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Need recommendation for a very small practice bass amp.

S

skiltrip

Jun 12, 2008
93
0
#1
I need a very tiny practice amp for bass. Is doesn't have to go loud, in fact, I'd prefer it didn't. Not looking crazy awesome quality, just decent. I see Ibanez and Behringer make little amps around the $69 range. Any recommendations.

Seriously, nothing fancy needed, just something to cart around the house so I can play (relatively) quietly in whatever room I happen to be in.
 
#2
skiltrip said:
I need a very tiny practice amp for bass. Is doesn't have to go loud, in fact, I'd prefer it didn't. Not looking crazy awesome quality, just decent. I see Ibanez and Behringer make little amps around the $69 range. Any recommendations.

Seriously, nothing fancy needed, just something to cart around the house so I can play (relatively) quietly in whatever room I happen to be in.
Click to expand...

Any guitar or bass practice amp can produce audible sounds, though few if any can represent the lower fundamentals, so if you don't mind settling for a very mid-heavy tone, try what I did last week. I was on the road for the last couple of weeks and needed a little amp for motel room rehearsals with my tour mates. I walked down the street to a local music shop and found a used Fender Frontman for $29.99. :cool:

It is a toy but did the job.
 
#4
Marshall MB 30 is PERFECT. its got headphone socket, and 2 channels, modern and classic. BUT it costs about £100... worth every penny. I use it for smaller band practices
too.

In fact I like mine so much I've just swapped my backline to the marshall 4210 and 1x15. Amazing sound and VERY VERY versatile.
 
#6
I wanted something small and ended up going for a Lowdown Studio 110. I was originally looking at ones for half the price, but they generally only had 8" drivers and were mostly much bigger width and height cabinets. A 12" cube with a 10" driver sounds pretty impressive on paper. I just hope it is worth the extra money. I'm assured that it is.
 
#13
A small tube amp is also a possibility, but they aren't cheap. Mine is a 5 watter. Used to be in a guitar combo. Took the chassis out, use it as a head with a 110 SWR workingman's cab. The transformer's overkill and the EQ is bass-friendly so I can still get some great low end.
 
#14
thanks for all your replies. I do have a number of small guitar amps (Vox Pathfinder 15R, Fender Blues Junior). I didn't want to damage either of these, but I think at low volumes the bass should do neither any harm. What do you all think?

I also have a Zoom H4n which serves as a superb headphone amp, that actually includes a handful of amp models (Bassman SVT, Hartke, Sansamp). Also has a pretty nice Rack Compressor with very tweakable parameters that makes the bass sound punchy as hell. The H4n actually works pretty well with the headphone out going into my stereo receiver too.

For portable around the house use I think I'll give my Vox Pathfinder a shot at the job, I'll just make sure I don't crank it too hard. Should be ok right?

I think I was just looking to blow more money. Thanks again for talking me off that cheap little amp ledge. :)
 
#15
skiltrip said:
thanks for all your replies. I do have a number of small guitar amps (Vox Pathfinder 15R, Fender Blues Junior). I didn't want to damage either of these, but I think at low volumes the bass should do neither any harm. What do you all think?
Click to expand...

The speakers in small guitar amps can tear if you put too much bass volume through them. I think MF has much better speakers that you can swap in in around the $20 range in case that happens.
 
#16
skiltrip said:
thanks for all your replies. I do have a number of small guitar amps (Vox Pathfinder 15R, Fender Blues Junior). I didn't want to damage either of these, but I think at low volumes the bass should do neither any harm. What do you all think?...
For portable around the house use I think I'll give my Vox Pathfinder a shot at the job, I'll just make sure I don't crank it too hard. Should be ok right?...
Click to expand...

Yes.

The speaker will not be damaged if you keep the gain/vol down, and listen for extreme distortion on the lowest notes. If you hear distortion, back off the gain and lowside EQ. Keep the tone clean as possible and the volume soft. :ninja:
 
#17
Hello bought a peavey micro bass amp 20 watts into 4 ohm's sold the cheap 8" 4 ohm speaker on e-bay bought a 4ohm acoustic bass neo off e-bay for 15 buck's including shipping brand new, took a door knob cutter to the back center of the amp put a plastic port in thru the hole about half way to the magnet glued some bagend insulation i had ,,inside switched the wire's on the output jack so you can plug in another amp and it cut's the internal amp off,it worked out so well that i did it twice i have two ,these really sound great together run with the volume @ 2oclock bass mid treble off hooked up with a y jack thru tech 21 compactor and bass driver. very portable ,i used them both live with a 15 inch cabinet work's well for a personal vocal monitor as well great tone.
 
#19
I`m very happy with my Orange Crush 20B mini-combo practice amp.Even with a mere 20watts it goes w a y y y louder than I can play in my apt./duplex setting.Look on ebay as I got a new in-box one for only $100!They list for $159 from what I`ve read online.

And,yes,it does look pretty darn cool. :D
 

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