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New bass practice amp

S

servetakid

Inactive
Dec 30, 2008
125
0
#1
i would like pointing in the direction of a decent practice amp around the 25-50watt mark, my max budget is about £150 - $250, i would like to know what people recomend. i dont really care about affects, i just want a nice clean sound
 
#6
I bought this for $250 and use it weekly for practice with a five piece blues/jam band. I have a nice "performance" rig... the Beheringer is great for this type thing. Cheap and powerful. It also has a CD (left/right stereo RCA connectors) and a headphone jack. I use it at home for silent practice all the time. It also has two channels, an octave divider, a compressor... but I don't really use the stuff. It has a 12" speaker.

During rehearsals, I plug my SANSAMP BDDI into the FX return and play away.

Don't let Beheringers past reputation fool you, they make some good stuff.

For $250 you can't beat it.
 
#7
GreggBummer said:
I bought this for $250 and use it weekly for practice with a five piece blues/jam band. I have a nice "performance" rig... the Beheringer is great for this type thing. Cheap and powerful. It also has a CD (left/right stereo RCA connectors) and a headphone jack. I use it at home for silent practice all the time. It also has two channels, an octave divider, a compressor... but I don't really use the stuff. It has a 12" speaker.

During rehearsals, I plug my SANSAMP BDDI into the FX return and play away.

Don't let Beheringers past reputation fool you, they make some good stuff.

For $250 you can't beat it.
Click to expand...

sounds good, how easy is it to transport?
 
#9
Transport:

Pretty easy. It is a kickback design. Great because you can use this in a pinch as a stage monitor (I do this all the time).

It has a handle on top... but I carry it with two hands. Easily fits in the trunk of your car, or back seat, or even the passenger seat.

Compare to the Acoustic amps... the advice given above is sound as well... Acoustic makes good stuff too.

Invalid Link Removed
 
#10
GreggBummer said:
Transport:

Pretty easy. It is a kickback design. Great because you can use this in a pinch as a stage monitor (I do this all the time).

It has a handle on top... but I carry it with two hands. Easily fits in the trunk of your car, or back seat, or even the passenger seat.

Compare to the Acoustic amps... the advice given above is sound as well... Acoustic makes good stuff too.

Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...

sounds a bit to big at 180watts, do they do a smaller version? this acoustic amp is hard to find in the uk
 
#12
My opinion, FWIW:

I like a practice amp to be loud enough to be heard in a basement/garage jam with a drummer and guitars. It doesn't have to be great... but good enough. I think 180W is a good size. In a pinch you can use it as a stage monitor or even a backup amp. The Behringer (and others... Hartke maybe?) have an XLR DI out on it. Great if you are recording or need a DI from the stage.

I find smallish amps (20W) to be useless... unless you are buying it for one purpose... practice by yourself in your bedroom. If you are just starting out, and can afford a 180W or combo, then see if you can swing it. Bass players WANT to play in a band... so be ready to do so.

BTW Hartke, Peavey, Acoustic... all make great stuff at this price point. Consider used as well.
 
#13
I have 2 vastly different practice rigs.
For bedroom practice I have a small Hartke B200- its a 20W amp perfect for that application.

I also have an old 150W Crate that is in the rehearsal space at my drummer's house.

So there you go, 2 different amps for 2 different purposes.
 
#14
GreggBummer said:
Transport:

Pretty easy. It is a kickback design. Great because you can use this in a pinch as a stage monitor (I do this all the time).

It has a handle on top... but I carry it with two hands. Easily fits in the trunk of your car, or back seat, or even the passenger seat.
Click to expand...


Do you need to use the SANSAMP BDDI to use this as a monitor? I read that the BDDI has 2 outputs. Or, is there a way to do this just coming out of the amp itself?

I'm just learning about plugged in sound. I play bass guitar and cello, and just recently started playing out and gigging with acoustic musicians. The cello doesn't need amping in rehearsal, and up till recently, I was able to get along on bass using my Roland Quad 4 to rehearse - a great practice amp btw, but only 5 watts. So I'm ready for something more powerful, but what I really need is a decent monitor on stage; I'm finding that most places I play the in-house monitors aren't loud enough. Problematic on bass, but a total killer on cello.
 
#15
CountessBassy said:
Do you need to use the SANSAMP BDDI to use this as a monitor? I read that the BDDI has 2 outputs. Or, is there a way to do this just coming out of the amp itself?

I'm just learning about plugged in sound. I play bass guitar and cello, and just recently started playing out and gigging with acoustic musicians. The cello doesn't need amping in rehearsal, and up till recently, I was able to get along on bass using my Roland Quad 4 to rehearse - a great practice amp btw, but only 5 watts. So I'm ready for something more powerful, but what I really need is a decent monitor on stage; I'm finding that most places I play the in-house monitors aren't loud enough. Problematic on bass, but a total killer on cello.
Click to expand...

The Sansamp BDDI is a preamp. I use it both in rehearsal and performance. I is basically a preamp and DI. It is not required to use the amp as a stage monitor. It has three channels. I have one set up as a clean boost channel, one set up for a "scooped" sound, and the last set up for a little bit of overdrive. This gives me flexibility. Sometime I don't even use an amp, I just go direct into the house soundboard from the Sansamp.

This is how I set up-

Bass---> SANSAMP BDDI (and Boss Tuner)---> Peavey Tour450 Amp (with Hartke 410 and 115 Cabs)


Peavey Tour 450----> Sound Board -----> Behringer Amp (used as monitor)

I get a pretty nice mix of the band by running from the Aux out on the soundboard and going into the FX return on back of the Behringer.

This is probably over complicated... but it works for me. Hope that answered your question.
 
#16
I picked up a Fender Rumble 25 that basically free as part of another deal. Originally I thought that I would just give it away or ebay it, but I have to say for a bedroom practice amp, it is very nice. I end up playing through it every day and have no complaints. it has RCA inputs for an mp3 player or trainer.

My usual small combo is an SWR Workingman's 10 which I have actually gigged with in a acoustic or even small electric setting.
 

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