practice amp...

[BassicJazzy]

I use an older GK MB150 amp (the one housed in an aluminum cabinet). I got it for a song about 20 years ago and love it! It's light, powerful for it's size and does everything I want it to do. I've even used it in smaller clubs and it seems to hold it's own. Unfortunately, used prices have skyrocketed on these amps over the past half dozen years...not sure why. I bought mine for 125 dollars...now in the 500+ dollar range. I mean, they're good amps but not THAT good...LOL

Unfortunately like everything made in USA it's got to cost 3X as much as the near equivalent made elsewhere. I guess that they have limited production capacity so if they can get people to buy at that price point, why not?

I looked at GKs and they are very nice, but in L.A. there's only one shop that is "authorized repair" and they are in Hollywood. I don't have body armor, or a big enough gun, so opt not to go to Hollywood, and got the Rumble instead.

 

[timmus]

Unfortunately like everything made in USA it's got to cost 3X as much as the near equivalent made elsewhere. I guess that they have limited production capacity so if they can get people to buy at that price point, why not?

I looked at GKs and they are very nice, but in L.A. there's only one shop that is "authorized repair" and they are in Hollywood. I don't have body armor, or a big enough gun, so opt not to go to Hollywood, and got the Rumble instead.

yeah, I learned as an amp tech, the earlier ones have a "linear" power supply and the newer ones have a SMPS (Switched Mode Power Supply). The linear supply is SO much easier to work on where the SMPS is a PITA to fix. Many times, if I had one of these amps on my bench, I just swapped out the SMPS with a new one (as they say, time is money). I can't tell you when the change over happened though nor can I tell you if the SMPS supplies are still available as a separate part any longer.

BTW, All "RB" series and Fusion amps are made in California. Backline and MB's are manufactured now in G-K's self owned and operated factory in China. G-K's factory in China IS owned and under direct control of only Bob Gallien and builds only Gallien Krueger equipment.

All that being said, my MB-150 was made in Cali.

 

[BassicJazzy]

yeah, I learned as an amp tech, the earlier ones have a "linear" power supply and the newer ones have a SMPS (Switched Mode Power Supply). The linear supply is SO much easier to work on where the SMPS is a PITA to fix. Many times, if I had one of these amps on my bench, I just swapped out the SMPS with a new one (as they say, time is money). I can't tell you when the change over happened though nor can I tell you if the SMPS supplies are still available as a separate part any longer.

BTW, All "RB" series and Fusion amps are made in California. Backline and MB's are manufactured now in G-K's self owned and operated factory in China. G-K's factory in China IS owned and under direct control of only Bob Gallien and builds only Gallien Krueger equipment.

All that being said, my MB-150 was made in Cali.

Wow, I did not know that. I thought they were building them all in CA.

Makes me sad.

 

[shirojiro]

yeah, I learned as an amp tech, the earlier ones have a "linear" power supply and the newer ones have a SMPS (Switched Mode Power Supply). The linear supply is SO much easier to work on where the SMPS is a PITA to fix. Many times, if I had one of these amps on my bench, I just swapped out the SMPS with a new one (as they say, time is money). I can't tell you when the change over happened though nor can I tell you if the SMPS supplies are still available as a separate part any longer.

BTW, All "RB" series and Fusion amps are made in California. Backline and MB's are manufactured now in G-K's self owned and operated factory in China. G-K's factory in China IS owned and under direct control of only Bob Gallien and builds only Gallien Krueger equipment.

All that being said, my MB-150 was made in Cali.

I have an old MB150s from 1991 or so. It developed problems where it would cut out while I was playing.
I had it repaired at Gelb Music in Redwood City, CA in the early 2000s, and I never really knew what they did, but it came back heavier and the amp tech told me that it might be a little louder as it should make more power after his repair.

Now Im curious what they replaced.

It took a long time as I recall.

 

[timmus]

I have an old MB150s from 1991 or so. It developed problems where it would cut out while I was playing.
I had it repaired at Gelb Music in Redwood City, CA in the early 2000s, and I never really knew what they did, but it came back heavier and the amp tech told me that it might be a little louder as it should make more power after his repair.

Now Im curious what they replaced.

It took a long time as I recall.

Probably replaced the SMPS with a linear supply...it's been a long time since I worked on one but I think if the SMPS failed, which was fairly common, it was replaced with a linear supply which was actually mounted inside the cabinet. It required 4 small holes to be drilled for mounting standoff hardware. Again I'm going on memory from 30 years ago. If you ever remove the speaker someday, peek inside and see if there is a circuit board inside with parts on it. The SMPS was incorporated into the main circuit board which was subsequently isolated from the rest of the amp by removing connectors and maybe a few circuit traces. Again, this is all from memory so I may be a bit foggy on this.

 

[antfarm]

I just ordered a HeadRush FRFR-GO to replace my Markbass Micromark 801, which gets no use as it is a little too heavy and bulky for me to carry around the house. I like the idea of using the preamp and IR loader on my pedalboard with a battery powered flat response speaker.

Back to your use case: Pair it with a Zoom B1 Four and you are independent from the power grid, for the price of one of the classic practice amps you mentioned. If you are on a tight budget, you can get the Zoom multi effects first to use with headphones and get the speaker later.

FRFR-GO

Compact, stylish, and powerful, the FRFR-GO delivers full-range flat-response sound that faithfully represents every nuance of your amp modeler’s tone.

www.headrushfx.com

B1 Four / B1xFour | Buy Now

Bass multi-effects pedals

zoomcorp.com

 

[andronik]

For practice I'm very very satisfied with Markbass micro 801 (1x8" speaker), more than enough for home use (I play 4 string bass so I have no experience with B string). I think this amp is discontinued now but 2x8" version is available.

 

[brianrost]

I use an older GK MB150 amp (the one housed in an aluminum cabinet).Unfortunately, used prices have skyrocketed on these amps over the past half dozen years...not sure why. I bought mine for 125 dollars...now in the 500+ dollar range.

Supply and demand. There's no new ones available and many have probably been lost or broken beyond repair. So the prices are way up. There's one local to me asking $600.

Tell me what amp that's just as small and light that is as good or better than an used MB150 for $500 or less. Rumble 100?

Backline and MB's are manufactured now in G-K's self owned and operated factory in China.

The v2 MB amps sold in the USA are made here. I have seen a picture of a v2 marked as made in China, though, like the v1 and Backline amps were.

 

[el murdoque]

Whatever floats your boat and such,
but my two cents on the topic are:

1. As a rule of thumb, when you're looking around in the lower price brackets, you should go for something that has at least a 10" speaker.
Smaller speakers are possible, and they do sound good, but those that actually work are expensive.

2. If you're running on a tight budget, just get a second hand mixer, like the Behringer Xenyx line or similar. These usually sell for around €20 in the second hand market. You'll get a three band EQ and a headphone out that sounds decent - just add a set of headphones, there's your home practice rig.

 

[DonaldR]

I just ordered a HeadRush FRFR-GO to replace my Markbass Micromark 801, which gets no use as it is a little too heavy and bulky for me to carry around the house. I like the idea of using the preamp and IR loader on my pedalboard with a battery powered flat response speaker.

Thanks for the reply on my thread. I will ask questions there: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/headrush-frfr-go.1671106/

 

[KevInDaBassment]

Look for a used Zoom B3n or similar multi fx unit and comfortable headphones.

Around $100.

And the Zoom will fit in a gig bag and go with you. Build your patches, you could be amp less, direct to the PA.

This is my suggestion too ^

You'll also have a formidable multi-fx on hand to use with an amp later on. I love the compressor, noise gate, and tuner on mine. The amp models, common effects, and cab sims are pretty respectable too.

 

[ElectricBass72]

At home, I use an Ampeg B-108 for practice.....

At work, I use BlackStar with 3" speaker....

 

[StyleOverShow]

Rumble 40 has headphone output and can be used in small venues and not too loud rehearsals

 

[ElectricBass72]

I highly disagree that practice amps must have a 10" speaker or larger. For practicing, woodshedding, learning songs, etc.... there is no need to shake the foundations of the house and cut through a sonic wall of guitars. That's the job of an Ampeg stack, Mesa Boogie or Aguilar.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I highly disagree that practice amps must have a 10" speaker or larger. For practicing, woodshedding, learning songs, etc.... there is no need to shake the foundations of the house and cut through a sonic wall of guitars. That's the job of an Ampeg stack, Mesa Boogie or Aguilar.

It's nice to be able to really hear the bottom, even if you aren't trying to rock the foundation. Yes, you can do all of the things you say with even the Blackstar, or headphones, I do in a pinch, but it just doesn't give you the same feeling you get from the slightly larger rig. I like the feedback from feeling the notes I play.

I practice through my Rumble100 with the gain and volume setting so low that I'm barely using any power. Blackstar, you can hear it but you cannot feel it. If you turn it up you just get mud.

 

[ElectricBass72]

It's nice to be able to really hear the bottom, even if you aren't trying to rock the foundation. Yes, you can do all of the things you say with even the Blackstar, or headphones, I do in a pinch, but it just doesn't give you the same feeling you get from the slightly larger rig. I like the feedback from feeling the notes I play.

I practice through my Rumble100 with the gain and volume setting so low that I'm barely using any power. Blackstar, you can hear it but you cannot feel it. If you turn it up you just get mud.

I never "crank" either of my practice amps, so they don't get muddy. They serve their purpose. Learning new riffs... fine tuning after bridge replacement, neck relief, new strings, tuner/Xtender upgrades, etc.

When I want to feel the notes I play.... I utilize the Fender Rumble Stage 800 stack.

 

[BassicJazzy]

I never "crank" either of my practice amps, so they don't get muddy. They serve their purpose. Learning new riffs... fine tuning after bridge replacement, neck relief, new strings, tuner/Xtender upgrades, etc.

When I want to feel the notes I play.... I utilize the Fender Rumble Stage 800 stack.

View attachment 7362315

If I tried to play through that in my apartment I would be evicted before you even read this post!

 

[wjcstp]

I highly disagree that practice amps must have a 10" speaker or larger. For practicing, woodshedding, learning songs, etc.... there is no need to shake the foundations of the house and cut through a sonic wall of guitars. That's the job of an Ampeg stack, Mesa Boogie or Aguilar.

This is part of my point too - a good-sounding practice amp is a nice luxury, but not necessary. It's easy to get wrapped up in finding the perfect tone for practice, but that's not really the point of practicing. Get something that sounds good enough and is easy enough to use that you want to practice and have fun at it.

 

[turf3]

I've been well satisfied with my Dean Bassola 15W practice amp. Have even played some very quiet gigs with it.

 

[SJan3]

I highly disagree that practice amps must have a 10" speaker or larger. For practicing, woodshedding, learning songs, etc.... there is no need to shake the foundations of the house and cut through a sonic wall of guitars. That's the job of an Ampeg stack, Mesa Boogie or Aguilar.

I agree. It just has to be audible. Earthquakes optional.