Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Practice wattage?
- Thread starter ninthwondernj
- Start date
my first amp was(is) a BX25 crate. 25 watt 10" crate combo. It currently sits in my room. and I use it whenever I'm messing around on my own. if you want something that has a bit more to it and is ok for band practices and stuff maybe something like an Ampeg B2 200/350 watt 15" combo.
Actually my practice amp at home, just to practice on my own is a fender frontman 15b... which I believe is now called "Fender Rumble 15" and it's more than enough. However if you'd try and take that to band rehearsal you're out of luck 
Yeah, if your just lookin for something to learn on at home so you can hear yourself... just look for whatevers the cheapest. 20Watts is fine. I'd put as little money into it as I can.... and then if a band possibly comes along, you'll have more money to start a small rig with. Some people tend to get by with the more powerful combo amps... The Ampeg's and Gallien Krueger's that you can get by with using for loud practices (maybe not gigs).... but I'd recommend keeping it separate. If you did wanna get something a bit more powerful in a combo that you could practice with other people... I'd recommend Peavey.
I'm going to suggest you look beyond just bedroom playing and put your money into an amp that's large enough for jamming and maybe small gigs. A 100- to 200-watt amp is usually just slightly larger (and only a little more expensive) than a 25-watt model from the same line. I started less than a year ago with a Fender Frontman 25B, and it's just fine for bass; but now that I'm looking for people to jam with, I wish I'd spent just a little more and bought something with more power.
I sort of agree with BB. I'd suggest 100w 12" or 15" like a yorkville xm100. under a hundred watts or a single ten will probably be too little if you play with loud drums or guitar or start to want to crank your amp.
I started with a 60w 12" and have now worked my way up to 1200w and two 12"!!! 400w and a couple of 112s can go a long way, IMHO
I started with a 60w 12" and have now worked my way up to 1200w and two 12"!!! 400w and a couple of 112s can go a long way, IMHO
The other side of that coin is that a small combo amp will be there and ready when you feel like practising, while a larger one may have to be kept out of the way, and brought in/set up when you need it.BucketButt said:
IMO the difference between the player with a bass in a bag in a cupboard/closet, and an amp in the garage; and the player with a bass on a stand, and a practice amp beside it; is that one will practice much more than the other.
Mottlefeeder said:
You have a good point; but a lot depends on how much space you have and how much floorspace the amp takes up. I just received an Ampeg Portabass 2x12 cab (250-watt head arrives tomorrow); it takes up barely more floorspace than my Fender Frontman 25B, is still less than three feet tall with head, and should fit into all but the smallest spaces. Ampeg kept the footprint small in part by mounting the drivers one above the other rather than side-by-side; a conventional design would have been too large for my available space. (And the Portabass cabinet has built-in rollers and telescoping handle, so it can be rolled into a corner of a closet -- or out to the garage -- or almost anywhere else.)
A less expensive choice might be the Fender Rumble 100, which takes up slightly more floorspace than the Rumble 25, but less than the Portabass cab. Even the Fender Bassman 200 isn't exactly huge, but it has enough power for small gigs.
At the other extreme, a headpphone amp is small enough to stash in a dresser drawer; I keep one in my gear bag so I can practice without scaring the cat.
i have a peavey microbass which is 20W, its good enough for practicing, but it's horrible for jamming. as soon as theres one more person playing, you cant hear yourself.
From experiance I would get an amp in the 100-200 watt range. Before you knwo it your are gonna want to jam and be drowned out by drums and guitars.
MY first practice amp was a peavy...but didn't make the grade for bands.
Now I have a Hartke Combo amp that works for practice at home and gigs...
IF you spend just a little bit more your get a lot more amp than a 25w practice amp.
MY first practice amp was a peavy...but didn't make the grade for bands.
Now I have a Hartke Combo amp that works for practice at home and gigs...
IF you spend just a little bit more your get a lot more amp than a 25w practice amp.
My first bass amp was a Marlin 50B - I believe it was built by Hohner, and was as the name suggested a 50 watt amp(driving an internal 15" speaker). Interestingly, it had a speaker out for an extension....so I guess I never actually tapped into the full 50 watts in those days!
Nowadays, I use an Ashdown Electric Blue 130 with a 15" speaker. This has no speaker out (the new versions have....). It's 130 watts and is plenty fine for practise alone or with the band (the newer versions are 180 watts, and they went through an interim version with 150 watts - but both of these needed and extension speaker to get the full power out!).
Nowadays, I use an Ashdown Electric Blue 130 with a 15" speaker. This has no speaker out (the new versions have....). It's 130 watts and is plenty fine for practise alone or with the band (the newer versions are 180 watts, and they went through an interim version with 150 watts - but both of these needed and extension speaker to get the full power out!).
