I don't know anything about amps.

[10emmanuel]

Hello mates!!

As I said in the tittle. I have played the bass for some years now ( counting long inactivity periods ), and I have always jam at studios, with amps from there, I gigged with someone else's amps, and at home I always have had small combos, 80w the biggest, first because I was a beginner and then because I never had a place to play so loud.
So since having a good amp was never a priority and since I dont gig a lot, I never got interested about amps or head. Thats so tru that I must admit, I dont know anything about them. I dont know what's good, what's not, what types are there, difference of speakers, professionals amps(?), I dont know prices, old? brand new? old in a good condition? models?


At least tell me where start reading LOL.

But the truth is, I am gonna fix a studio at home and I jam with my band there and start gigging. Even If I dont gig, I wanna have something that is good for a gig. Not to play in Wembley Stadium, but decent gig. So its nice for studio as well.... I have played the rumbles 800, it was loud, but again I dont know, is that good?.

I dont want to buy the most expensive orange or ampeg, I know they are more expensive...

Whats most important? head or speaker?

I dont look for the exact answer because I know its extensive, but maybe you cans say " hey look on that one, hey I have this one and its cool..."

Thanks"!!

 

[10emmanuel]

Hello mates!!

As I said in the tittle. I have played the bass for some years now ( counting long inactivity periods ), and I have always jam at studios, with amps from there, I gigged with someone else's amps, and at home I always have had small combos, 80w the biggest, first because I was a beginner and then because I never had a place to play so loud.
So since having a good amp was never a priority and since I dont gig a lot, I never got interested about amps or head. Thats so tru that I must admit, I dont know anything about them. I dont know what's good, what's not, what types are there, difference of speakers, professionals amps(?), I dont know prices, old? brand new? old in a good condition? models?


At least tell me where start reading LOL.

But the truth is, I am gonna fix a studio at home and I jam with my band there and start gigging. Even If I dont gig, I wanna have something that is good for a gig. Not to play in Wembley Stadium, but decent gig. So its nice for studio as well.... I have played the rumbles 800, it was loud, but again I dont know, is that good?.

I dont want to buy the most expensive orange or ampeg, I know they are more expensive...

Whats most important? head or speaker?

I dont look for the exact answer because I know its extensive, but maybe you cans say " hey look on that one, hey I have this one and its cool..."

Thanks"!!

also my basses are Peavey Fury, Sterling Stingray 4hh (active) and Squier Jazz Bass passive. Does that matter? LOL

 

[gtirard]

Huge topic… I guess your best source of information could be Talkbass's Amps and cabs forum.

In the meantime, pay attention when you rehearse of gig, to the gear you are using. Try to think about what brands you like or dislike (and why…).

Yes, heads and cabs are equaly important (IMO). Now you can find great class D heads that are small and light and powerful and affordable. Cabs also improved over time, but they can't break the laws of physics in the same proportions.

 

[CallMeAl]

Yes big question! I’ll take a crack at it…

Watts: enough give you “headroom,” the ability to maintain good tone at higher volumes. Somewhat dictates volumes, but not as much as speakers.

Speakers: more speaker surface means more volume. Better (higher) speaker sensitivity rating will also give you more volume and clarity. You’ll have to research impedance and wattage ratings, but impedance is most important to get correct.

Combo vs separates: generally, combos are more affordable and convenient, and separates are more flexible. Largely subjective to the player’s preferences. If you do go combo, I recommend something with extension out.

New vs used: new gets you a warranty. Used may be a gamble, but you stretch your money.

Brands: I’m not super picky, I can dial in a useable sound from all the major brands. But I do have preferences, best to get out there and sample as much as you can.

IMHO 500w and 2 matching cabinets (eg 2x 210s) is a good baseline, covering most situations. One cabinet for rehearsal and small gigs, 2 for large gigs. From your description you may not even need the second cabinet, but nice to leave the door open should the need/desire arise.

I’d recommend Fender Rumble 500, Ampeg RB210 or similar for a starting point. Plenty of juice to get you going without breaking the bank. You could always start off with more than that, but if you do get something bigger/more expensive down the road, it’s always nice to have a powerful combo like that for rehearsal rooms or a back up.

good luck!

 

[96tbird]

Another vote for Rumble 500. My drummer friend has a Rumble 200 I use at jams at his house. It’s Fantastic especially with a taste of the OD dialed in for warmth I have too many amps already but if I was looking to buy a combo, Fender rumble would be on the short
List.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It really depends on your budget and how loud you need to go with the band you're playing with and will you be playing with or without FOH support.

 

[Killing Floor]

There is no best. Just preference.
Make sure the amp is compatible with cab(s), most of the time with a single amp and 1 cab the impedance doesn’t come into play, when you add a 2nd cab it might. Availability and warranty, but from a reputable source and you’re fine. I’d think about power needs first. It never hurts to have more power than you need. Try out a few options if you can. Don’t stress too much about the output and cabinet rating being the same. If you have an idea someone will have tried it. Good luck.

 

[pepj]

Generally... its all in the ears and you get what you pay for.
If I was to point someone in a direction for casual playing, ie, not out every week covering all manner of situations, I'd offer the Markbass 102 combo.
Aguilar TH350 into a 212.

Wouldn't skimp on cabs so either a couple of GS112 or Epifani 112's
Always always pair my 12's unless really low key.

Rumbles are Jam band amps, imv. Not to say they wont do someone a good job but I couldnt use them, especially on a gig.

 

[Stewie]

I much prefer the Ampeg RB210 to the Rumble 500. But you may not. Try a few amps at a store if you can, if you find one you like, it’s a good one. I’d recommend used as you won’t lose a ton of money if you decide to sell it. I have a combo that sounds amazing, but I don’t gig with it due to its weight. Think about weight as you decide. Heavy can be cheap and sound marvelous, but it seems no one wants to move the old heavies around any more.

 

[Bruiser Stone]

I’m throwing my Genz Benz/Genzler chip in. Excellent tone, power, reliability, and engineering lineage.

 

[Isaac_James]

A good starting point that will give you enough headroom, or potential power for volume, is a 500 watt head or combo with either a single 15" speaker or two 10" speakers. Most amps that can take a single cab of this sort also have the ability to expand to a second cab, if you want to. But one 15 or two 10s will get you pretty loud with a 500W head, it should be plenty for practicing with guitar/drums/keys/vocals etc. or for small gigs. Larger gigs (even smaller ones) will likely have the ability to run your signal into the PA for any needed volume boost.

Combo amps are a little simpler to manage, and if you're starting from scratch that might be a good place to begin as it's less to manage/think about. The Rumble combos from Fender are quite popular, as are the Rocketbass combos from Ampeg. There are others out there as well but those are the two big names, at least at the moment. Both have large 210 (ie two ten inch speaker) combos that are rated at 500W, fairly comparable in price and weight. It will really come down to what you want your basses to sound like as each amp manufacturer has its own "baked in" sound, and you might like one over the other. I or any other TBer here can tell you what we like, but that probably has no bearing on what YOU like so I recommend taking one or two of your basses into a guitar center or something like that and trying out the amps they have in stock to see what sounds good to you.

 

[Aloe]

well, if you're talking jams/rehearsals, something like 100W in a 12" is your minimum. likely you won't regret if it would be a bit bigger, like 150W in a 15". it could be a combo or a 200W micro-head with a cab or two.

but if you plan gigging without a PA support, that would be too low. and you'll need either an extension cab to combo or two cabs. a 500w/4ohm head with two cabinets (like two 112s or two 210s) would be a good place to start. neo speakers are more powerful, lightweight, but more costly as well.

which one? well, it's largely a personal preference. Ampeg sounds differently from MarkBass and it's you to decide, which sound do you prefer.

if you asked this, my current rig is EBS:

 

[And I]

do you have any music stores near you where you can try bass amps out? hard to say if what works for someone else will work for you. letting your ears be your guide to choose an amp you like is the best move. set a budget and try some stuff out.

 

[darwin-bass]

...I never got interested about amps or head. Thats so tru that I must admit, I dont know anything about them.

How about some basics to start. Amps are easy things. There are three parts to any amp; the preamp, the power amp and the speaker. Well, four if you include the power supply but we'll skip that for now.

Basic electronics: Voltage combined with current produces power. The loud speaker needs power (high voltage plus high current) to move and generate sound but your bass produces only a little tiny powerless signal (micro voltage, no current). Hook a bass to a speaker and you'll hear nothing.

The job of the bass amp system is to increase that tiny voltage signal into higher voltage plus current (power) to send to the speaker. This amplification requires two stages, a preamp and a power amplifier.

The preamp increases the tiny voltage from the bass pickup into a medium level voltage. Most preamps also have all the controls (volume, drive, gain, tone, etc) in them so what you're doing when you spin knobs is adjusting the action of the preamp. This is great for tone shaping but still won't produce sound because there is still no current with the signal, only voltage. The preamp feeds the power amp.

The power amp has one simple job. Take that medium voltage from the preamp and turn it into higher voltage combined with current. In other words, it simply produces the power to feed to the speaker.

The speaker is a simple electrical to mechanical machine. Feed power (voltage plus current) into them and they move back and forth to produce sound.

Combo Amp - This is an all-in-one approach combining preamp, power amp and speaker all in one box. They are cost effective but with some compromises.

Head / Speaker - A bass head is a combined preamp and power amp. The speaker is in a separate box. Separating them makes them more portable at the cost of extra trips to the car. As separates you can mix & match to get what you want.

Separates - There are some separate bass preamps out there. You can run a bass preamp into a separate (usually PA system) power amp which feeds a separate speaker box. Highest cost, most flexibility.

 

[flatrat]

Welcome to the clueless about amps club. I'm clueless and incurious.

Go with the sound that is pleasing to your ears. Anyone can have an opinion about amps but not your ears.

My rule of thumb for amps is, sound matters most, appearance next. For basses, looks first, sound second.

 

[ashtray]

Welcome to the madness. Basically, the more you read on here, the more you will know, but maybe get no closer to knowing what is best for you. Just gotta try stuff!

(I would also suggest a Fender Rumble 500 head, and a matching 8 ohm 4x10 cab will get you a very good start, with the ability to add a second 4x10 matching cab in the future if you ever need.)

Biggest take away: it’s a bass guitar that plays low notes, but the cab is not a subwoofer. Not designed for super heavy bass and shaking the walls. Mid frequencies are your friend.

 

[Rick_Bass]

This what I did... I bought a Fender BXR25 watt amp for practice . Than I bought a GP7 Trace Elliot head --- than I bought a Fenderr BX cabinet to go with that head. Than I came across a Ampeg210 Cabinet from the 90s so i grabbed that . Than I realized i needed the mother of the cabinet Ampeg made so got a 1994 SVT CL head --- th I need more speakers so i bought a 15 inch cab to put under the 210 --- than i said that just looks silly so i bought another ERA correct 15 and so the glorious mating has begun ... good luck sir.. I own all Ampeg Gear and a Trace Head --- but want that illustrious Trace Tube head

 

[Isaac_James]

Biggest take away: it’s a bass guitar that plays low notes, but the cab is not a subwoofer. Not designed for super heavy bass and shaking the walls. Mid frequencies are your friend.

This is great advice. It took me way too long to grasp this concept, I would turn up the bass knob to make myself louder because duh, I'm playing the BASS. Couldn't figure out why I always sounded muddy and had a hard time sounding loud enough without clipping my amp or making the speakers fart out. Once I figured out how to EQ my amp I sounded a lot better.

Even better, find an amp that has a high pass filter or get a HPF pedal to trim off those subsonic frequencies.

 

[denton57]

Be careful and not spend too much time researching the Amps and Cabs section, the classifieds, and don’t ever try a vintage SVT that the headliner has while you are the opening band. It will lead to a rabbit hole and dozens of amps and cabs being flipped around trying different stuff. Dollars spent and wasted. Don’t do what I’ve done the past 15 years.

 

[lark_z]

First off, money is always a big deal for me. I've been happy with the little Ampeg (BA108) for home practice and playing with one guitarist at moderate volume.

I know I need more if I step out any further, so I'm in the process of acquiring a small class D amp head (TC BAM200) and a 1x10" 8 ohm cabinet. If I need more, I'll just add a second cabinet.

Tons of options and tons of posts on TB about this.