Newbie that needs amp

[kmaultsby]

I am just learning how to play the bass guitar, and I want to purchase amp to practice with and that I can grow into. I am using a Fender Jazz bass and I want to play all types of music from Hip-Hop, Jazz, Rock, and R&B. I have few questions.

1. What is sound difference between an all in one setup that has the Amp build in and with the amp separate?

2. What our the advantages and disadvantages?

3. What our the sound differences between single speaker like a single 8" 10" 12" and 15" speaker compare to a duel or four speaker setup?

4. And last base on what I am trying to do, what type amp or combination should I purchase?

 

[nashvillebill]

1. Some combo amps sound very good. Some combo amps sound lousy. Separate head/cab setups can sound good or lousy as well...it has more to do with the quality of the gear than any inherent design principle. Having said that , I'd say as a general principle, combos tend to be slightly lower in quality since many of them are marketed for intro-level players. There are exceptions of course--there are a few very high quality combos out there!! There's also a few crappy heads and cabs that could waste your money as well....

2. Advantages of combos:
-easier and faster setup
-simpler
-can be better if there are storage or transportation issues
Disadvantages:
-can be lower quality
-can't upgrade just one component (like buying a better head for example)
-less flexibility
-some people are quick to dismiss combo players as beginners (believe it or not!)

3. In general, more speakers produce a fuller sound with less speaker farting (because high-powered bass is tough on speakers). Again there are exceptions, a well made single 12" cab could conceivably outperform a poorly made, poorly designed bigger cab such as a 4x10.

4. Depends on your budget, transportation, storage, and setup requirements, as well as your taste. Try several different setups: tube amps with 6x10 cabs, solid-state amps with 4x10 cabs, old school 2x15 cabs, etc.

Acceptable results can be had with a used Peavey combo for a couple hundred bucks. A GK head with an Avatar 4x10 cabinet seems to be a good head/cab setup, used would be maybe 800. Of course you can easily plop down 3 to 4 thousand for a rig, and still not be sure if that's what you want. So try as many rigs as you can before you buy. Good luck!

 

[kmaultsby]

Thanks Bill on the GK will a 300 watt be good enough to start with to drive 4x10?

 

[nashvillebill]

Yep, 300 watts should be plenty, since it doesn't look like you'll be competing (volume-wise) with a couple of metal guitar players...