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moving to a small apartment -practice amp recommendation

pbass888

pbass888

Up the Irons! Westham United FC--mile high irons
Supporting Member
Jul 8, 2009
2,298
2,152
Denver
#1
So Im moving to a tiny nyc apartment with a child,wife and dog. I was wondering if there are any recommendations for a small good sounding practice amp. My main gigging head is a LM II but in the last few months Ive been using my minimark amp for gigs which have been mostly jazz trios and duos.

Should I just use my minimark for practice? Im not a big fan of headphones while practicing and would like a decent sounding small amp at a reasonable price (say sub $150) and would definitely consider used. Looking at the plugging the ipod in and keeping the volume low.

Any one have any suggestions? I guess I have two questions, if you had the minimark is that the way to go? Or should I spring for one of the small ampeg (1x8) or mini fender practice amps?

Thank you in advance! Any help appreciated.

PS I was thinking something along this size type....
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#5
I use a 200 watt Nemesis combo or a Rogue 120 watt, I prop them both on chairs that sit on top of foam and I've had no issues; I play on really low volumes though.

Just make sure your amp doesn't let any bass travel or vibrate through the floors or walls and you should be okay. Don't go nuts and play at happy drunken jam levels like I do carelessly sometimes...:bassist:
 
#8
pbass888 said:
if you had the minimark is that the way to go?
Click to expand...

Yes, just use your Minimark. If you did not have one already I would have suggested that amp to you! :)

I love mine, works great for gigs and for practice, why would you want/need anything smaller? :hmm:

I use my Sennheiser HD280Pro headphones with it, occasionally, sounds great through them.
 
#9
Mixer and headphones or studio monitors plus some sort of preamp seems like the only way to get good bass tone and clear reproduction of your ipod.

FWIW I use a little 45W Behringer and plug the iPod into that. It's enough. Obviously Behringer are not most people's first choice in tone :) , but I've never heard a tiny amp that sounds big.
 
#10
I'm a firm believer in not spending money that you don't have to. Minimark is a fine little amp for practice and very small gigs. But I really do like those little Ampeg combos...I have a BA110 and a BA108, and the BA108 is my workhorse for the smallest little jazz gigs I do. Doesn't have a butt-ton of volume but it's enough to get myself in the mix with an amplified banjo, trumpet, and very light-playing drummer. If you have disposable income for it or plan to sell the Minimark, then I think they're totally worth a hundy. BA110's $80 more but gets louder if you need it and has a very similar tone. But really, the BA108 gets it done for me in those situations.
 
#11
JimmyM said:
I'm a firm believer in not spending money that you don't have to. Minimark is a fine little amp for practice and very small gigs. But I really do like those little Ampeg combos...I have a BA110 and a BA108, and the BA108 is my workhorse for the smallest little jazz gigs I do. Doesn't have a butt-ton of volume but it's enough to get myself in the mix with an amplified banjo, trumpet, and very light-playing drummer. If you have disposable income for it or plan to sell the Minimark, then I think they're totally worth a hundy. BA110's $80 more but gets louder if you need it and has a very similar tone. But really, the BA108 gets it done for me in those situations.
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Sounds like my line of thinking. I want to thank all you guys who mentioned staying with what i have. I think i will. Thank you for all the input.
 
#13
seanm said:
A small mixer and headphones ;)
Click to expand...

THIS.

Seriously. I moved in with the GF and her daughter. Plus neighboring apartments. There was no way I was firing up a live amp of any size.

Instead, I got me a small $35 mixer and a really good set of $65 headphones.

it's really excellent for practice and learning material. I can combine mp3 playback through the mixer into it, too. Plus, I recently discovered that if I strung everything together a certain way, I could get the signal to my laptop and record myself into GarageBand. Bonus.

Best $100 I've spent in a while.
 
#15
I love my Roland Bass Cube 30. New they can be a bit over your price range, but I snagged mine used in perfect condition for $125 shipped. Decent range of models, the FX are fun and occasionally useful, and in general it just sounds pretty damn good. I've got a portable rig to begin with (Walkabout Scout), but this thing is so convenient I wind up using it for most of my quieter jams or writing sessions since it's so light, and the build is really durable. Great piece of gear. With the Aux in, this doubles as my go-to synth amplifier as well.
 
#18
Like others have said, stick to the minimark. Why dish out money for something you don't REALLY need?
IMO however, the mixer + preamp + headphones set up is probably a good way to go if you are worried about upsetting the neighbors! Cheers
 

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