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Need advice choosing between 3 practice amp options

carvingcode

carvingcode

Mar 4, 2014
11
3
#1
Asked and answered many times in one form or other. Here's my version:

I'm looking for a practice amp for primary use in a small bedroom converted to music room. Here is the current list I've narrowed to:

* Boss Dual Cube Bass LX
* Fender Rumble Studio 40
* Boss Katana Bass 210

The Boss Katana Bass 210 is more amp than I need, but Sweetwater has reduced its price (as of 7 NOV 25) to that of the 110 and lower than the Fender Rumble Studio 40. The Boss Dual Cube Bass LX's battery powered option and onboard drum patterns could come in handy. The Fender Rumble Studio 40 has built-in MIDI/Bluetooth.

Again, this is primarily for practice, but I'm ultimately looking for sound quality. I play a Bass VI.

What's the buzz? Tell me what's happening? Thanks in advance.
 
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#2
carvingcode said:
What's the buzz? Tell me what's happening?
Click to expand...
Are you quoting Jesus Christ, Superstar? :roflmao:

I'd choose the Rumble, but I have a bit of prejudice against Boss amplification. If you think you might actually want to gig with it, the Katana is probably the better choice, but IIRC, it's relatively heavy for what it is.
 
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#3
Redbrangus said:
Are you quoting Jesus Christ, Superstar? :roflmao:

I'd choose the Rumble, but I have a bit of prejudice against Boss amplification. If you think you might actually want to gig with it, the Katana is probably the better choice, but IIRC, it's relatively heavy for what it is.
Click to expand...
Yes. Good catch on the quote. I would not have considered the Katana 210 prior to the price reduction. Too heavy and probably way too much for my room. The Rumble is my top pick, but wanted to get some contrarian opinions.
 
#6
1st. My opinion shouldn't really matter because my needs and taste are likely to be different than yours.

2nd. I have never understood the point of a practice amp. I would rather have an amp that is suitable for gigging. The Katana 210 probably qualifies, but I doubt I would buy it; being somewhat of a cork sniffer :bored:.

I do have some low power amps. My vintage Princeton is about 12W. I have used this for practicing bass. It would support low volume gigs for guitar. I also have Ashdown LB30 Mk1, LB30 Mk2, and CTM 30 Little Stubby. These are small by tube amp standards, but are fairly big and heavy if you compare them to a micro class D amp like the Trace Elliot ELF. I frequently practice louder than these amps are capable of playing, but I live in a stand alone house where it's not a problem. I think of the 30W Ashdowns more as recording amps than practice amps. The idea is to have a tube amp you can push to the edge without dealing with massive volume. I don't record and I bought them simply to satisfy my curiosity about tone. That buying binge included getting an Ampeg PF50T as well. A couple of the 30W Ashdowns seem to be play as loud as the PF50T.

I suggest brainstorming to identify you own specific needs and wants.

I took a quick look at the features and specs of the amps you mentioned and this is what I notice:

AFAIK the Dual Cube Bass LX is the most portable. Also it has a looper and rhythm generator which can be useful for practice. It does Bluetooth audio and has an aux in. Battery power can also be convenient. Might be okay for a campfire jam with dreadnaughts, but it's not going to stand up to busking very well. 10W into two 5s at 9lbs.

The Rumble Studio 40 is a bit bigger. Has Bluetooth audio, an aux in, and digital amp modeling. Should be louder and more capable than the Dual Cube Bass LX but you give up battery power. 40W into one 10 at 19lbs

Katana 210. Bluetooth audio and aux in. Digital effects. Louder and more capable than Rumble Studio 40. Ext speaker out, but I believe it kills the internal speakers. 160W continuous at 4 ohms into two 10s at 48lbs.

To me the most important feature would be the ability to meet volume requirements for intended purpose. If an amp is loud enough then my priority becomes tone. I don't really care about the other futures. Always nice if you can try before you buy.


Good luck!
 
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#7
gln1955 said:
My contrarian opinion is I prefer to have an amp thats just an amp and keep the effects out of it. I would opt for a Rumble 40, or better the Rumple 100, and then shop for a standalone unit with the effects and playalong features you want.
Click to expand...
This was my first option. Looking at the cost of the few effect pedals I am interested in, cost increases to about double what a modeler amp runs.
 
#9
carvingcode said:
Asked and answered many times in one form or other. Here's my version:

I'm looking for a practice amp for primary use in a small bedroom converted to music room. Here is the current list I've narrowed to:

* Boss Dual Cube Bass LX
* Fender Rumble Studio 40
* Boss Katana Bass 210

The Boss Katana Bass 210 is more amp than I need, but Sweetwater has reduced its price (as of 7 NOV 25) to that of the 110 and lower than the Fender Rumble Studio 40. The Boss Dual Cube Bass LX's battery powered option and onboard drum patterns could come in handy. The Fender Rumble Studio 40 has built-in MIDI/Bluetooth.

Again, this is primarily for practice, but I'm ultimately looking for sound quality. I play a Bass VI.

What's the buzz? Tell me what's happening? Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Why should you want to know??
 
#12
I don't know about your local prices, but in my market, there's not much difference between the Rumble and a Phil Jones Double Four Plus.
The latter is tiny, has a great sound which does not carry through walls as well as a proper 10 / 12 / 15 inch speaker would, which is a plus for home playing.
It does not shy away from the low B and is incredibly loud for something shoe box sized. It has bluetooth in, phones out and an option to run it off a laptop power bank via USB-C.
It works much better than the Roland and can be used at a campfire and, given the right sound and circumstances, works well for busking.

In my book, it's one of the best practice amps because of the feature set.

And from my snobbish viewpoint, an amp that does modeling should be, first and foremost, a capable amp.
Only when that box is thoroughly checked, you can add digital stuff that lets you model different amplifier profiles and such - but this will push the price point up some notches.
 
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#14
I have both the Roland Micro Cube Bass RX Bass Combo Amp
and the newly purchased
2025 Fender Rumble 25W practice amp.

The Roland Micro Cube Bass RX Bass Combo Amp is great because I actually do like having that built-in drum machine. The amp also has a on board compressor, chorus, flange and reverb effects built-in as well. The best part is that it runs on AA batteries so I can bring it to jam with my friends when they're playing their acoustic guitars by the pool side or jamming in the park.

The 2025 Fender Rumble 25W practice amp which I bought for my kid because they are in college and is perfect because it's light and it's not too loud for a college dorm environment. I know it's not the 40 W version but let me tell you it sounded fine in a bedroom or living room. It was only $129 brand new at GC.

If I had to purchase them both again I would because I am pleased with both of them for separate reasons.
 
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#15
I have a Rumble Stage 800, which is the Studio 40's big brother. I also have the Rumble 40 (not the Studio). I didn't care for the 40 much until I learned here on TB what the "flat" settings on the regular Rumbles are, which then revealed it to be a great little amp. I'm sure the others you mention are great little amps, but IMO the Studio 40 is the clear winner among those three.
 
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#18
Ever tried Peavey?
A lot of amp for the money.
Screenshot_20251108-100343.Chrome.png
 
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#19
I’d go for the Phil Jones option too. I have a CAB47 (4 x 7inch speakers). It’s tiny and sounds great. I do ‘theatre’ gigs/rehearsals with it and can add the CAB27 (2 x 7inch) on top, empower it with a nice little class D amp. It sounds full at low volume (provided you have a solid wall behind it (rear ported). And it’s really nice and compact and fairly lightweight (a cab in each hand, and the amp in a rucksack)
 

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