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Practice amp

tgriley62

tgriley62

Jan 25, 2011
1,413
2,092
63
S.E. Mo
#1
Need some advice. I currently have a 15w Fender Rumble. I would like to upgrade to another practice amp that has a better selection of tone variations. Right now I do not gig so I am not looking for a head/cab rig. Any suggestions on a good, less tha 100w, combo. Also would there be any type of pedal that is designed for tone options that I could run through my Fender Rumble.

Thanks
 
#4
ksandvik said:
Save your money and get a new/used bass rig for gigging. Practice amps are a waste of money in my opinion.
Click to expand...

So confused by this answer. I respectfully disagree. I don't want to lug a 410 and amp back and forth every time I rehearse with my band. Having a little combo is perfect for house volume and I don't have to move anything around all the time. Practice amps are a waste of money only if you think practicing amplified is a waste of time or you are a roadie in training.
 
#5
keiththebassist said:
Hartke kickback. Any pedal will work with any amp, just some better than others. What's your budget? What kind of music do you play? This info will help get you the best answers
Click to expand...

Thanks. I have only been playing for 2 yrs. Play mostly classic rock, some country. My Fender Rumble only has "bass", "mid" & "trebile" settings. Just looking for something that can give me some options in a combo
 
#9
tgriley62 said:
Just looking for something that can give me some options in a combo
Click to expand...

Here's my opinion on this. Your Rumble is perfect for what it is. Hang onto it forever. As a bassist, you will always have a need for a small amp for practice. Fast forward to the future when you have a big rig and all the stuff you want... you will still need a place to plug in for routine practice.

If you're uninspired by the tone of the practice amp, look into an amp modeling pedal that you could also use with your future larger rig. Search the archives here (the SansAmp VT Bass comes to mind, but there are plenty of them out there). Getting something like this would not be a waste of money--if you like the tones it gets you, you can use them with your larger rig.

One thing I love about cheap practice amps is that they make you focus on your fingers and the music--not just the tone you're getting from the equipment. IMHO that should be the focus of your practice sessions anyway. The ideal practice amp is something very transparent and simple. If you're a kid, it takes up little space in your bedroom; if you're a college student, it doesn't have a big footprint in your dorm; if you're a middle-aged guy or gal with a family, it doesn't get under everyone's skin if you practice for an hour. You'll always have a use for that thing.

And here's a tip: don't use that Rumble for anything other than solo practice. We have a similar unit at home, and one day my kid had to plug into the PA via a DI box for practice. I thought it would be a good idea to also have his practice amp next to him on a chair as a personal monitor so he could hear himself. Well, those little guys are not designed to be pushed very hard. Fried the speaker without really noting anything traumatic during the practice session. Luckily it was an easy fix--you can get replacement 8" speakers for $12, and the new one sounds better than the old one. But it's a pain in the neck and unnecessary.

The best place to find out what stomp box is best for your need is right here on TB. I don't use them, so I have no idea. The cool ones allow you to model very specific classic rigs. And again, you can use it with all your future stuff.

That's my opinion.

--Steve
 
#11
tgriley62 said:
Also would there be any type of pedal that is designed for tone options that I could run through my Fender Rumble.
Click to expand...


You might enjoy the MXR 10 band EQ. only 120 bucks. You can really mess with your tone to try and get something you like. But then again if you can't get a good tone out of the amp at all I don't know if it would even help.

I'm just a beginner so don't take what i'm saying as you would an expert but still consider it.
 
#13
Stev187 said:
Here's my opinion on this. Your Rumble is perfect for what it is. Hang onto it forever. As a bassist, you will always have a need for a small amp for practice. Fast forward to the future when you have a big rig and all the stuff you want... you will still need a place to plug in for routine practice.

If you're uninspired by the tone of the practice amp, look into an amp modeling pedal that you could also use with your future larger rig. Search the archives here (the SansAmp VT Bass comes to mind, but there are plenty of them out there). Getting something like this would not be a waste of money--if you like the tones it gets you, you can use them with your larger rig.

One thing I love about cheap practice amps is that they make you focus on your fingers and the music--not just the tone you're getting from the equipment. IMHO that should be the focus of your practice sessions anyway. The ideal practice amp is something very transparent and simple. If you're a kid, it takes up little space in your bedroom; if you're a college student, it doesn't have a big footprint in your dorm; if you're a middle-aged guy or gal with a family, it doesn't get under everyone's skin if you practice for an hour. You'll always have a use for that thing.

And here's a tip: don't use that Rumble for anything other than solo practice. We have a similar unit at home, and one day my kid had to plug into the PA via a DI box for practice. I thought it would be a good idea to also have his practice amp next to him on a chair as a personal monitor so he could hear himself. Well, those little guys are not designed to be pushed very hard. Fried the speaker without really noting anything traumatic during the practice session. Luckily it was an easy fix--you can get replacement 8" speakers for $12, and the new one sounds better than the old one. But it's a pain in the neck and unnecessary.

The best place to find out what stomp box is best for your need is right here on TB. I don't use them, so I have no idea. The cool ones allow you to model very specific classic rigs. And again, you can use it with all your future stuff.

That's my opinion.

--Steve
Click to expand...

Thanks, it seems a pedal would be the way to go. By the way, yes I am a 49 yr old beginning bassist and yes it does sometime annoy the wife when I am rocking out on Def Leppard's "Armageddonit" even on a 15 watt amp
 
#15
keiththebassist said:
So confused by this answer. I respectfully disagree. I don't want to lug a 410 and amp back and forth every time I rehearse with my band. Having a little combo is perfect for house volume and I don't have to move anything around all the time. Practice amps are a waste of money only if you think practicing amplified is a waste of time or you are a roadie in training.
Click to expand...

There are lightweight combos that work fine with band practices and gigs. You need 300W+ and an option for an extension cabinet. Or a class D amp/500W that weights 7-8lbs and a 2x10 Neo that are usually between 30 and 45 lbs. That's much better than let's say a Rumble or a similar practice amp that you can't even hear properly with a drum kit next to it.

What happens is that money is tight and some think they could get by with a cheap practice amp. What happens in real life is the reality shock when they try to use it and trying to sell a practice amp via craigslist gives another reality shock when most of the investment is gone through the window.

Anyway, it's your money so do whatever you wish with it.

If you never expect to gig or play/practice in a band -- and I doubt there are many bass players who are in that category -- a cheap used practice amp might be a solution. You could get plenty of those via craigslist.

PS: My practice amp is to plug in my bass to my studio setup and use Event TR8s reference monitors, works just fine and I could just hit the record button in a second if I want to capture a bass line.
 
#17
tgriley62 said:
Thanks, it seems a pedal would be the way to go. By the way, yes I am a 49 yr old beginning bassist and yes it does sometime annoy the wife when I am rocking out on Def Leppard's "Armageddonit" even on a 15 watt amp
Click to expand...

Well, there you go! Again, I'm of the opinion that every bass player can use a small practice amp with an 8" driver. Even at lower volumes, band-ready rigs move a lot more air than you need for practice, especially with innocent bystanders around. The amp most beginners get with their first bass can be a permanent part of your gear.

Another tip for using small practice amps: get a longer cord and sit farther away from the amp. When I do lessons with my son, we put the amp in a corner on the other end of the room. Your average bedroom can really boost the low end of a very small amp in this fashion. In fact, we rarely do lessons on the larger amps in the music room.

Having the right gear is all about context.

--Steve

P.S. My current setup for quickly learning cover tunes is without an amp: I use a DI box, a cheap mixer, and headphones. That way you can pan your bass signal to one ear and the song you're learning to another. Do it with headphones and your family isn't bothered at all.
 
#20
My 2 cents,,, I've owned a ton of amps over many many years,,, the very best amp for what your needs are would be the Gallian Krueger MB112 combo,,, its what I use for rehearsals with my semi loud rock band and it cuts thru with ease and headroom to spare,,,, plus its got that cool GK sound.

It can even be used for small venue gigs with out a PA,,, or,,, any sized gigs with PA support, it make a great stage monitor with PA support.

200watts, 27 lbs, small, around $300.00 and has great tone,, its perfect in my opinion,,,,,, other than the GK MB112,, I would say look at the Carvin micro series gear.

Gota say though,, the GK MB112 is the best money I have EVER spent on any bass gear.

If ya want somethng a bit more check out the GK MB115.

Cheers
Davyo
 

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