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In praise of practice amps

#101
daveman50 said:
Does this count? GK-MB200 and GB-STL-8T. It's definitely not a beater "practice amp," but it's all of 13 lbs., very portable, and small-gig-worthy.
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Swap a Faital Pro 8PR200 high excursion driver into that STL box and you'll the a huge performance boost in tone and volume. Good to use a high pass filter on smaller drivers, like the Fdeck HPF-Pre. Makes them more efficient by removing the subsonic frequencies you don't hear (and extra stress on the small driver). Will make that Fatal 8" driver approach the volume of a good 110. That's the same driver in my Crazy8. Love it!
 
#102
I think there can also be a clear distinction made between a "personal practice" amp and a "rehearsal" amp. I have a semi-janky setup for rehearsing that's loud enough to keep up with a pair of guitars and a big drum kit, but I leave it at the rehearsal spot and gig with another rig. What I don't have is a smaller combo for personal practice or that would be good for back porch light jamming. I have an Mini Rig of Doom that COULD be used in that situation, but it's not as ultra convenient as having a semi-decent small combo. I made the mistake of buying a 15W / 8" Kustom new for $80 once. Putrid waste of my money. The only sound it made was BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ. I'd love a Workingmans 10 for this sorta stuff.
 
#103
Ukiah Bass said:
Swap a Faital Pro 8PR200 high excursion driver into that STL box and you'll the a huge performance boost in tone and volume. Good to use a high pass filter on smaller drivers, like the Fdeck HPF-Pre. Makes them more efficient by removing the subsonic frequencies you don't hear (and extra stress on the small driver). Will make that Fatal 8" driver approach the volume of a good 110. That's the same driver in my Crazy8. Love it!
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Interesting -- thanks. It's pretty loud already! I do use the Fdeck and it really cleans up the low end.
 
#104
nukes_da_bass said:
I probably wasn't as clear as i should have been in my post.
A practice amp would be fine for you and me, 40/50 somethings with plenty of actual giggable amps lying around.

My point should have been as follows;

Lets say i wasn't raising kids and had time to give lessons. I would consider it my responsibility to coach these kids not just in chops and theory and Nashville Numbers system- id also consider it necessary to get them
Jamming with a drummer and other musicians.
The kid just dropped $100- $300 on a bass right? Lets say he buys a "practice amp"- a 20 watt thing with a 8 or 10 inch speaker in it- for almost $100.

The first time he plugs in next to a drummer he's gonna realize his little junk amp wont cut it to jam with other people.
Now he goes BACK to GC and the same unscrupulous salesman who sold him the 20 watt amp gives him $15 trade value towards the same 1980s era Peavey head and 115 cab he should have sold the kid in the first place.
All because beginners are too naive to know that a practice amp wont work in a band setting.
The kid loses at least $75 which is a lot of dough when you are 16 and your dad drives a bus for a living.
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This is good logic for the beginner on a budget, it does make sense. That size of amp can be sort of hit or miss depending on the situation though....

My old TKO falls in this category, 80 watts and a 15" speaker. It's of course way more than needed to practice alone, and is certainly enough to disturb others in the house. It can hold it's own as very small gigs or when playing with disciplined/contolled musicians (which most beginners are not). But it's way bigger and more cumbersome is needed for a grab-n-go livingroom jam session or something.

The beginner might find themselves shaking pictures off the walls at the house, but still possibly get buried when jamming with bashing drummer/cranked guitarist friends. Or they might also find themselves hanging quite well with these same people jamming out in the garage.

It's sort of an inbetween, could go either way. But in general, yes, it's going to save Dad some coin in the long run by getting something capable of playing with others right off the bat.
 
#108
BA112 is my favorite of the BA series, even though I don't have one. But the B100R is something really special. Too bad it didn't sell enough to keep going, but I guess folks would see it and the BA115 and get the BA115 because it's cheaper.
 
#110
My brother has been getting into combo amps for gigging. I use to own a hartke a100 bass combo amp, but later sold it because I own a gk half-stack which I oftenly use for my gigs. the other reason is that I personally like amps with traditional paper cones better than aluminum cones. I do like the warm sounds that it provides. also I don't use combo amps that much since I use my zoom b3 for home practice. but if I were to purchase a combo for gigs, I probably would go with either a gk mb115 or a fender rumble.
 
#111
This is the Peavey Basic 40 I got when I was a teenager in the 80s, along with my first real bass, a 1985 Westone Spectrum GT (hence my username). While I am careful to take good care of the instrument, the Peavey has been a bit more roughly handled, but it is a Peavey, so it can take the abuse.

9417770165_3eab538f5a.jpg


About "practice" vs. "rehearsal" amps, this 40W Peavey was what I practiced with in my bedroom and in my first ever band back in the day. It is just about loud enough for basement/garage practice with a live drummer, although it strains. As a bedroom amp, it was never quiet enough to keep me from getting yelled at late at night. The biggest weakness of these 80s-era amps is that they often didn't come with headphone jacks. Now even my 500W Ampeg head has a phone jack.

It was never loud enough for gigging, even back then. My band in high school had two guitarists, a drummer, and a singer, and when we started playing out I got a used 2x15 Peavey cab and a used cheapo-brand 200W head with scratchy pots that sounded like ass but got the job done.
 
#112
i took a little look around the constellation of basses thread and it seems there is a whole sub section of players who play for the simple joy of playing bass as a solo pastime and dont have the show off gene in their dna and have no desire to EVER gig or even play in front of other people( i have a guitarist mate in this catagory).i think kids or beginners should always consider a giggable amp coz you never know, they might change their mind after getting proficiant but it seems that a lot of guys just want to sit and play at home with a small leisure amp(new catagory?) so there is a place for the SMALL low wattage practice amp IMHO.
 
#113
grey area said:
i took a little look around the constellation of basses thread and it seems there is a whole sub section of players who play for the simple joy of playing bass as a solo pastime and dont have the show off gene in their dna and have no desire to EVER gig or even play in front of other people( i have a guitarist mate in this catagory).i think kids or beginners should always consider a giggable amp coz you never know, they might change their mind after getting proficiant but it seems that a lot of guys just want to sit and play at home with a small leisure amp(new catagory?) so there is a place for the SMALL low wattage practice amp IMHO.
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I see your point.
But...
Even if these kids do not desire an AUDIENCE it would be a disservice to them if their teacher(s) did not provide the info that the greatest growth factor is ensemble work.
Jamming increases ear training and groove potential. Once you are forced to interact in real time and close space with bandmates, it will change the way you relate to and play your instrument.
This doesnt have to involve a stage or an audience at all, ever :)
 
#114
with kids i agree but i'm talking about guys in there 40s 50s and 60s. my guitarist mate played from the late 60s until the punk explosion and has not been seen playing in public since and he is not alone, ( well he is , but you know what i mean). i myself retired in 86 but i cant give up giggin,now only for fun and G.A.S money
 
#116
I've been relying on Grado phones and my trusty Cafe Walter for months while semi-patiently for my friend to give my '59 Bassman (in tweed head case) clone the finishing touches. After my Reeves arrives next week, I'll be using this for living room noodling. Good for practice or on-stage monitoring. :cool:

P1130499_zps99b3c275.jpg
 
#117
I'll be the first to admit that getting a practice combo isn't the best use of your money when you're a bassist looking for gigs and you don't already have an amp that can hang. But as Grey said, not everyone is looking for that.
 
#119
nukes_da_bass said:
A practice amp is like a moped *cough* f@tg!rl *cough*).
Fun to ride, but dont want your friends to catch you! :)
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i know EXACTLY what you mean. and its true. one of my solitary pals uses an AER amp. its tiny but beautifuly made and powerfull enough for a small gigi i practice( when on my own with a " cough #*t g+€$ cough. moped ie roland cube 30.but i have no shame.
 

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