In praise of practice amps

[JimmyM]

A lot of bassists look down on practice amps. I say bunk. Sometimes you don't want a big amp or a small super wattage combo that costs a grand. Sometimes you want a tiny little cheap amp that costs only a little. Maybe you just want it for practice at home. Maybe you're a beginner who has no tastes formed yet and doesn't want to get in too deep financially. Maybe you have an acoustic act and don't want a ton of volume. Maybe you go through the PA and just need a little monitor with just enough onstage volume.

Practice amps rule. Yet I see a lot of practice amp hate on here. Nobody likes a big rig more than me, or at least nobody in his or her 50's likes them as much as me and doesn't mind moving them but I'll darn sure appreciate the convenience and cost of a practice amp, especially one that's giggable in certain situations. Not everyone looks to kill Grandma with volume.

 

[Avezzano]

Yes! In addition, the line that divides the gig amps from the practice amps becomes thinner and thinner, since small but beefy amps now are always more common on the market.

Just yesterday I posted in the MB200 thread this (link below);

Link Removed

having already the MB200 head, I built me this little but powerful monster cab! Just call it a "practice" amp, if you wish but it is a punchy and loud combination, trust me!!! The cab costed me something around 80 euro but the result is excellent...

 

[Jtaing562]

Totally agree! Practice amps rule! I use my ampeg ba 108 to Practice quietly and now im in search of practice amp that is loud enough to play with a guitarist and drummer.

 

[88footiee]

i used to think small amp are junks are awful, clips when driven till i try a bass through a tiny warwick bc-20 in store. im suppose to purchase a new bass but ended up with a new amp instead. very impressive for its size

 

[Skulldrag]

Not a big fan of 15's for my purposes, but I recently played at a rehearsal thru a new ampeg 115 combo and could not help but to be impressed would be perfect for a small to medium gig. Wish they still made a 2x10 version:-(

 

[Troph]

I had a Fender Rumble 75, which I thought would be a good practice amp and small gigging amp until I got more serious. But its achilles heel was its weight: 55 pounds, with a single top strap for carrying. It was truly awful to lug around one-handed.

The sound wasn't bad for the money (the power output held up surprisingly well), but I eventually upgraded to a micro head and one (later two) lightweight 1x15 cab. Better sound AND more portable.

My advice for small combo amps:
- get something truly portable
- anything over about 40 pounds needs two carry handles/straps
- micro heads + light cab will almost always be superior if you have the extra funds

 

[Pimmsley]

Jimmy, I was thinking the same thing today...
In the last month I upgraded my rehearsal/gigging amp and also got my first dedicated practice amp. I am blown away with the performance of both and have been enjoying both for all the new tones they bring to my practice and gigging pleasure.
The practice amp I got is only a 20 watts combo, but the preamp section seems to have a limiter which works beautifully with 20 watts power section to create a really useful practice tone at really low levels.. and I am finding that I want to practice and noodle around a lot more because of it, and the best part it was $129, less than a decent effect pedal...

 

[fourstringdrums]

Is an Ampeg B50R considered a "practice" amp? I'm assuming given the wattage and headphone jack.

It's fantastic. I have no shame in playing it.

 

[arai]

Give me a Hartke kick back as a back line any day

 

[Spectrum]

While I could use my pf500 for home practice, I find that a combo with no fan noise is less irritating when I put the instrument down for a while.

I still have the Peavey Basic 40 I got in thw 80s, my first bass amp.

 

[Daniel Piper]

This thread is now primed for some serious peavey love.

Me- an old bxr100 by fender.

 

[spaz21387]

Practice amps are great. I use a little home made bfm omni 10 2x10 with the amp section that came off an ampeg ba115 for smaller shows.

 

[RadioactiveGuy4]

I have a small Crate practice amp that i use when I'm at home and wanna work on my tunes or learn a new song i just heard on the radio. I would never use it at a gig but I did take it with me to work the other night and the doctor on duty brought his acoustic guitar and we had a little jam. Its nothing special but its easy to use and I paid like $25.00 for it.

 

[TOOL460002]

Meh. I'd rather set my $10,000.00 tri-amped dodecahedral 18" rig to 1. Noob.

 

[jmattbassplaya]

I don't even use a practice amp for what that's worth lol.

 

[Pickebass]

A practice amp is great! I love my big rigs, but it's nice to take out my lowdown 110 for small practices. My neighbors like me better when I use a small amp!

 

[thumpbass1]

I have no hate for practice amps whatsoever as they can be mighty handy. It's a different question for the bass player just starting out and on a budget, as to finding something they can use to practice and jam, let alone start doing some small to medium size gigs with. I do have a 15 watter thing I use for low volume practice and noodling.

 

[baileyboy]

Ampeg B3 solid state has given me no problems for 15 years. I put it on wheels so I can easily move it around, but other than that, it's a great practice amp.

 

[jbd5015]

I forget the model number, (its part of the EB series tho for sure) but ive got a great ashdown practice amp that lives in the rehearsal space/studio at the BL's house. Its a 180w single 12" combo amp. Small footprint, big tone at lower volumes. Has a 5-band EQ that is quite useful, treble and bass boosters which are more effective at lower volumes than higher volumes.

i'll gig with it when we dont have a drummer. it even has an XLR output on the front. itll even power a second cab if your gettin crazy, which helps with the headroom.

-Jeff

 

[zon6c-f]

I love 'practice amps'..especially in group rehearsal context.

Big rigs rule but not especially just to learn songs/ practice/ rehearsals.

I enjoy stealth practice even more, with either my Line6 POD or Pandora PBX-4 with headphones and I annoy no one..especially neighbors.

None of my smaller/ practice amps have headphone jacks so... it's into the magic boxes for me when at home.

and yes..I am looking at 60 with lower back issues and hernia repair.