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Practice amps: What's your choice?
- Thread starter HereIGoAgain
- Start date
I find working on my "tone" without the band is, well,... not optimal.
The ultimate check for the "tone" is how the bass is sounding in live or CD mix, and playing all by yourself is not going to tell you much about that. What 90% of home practice is for, is learning tunes, I believe.
for solo practice, I have a Vox bass Amplug or the Line6 minipod.
for band practice, I use a Fender M80 combo (80 Watts) in one band, and my regular rig (Ampeg V4BH or Aguilar TH500 into 410hlf) for the other band since we rehearse at my place.
for band practice, I use a Fender M80 combo (80 Watts) in one band, and my regular rig (Ampeg V4BH or Aguilar TH500 into 410hlf) for the other band since we rehearse at my place.
The mixer idea is very functional and relatively inexpensive. During a recent bout with unemployement and many other issues, I was forced to minimalize many portions of my life.
I ended up using a DJ mixer and it worked really well. I could add whatever source I wated, record, sign, anything I wanted to do. I used head phones at the time, yet once in a while used a big old power amp I had from a period long gone by and a caouple of 15& a horn speaker cabs.
I ended up using a DJ mixer and it worked really well. I could add whatever source I wated, record, sign, anything I wanted to do. I used head phones at the time, yet once in a while used a big old power amp I had from a period long gone by and a caouple of 15& a horn speaker cabs.
Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0 10T
Great tone, headphone and auxillary input, the head is removeable to use with another cabinet if you wish. You can also use the head (with headphones), on its own without the cab. Under 20 lbs
I started playing bass last week and got a Shuttle 3.0 10T. It seems like a great amp. Much better than that musty old B15N I had in the basement.
Expect at least 100 Talkbassers calling you and proposing to remove the B15N from your basement for no cost 
yup
+1
If you need to be quiet then you need headphone and Aux jacks regardless of how powerful the set up is. A small mixer is a cheap and easy way to go. I dont condone combos. Not gonna lie, the headphone and aux jack on my PF-500 have come in handy when I dont want to piss off my neighbors.
I called it a day. Bought an Ampeg BA-08 for 99.95 at GC. Used it on an acoustic gig last month with an SABDDI and the sound guy said it was too loud. Go figure.
I just had to share this picture of my practice rig with my VM Jazz fretless.
What I like about this rig is the unbelievable tonal palette available from the incredible tone control. In a move that can only be called engineering genius, Univox incorporated a brilliantly versatile tone adjustment apparatus affording the artist almost unlimited variation.
Or, as Henry Ford put it, you can have any color you want as long as its black.
That said, this rig sounds pretty good, but this, the VM Jazz fretless sounds good through anything.
What I like about this rig is the unbelievable tonal palette available from the incredible tone control. In a move that can only be called engineering genius, Univox incorporated a brilliantly versatile tone adjustment apparatus affording the artist almost unlimited variation.
Or, as Henry Ford put it, you can have any color you want as long as its black.
That said, this rig sounds pretty good, but this, the VM Jazz fretless sounds good through anything.
Attachments
I voted for 100 - 150 cheapo for home practice.
I got a 110W cheapo (think loudish 50W) combo... does great on it's own, Ok tone - decent EQ and 1/4" headphone jack for quiet If it's late... And It holds up against a moderate drummer.
No doubt it'd suck even as a monitor in a loud band, but you can't have it all.
I'd say given the cost of a full rig, The combo is handy and not a big overhead. Portability is also great, especially if the rig is a vintage lead shipping container filled with lead.
I'd see most people would be happy lugging a fairly compact, light 'NEO' rig around but those are pricey, compared to both the giga-tonne rigs, and the combos.
If you want cheap and portable, you can't get very loud. Nothing is cheaper and more portable than a combo. except for headphone amps or pedals / audio interfaces and whatnot. I haven't a lot of experience with these but I'd guess the lack of decent bass response in many PC speakers/ headphones make this a little more than plug and play too.
For home practice a rig is fine, but overkill for most. A great combo would be Ideal, along with high-end headphones for late ones. An OK combo is OK too, but you'll end up like me and want to upgrade to a light rig / better combo pretty soon.
Or not. I can get good tone, but I want more!
I got a 110W cheapo (think loudish 50W) combo... does great on it's own, Ok tone - decent EQ and 1/4" headphone jack for quiet If it's late... And It holds up against a moderate drummer.
No doubt it'd suck even as a monitor in a loud band, but you can't have it all.
I'd say given the cost of a full rig, The combo is handy and not a big overhead. Portability is also great, especially if the rig is a vintage lead shipping container filled with lead.
I'd see most people would be happy lugging a fairly compact, light 'NEO' rig around but those are pricey, compared to both the giga-tonne rigs, and the combos.
If you want cheap and portable, you can't get very loud. Nothing is cheaper and more portable than a combo. except for headphone amps or pedals / audio interfaces and whatnot. I haven't a lot of experience with these but I'd guess the lack of decent bass response in many PC speakers/ headphones make this a little more than plug and play too.
For home practice a rig is fine, but overkill for most. A great combo would be Ideal, along with high-end headphones for late ones. An OK combo is OK too, but you'll end up like me and want to upgrade to a light rig / better combo pretty soon.
Or not. I can get good tone, but I want more!
Wait a sec
B15N... legendary Ampeg valve tone... recording studio favourite for decades... Duck Dunn?
Blasphemy! Just kidding
. Heard the GB shuttles are very good.B15N is a collectors item and I assume you were kidding
I actually use my main full rig to practice twice a week on and during the rest of the week, I don't use an amp at all. I practice on one of 3 basses, my acoustic, my 5 string electric or my stand up.
Wait a sec
B15N... legendary Ampeg valve tone... recording studio favourite for decades... Duck Dunn?
Blasphemy! Just kidding
B15N is a collectors item and I assume you were kidding
Not kidding, bought it for $50 not working. repaired it and sold it for $350. It was in much better shape than some of the amps on eBay but it was in a musty basement for 30+ years.
The Shuttle is really a much better amp though I wouldn't expect it to achieve the historic status of a B15N.
Get an IK multimedia stealthplug and amplitube and practice with a ton of amp simulations for both bass and guitar. Headphones are the way to go for practicing and there is also an intergrated playback thing that is great for playalongs. Plus the price has gone down quite much.
Two birds with one stone
Two birds with one stone
The little Ampeg (with an 8 speaker) is a dynamo amp for 100 bucks. Has a CD input and sounds a lot bigger than it is. The little Peavey MAX is even cheaper and also sounds good. Painless and fun little amps.
Moving up the chain is the little Line6 combo which comes with built-in effects. If you like different sounds and get a deal on one, good choice.
Even further up the chain is a pro-quality small combo, the Carvin MB10. It will shake your walls by itself (200w) and is plenty loud for acoustic/coffee house type gigs. With an extension (250w) its rock-band gig-able. Cost around 300 350 bucks, depending on sales. Great amp (I own it).
If all you want to do is sound good while practicing or playing with your stereo, I recommend the Ampeg. Its solid and gets plenty loud.
Moving up the chain is the little Line6 combo which comes with built-in effects. If you like different sounds and get a deal on one, good choice.
Even further up the chain is a pro-quality small combo, the Carvin MB10. It will shake your walls by itself (200w) and is plenty loud for acoustic/coffee house type gigs. With an extension (250w) its rock-band gig-able. Cost around 300 350 bucks, depending on sales. Great amp (I own it).
If all you want to do is sound good while practicing or playing with your stereo, I recommend the Ampeg. Its solid and gets plenty loud.
Originally Posted by MostlyBass
I use a 4 channel Mackie mixer with headphones. That allows me to plug in other things like iPod, metronome, etc, and control the volume. You'd also be surprised how useful a little mixer can be - I use it when teaching to plug the student's and my bass into one amp and control our volumes. I've also used it when recording - especially recording drums to give me more channels / flexibility.
--+ another one to this.
I use a 4 channel Mackie mixer with headphones. That allows me to plug in other things like iPod, metronome, etc, and control the volume. You'd also be surprised how useful a little mixer can be - I use it when teaching to plug the student's and my bass into one amp and control our volumes. I've also used it when recording - especially recording drums to give me more channels / flexibility.
--+ another one to this.
