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Playing bass in an apartment...

hankazoid

hankazoid

Feb 27, 2009
227
70
49
DOT, Mass.
#1
I was wondering if anyone knew of a way that I could reduce the vibrations from my amp sitting on the floor so that I don't bother my downstairs neighbors.

I'm thinking about cutting a thick square of high density foam and placing it underneath my amp to help absorb some of the vibration.

Any other suggestions that can help are greatly appreciated.
 
#2
Decent Headphones.

Problem solved.


I don't even live in an apartment and I NEVER plug in my amp at home. If doing some home recording I 'may' plug in my head and run out of the D.I. on it, but usually I just run through my pedal board into my recording interface then listen via headphones. Why? Because it's the polite thing to do and help keep the peace in our house. If I was my wife I would not want to listen to a bass amp hammering away while learning something, or even just practicing.
 
#4
Turn it up as loud as it goes, only once. They wont complain about 1/2 volume ever again. Worked for me!

On a more serious note, they sell isolation pads for your amp to sit on. A D.I.Y. version should work just as well. That would be my first step. Quality headphones would be a good investment too.
 
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#8
couple thoughts

using a foam pad is a partial solution. If you look a the pro design pads like Auralex, what they have done is used 2 or 3 layers of different types of foam ... open cell, closed cell, etc and glued them together in layers to make sure no vibrations cross any of the foam boundaries. If you have a source for a coupe of foam types, you can DIY pretty easily. The pad will isolate the amp from the floor, but will NOT absorb the low freqs produced by your amp in the room. So, it is only a partial solution.

other methods:
good headphone amp and good quality (so they actually can reproduce the low freqs of your bass) headphones.

Stethoscope type headphone is pretty cool - stick it on the resonant body of your bass and phones in your ears. Does not exactly sound like your amp and bass output - but still pretty cool and inexpensive way to go.

pedal or DSP box (like Zoom or POD) that has a phone out .. just make sure you get good headphones ... NO Earbuds !! or it will sound pretty crappy

good luck
 
#9
As others have said, isolate the amp from the floor.

If your playing is loud enough, the sound will conduct through the walls and building structure. In that case, there is nothing you can do.

The point of solo practice is not to get a nice tone; it's to hear your notes, to improve your fretting technique, and to learn parts. You don't need a good tone to do that. Cut the bottom end as much as feasible, and practice.
 
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#11
I travel for a living. Heh, I'm in a hotel room right now.

When I can take a bass along, I throw a BP80 and headphones in the case. Occasionally, I take a Roland Micro Bass Cube.

The little BP80 is better than most will credit. Yeah the tuner could be better, but you can get some nice tones with it.

Discreet, compact, great for small spaces.
 
#15
Save the money you'd spend on foam and get your amp off the floor as others have recommended. Put it on a couch, bed or chair and aim it at your ears so you can keep the volume as low as possible. Good headphones are a decent alternative solution.
 
#16
I live in an apartment and play through an amp (Ampeg BA115 tilted back) and haven't had many problems with it. One thing that probably helps is our walls are thick and have fairly cool neighbors. The guy next door to me has commented that I'm getting better and requested a bit more classic rock. I never talk to my downstairs neighbor though so I can't say how much she can hear it...Foam might work but, like others mentioned, getting it off the floor would probably be better. If it is small enough maybe some boxes or milk crates would do the trick?

One thing to keep in mind is you apartment's noise policy. People are generally more relaxed about noise during the weekend (but not Sunday night) than on a work day. Good headphones are your friend! I never play before 10AM or after 9PM without headphones on. I also keep the volume relatively low when playing through the amp. As bobcruz mentioned tilting it back help a lot with this.
 
#17
If it's a medium or large sized amp, a foam pad (or putting the amp on your bed) might not make enough of a difference. What kind of amp is it?

If you want to play loud, get a practice space. To practice at home, you don't really need to play louder than a television.
 
#19
I live in an apartment and practice with a GK1001RBII connected to 2 Aggie 4x10 cabs, I also have a GK1001RB 2x10 combo I use as well as a markbass LMII paired with a GK RBH1x15 cab in my bedroom. What I have learned through the years is the better you get at your instrument the less likely you are to be hassled providing you practice at a decent level! Remember the word here is practice! You are not playing Madison Square Garden! When I walk out my building my neighbors say "your the one playing the guitar upstairs" When I first moved in and plugged up my next door neighbor lost it until he heard me play, now we speak all the time!
 

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