How to play through a practice amp

[Kmay]

First,
I have searched the forums and everyone suggests their favorites or recommendations, and I tried...them all!

I went to GC today and played probably 6 small amps. They all distorted at low volumes. My price range was a couple hundred bucks...

I played

Ashdown
Fender
Ampeg
Peavey
Acoustic

Terrible sounding. Then, I decided to go out of my range and played the little bitty markbass (@$500) and it too distorted at low volumes.

Am I doing something wrong? Maybe I'm not playing them correctly? Is there a different technique to practice amps?

I play a five string, so I tried various ones that GC had. I made sure all the EQ was set at noon. And I could never get the volume past 4.

My needs:
My guitarist and I like sitting around writing songs. He plays acoustic and I work up bass lines. Right now I'm using a cheap powered monitor (like $70) and it sounds ok, but lacks an EQ and is huge and heavy. So I was hoping to get a small bass combo practice amp.
Small
Lightweight
Easy package.

Advice?

 

[edencab]

was it the Fender Bronco?.....its 40 watts sound good to me at low volume and just jamming with an acoustic, more than enough.....some good effects to play around with .....an older Fender Rumble 75 is really good as well...

 

[Gearhead17]

Are you boosting the bass knob on your bass guitar? Are you setting the gain structure properly on each amp? These two factors are probably half of all reasons you are having trouble here. The other half is expecting a small combo amp to deal out good volume on the B-string. For writing songs, focus on cutting the low end below 100hz and get something with a 15 in it or 210's.

 

[JimmyM]

So you're asking cheap low volume amps not to distort at low volumes and they do? Big shocker there

 

[iualum]

Sorry, you need to scrape together more dinero, or get lucky finding something used that comes close to what you want. You want a 115 or 210 combo or a separate amp/cab rig, again with a 115 or 210 cab. Top prospect is a T.C. Electronic BG250 Mk II 115, ~$400 new. Try to find used or demo/floor model. Negotiate.

Here are some things
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You're in Nashville. Gots to be lots available. Keep a keen lookout.

 

[Kmay]

I'm not boosting anything. Everything set flat (or in the middle).
Not expecting "good" tone or "great" sounds. Just non distorted sound. Just a clean bass sound.
And its not about the money. I have small 2x10 rigs.
I was just hoping to get a small combo. Something lightweight.

It confuses me how a $70 powered PA speaker can do it, but a $200 combo can't.

 

[MMC.Jazz]

Sorry, you need to scrape together more dinero, or get lucky finding something used that comes close to what you want. You want a 115 or 210 combo or a separate amp/cab rig, again with a 115 or 210 cab. Top prospect is a T.C. Electronic BG250 Mk II 115, ~$400 new. Try to find used or demo/floor model. Negotiate.
.

^This is exactly what I did. Smaller practice amps seem to clip fairly easily when needing to turn the gains up some due to wanting to hear your playing at a comfortable level.(non gig environment)

 

[rickster4003]

Something does not sound correct here. Under normal circumstances an amp should not distort under low levels unless you are overdriving somehow. I have the acoustic 100 watt / 15" and can crank it with no distortion. I play all the time at low levels with no distortion. Perhaps it is a matter of having the gain set too high for the volume. For low levels my volume is at about 6 and I usually bring the gain up from 0 to the level I want which is about 2 to 3. Plus I have a compressor and digital delay sytem which both have in/out levels through the effects loop, which I tend to push on the high level side. Still clean signal.

 

[lz4005]

Something does not sound correct here. Under normal circumstances an amp should not distort under low levels unless you are overdriving somehow. I have the acoustic 100 watt / 15" and can crank it with no distortion. I play all the time at low levels with no distortion. Perhaps it is a matter of having the gain set too high for the volume. For low levels my volume is at about 6 and I usually bring the gain up from 0 to the level I want which is about 2 to 3. Plus I have a compressor and digital delay sytem which both have in/out levels through the effects loop, which I tend to push on the high level side. Still clean signal.

I used to have that same amp. I could run gain at 11:00 and the vol at 2:00 and not get noticeable distortion with a P bass.

I wonder if OP is just crapping out the speakers in smaller amps hitting a low B.

 

[MFeleki]

Did the bass have active pickups? Was it plugged into the passive input? How much were the EQ knobs turned up on the bass? This may be the issue.

 

[Downunderwonder]

Quite possibly the previous demonstrators have had at them and they are all shaged.

 

[dincz]

Perhaps it is a matter of having the gain set too high for the volume.

This is the most likely explanation. If you want clean, turn the volume up high and keep the gain setting low.

 

[Emanuel Apascaritei]

I'm not boosting anything. Everything set flat (or in the middle).
Not expecting "good" tone or "great" sounds. Just non distorted sound. Just a clean bass sound.
And its not about the money. I have small 2x10 rigs.
I was just hoping to get a small combo. Something lightweight.

It confuses me how a $70 powered PA speaker can do it, but a $200 combo can't.

HA exactly! I pretty much prefer a cheap PA active speaker than any kind of small combo. But not for they distort, is for the tone and weight.

Can you describe the type of distortion you hear?

it may be because of
- high gain stage (even if the ouput volume is set low, if the gain is high the amp will distort. Lower the gain and turn the volume knob up)
- high output from your bass (if so, look if the amp has a pad or an active input)
- change the battery if it´s an active bass

 

[Bodeeni]

I have a Warwick BC 10 and I could not be happier with it. Very clean and just over a hundred

 

[Feralhog]

Did you use the same bass on all the amps?

 

[Kmay]

It is NOT the gain.
There is only a slight possibility that could be the problem on like two of them, and they were the $200-$300 models.
The $100 models don't even have a gain knob, except maybe the Ampeg. The others were simply a volume knob and three band EQ.

Maybe I am expecting to much? I just assumed these little amps had a purpose. I figured the little ones that come in the starter kits for bass are crap. But i assumed the ones that sell for $100+ are solid little practice amps.
Not gig worthy. Just bedroom/living room volume worthy.

 

[Kmay]

Yes and no. I changed basses thinking it may be a bass issue. And replayed them all again.

Active music man style basses. 5 string.

 

[Feralhog]

I have a Peavey Max II 112 and it works fine for what it is....maybe my expectations are lower.....

 

[Linnin]

Something does not sound correct here. Under normal circumstances an amp should not distort under low levels unless you are overdriving somehow.

^^^ yep ^^^

 

[stinkybass]

I use an ampeg ba-108 for practice, and it's clean as a whistle at decent volume. I play active basses, 4 and 5 strings, some with onboard preamps, and I've never had an issue. The little thing is just load enough to be heard with a drummer hitting on the soft side. Something doesn't add up man?