Looking to Upgrade

[Beginner Bass]

My friend just offered for me to join his band and I said yes. Then I realized my BT108 would have trouble cutting it with a guitarist, much less a drummer. So I was looking to upgrade to something that can be heard. I am looking at about a $100-$150 USD range (Yes it's small). I was looking at a used Rumble 25, but from what I've heard I'd probably be better off getting one cheap and trading it in for another amp. Is a Rumble a bad idea?

 

[MIJ-VI]

A 25 watt bass combo to keep up with a guitar and drums?: Invalid Link Removed

I don't think so. 15 watt and 25 watt rigs are bedroom/practice amps.

200+ watts into a 15" or 2x10" speakers would be a more realistic starting point. 300+ watts would be better.

Please save your money until you can afford a good quality gig rig.

EDIT: Something like the G-K MB115 at least: http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend...x15-200W-Ultralight-Bass-Combo-Amp?sku=581052

Or better yet, the MB210: http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend...x10-500W-Ultralight-Bass-Combo-Amp?sku=581053

 

[eggfan]

Can you bribe the guitar player $75 to turn down and the drummer the same amount to use brushes?

 

[RickenBoogie]

Agreed with MIJ.IV, you need to hold off and save up for a while. You need alot more amp than that, to keep up with a band. Good luck to you.

 

[MIJ-VI]

Can you bribe the guitar player $75 to turn down and the drummer the same amount to use brushes?

 

[Captain_Mark]

http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend...rabass-BX1800-180W-1x12-Bass-Combo?sku=481102

alot of people bash Behringer , but if you need something sooner rather than later, or your on a bit of a budget, i'd say this would do for now, I personally have a 160 watt Laney combo, and thats easily loud enough In my experience.

Good luck with the new band

 

[Beginner Bass]

Sorry to waste your time then. I'll just have to save then.

 

[eggfan]

You're near Austin, right? I was there recently to visit my brother, and was told by a guy who lives there that with the hard economic times, the local pawn shops are filled with good deals on music gear. I have no idea if this is true, but there's certainly no shortage of local musicians, and I did see quite a few pawn shops while driving in the area - maybe check those out in case there's a killer deal on a couple of hundred watts in your price range?

 

[lorenk]

For what its worth, a Fender Bassman 100 would be fine in a garage band setting provided the guitarist isn't using a big stack. I see 'em go for $150ish on craigslist a lot.

 

[FighttheSilence]

Used looks good in this case.

 

[MrTAteMyBalls]

i concur. look used. you could prolly find a 100 watt 1x15 combo in your price range that would work fine. an older peavey/crate/fender combo should do you pretty well and sound decent. Plus it would have at least a little resale value later. you can save for a more proper rig later since you need something usable now!

pawn shops/craigslist could be your friend in this case.

 

[Beginner Bass]

You're near Austin, right? I was there recently to visit my brother, and was told by a guy who lives there that with the hard economic times, the local pawn shops are filled with good deals on music gear. I have no idea if this is true, but there's certainly no shortage of local musicians, and I did see quite a few pawn shops while driving in the area - maybe check those out in case there's a killer deal on a couple of hundred watts in your price range?

Yeah, I'm about 30 minutes from Austin. Thanks for the suggestion. One of my friends is planning on selling his Rumble 25 (mentioned in OP) at about $50. Could I get a good turnout by buying it and then trading/selling it? What do they usually run for?

 

[lorenk]

Nah, rumbles are pretty..er...junky, for lack of a better term. I would just save the money and put it towards a decent combo. A 25 watt amp isn't going to compete against a guitar amp, let alone a drum kit. It doesn't have the power to drive a 10" speaker hard enough to compete with a kit.

Edit:
Another option, depending if you want to spend a bit more money up front, is to buy a small cab and amp at a pawn shop. That way when you need to produce more volume in the future you can sell the cab, get a bigger cab and keep using the amp you already bought. I recently bought a BagEnd S-15d at a local pawnshop for like $200 or so (I can't recall off the top of my head). There were tons of old Peavey amps in there for cheap, I would imagine a bigger city like Austin would have an even better selection then Bend (pop. 83k). Now, I use the BagEnd for home practice small jams and use my junk GK BLX 4x10 as the loud band cab. Also keep your eyes on Craigslist, I picked up a Mesa-Boogie RoadReady 2x15 for $80, all I need to do is figure out what drivers to replace the broken ones with and I can have a pro level cab for under $400, one that will last me a loooooong time.