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looking for a cheap, tiny amp...

pcake

pcake

Sep 20, 2011
10,169
31,502
Los Angeleez
#1
i'm looking for something $100ish or less, small - i was considering the rumble 25, which i like, but i'd be using this to play on the couch at 1 am when my husband and the neighbors are sound asleep, and i'd be keeping the rumble 25 turned down literally to 1.

so i found myself wondering about the blackstar fly for bass, but most of the demos have the mic right up against the amp, so proximity is going to add bass that my naked ears won't hear. i don't expect it to sound like much, but better than a $20 1 watt guitar amp would be nice. it seems to be small enough to put under the coffee table, which the rumble 25 wouldn't be.

i will never use this to play with other people, to turn up, or to play metal with a low B and tons of distortion. just quiet, middle of the night playing with a little bottom end. again, $100ish, which lets out phil jones, and small. and tone that doesn't totally suck when kept turned low. the roland micro bass cube RX would have been nice, but not ready to pay $279 for a middle of the night only amp.

thoughts?
 
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#4
I use this BA-108 for and have had it for years.
Currently on sale at $89.99
E3AE2F7C-B818-4B16-B68B-2D75B1E8FA05.jpeg
 
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#5
I have been on a search for something similar for a while, although something that I can turn up a little during the day (my 500w combo is far too loud).

So far, my best experiences have been using a studio monitor.

Personally I have a single JBL LSR305 that I use for this purpose, I run the output of the B3 in to it (although any DI or preamp should be fine).

Also, when I am travelling, I use a JBL Charge 3, which sounds fine at low levels being fed from the B3 or G1on (B1on would be great also).

IMO, YMMV etc. etc.
 
#6
Old Garage-Bander said:
Headphones?
I know some folks don’t like to use them.
But it might be better than playing at 1?
Click to expand...

ear damage. can't use headphones.

BadExample said:
There are a few threads on the blackstar. I think you want the ext speaker even if it blows the budget by a few pesos. 12V, batteries, wall wart, sounds like a cool toy to me. I might get one for fun. Or the 5w hotone.
Click to expand...

read a bunch of them. i hear the hotone has a lot of hiss.

filmtex said:
I use this BA-108 for and have had it for years.
Currently on sale at $89.99
View attachment 3162839
Click to expand...

small but not tiny.
 
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#8
I have the Blackstar Fly (bass) and really like it for quiet practice or for figuring out bass lines to songs playing on my phone or macbook. You certainly don't get a "full" sound from it like you would the Rumble 25... (sidetrack: after reading your thread on how everything you played thru the Rumble sounded great, I went to GC to try one and ended up coming home with a used Rumble 40! Thanks a lot, @pcake!) ;)

The Fly serves its purpose for me. Easy set up (I use batteries and it sits on my coffee table with a cheap 6 ft cable), grab a bass off the wall and play! No dragging out a bigger amp, no headphone wires to get wrapped around things as I inevitably have to get up to let my dog out and in, out and in... I like it for the purpose it serves. When I do want more sound, I'll practice in my music room with the Rumble or headphones. Maybe get one at GC and take advantage of their return policy if it's not for you?
 
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#14
pcake said:
so what do you think of it?
Click to expand...
I use them primarily for computer speakers for which they are damn good. More bottom than you might think from three watts and a three inch full range speaker. Made in China of course. It isn't a real bass amp by any stretch of the imagination, but you can play bass through it and no magic smoke comes out. The front end controls are unique, and takes some getting used to, but they actually work. For $100 the Blackstar makes a Rumble 25 sound like a Super Bassman.
 
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#18
I have a Blackstar. I've owned a handful of other tiny amps too. The Blackstar is the smallest lightest thing you'll find that still sounds like a bass amp. It can't however be used for playing with anyone. It sounds pretty good though for something that size. Nothing like the $20 Danelectros, or other similar amps.

If you could push your budget, I highly recommend a Roland Micro cube. It's tiny, light, runs on batteries, CAN be used to jam acoustically with others, and has a bunch of useful bells and whistles. Sounds a lot better than the Blackstart too. I think it's the best bass related investment I ever made. Bought it over a decade ago. I use it every single day. I never shut it off (for no good reason other than it's in a spot that's a little hard to reach), and I've used it for a bunch of jams, parties, acoustic rehearsals, etc. It has a built in beat box also that works great for jamming with oneself or others. I love mine.
 
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#20
I have a Warwick BC-10, very small and sounds like a bass amp. I have even used it for small jazz gigs and it lives next to the couch in the living room, without any complaints. If it has any issue it would be a lack of very high end, no tweeter.
I had the smallest Marshall guitar amp before, but for bass it sounded like crap.
 
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