Newer bassist, how much power do I need?

[lamarjones]

I personally find all of this talk about PA doing the job misguided.

At BEST CASE scenarios, you get to run through the monitors enough where it feeds yourself. Typically, running bass through PA monitors isn't the priority, melodic instrument and most importantly vocals are the primary inhabitants of monitors. A LITTLE bass in there usually suffices for when you are far from your amp. And yes, if you had your own submix, yes you can do the job. but the amount of people who say to rely on that seems crazy to me. Yes I play mostly at venues and events with PA, and this is almost always the case IMO.

That said, if no one has said it, different amps have different watt ratings but all watts aren't created equal. My main travel rig is 2 2x10s and a Little Mark III head. Totally takes care of a lot of volume. That said SLEEP is a huge rumbling on the low end. But I would think an older GK800RB would be the cheapest way to get that kind of wool. Other than that, tubes to get that kind of tone.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about that and just get a setup you don't mind moving a lot, and a head that you won't have to replace. Do what you gotta do to get the right head, get cabs off craigslist or something. Maybe the head as well.

As for an actual number, 350-500W. Ampeg watts probably need closer to 500, Markbass and GK should be good around 350.

 

[Stewie]

Unless they are micing the drums, you can get by with a decent comb.o. I play an old fretless Jazz bass and try to sound as close to an upright as I can. I have been using a Peavey TNT 130 for the last 25 years. 130 watts into a medium quality 15. It finally started to have problems. Not worth a rebuild. So I went out and tried all the 200-300 watt 1X15 combos from China. Ampeg, Peavey and Fender(didn't try the Acoustic) They all farted when I tried to get any real bottom out of them, so I found an old Fender 300BXR 1X15 combo. Heavy as Hell, but sounds awesome. I haven't cranked it to the point of distortion because I don't want to break windows.

What I'm saying is that if you have the strength to carry them, the old Made in U.S.A combos are well worth at least checking out.

 

[Muttleybass]

My personal minimum is 300w. Most guys around here like their 410 cabs, but in smaller venues a 210 will work just fine. I love my 2 12 cab.

Tube amps are generally a tad warmer and seem louder. My old GK 800rb was SS and sounded incredible, but after 30 years I went with a Fusion 550 for a bit more warmth.

Lots of options in the Vancouver CL right now... There's a Markbass head in Delta for $400 (discontinued, but so what?) and a 4 ohm, 700w Eden 410 for $450... That would be an AMAZING rig for $850 CDN. That would be all you ever needed. (they're not mine and I'm not affiliated in any way... I'm just a CL junkie)

 

[Ron Johnson]

410 cab, 300 watt SS head. Loud enough for practice and hearing yourself on stage, and it will be heard through the PA anyways for live settings.

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Also, IME Orange amps excel at 1 main sound.......they are not the most flexible heads out there, nor do they offer the most bang per buck.....just my .02.

The TB500 can work well in a multitude of situations, you just have to know how to use it.
I swapped the tube in V1 for a lower gain JJ, and i max out the mid knob to counteract the baked in mid scoop.
I've used this head for 3 years, averaging 100+ gigs per year, playing country, rock, funk, coffee shop singer/songwriter, blues, church music, metal, prog, and whatever else I get called for, all to great acclaim from soundmen and bandleaders.
The only complaint I have about this head is that the DI is insanely hot and can be almost unusable if you don't know how to tame it.

As i use it, it has almost a wooly B15 sort of vibe, which just works.
You gotta know how to use it.

 

[micque]

How big you go depends on the physical shap your in, I found the 8x10s fun, my vertabrea's did not, If your young and can drag it up a flight of stairs, go for it.

 

[dgrizzly]

nightclubs and are between 200-600 in capacity. This band will be along the vein of Sleep's Holy Mountain (so quite bass heavy, Sabbath-inspired and riffy). I would like a bit of headroom.

"more is better"

You're 20 and playing heavy music? Get a used fridge and solid state head of choice. Lots of options for $1500 if you consider buying used, but you can probably still get a used fridge and something like a brand new Tonehammer 500 for that (I don't know about Canada prices sorry!). With 8 10's, I can't imagine you would need more headroom, but your back will pay for it!

 

[Plutonium244]

I'd suggest a good 2x12, such as a Bergantino or Barefaced, and either a Aguilar TH500 or GK MB 500. Something along those lines. I'd be surprised if you ever needed more than that. As was pointed out, more speaker cab adds volume better than more amp watts.

 

[Djadja]

I apologize if this was said before - I didn't read through the entire thread.

As a minimum, I would say to plan on 10X the power that the guitar player is using and roughly the same amount of speaker area. So, if your guitar player is running 30 watts into 2 12's, you want a minimum of 300 watts into 2 12's. If the guitar player has a 50 watt half stack... 500 into 4 12's. I am talking solid state or class D bass watts here. For me a tube head isn't even a consideration. Too heavy and too expensive. If you're a tube guy, go with a 300 watts SVTish head and be done.

As was said, wattage is inexpensive right now (at least in solid state and class d) so go with more watts rather than less. For what you've described, I wouldn't go with under 500 and would lean to 750-1000 watts in a solid class d design. Then come speaker cabs. Personally, I prefer the idea of modular set up. Depending on the head and whether it will do lower than 4 ohms, maybe a single 12 and a 212. That way, you can schlep only what you need. Light weight, loud, good sound, inexpensive are the criteria you want to think about in a cab and you can never get more than three and sometimes only two.

As for PAs, many places where I play do have good PA's for FOH but monitors are another situation so at the least, I need enough to hear myself on stage... which takes us back to what the guitar player is using.

 

[Dbassmon]

You can never have too much power.... You may not use it but you don't want your amp running out of power. 500watts is good. I use a 900w into 4ohms and its all about headroom... I have it and my sound is always beautifully articulate and transparent. Depending on your style, transients from slapping can eat power.

 

[DavC]

getting sound 'up' closer to your ears is key for you ... just as we'd aim our keyboard amps or have our Leslie near by .. ! i like the Vertical stack idea a lot .. 2 2x10 or 2 2x12 ... then what you hear is the same as whats going passed your knees .. !

i'd think 500 watts would be fine ... unless you're playing outside , then you can never have enough !

 

[bikeplate]

As much as you can afford. A class d head is a good start. Inexpensive and powerful

 

[groovaholic]

@GeezerGuy Al Cisneros used (relatively) low wattage amps in Sleep but LOTS of speakers.

I'd recommend finding an old Peavey "BASS" amp and as many as four 8-ohm 1x15" cabinets.

That's your most affordable way to get in that ballpark...

 

[TinIndian]

OK. I'll jump in. I play similiar size venues. My gig rig is a Genz Streamliner 900 and a Genz NeoX 212t. Never had a problem being heard.

 

[lomo]

The TB500 can work well in a multitude of situations, you just have to know how to use it.
I swapped the tube in V1 for a lower gain JJ, and i max out the mid knob to counteract the baked in mid scoop.
I've used this head for 3 years, averaging 100+ gigs per year, playing country, rock, funk, coffee shop singer/songwriter, blues, church music, metal, prog, and whatever else I get called for, all to great acclaim from soundmen and bandleaders.
The only complaint I have about this head is that the DI is insanely hot and can be almost unusable if you don't know how to tame it.

As i use it, it has almost a wooly B15 sort of vibe, which just works.
You gotta know how to use it.

I hear you. Of course varying the gain structure will allow you to get some different tones out of the TB500. Having said that, if versatility or watts per dollar are a concern, it's not tops on my list

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

Having said that, if versatility or watts per dollar are a concern, it's not tops on my list

I completely agree.
The Fender Rumble 500 for $350 woot would be my choice for that.
That said, i got a swinging deal on my (used) TB500 because my friends have more money than sense!

 

[chaosMK]

As far as I know, he uses some kind of tweed wrapped 2x12 Fender tube driven amp, didn't take note of the model when I saw it but those all tend to be in the same ballpark from what I know

If he's only using a Fender 2x12 you can probably hold up with a 4x10 or 2x12 cab (600w solid state still a good target for head). If he expands down the line, add a matching cab.

 

[wmhill]

yup- I'd say 300 watts minimum, and whatever you like for a cab.

 

[Quilbert]

300w and a good efficient 2x12 or 4x10 is ample. 410s are as cheap as chips these days.

 

[IconBasser]

Seems like the last few pages are all saying the same thing at this point. I agree with em, so I'd like to reinforce this point with superfluous caps:

BUY USED!!!!!
NO, SERIOUSLY, BUY USED!!!!

the classifieds here on Talk bass have thousands of very reputable sellers. You'll be able to find top of the line fancy botique gear that's only a couple years old for the same price as the stuff at guitar center.

This is important because the top of the line stuff lasts. It can take abuse. The engineering is far better. You won't have to worry about it crapping out in the middle of a set. That's happened to me before when I went cheap (Carvin) and it sucked having to sit out the last song at a gig because a driver blew up.

Plus, the market is in your favor at the moment. Prices for awesome amps have been dropping steadily over the last few years: you can get a behemoth Genz rig right now for about 1000 bucks if you shop right.