Lunch Time Practice Setup

[BluBasPlr]

Been thinking, Rarely go out for lunch during the work day. Would like to bring a bass and practice during that time. I can shut my door and should be able to play on most days. I'll need to do so silently. I've seen a Fender Micro headphone amp. Wondered if that could work. Another option would be to bring a combo (have a couple) and use with headphones. I would leave the bass and amp in my office. Suggestions? Anybody doing this?

 

[bholder]

I did for a few decades though never used it much and the bass neck was ruined by the dry heat. Never went beyond headphones myself, though.

On the other hand, would this suffice??

 

[Al Kraft]

Been thinking, Rarely go out for lunch during the work day. Would like to bring a bass and practice during that time. I can shut my door and should be able to play on most days. I'll need to do so silently. I've seen a Fender Micro headphone amp. Wondered if that could work. Another option would be to bring a combo (have a couple) and use with headphones. I would leave the bass and amp in my office. Suggestions? Anybody doing this?

Depending on the amp(s)you have, many of the small, light weight class D heads have a headphone out. Since these heads an be run without any speaker load, all you need is some headphones, your bass, and an instrument cable. You may already have all the pieces at home right now and not need to spend an extra penny to accomplish your goal.

If you want to go super light, many of those headphone amps are reported to work just fine. Aguilar has one out as well. I suspect you just need to choose your voicing preference as I'm not sure that any one brand is more reliable than any other.

 

[BluBasPlr]

I did for a few decades though never used it much and the bass neck was ruined by the dry heat. Never went beyond headphones myself, though.

On the other hand, would this suffice??

That should work LOL

 

[BluBasPlr]

Depending on the amp(s)you have, many of the small, light weight class D heads have a headphone out. Since these heads an be run without any speaker load, all you need is some headphones, your bass, and an instrument cable. You may already have all the pieces at home right now and not need to spend an extra penny to accomplish your goal.

If you want to go super light, many of those headphone amps are reported to work just fine. Aguilar has one out as well. I suspect you just need to choose your voicing preference as I'm not sure that any one brand is more reliable than any other.

I've thought about class D head too. I've got an Ampeg RB112 and a Fender Rumble 100 combo amps. I think I'll bring one of them and use with headphones. Also, have some class D heads I could do as well. Thanks!!

 

[WRM]

You might consider a Zoom B1Four or B1XFour pedal. Relatively inexpensive, has a tuner, can power headphones, and can be battery powered (4 X AAs) or USB powered.

 

[31HZ]

I use a Café Walter headphone amp, it's basically a two-channel mixer with a headphone output. I input audio from my work PC with a 1/8" stereo audio cable, and practice along to YouTube videos, iRealPro, gig recordings, etc.

 

[Clark Westfield]

I have a SWR LA10 combo that just pumps at low volumes.

Sounds great when at work just noodling around.

Picked up for free from a colleague.

 

[AK Bass Guy]

If you have an IPhone or IPad you could just connect a pocket interface and use GarageBand.
It comes free on all Apple devices.
IK Multimedia is a real popular interface.

iRig HD X - Ultimate guitar experience. Anywhere.

iRig HD X is the new flagship of the iRig guitar interface family, bringing breathtaking sound quality and even more advanced features to guitarists everywhere.

www.ikmultimedia.com

There are also cheaper interfaces out there.
Other option is a small 2 channel analog mixing board that has a 1/4" instrument input.

My "quiet" setup at home is a little more elaborate.
I have one of these mixers below going into my IPad Air which has Logic Pro app.

Side note if anyone has been sitting on the fence about purchasing the above product it is a great versatile piece of gear to have in your inventory. No regrets on this purchase.

 

[shirojiro]

I tried a Vox Amplug for practice at work. It's ok, and it works, but it's plasticky and feels like it's going to break because it hits my work chair and the sound is only ok.

I ended up preferring to use something like a Zoom B3 or a Zoom h4n pro recorder. They both can be a USB interface as well so you can plug them into an iPhone, iPad, or computer and use what ever software you like.

They both run on batteries and are powered via USB when plugged in.

I also got an Ibanez Mikto bass for work, and while it's decent and plays ok, I never really loved it. It's sitting in a closet right now. I should probably get rid of it.

 

[Shenron]

I would use a small multifx like B60 or B1four.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

I used to. Back during the 2020 lockdown there wasn't anyone much else in the building anyway, but I kept a little practice amp in my office and when I had a few minutes I'd plug up and play. I even had a Ibanez parlor bass in the service truck for a while, good for passing time on a long night on standby.

Sounds like your best bet is a headphone out.

 

[Spectre Gunner]

There are plenty of headphone amps (HA) designed specifically for the bass and most are just ok. But if you want to take it to the next level then you can't beat a hand size HA. I have a few I've obtained over the years to include the (Phil jones Bass HA2) and the "Darkglass Element". The PJB HA2 has a very clean and articulate sound and you will hear your bass and your technique exactly like it is. Hearing yourself cleanly is a great way to work on and improve your technique. The PJB HA2 has the best sound quality for general headphone listening. The Darkglass has two headphone outs and 5 cab sims with more online. Another nice HA specifically designed for bass is the wireless "Boss Waza Headphones for Bass". My favorite feature of Waza Headphones is that it's bluetooth which gives you up to thirty feet and no cable to manage but there are a lot of hidden features to include 6 drum patterns you can jam with. The three I mentioned have been around long enough to find plenty of deals on used and sometimes new.

Just about every modern combo I've seen has an aux input and makes a good headphone amp. The plus side to using one of your combos is that zero $$$ leaves your wallet. The downside is their size and appearance which will certainly draw attention to your office space (funny movie by the way). Don't be surprised if you're asked to be the entertainment at the office party . So that's another benefit of using just a hand-size HA in the office .

 

[bobhibson]

Second the class D amp. I have a TC electronics that goes with me on most vacations. Bonus is that I keep it in my gig bag just in case there is an issue with main unit.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The Boss Waza Air headphone system is probabaly the closest I've seen to checking all the boxes on a silent headphone practice system.... except for the price! As a purely Bedroom Bassist, I've been searching for the "perfect" headphone practice system for years. The Tascam Bass Trainer is pretty good, with a few half-decent built in effects, metromome, etc. of course I bought the CD version of it about 1 week before they switched over to all MP3, and the CD player sucks. Other than the Waza Air, I don't know of another high quality headphone system tha's has everything I'd want:

Cordless Bluetooth input and headphone. I hate tangling and tripping over cords
Lline in/Line out with separate volume controls or blend knob
Built-in Tuner
Built-in drum machine, even a simple one
Built in looper
Built in DI
A couple decent built-in effect. like a drive, maybe a chorus, compression, etc.

The Boss bass practice amp has most of these features, and actually sounds pretty good.

You can assemble all these features in bits and pieces, but I'm surprised there isn't more competition for this market.

 

[WaldoNova]

The Fender Mustang Micro will work for this purpose. It sounds decent, has Bluetooth connectivity and can be had fairly cheap. All you'd need is a decent set of headphones. I use mine all the time and it does what I need it to do.

 

[cxc]

I use either a zoom b1 four w phones or an inexpensive interface (m-audio mtrack solo) into a laptop. Or both. Added benefit of using an interface is being able to play along w YouTube and pc audio sources silently. Variable tempo drum tracks on the b1 four get a bit of use too.

 

[MaxSpinrun]

I have a Genzler Magellan Pre/DI. High quality headphone pre, with aux in for playing with external source such as your phone etc. very good DI if you ever need it. Very extensive EQ with two switchable contours. Well built and designed.

 

[Hurricane Jimmie]

So Anyway, when our kids were very young, I used a Zoom pedal with headphones to practice. I was able to keep up with songs I needed to learn without disturbing anyone.

I never brought any music gear to work, except to play for company fundraisers. Part of the reason was image, part was security.

However, if I had owned my own company, I'd would have gone full tilt Ampeg SVT. All evaluations and raises would have been tied to the mandatory glowing reports of my bass awesomeness that each employee submitted on a weekly basis. The best reviews would be published in the company newsletter...which would also list all of my upcoming gigs.
It's probably a good thing I didn't own my own company.

 

[sheesh]

There are SO many options for this nowadays.

Minimalist: Cheap and clean Electroharmonix headphone amp - tone so clean you probably won't like it, if you want to sound like an amp. No aux input, one volume dial. well made metal case. 9volt, almost the size of a small flashlight.

High quality and small: Phil Jones bass head pro great sound lots of controls, comes with cables, lots of inputs, lithium rechargable.

Doubles as a gig pedalboard: Peavey/Trace Eliot Transit B has built in effects, tuner, lots of inputs, and headphone out.

Lots of Tones: Boss Pocket GT

Best choice for me for desk practice: Yamaha AG06 mixer (also AG03) - plugs in to computer to listen to songs and can record with computer.

As was said, most new amps (including high wattage ones) come with headphone jacks.

I need a good set of headphones to practice the bass. Anything cheesy or cheap and I lose interest fast.

great flat sounding headphones AKG K240 flat meaning accurate - you will hear a lot of detail less than $100
bassier Beyer Dynamic less than $200