Practice amps: What's your choice?

[Dbassmon]

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.

Nonsense!
Practice is where you work to perfect your technique and your tone. You should absolutely be working on your tone when you practice.

Rehearsal is where you learn to play as a band a create a cohesive sound as unit.

 

[HereIGoAgain]

Thanks guys. I do want the practice amp to sound good. Granted, my main rig, especially since I went to EMG-JX's in my Jazz bass, sounds rich and full in the sweet spots, but when I bought it, I needed loud too.

Tone, touch-responsiveness, and ability to dial in usable sounds are very important as well.

Thanks again guys.

 

[Hathernman]

Agree entirely that you need a good practice sound. Nothing more demoralising than battling with a crappy tone. I use a Vox Amplug with phones most of the time. Also use a Phil Jones Bass Cub which is pricey but excellent, especially when I need to mess about with effects etc.
The Cub also works in quiet rehearsals and even semi-acoustic gigs without drums.

 

[Mousekillaz]

SWR Working Pro 12 ... it has a headphone jack.

 

[Avezzano]

Get a little $100-$150 practice amp and call it a day.

Better if used: with that amount you'll get quite a lot of an amp!

Personally I use this below: G&K MB200 head and self built 2x6,5 ported, small (but ballsy) cab!!! But I also actually use it for small gigs, if any. I used for years my Polytone Minibrute I, now retired in the basement! V.

 

[HereIGoAgain]

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.

How can you tell when your bass is too loud? People can hear it.

 

[HereIGoAgain]

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!

My main rig (Acoustic B200H w/1x15) would be great to practice with, but I get told it's too loud at home if I can hear it sitting right next to it.

It's not necessarily a "gigaton" rig, but it does require some setup time.

 

[Jack]

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.

My Soundcraft mixer is plugged into my MXR preamp and the pc both ways. That way I put headphones on a jam along to mp3s or youtube whaht have you and it's also a basic recording setup.

 

[Dostradamas]

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.

The mixer makes the best practice amp for me. I have an old Realistic 4 channel PA Mixer (100 w SS) that works perfect for all needs I have run into.
The best part is it was a bookend that cost me a set of XL's & an install!

 

[droskobass]

this is the greatest thing I've ever seen. I'm going to be that weird kid playing an electric bass with no amp in the quad lol. does it matter that it is designed for guitar and not bass?

it doesn't matter at all. I use mine with Sennheiser hd 280 pro headphones. sounds great!

 

[Evil Undead]

I have an Ashdown Tourbus 10 which is fantastic

 

[baileyboy]

Ampeg B3. It weighs over 70 lbs so I put wheels on it to be able to move it from room to room. This may not be one of the more desirable Ampeg models, but it is sturdy and reliable always. I've had it for 12 years with no issues whatsoever. I use it to practice lessons and work out basslines for tunes the band is playing. When I practice with the band I use whatever equipment they have hooked up at the time.

 

[Jim Carr]

Unfortunately, I JUST want to lay down the thunder.:scowl::scowl::scowl:

 

[blmeier7]

I've never been happy playing through "practice" amps but I have been using a GK MB115 and it sounds good. Last week I picked up one of the Genz Benz Focus 115 cabs and it is a great sounding cab, especially for the price and weight. The GB Focus 115 with a GK MB200 head makes for a light and powerful small rig, and sounds great.

 

[Jazzdogg]

For decades, I've used one of three different bass rigs for home practice; a '64 Bassman, a '65 Ampeg fliptop, and an 80's vintage Polytone Minibrute III. These are rigs I've had for so long that I'd miss them if they were gone, but it's been years since I've gigged any of them, so they stay home.

Since I obtained a composite Crazy8 [1X8] from Mike Arnopol, it's been the only cab I use. Sounds great with fretless 55-02 and DB, has full, rich, harmonically complex tone, and weighs a little less than 10-pounds.

When I receive the companion Crazy88, I'll be thinning the herd and selling some of my other cabs. But, I'll probably hold on to my old pals, Messrs Fender and Ampeg.

 

[barryaudio]

I bought a cheap, used combo amp for $30, ripped out the amp unit and built my own cab. Fun project

 

[Araynor91]

Acoustic B20

 

[.BumeStik.]

Practice as you play, play as you practice! In other words, you should working on making a beautiful tone.... every time you pick up the instrument. Impossible if the amp sounds like ass.

I like this A LOT!

 

[rapidfirerob]

I am so lucky. I get to use the keyboard player's 61 Portaflex at rehearsal.

 

[mdlewis]

For practice at home, I use my Ampeg B200R. Absolutely love to practice with it. For rehearsal these days use half stage gear (Weber AB200 through one 410 cab; performance would use two).