal). actually the 210 is 350w without an extension cab, so it's even not twice as loud as a 40w one. and yeah, they have volume knobs.

also please note that a 100w guitar amp is crazy loud, a bass 100w amp is like a minimum for playing with an acoustic drum kit, i.e. not so much.

actually getting a 500w amp isn't a waste, you can gig with it as well. if you have the place in your room for it, why not.
another potentially uncomfortable moment is that big amps often have active cooling, some have fans that are always on and playing them really quiet might be not as joyful.

I used up to 700w amps for practicing at home and I regret nothing. I do appreciate having a passive cooled head for my bedroom tho, it's a 350-watter and sometimes I turn it up, it's not that much.

 

[Old Blastard]

Check your wallet. Then take a trip to some place that may have a variety of amps to listen to. I have a Fender Rumble 40 for the basement practice sessions and small winery gigs and a Genz Benz 15" combo amp for loud guitar/drummer gigs. The Benz really works for everything, to be honest. Most amps have a baked-in sound of some sort, so play as many as you can. I like the Rumble sound and love the Benz sound, which are not that dissimilar (Fender bought G-B years ago). My next set up will have "Genzler" written on it.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Do you ever use the line in/headphone out function on the Rumble? If so, I think you'll miss it on any other amp that lacks those features. I use a Rumble 30 for bedroom practice, turning it more than 1/2 way up would just rattle the furniture, and not in a musical way. Unless you think there is a realistic chance you will be playing out sometime soon, not much point in an amp that can blow the doors off their hinges.

 

[nervous]

If you have an opportunity to try or buy a GK MB210 I don't think it will disappoint you in either your current home situation, in an actual full band practice or playing live. I have owned both a Gen 1 and now a Gen 2 version and it is very capable, watts be damned. And note that with MB210 it has a powered Speakon output that would allow you to run an 8 ohm extension cab with now worries. Teh MB212 does not, that is a passive output that needs a self powered extension cab. All in all, with it's small footprint, and lightweight construction, it is easy to pack and go and highly versatile. And it sounds great as well.

 

[salmon256]

If you are ok to purchase it, have the funds and really love bass I see no reason to.

Weridly I also want to get a Markbass 1x12 for a pratice amp mix with a backup amp, and when I get a Bareface I kind of want to get One10 just to have... I mean only if is within my means of course down the line.

On the brightside you can always re-sell if you feel you do not use it or need to get rid of it. Also Phil Jones practice amps like the Nano while in theory can be used are mainly best for practice, but I understand they are meant for travel and recording, at the same time I kind of want one just to have for my desk or a Yamaha little amp... get what you want just be smart about it and safe about it is my opinion!

 

[SaucyJackBass]

Where are you located?

 

[farace]

I’ve had my GK MB212-II for maybe nine years now and have been more than happy with it. Plenty of power for even an outdoor gig in a large backyard, yet still sounds great at bedroom volume (not every amp can claim that). Easy to dial in a great tone. Any time I’ve shared the back line, other bassists were happy to see it. Sometimes I wonder if I could have gotten by with the MB112-II, but I’ve had absolutely zero complaints with this amp.

 

[JRA]

I'd appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!

without having a realistic feel for your applications, but considering what i interpret from the OP = i don't think you need that much: at present. your tone doesn't improve just because things can get louder. "tones" at low volume are about as good as it gets. that said, you'd be investing in the future by taking al's POV into consideration:

I think that a 100-200w, 12” option would be good for large home amp, occasionally jamming and rare-occasional small gigs. I think the 500w 2x10” options would be good for regular jamming, occasional-regular small-medium gigs.

agreed, based on this player's experience: my practice/"bedroom" rig ATM is a small, lightweight, 112 cabinet + a BAM 200 for power. way more than i need at home, but it will also get me by in the trios and quartets with room to spare. i would use two of those cabinets or a 210 + a different amp, for gigs with the horn band.

but when i'm at home recording parts: my studio monitors deliver the best possible bass sound (played at very low volume) than any rig i've ever used, so i'm in agreement with @JimChjones. it's all relative to the application.

 

[erratick]

I don't use an amp for home very often. It's all headphones. It's as loud as I need it. And nobody else is bothered.

I use the laptop if it's organized practice or a DI if not or potentially recording.

 

[El Trueno]

 

[Minimalist]

My neighbor always texts me and says that I sound great: RB115.

I bet you cut right through.

 

[groovaholic]

It’s less about speaker size (ref: Phil Jones) or wattage (ref: Ampeg B-15) - just find something that sounds great to you and motivates you to play!

 

[groove pump]

I've been playing casually for a couple of years using a Rumble 25. I'm taking things a bit more seriously lately and decided it's time for an upgrade. Although I quite like the tone I've dialed in on my budget setup, I've been told I haven't heard my bass yet because the 8" speaker on the Rumble 25 doesn't cut it for lower frequencies. I feel like a very minor upgrade to a 40 might be underwhelming. I was hoping to purchase something with an obvious tonal improvement. I felt maybe moving away from Fender might also make the upgrade more worthwhile. I worry spending a significant amount on a Rumble 500-800 just to sound very similar to the 25 would be a bit of a downer (is there a significant tonal improvement between these models beyond improved bass and volume? Excuse my naivety).

After some research, I think I'm leaning towards something Gallien-Krueger. For simplicity, I was going to stick with a combo. I've had my eye on the MB 210 or 212 V2's. They are a fair bit pricier than even a Fender Rumble 800W combo where I'm from, but my heroes use GK (albeit 2001RB heads) and I like the tones I've heard. However, I imagine I'll usually only ever need a fraction of that power in the foreseeable future. I usually only play with a guitarist playing through a 100W Katana, which is never turned up too loud anyway. I typically play with the volume around 9 o'clock on the Rumble 25. I have no immediate plans on gigging.

Would purchasing a 500W GK be an absolute waste, or can I expect the tonal improvements to be very noticable even playing at very low volume on a GK combo? I hear that even many solid-state amps won't sound particuarly good until they've reached a minimum volume threshold, but I have no idea how true this is. Would a GK 112 v2 200W be a smarter investment? I just read it doesn't have a horn, so I figured the 210 or 212 would sound better along with the two speakers. I just don't know if I'll be able to hear the difference at the volumes I'd be playing at.

I'd appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!

I can say that my gig rig includes a pair of 2x10 cabs that I run using either a GK MB 500 or Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. The GK is what I consider to be the "louder" or the two heads despite its 500 watt rating compared with the Shuttle's 600 watts. Either head is plenty for any indoor shows I play, but the GK gets the nod for when we're outdoors and I'm playing without PA support for my sound. I can also play some cozy indoor settings using only one of my 2x10 cabs and still make all the volume I need with that.

When I practice at home, I prefer to play through the gear that I use for our gigs. I've had "practice amps" in the past that have never really thrilled me. They occupy a chunk of space in addition to my other heads and cabs, but they can only take up space at home where I practice and they don't do much else for me.

I use one of my heads through one of my 2x10 cabs for quiet home practice with no issues. Either head can turn down just fine and still sound terrific - I'll usually engage the 10 dB cut switch on the GK to keep its gain lower for that setting. Between the eq's on either of my amps and also the active eq on my primary bass, I can dial up the sounds I want. Those generally translate into similar tones when I'm turned up, except that I'll usually have a Broughton HPF set up in case I need to control any mud or boomy-ness at higher volume in one space or another.

I don't know whether you'll get improved sound for relatively quiet home practice using a more powerful amp, but I like not having one more box at home that needs its own chunk of floor space. A 2x10 cab standing on end takes up about the same patch or floor as something like a 12" combo, etc. And my 2x10 doesn't need to be pushed to sound really nice. If you want to use the 500 watt head for practice and for shows, I'd expect that to work great. It certainly does for me

 

[Nebadon2000]

I use an SVT on a 610 in my bedroom

Not quite at your level but I use
Mesa WD 800 and Subway 1X15 Cab

 

[mrjim123]

No rig is too big, as long as you have a volume control.

 

[Lobster11]

My advice is always to think in terms of what you might need in the foreseeable future rather than whatever will (barely) meet your needs right now. Maybe a 40- or 50-watt combo would meet your immediate needs, but think about the possibility that you'll need something more before too long. (If you're enjoying playing bass and plan to continue, you probably will.) You mentioned that right now you play occasionally with a guitar play at low volumes, but what if you two hook up with a drummer -- and/or maybe another guitarist -- and now you suddenly need something bigger. You also mentioned that you have no immediate plans for gigging, but if the opportunity arose for you to join a band you again might suddenly need something bigger.

Take if from me, and the many other TBers who probably have similar stories: I started out with a little practice amp that was fine for learning on. Soon after I started playing with a couple of friends on acoustic guitars, so bought a somewhat bigger combo. Then an opportunity arose to join a "hobby" band, with drummer and two guitars, so I bought an even bigger combo. Eventually I had to start over with a 500-watt head and a 2x10 cabinet, which before long became two 2x10 cabinets (which is what I still use now). I now have a basement full of old combos that I don't know what to do with.

So, I wouldn't start with anything smaller than, say, 500 watts with a 2x10 cab, which probably will be more than you "need" at the moment but would likely be adequate if you found yourself in a (small, not-too-loud) band. The GK combo with two 10s would be ideal because it also gives you the option of adding a second 2x10 extension cab if you find yourself needing it, so you don't have to go back to the drawing board and start all over again.

 

[sokolasty]

I play Rumble Stage 800 with 210 extCab in my bedroom, so there's no limit in power

There's a size and footprint limit

There's money limit

IMO speaker replacement in R25 is worth the fuss if size and or money is the limit. The OEM one is poor in low end and this is the easiest improvement.

 

[LowendG]

I have the GK MB112-II combo, and the 1x12 powered ext cab. I use these in pro situations FWIW and they're as up to that task as they are being a home practice amp. What I like about this setup is the combo is usually enough on its own--it is a LOUD 200w 1x12". So I rarely need to schlepp the ext cab, but when I do it's a killer 400w 2x12" stack that you can still carry in one trip. Hard to beat IMO.

 

[40Hz]

I was shopping for a small combo primarily for practice and found the Ampeg Rocket series of amps suited my needs perfectly. I was lucky to find a used Ampeg Rocket B-100R (this model has since been discontinued) for a very reasonable amount of cash that I've also used for small gigs and recording.

The newer Ampeg Rocket RB-112 doesn't have as many EQ features as the old RB-100R. And It packs a single 12 vs the 15 in my amp. But it still has that same classic Ampeg sound (assuming you like that sound) and can be found used for around $350 without the need to do too much shopping to find one. It has an AUX input and a headphone jack which are two things you definitely want in a practice amp, plus an effectts loop, an XLR out, and built-in overdrive which are always nice features to have. And just like every other Ampeg, it's built like a tank and makes no apologies for being a BASS amp. If I were shopping for a small gig and/or stay at home amp, this amp would definitely be on my short list of candidates.

Also available with a 1x8, 1x10, 2x10, and 1x15 speaker(s). Model comparison chart can be found here. But IMO you really want at least the 1x12 to really get the full sense of what your bass can deliver as far as sound goes. The 1x8 and 1x10 versions I tried didn't cut it for me although they may for you.

Happy amp hunting.

I hear that even many solid-state amps won't sound particuarly good until they've reached a minimum volume threshold, but I have no idea how true this is.

It all depends on the amp. Anything from one of the mainstream amp manufacturers shouldn't have any problem sounding good. That might have been an issue in the past. But solid-state technology and bass speakers have imptoved drastically over the last 20 years. So unless you're buying a vintage solid-state amp I wouldn't worry about that.

 

[OnlyFlats]

"How much is too much for a bedroom amp?" = When the amp starts disturbing others when you play.

Nothing ruins your motivation to play than others around you complaining, or feeling self conscious about your volume as others might be hearing it (unhappily).

Quality cabs and high powered heads THROW. Those low frequencies slice through most residential structures and like to long distance travel.

It's your living circumstances that need to decide this question.