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Looking for a new practice amp

Jack Clayton

Jack Clayton

Dec 16, 2018
4
1
#1
Hey guys, I'm new, was a pro in the 80's, sold all my gear in the 90's OMG, what a stupid thing to do, sold my Ricky 4001, my precious custom out of the back of the factory P bass, a G&L Active beauty... Now I want to get back into it. I'll post on another thread about the huge decision and direction I'm taking on my custom PJ, turning it from fretless to fretted and buying a neck from China, ditching that neck and now waiting for delivery of a neck from Warmoth.

In the mean time I'm looking for a quick fix for an amp. I still have my Mesa Boogie D180 in storage in my home town, been in storage for 30 years, wonder if it's worth anything?

Been looking at small practice amps like the Trace Elf and the 10" cab, but realised I could buy a car audio 10" sub enclosure, put a decent speaker in it and something like a Behringer Ultrabass BXD3000H for half that price.

Sorry to say, yes it's about money but also my DYI attitude and still don't want to compromise quality... too much. PLEASE say if you thing this is doable or completely stupid. Car subwoffers are basically ported or unported small powerful speakers, seems perfect?
 
#2
Using a car subwoofer..speaker or cheap box...is a bad idea. The subwoofer is a bad idea because it simply won't work for bass guitar. The enclosure is a bad idea because the enclosure you get needs to be tuned for the driver you get. Plus they are made from cheap chipboard.

Save yourself the headache and future expense and just get a good combo.

I'm not a Rumble fan by any means, but this will destroy what you are talking about doing:
Fender Rumble 40 1x10" 40-Watt Bass Combo

Better yet, go get your Mesa amp and get a nice cabinet for it.
 
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#3
Agree with mmbongo. I was in need of a practice amp a few months back and after looking at many options I decided to go with the Fender Rumble line, though I went with the 100. Have not been disappointed. It makes a good practice amp, but also does double-duty as a small room combo when that's all I need. They are inexpensive and lightweight. Best bang for the buck, IMO.
 
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#4
Hey mmbongo, thanks so much for your reply, I think I needed to hear that, my dad was an awesome do-it-your-selfer and I take after him, but I know in my heart it's not the way to go. By the way, That Mesa D-180, it's like 35 years old, it's probably in ok condition, and surely needs a referb, but I can't find many articles about it, is it worth investing in?
 
#6
Welcome back to bass and to TalkBass!!!!

Yeah I would get your old amp out of storage and see if it works. Take it to a local store and plug it in. Then go from there.

You can find a used cab for next to nothing, especially if you don't care about weight. (Since you have been gone, there's been a lightweight revolution in the bass gear biz. So the heavy stuff is super cheap right now.)

Roughly where are you? Maybe some local experts can ninja through your nearest craigslist and point out a cheap gem.

Best of luck with your hunt.
 
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#7
When your talking a used practice amp from 30 to 100watts

The used market is full of 80s, 90s and 2000s amplifiers.

There is absolutely no reason to Hodge podge a rig together.
Likewise with even just a 100 watt 1x15 ampeg rig. You can practice no problem and have enough stage volume when needed if the house has a PA

Just do a search in guitar centers used section or reverb.com

If you cant find used in your area GC ships anywhere.

Even your D180 on top of a used SVT15E would sound pretty dam good actually. Way better then 90% of the class dumb practice amps
 
#8
Count me among the folks who say that trying to use car-stereo speakers is not a good idea. Those drivers don't have the dynamic range and long-term power-handling capability to be of any use for bass guitar purposes. If you're just determined to go that route, at least start with a standard-sized driver like a 10" or 12", and/or make the baffle board removable, so you can re-purpose the box when you decide that you really do need a music instrument loudspeaker. My best advice is to find a practice amp on Craigslist. I've bought about a half-dozen small combo amps in the last year or so, and $100 is what I've typically been paying. Paid $120 each for a like-new Ampeg B112 and a Rumble 100 v1. My best buy so far has been a version 1 Rumble 60 for $40...the monkey-fur covering was mildly damaged by the seller's cat, but didn't look much worse than it did when it was new. I've also paid $100 each for an Ampeg B-115 (in somewhat rough shape and needed 3 replacement knobs) and an older Hartke KB-112. Paid $80 for an SWR Lab-12...that was the least satisfactory that I've made, in that it goes into protection mode for about 5 seconds every minute or so if you try to play it loud enough to keep up with anyone else. My point is, there are good deals to be had on small, used bass amps if you put in a little effort and are a little bit patient. It seems like the Rumble stuff offers the best bang for the buck in both new and used gear...I'm contacting a guy this afternoon about the version 1 Rumble 100-2x10 he's advertising for $130...if I can talk him down to $100, I'll probably buy it. Good luck with your pursuit, and welcome back to the down-low side.
 
#10
Jack Clayton said:
Hey guys, I'm new, was a pro in the 80's, sold all my gear in the 90's OMG, what a stupid thing to do, sold my Ricky 4001, my precious custom out of the back of the factory P bass, a G&L Active beauty... Now I want to get back into it. I'll post on another thread about the huge decision and direction I'm taking on my custom PJ, turning it from fretless to fretted and buying a neck from China, ditching that neck and now waiting for delivery of a neck from Warmoth.

In the mean time I'm looking for a quick fix for an amp. I still have my Mesa Boogie D180 in storage in my home town, been in storage for 30 years, wonder if it's worth anything?

Been looking at small practice amps like the Trace Elf and the 10" cab, but realised I could buy a car audio 10" sub enclosure, put a decent speaker in it and something like a Behringer Ultrabass BXD3000H for half that price.

Sorry to say, yes it's about money but also my DYI attitude and still don't want to compromise quality... too much. PLEASE say if you thing this is doable or completely stupid. Car subwoffers are basically ported or unported small powerful speakers, seems perfect?
Click to expand...
I'd be happy to take they Mesa Boogie of your Hands? Unless you've already sold it or Want to keep it that is
 
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