Most popluar amp/rig? Is there a 'standard'?

[jmattbassplaya]

I don't see where the OP is asking what he/she should buy themselves, the way I read this^ post it's a question of what bass rigs others have chosen, and what is most "common".

It's easy. In the truly pro ranks; that is where expense, practicality, and worrying about whether your rig will fit in the family truckster or if you back is up to the task of schlepping it is a NON issue, the tube SVT/810 is king.
Take away the marketing endorsements and the percentage that choose the Ampeg rig is staggering.

Not what I choose to play personally, but there is no denying that a whole bunch of big league players who can play anything they want share their stage with the "king".
It's in most cases a proven winner, from the musicians POV and the engineers POV, like Fender basses; you know what you've got and it works/sounds great every time.

It's the bush leaguers that get sucked into the "rig dujour" syndrome, the ones that allow those cheap amps with big marketing budgets to enjoy their "15 minutes".
Good marketing and/or the "me too" Kool Aid drinking on this and other enthusiast forums that fuel the GAS fires of the wanna be's.
Remember MarkBass and Relics?

It's all good; it's fun and it's cheap. Nobody gets hurt, everybody gets to brag about their latest acquisitions and go on and on about how wonderful it is.
Until the next "latest and greatest" comes along...

But I digress; as several other posters have mention, if you want to know what the “Fender” of bass rigs is, in the pro ranks at least it's hands down the SVT with good reason.

In the bush leagues its generally whatever the poster got sucked/marketed/peer pressured into buying.

Not sure I agree. If anything, you only see so many Ampeg's on pro stages because those tend to be the most readily available backlines or rentals in any given city.

 

[fdeck]

There must be something that 50% of all players use.

Based on that amp preference poll, I'm guessing that the best you can hope for is around 5 to 10%. So, choosing the "standard" puts you in the same company as pretty much everybody else, of having a rig that most players either don't need, don't want, or don't want badly enough to care.

 

[JimmyM]

Not sure I agree. If anything, you only see so many Ampeg's on pro stages because those tend to be the most readily available backlines or rentals in any given city.

And why do you think that is? Because the majority of people renting backline ask for it. If as many people requested something else, you could find it anywhere, too. GK and Hartke get a butt-ton of requests from backline companies, too. You can always find them, too. And if nobody requested them, nobody would have them.

Cart before the horse.

 

[Jazzdogg]

OK, yes, I know it's 'whatever sounds good to you'....great advice for someone with 20 years experience.

Not worth squat for a newbie.

There must be something that 50% of all players use. I've been watching a lot of bands playing and see most choose a les paul or strat as a guitar, 4 string bass (squier/fender jazz is seems).

Of course there is a wide variety of instruments being played and a wide array of music out there and today there are fewer 'rules' than ever before. For example, I've seen a couple of bands now with no drummer -the lead singer or someone just has a bass kick drum. I see either no keyboards or a setup of half dozen of them. (korg being the brand I see most).

So is there a 'standard' (aka most popular) rig for bass for rock, country, jazz? (assume each has it's own preference).

Or is it a matter of get a modeling amp/pedal and what you choose for gear is unimportant?

So, you're asking, "What is the formula for regression to the mean?"

 

[Honkycat]

SVT and the fridge...is the standard of the industry.Not neccessarily the best,or the worst,but it is the standard which all others are judged by.

Much like a Shure 58 for a vocal microphone,or a marshall for a guitar amp.

 

[Kmonk]

I see more professional bassists using Ampeg SVT heads and Cabs than anything else.

 

[JimmyM]

SVT and the fridge...is the standard of the industry.Not neccessarily the best,or the worst,but it is the standard which all others are judged by.

Much like a Shure 58 for a vocal microphone,or a marshall for a guitar amp.

Nah, the SVT/810 is the best.

 

[willop]

So, you're asking, "What is the formula for regression to the mean?"

When I watch music being played (on tv, videos, etc) I see an overwhelming number of guitarists with a les paul or tele. In every genre of music.
When I go to the store there are 1000 guitars there - so someone must be buying/playing the other 998 models of guitar.


With bass the fender p or j bass are the most popular, but here it appears to be a wider array of instruments being played.

So why do most choose among 4 guitars? Because 'the rock gods' played with them? Or because they better/more versatile, or because nothing else made sounds like them?

OK, on to the amps - the other half of 'the sound' you make. I can get a wide range of sounds/effects out of a guitar or amp, add on some pedals and it's nearly unlimited.

So then does it matter what you play ( guitar or amp wise?)? No, truly - DOES IT MATTER?

now as to my question 'what's the most popular' - the question I suppose was poorly asked. My fault. Sorry.

What are the top couple of amps for home/gigging with friends? As in the most versatile, reliable, easy to find used/sell one day easily, affordable/best value?

 

[dspellman]

OK, yes, I know it's 'whatever sounds good to you'....great advice for someone with 20 years experience.

Not worth squat for a newbie.

There must be something that 50% of all players use. I've been watching a lot of bands playing and see most choose a les paul or strat as a guitar, 4 string bass (squier/fender jazz is seems).

As a self-proclaimed bass newb (stretching beyond keyboards and guitar), I assumed that I'd be okay using some kind of P or J bass, a 4x10 or two and about 500W worth of head. I've worked with a lot of bass players who had Ampegs and then a whole mix of "other." I'd had to help with 8x10s (the other "general" choice) and decided I wasn't interested in grunting around one of those. But those, too, are "standard."

What I'm ending up with is a whole 'nother story, but that's for another thread.

 

[dspellman]

When I watch music being played (on tv, videos, etc) I see an overwhelming number of guitarists with a les paul or tele.

With bass the fender p or j bass are the most popular, but here it appears to be a wider array of instruments being played.

So why do most choose among 4 guitars? Because 'the rock gods' played with them? Or because they better/more versatile, or because nothing else made sounds like them?

Forty years ago, if you walked into a music store and asked what you should get to play guitar, you'd be told "A Les Paul or a Strat" for guitar (teles were for cah-huntry and westrin pickers) and a Marshall stack for gigs, a Fender Twin for practice.

Twenty years ago, if you walked into a music store and asked what you should get to play guitar, you'd be told, "Something like a Les Paul or like a strat" and "something like a Marshall Stack for gigs and something like a Fender Twin for practice."

This year, if you walk into a music store and ask the same questions, you'll still walk out with something like a Les Paul or a Strat (teles are a bit more popular and acceptable for rock and roll, as are SGs). Amps have changed. For one thing, they're mostly smaller. And newbs are being tossed a Line 6 Spyder or a Fender Mustang.

Guitar players tend to be very much sheep in lock-step and very suspicious of anything that isn't like their heros played. That's just NOW changing, in large part because guitar bands are no longer the gold standard in pop music. Chick singers are.

Bass players tend to spread out a bit more, and they seem to be a lot more willing to play with technology. There are standards, to be sure, but I was very surprised to find that bass players are more than willing to break old molds. But bass players never really had the kind of hero worship that guitar players did, and they show up across a lot wider band of current pop music, even those that emphasize synths.

 

[aquamentus]

Yep, Fender through an Ampeg.

 

[Broadstbully22]

I would write down what you need to get out of a rig, then what you want. That will get you into a certain type or class. Facter in budget, size and options. Then research all brands in those areas you find and pick the one you naturally like the sound of while playing your bass and boom. You have met your amp.

 

[fdeck]

Something else to consider about popularity is the typical demand curve, to wit: Cheap stuff sells more units than expensive stuff. So, if you're looking for the most popular of anything, you're likely to find it at the lower end of the price scale.

The most popular amp probably costs less than $1000 (including speaker), and may even cost less than $500.

 

[Jim Carr]

IMHO, a small, light, but powerful (500 watts or more into 4 ohms) used amplifier, and a couple of matching top quality used 8 ohm speaker cabinets are what you want. Plan to spend ~$400 to ~$500 on each of those three used items.

Common amplifier brands to consider: ampeg, aguilar, eden, gallien krueger, genz benz, hartke, markbass, mesa, swr—there are others.

Common cabinet brands to consider: acme, ampeg, aguilar, avatar, barefaced, bagend, bergantino, BFM, epifani, fearful, gallien krueger, genz benz, markbass, mesa—there are others.