I used a Line 6, studio 10 last night at a rehearsal in a small room. Other musicians---- acoustic piano, electric keys through a small amp, flute and trumpet (no mics) and a drummer with control. I played both EUB and an active BG through my amp-----no distortion.
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How to play through a practice amp
- Thread starter Kmay
- Start date
Yup, active pa speaker works well. I have a Wharfedale Titan active 15". It has EQ too, and tons of power. -- blows away a lot of bass amps in the power/volume dept. It also has a bass boost button for very low volumes.
Not ideal i know but it works. BUT its very heavy!
Try a Wharfedale or any active 12" pa speaker, they arent heavy and they def wont distort at low volumes. But i wouldnt go for anything too cheap, u get some real cheap and nasty ones here in SA. Wharfedale r excellent value for money.
Not ideal i know but it works. BUT its very heavy!
Try a Wharfedale or any active 12" pa speaker, they arent heavy and they def wont distort at low volumes. But i wouldnt go for anything too cheap, u get some real cheap and nasty ones here in SA. Wharfedale r excellent value for money.
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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Yup, same goes for the Rumble 15 I keep under the desk in my bedroom, 5 string SR1205 with a pair of honking EMGs and a 3 band EQ on board, can crank it all day, handles it with aplomb actually.
His budget is a couple hundred though, not even used is he getting one of those unless it's destroyed.
Jim Carr
Dr. Jim
- Jan 21, 2006
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Outside of your price range, but I love my GK 112 combo. It's a great mini-rig and practice amp.
But you could probably find an old SWR LA combo for under $150. They have great tone and could handle your five string. You could also try finding a used Eden nemesis combo.
But you could probably find an old SWR LA combo for under $150. They have great tone and could handle your five string. You could also try finding a used Eden nemesis combo.
Gotta be something you're doing. I play through (and record tons of vids) using a 15 watt Hartke amp with an 8" speaker. No distortion at all. Do you dig in hard when you play? How were the bass (if active) and the amp settings?
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Others have mentioned the active/passive thing and that can not be understated. If there is an active/passive switch then you'll want to use it for the MM. Especially if it has an 18v preamp. My Ampeg SVT 7 with Bergantino cab distorts at low volume if I don't hit the pad switch. Also, others have mentioned the pickup height, and THAT cannot be understated. I had to spend quite a bit of time finding that sweet spot on my Spector Euro because when I got it the pickups were WAY too close and distorted the sound horribly through my PJB Briefcase practice amp.
This may sound too simplistic, but make sure your pickups aren't directly facing the cab as you play. Could just be low level feedback, especially if it's happening on all the models you try out.
The first thought that I had was that maybe your best investment would be in a bass pre-amp pedal with some EQ, like the EBS Micro Bass II, the Aguilar Tone Hammer pedal, or a Radial Bassbone (never used one of those, but they get good reviews), which you could use either with your powered monitor at home or with a PA elsewhere.
Small cheap combos don't generally deliver clean, full tone. I use an old EBS Drome for practice. It's perfect for what you describe, tiny, light, clean (unless you crank the Drive), yet loud enough to rehearse will drums and a full band. But they haven't been made in years, and were never cheap. The newer, cheaper, and less fully-featured EBS Session combos might be a fit for you, but I haven't played through one yet to give you first-hand testimony.
Note that reproducing low bass frequencies requires a lot of power, and that you'll get more clean bass volume if you roll-off or shelve the bass below ~80Hz, whatever the rig.
Small cheap combos don't generally deliver clean, full tone. I use an old EBS Drome for practice. It's perfect for what you describe, tiny, light, clean (unless you crank the Drive), yet loud enough to rehearse will drums and a full band. But they haven't been made in years, and were never cheap. The newer, cheaper, and less fully-featured EBS Session combos might be a fit for you, but I haven't played through one yet to give you first-hand testimony.
Note that reproducing low bass frequencies requires a lot of power, and that you'll get more clean bass volume if you roll-off or shelve the bass below ~80Hz, whatever the rig.
There's no telling what the budget practice amps laying around a Guitar Center have been subjected to.
Stingrays really aren't that hot. A passive P bass is hotter.
There is no reason why he shouldn't be able to have the volume on the bass all the way up.
If you get together the scratch, GK is the way to go. My primary rig is a Traynoe YBA 300 ans Ampeg 410, but for practice and even small gigs my GK 110 is amazing. See if you can find one used. You will not be disappointed.
Vance
Vance
Where's the volume on your bass? You can be distorting at the bass preamp which would have nothing to do with the amps. I have this Mesa amp that sounds amazing with my Musicman Sub. I can crank the volume on the music man, boost the bass all the way, boost the treble all the way and it sounds good, no matter what. Passive pickup with active electronics. My much hotter, active Warwick, when I plugged in for the first time with my normal settings, (volume cranked, bass boosted 25%) sounded downright terrible. Totally farted out. It sounds fine with these settings on my Genz Benz, but the Mesa just didn't like it. I was completely frustrated until I brought the volume back on the bass, zeroed the preamp, and used the amp eq controls to get my sound. If you're getting distortion at low levels, it's either a piece of crap, or you're doing something wrong. Keep in mind all of the gain stages, from your guitar, to the preamp, to the master volume, and the eq's and filters in between. Also, a single 10 or even a single 12 can often have a hard time with those low frequencies. Looking to a 15 or a 2x10 is worth considering.
This has probably already been said but I think of a practice amp as something that is used to practice alone. Or at low volumes for song writing -type stuff. A practice amp for me is not something I would ever take to a rehearsal. That said, I have this unit which I like a lot (and which I don't remember being so expensive):
Roland Micro Cube Bass RX Bass Combo Amp 4 X 4 In | Musician's Friend
Roland Micro Cube Bass RX Bass Combo Amp 4 X 4 In | Musician's Friend
not sure this is much help, but I use a Micromark 801 as my practice amp (and for quiet rehearsals e.g. with Big Band).
I play an EBMM SR4 and a Spector Legend 5, both of which are active. The Spector in particular has a hot output.
I don't get any distortion. The MB amp has only 2 controls, volume & VLE (basically a treble roll off).
I play an EBMM SR4 and a Spector Legend 5, both of which are active. The Spector in particular has a hot output.
I don't get any distortion. The MB amp has only 2 controls, volume & VLE (basically a treble roll off).
