Poll: More or less amps?

[BBassBassington]

I'm getting my first dose of vaccine this month, which means that even though Ontario is in dire straits right now the end is in sight! And that means I get back together with the band soonish!

I've actually been considering having two rigs since before the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic though I've turned my office into a film and recording studio, so now is the time to finally make a decision.

I currently use a Fender Rumble 500 head and Rumble 210 cab as well as a decent-sized pedalboard. 90% of the time I just need the Rumble with the vintage and OD engaged. That's my tone. I'm obviously not a big fan though of setup and teardown of this rig to bring it back and forth. My health is and the extra energy this requires is often the difference between recording something this week and not. And the less energy I have to expend redoing old work the more energy I have for new work. So two rigs is a worthy plan for me.

All options cost the same in the end.

Option 1 has the advantage of I don't have to do anything. I put up an ad looking for a used Rumble cab and if it doesn't pay off I order a new one once I know when the band is getting together. I'd leave my pedalboard at home most times, so no effects with the band.

Option 2 is essentially a blend of the two, but it's not my favorite option. I don't need the volume when at home but the bigger amps have a better form factor, as I have to keep my amps and audio interface stacked. So the Studio would get shoved onto a small shelf. It just doesn't look as cool and on set that matters a bit.

Option 3 was what I was originally set on but have been starting to lean back towards option 1. It's very appealing to the minimalist part of me. 1 amp to rule them all. No need for pedals, I can stack my katana on it and ditch the audio interface, there's less cable mess, I don't leave anything anywhere and I don't have to worry about potentially storing an extra cab.

So yeah, just curious to see what others would do.

 

[musicman556]

I voted for the first option, but I actually have 2 complete rigs at home, and I don't really have a "rehearsal space." However, I play regularly at church, and leave an entire rig (410 and amp in a rack w tuner, power conditioner/supply) there.

 

[Verb the Noun]

I've just been leaving a spare cab at the band rehearsal space for a long time. Guitar and head is an easy pack and carry.

The lazy is still strong though, I usually reach for my acoustic during the week with head remaining in its travel case. Do whatcha gotta do, but know that even the most efficient set up is only as effective as your motivation to make it work.

 

[BBassBassington]

Do whatcha gotta do, but know that even the most efficient set up is only as effective as your motivation to make it work.

These are very true words! I like having my rig setup so that I grab a bass, plug in and turn on the wireless, and put on headphones if need be. But yeah even then sometimes I just grab the Mustang Micro and go sit in bed with a bass for the ultimate experience in lazy playing!

I don't even have to open Spotify on my phone. Soon as the Mustang turns on it connects to my phone and my phone mutes notifications and opens Spotify. It doesn't get much lazier then that. lol

 

[BBassBassington]

We're only 4 votes in and Talkbass is producing a unanimous opinion! Incredible!

 

[CallMeAl]

I vote option 1. Seems simple and logical. And seems like what you really want to do.

I have a Rumble 100 I leave at rehearsal. Then there’s my gig rig Markbass combo + extension that lives at home. Plus a Rumble 25 at home (since the Markbass doesn’t have aux or headphones). Might seem excessive to some but checks all my boxes and minimizes the schlep. All I have to to is bring a bass to rehearsal. And in your case, the Rumble head would be easy to carry with you.

 

[BBassBassington]

I vote option 1. Seems simple and logical. And seems like what you really want to do.

I have a Rumble 100 I leave at rehearsal. Then there’s my gig rig Markbass combo + extension that lives at home. Plus a Rumble 25 at home (since the Markbass doesn’t have aux or headphones). Might seem excessive to some but checks all my boxes and minimizes the schlep. All I have to to is bring a bass to rehearsal. And in your case, the Rumble head would be easy to carry with you.

Whatever works, works. I've seen people with an even more expansive list of amps then that as they'll have specific ones for specifics bands and/or venues.

My goal is to minimize the schlep for sure but more importantly I just want to simplify things. I love having a practically plug and play setup.

 

[G On Bass]

Whatever you decide, IMHO they should match as closely as possible. If you go the 2-cab route, get 2 of the same cab. Personally I would find it counterproductive to have my rehearsal set-up totally different from my gig set up.

 

[Dynomuttasaurus]

Up to 9 votes the same! I'm inline with some of the above with two complete rigs if you can afford it. Schlep and setup are the bane of productivity. I'm with you, the more plug and play I have myself, the more I jam. Hassle is just that...hassle.

 

[msb]

I like to keep my gig rig completely separate . It’s modular , two Bergantino cabs , and a Forte head . For many gigs I just need one cab . My main practice rig is a GK MB200 with a tiny Phil Jones C2 cab . But I have other heads and cabs stashed away ... just in case .
I always in danger of buying another amp .

 

[braud357]

Given the 3 choices offered, I say "none of the above" !!! I do accept the notion that a small amp will suffice for practice at home, it will probably not work at band practice. I also offer (and this is MY experience), that a 2x10 simply does not move enough air to work at my 8 piece horn band gigs. I plan to use my Eden 4x10 from here on out, and possibly add the Avatar 2x10 if it is a big venue or outside. (Yes, we do play with PA support). Everyone has different needs, and sometimes it takes a while to figure out what you need. I am lucky concerning band practice, the member that hosts our rehearsals has several bass amps in his shop, so I use what he has. Good luck - you will figure it out !!

 

[logdrum]

Option 1 - I have an AI Combo with the removable head. Vey easy to carry anywhere as a combo and not so loud because AI uses inefficient speakers by design but when you pair it with like a GK or Mesa cab , it is loud. Plus it is 2 ohm capable so in the unlikely scenario that I have to power a stack of 410's it will work. I have a backup Carvin B1000 head (900 watts supposedly).

So there are 2 projects I go to. One I left my old Carvin 2/10 cab and SWR 350 head. The other one has a fancy Bergantino IP 310 (power amp built in the cab), a choice of Alembic FX-I or an Avalon U5 preamps. Regardless, I always carry my Headway EBD-2 or my Radial Bassbone because I am always doubling with upright and EB.

 

[jthisdell]

Being able to leave a cab at rehearsal is great. I leave a Berg112 at the drummer's house and bring my TH head back and forth. I have a Berg210 at home but usually use headphones. My guitarist also leaves one of his amps at practice.

 

[Rnr..........4]

(2) 2x10. One (8ohms) for practice. Two (4ohms) for shows.

 

[BBassBassington]

Lots of love for the two cabs option!

@braud357 while my old GK MB112 worked for all the gigs I used to do I do have a part of me saying what you're saying. More is better. Ashdown has the Rm-414T-Evo which looks to be a 600-watt 410 4ohm cab. So I'd be able to put my Rumbles full 500 watts through it, and it's 46lbs! Which is a whole 7lbs heavier than my Rumble 210 and about $50 more than a Rumble 410. I have to research it a lot more but it's a very appealing option for a jam/gig rig.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I'm getting my first dose of vaccine this month, which means that even though Ontario is in dire straits right now the end is in sight! And that means I get back together with the band soonish!

I've actually been considering having two rigs since before the pandemic. Throughout the pandemic though I've turned my office into a film and recording studio, so now is the time to finally make a decision.

I currently use a Fender Rumble 500 head and Rumble 210 cab as well as a decent-sized pedalboard. 90% of the time I just need the Rumble with the vintage and OD engaged. That's my tone. I'm obviously not a big fan though of setup and teardown of this rig to bring it back and forth. My health is and the extra energy this requires is often the difference between recording something this week and not. And the less energy I have to expend redoing old work the more energy I have for new work. So two rigs is a worthy plan for me.

All options cost the same in the end.

Option 1 has the advantage of I don't have to do anything. I put up an ad looking for a used Rumble cab and if it doesn't pay off I order a new one once I know when the band is getting together. I'd leave my pedalboard at home most times, so no effects with the band.

Option 2 is essentially a blend of the two, but it's not my favorite option. I don't need the volume when at home but the bigger amps have a better form factor, as I have to keep my amps and audio interface stacked. So the Studio would get shoved onto a small shelf. It just doesn't look as cool and on set that matters a bit.

Option 3 was what I was originally set on but have been starting to lean back towards option 1. It's very appealing to the minimalist part of me. 1 amp to rule them all. No need for pedals, I can stack my katana on it and ditch the audio interface, there's less cable mess, I don't leave anything anywhere and I don't have to worry about potentially storing an extra cab.

So yeah, just curious to see what others would do.

I like the multiple cabs in various places bit and multiple amp heads too. For quite a while I left my DNS-210 and my small Eden TN-226 amp (225-watts rms) at my drummer's studio, because that was plenty for that small space. prior to that I just had a single Eden EX-112 that left there with amp but my guitarist could get loud enough that I'd have to dig in to my playing all the time to stay even with him and I didn't like sound. So I brought my DNS-210 over there because it is a significantly louder cab and I didn't have to dig in all the time with it. So that made rehearsals easy, just grab my bass and drive the 25-miles to his place.

I kept my big amp at home (WT500/800) in its rack in my music "closet" along with my other amps and cabs. I then pull them out as needed for whichever gig I am playing. I don't actually use an amp and cab at home for practice because we live in a "in-law's apartment" in the bottom half of a house on a hill. Our landlady lives above us so can't really play my bass in the house except with headphones. So I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Gen3 audio interface hooked up to my computer. That allows me to easily play along with any music on my computer and that audio interface sounds really good with my passive Jazz Bass and records it really well too.

So I guess I have a bit of a "if you have it, keep it where you need it" kind of an attitude.

 

[BBassBassington]

I like the multiple cabs in various places bit and multiple amp heads too. For quite a while I left my DNS-210 and my small Eden TN-226 amp (225-watts rms) at my drummer's studio, because that was plenty for that small space. prior to that I just had a single Eden EX-112 that left there with amp but my guitarist could get loud enough that I'd have to dig in to my playing all the time to stay even with him and I didn't like sound. So I brought my DNS-210 over there because it is a significantly louder cab and I didn't have to dig in all the time with it. So that made rehearsals easy, just grab my bass and drive the 25-miles to his place.

I kept my big amp at home (WT500/800) in its rack in my music "closet" along with my other amps and cabs. I then pull them out as needed for whichever gig I am playing. I don't actually use an amp and cab at home for practice because we live in a "in-law's apartment" in the bottom half of a house on a hill. Our landlady lives above us so can't really play my bass in the house except with headphones. So I have a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Gen3 audio interface hooked up to my computer. That allows me to easily play along with any music on my computer and that audio interface sounds really good with my passive Jazz Bass and records it really well too.

So I guess I have a bit of a "if you have it, keep it where you need it" kind of an attitude.

I like the idea of having multiple amp heads but every time I look at them I just think that's a ton of money to pay for a sound I like slightly less than my Rumble!

The multiple rig solution does seem to be very popular, same with headphone usage at home. Funny enough on the headphone front I have 6 pairs. My AKG K7xx lives at my PC, my Hifiman HE4xx live with my Rumble, my Sennheiser HD558s were demoted from main cans to Mustang Micro duty, and I've got Headrush bluetooth over-ears which were replaced with Samsung Galaxy Buds+ (designed by AKG). And I've got studio monitors at the desk and tiny powered 3-way speakers on my dresser.

So I guess really it's just time to take my bass rig in that direction too!

 

[Zoffy]

At home I have a Hartke HD210 and a Hartke HD112 along with an Acoustic (GC Acoustic) B100 combo amp. I'm refurbishing an Ampeg 410 for my band's studio (just waiting for the back-ordered drivers to arrive from Eminence). All of the amps are in the rotation for gigs depending on size and need. I'm thinking of getting another Hartke HD210 for home as well (which would give me a modular 410 with a 112 for extra whallop). Oh, as far as practice amps go, I have a Vox Pathfinder 10, but I use that mostly for a drum machine. I like having multiple options...

 

[CallMeAl]

I like the idea of having multiple amp heads but every time I look at them I just think that's a ton of money to pay for a sound I like slightly less than my Rumble!

Get the 210 now. Then get the stage 800 later; stack it on either of your 210s . 500 for backup.

 

[BBassBassington]

Get the 210 now. Then get the stage 800 later; stack it on either of your 210s . 500 for backup.

The Stage 800 could actually run two Rumble 210s for an extra tall stack that no one can read the settings on!