In praise of practice amps

[JimmyM]

When I think practice amp, I think small and cheap and easy to set up. Like some might consider an amp like the PF500 with a PF115he a practice amp, but not me because it's high wattage, the cab is too big to tote around easily, and though it's reasonably priced, it's not cheap. The BA115 is cheap for what you get and closer to the mark that I consider a practice amp, but it's kind of big for a practice amp. The BA112, however, starts getting into that practice amp realm. And I do love to practice with my Heritage SVT, but even I wouldn't call it easy to set up!

 

[chuck3]

Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0-10T is my workhorse for practices. But also a surprising number of gigs. It can handle small restaurant type gigs, or larger ones as a monitor, basically, using the DI out to the PA.

I've had this amp for 5 years now and used it more than any other, certainly for many practices. Meets all the practice amp criteria except perhaps price - but given the usage I've gotten from it, it does not seem expensive to me.

 

[JimmyM]

That Shuttle 3.0/10t sits right smack on the fence, doesn't it?

 

[Wesley R]

Genz Benz Basic 50 for me. the GF bought it for me and it is my practice amp, jamming amp, small stage amp, if the DI works well (never tested it) could maybe stay my only amp.

Previouse practice amps; BA112 (became a wedding gig amp alsa), Trace Elliot BLX80, Vox Essex back in 1972, Gretsch Pro-Bass (which was not a pro bass amp by any stretch).

 

[grey area]

i would say a practice amp is an amp thats ONLY good for practice, like an exercise bike. if you have a giggin amp its not a practice amp but you can practice on it like a bike with rollers. i guess if you told the owners of many amps mentioned here that their rigs were just practice amps you would get a few sideways looks. another way to put it would be that you can practice your surfing moves on a skateboard but you wouldn't wanna take it out at mavricks.
ramble over.

 

[JimmyM]

Yeah, but I've gigged both the BA110 and 108, so by that definition, they no longer could be called practice amps, though most of the world considers them practice amps.

 

[eriky4003]

Used to own a Hartke B60. Gigged with it once or twice out of necessity.
I decided to go micro and carry my head with me to and from practice (so it doesn't grow legs) and decided to buy a 2x10 for home/last second calls to come out to play (none yet, but hope springs eternal). When I want to test stuff out at higher volumes I go this route, generally I practice with headphones and a mixer hooked up to the stereo.

 

[Road Hat]

I really dig my Line6 Lowdown 110 as a practice/small gig amp. It was quite inexpensive, and I've used it with great success for years live and, surprisingly, in the studio. It has a lot of sound flexibility, good DI output, and a Shure SM57 on the speaker sounds huge. I have a lot of gear to choose from for practice (i.e., expensive), but this is my go-to 'little' amp for ease of setup, cost, and decent tone. It even handles a low B with aplomb, which was a pleasant surprise from such a small device.

 

[Marial]

This is a practice amp:

It isn't my Fender RAD but it's pretty much just like mine. I've had mine for years and it's a fantastic little amp. Good sound, pretty light weight, absolutely perfect for practicing at home.

 

[will33]

That works. I saw a band where there were two pig nose practice amps, and literally a toy drum kit he played with hot rods. It was a very cool sound.

I'd does work.

I'd be a liar if I didn't say it looked a little funny (this is a decent sized rock club/stage) and I would imagine their onstage experience would be a bit weird (for me)., But this was a group of very young people, their parents brought them to the show and that's what they had to play.


They played some sort of jumpy, poppy "newer sounding" sort of music, not really my thing personally, but these kids were good.....scratch that...considering their ages they were #$&!*\@ awesome, especially when it came to their songwriting, adjusting their sounds to compliment each other, playing as a group and not a collection of individuals, etc.

They were great, and out front, they sounded just as "big" as they would've if they had 810's and triple rec's and twin reverbs and stuff up there.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Or is it just "what you practice with"? In which, I mostly practice with my SVT+NV610 or my B-15R. Both, I think, fairly decent setups, for practice rigs.

Ummm yeah, you could say that. Certainly explains why you are "out of GAS"!

 

[busmandan]

I've used a Crate BX100 as a practice amp for years. It has a factory JBL speaker from that brief period when Jeff Berlin was endorsing them. Not too portable, though.

 

[kilgoja]

when i played in a band i used my main rig as a practice amp. i just turned the volume down on it. there's really no need to have 2 amps unless you practice at home and the place you practice with your band is far away. when i was in the band we lived and practiced in the same house for a long time.

but if where you practice with the band is far away you can leave the big rig there and keep a small practice amp to play on at home which is what i do now.

the only downside to a small practice amp is you don't get that all tube sound.

 

[nukes_da_bass]

I don't hate practice amps but I don't see the point either. I don't see the point of an amp that can't match a middle strength drummer. In this day and age when the economy is so floundering, I see plenty of cheap cabinets and cheap 100 W or higher heads that a newbie could get for about $200 and eventually use for gigging volume at least as a stage Monitor.
All my amplifiers have volume knobs, they can all be used for practice volume.

 

[will33]

I don't hate practice amps but I don't see the point either. I don't see the point of an amp that can't match a middle strength drummer. In this day and age when the economy is so floundering, I see plenty of cheap cabinets and cheap 100 W or higher heads that a newbie could get for about $200 and eventually use for gigging volume at least as a stage Monitor.
All my amplifiers have volume knobs, they can all be used for practice volume.

It's the convenience and the form factor. If I'm playing at home, I can use a real amp that's no bigger than a toaster, not headphones and computers, but an actual amp. If I'm going to a back porch jam, I can grab this little thing and be all set. No need for 100 watts and 15's to sound like a bass. Plus they're cute, like a baby amp. They fit in with the SO's home decor and take up hardly any space.


Think about it....when you mic up an 810, what do you do?.....you put a mic on a single 10 and hand it off to the house.

 

[mokkat]

I once bought a Behringer Thunderbird BX108 on a whim, on a special 1/4 the price demo deal or something from a store. It sounds kinda ass compared to a real rig, especially through the very noisy headphone input, but it's perfect for practicing without disturbing the neighbouring apartments without having to use headphones

 

[Orangeclawhammr]

I had a Line 6 Lowdown Studio 10 that I had to sell. I bought an Acoustic B20 when GC was selling them for $70.00. I use it in the basement so I wouldn't have to carry my GK MB115 up and down the stairs.

 

[Steelers Fan]

My trusty little Behringer BX600 has been with me for nearly ten years I think, Ive done a few quieter gigs and some recording with it, $150 out the door, no complaints here.

I've used my BX600 for practice and the occasional small gig as well. Going on 6+ years now...

 

[fourstringdrums]

I used to play with a bassist who would use a small Acoustic (30w I think) even on gigs. Mic'd up it sounded fantastic and unmic'd depending on the gig it could hold its own.

Eventually he went the other way and when he started playing a 5 string he'd haul a 600W Carvin 1x15 even to small rehearsals lol

 

[Feral Feline]

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.

You could've just PM'd me instead of making it public. Don't hate me because [DEL]I'm beau[/DEL]... because I hate practice amps.

I thought "cheap" was implied.

It was.

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I rarely use my practice amp, EA Micro 300/Wizzy 10, for practice. I gig with it, and when I practice it's unplugged or sometimes plugged into a cheap Korg MFX unit with headphones. Even unplugged, I think the neighbours are annoyed. Oh, and I've got assorted unused iPad/iPod software, too.

If a practice amp works for someone, then all the more (or less) power to 'em.