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Setting goals: Future Amp?

Shlogo

Shlogo

Dec 16, 2011
200
0
Chicago, Illinois
#1
I started playing bass about 6 months ago and I got to say, I love it. I'm not in any band yet, and not recording anything, but just jamming with friends and playing no-stop when I'm home (and not on here...).
When I started I got a simple Fender Rumble 30 combo. I was low on cash and was the only thing I could get that was louder than my (guitarist) friend's amp. He always wants the bass low, but I said no.

But now, after much thought, I am thinking one thing to improve my sound would be (not only practicing and getting better) but a new amp.
Or at least that seems like the next logical step...

So anyway, I wanted to set a goal for myself. If I don't I'll spend any cash I get on random crap.
What amp is good for me?
I play some metal (Metallica, Maiden, Megadeth), some punk (Rancid), and random stuff (Crazy Train)

Now I know, "You should go and test them for yourself". But I'm not buying for a while (as I have no current income :() so I just wanted an idea of what I should save up for.

I'm thinking that at the time I get this I'll be playing small shows if anything, so maybe not something SUPER loud like a million watts.
And I dont have tons of room (only enough for a 2x10 and that might be pushing it)
Currently dont care if it combo or not, just want some ideas.
And thinking around $1000. Maybe some more when it comes down to it.

Thanks for any tips!
 
#2
Check out the Hartke LH 500 or LH 1000, plus the Hydrive - cabs. This could suit your needs.

Or try out the Hydrive Combo LH 5210. It is the LH 500 with 2*10'' drivers. If you want you can get you a Hydrive 410-cab later to get a 610-Stack.

I am a fan of used gear, made a lots of good shots during the years. You can save a lot of money by watching EBay or (in the USA) Craigslist.

I think it is way more necessary to collect money to get a real good bass. Amps come and go, but a good bass is a keeper.
 
#6
JimWasHere said:
There was absolutely someone else that taught me that too... It's all about sharing. And FWIW, the guy that taught me about that was a jazz drummer turned pianist/conductor.
Click to expand...
I was taught that by a drummer turned bass player.

Another pearl of wisdom I learned along the way. The quieter you can be onstage the better your sound will be in the house. It's great to shake the room with a bass rig, I've done it, loved it, and moved on. Now I'm playing with 16 piece big band, going for gold with 2x10 up on a pedestal and a huge PA out the front.

Your amp needs can be easily taken care of for a few hundred dollars with used gear. I would lean at a readily available 2x10 so you can stack them up later. Saving space is just a bonus. Stacked 2x10 sound really good too.

Here's a recipe:
power amp
Sansamp DI pedal
2x10

You're all set to go gigging with DI of your bass to house PA.
Add another 2x10, you dont need house PA unless it's a really big place. Bonus points for your guitar player not getting the need for a huge stack to compete with (blow away) your bass.

Everyone else will tell you to go for a 4x10. I was always going to gigs and finding a sweet spot right in front of the 4x10 / 8x10 without knowing why. I learned on here, they only sound as intended right smack in front because they are too wide and they comb filter their mids.
 
#8
TheRealKong said:
I think it is way more necessary to collect money to get a real good bass. Amps come and go, but a good bass is a keeper.
Click to expand...

True, but if all the OP has is a 30w Fender Rumble you'll never hear that really nice bass once he starts playing with a drummer. That being said - without knowing what your future needs will be from an amp, it's easier to recommend spending money on a bass right now. Assuming you'll have PA support once you start playing shows, that's probably a better purchase until you need more firepower from a rig.

An amp upgrade will certainly make you sound better right now, but it's not really money well spent I don't think until you know more about what you need in more specific situations.
 
#10
nicoli said:
True, but if all the OP has is a 30w Fender Rumble you'll never hear that really nice bass once he starts playing with a drummer.
Click to expand...

You definitely make a good point. OP, if you find yourself in a place where you need to be louder, I'd suggest starting like this...

Ampeg SVT-210AV (2 x 10" AV) | Sweetwater.com
Crown XLS 1000 | Sweetwater.com

Then experiment with a few different preamps, such as WTDI, BDDI, RPM, RBI, M80...

If you get two of those cabs you will be in the 4x10 world as far as volume goes, but you can stack them vertically as posted above. Those cabs specifically will tend to "fit" in almost any mix, so if your style changes, or you find yourself in a jazz band at school, or anything like that, you're still covered. And the preamps are just icing on the cake for a super versatile rig.
 
#11
Good advice so far.

OP, your first gigs are likely to be smaller places where your bass rig will carry the room. The big PA support usually doesn't come until later, unless you live in a big city where people use mass transit, etc. and club-provided PA's and small, portable rigs are the norm.....most places aren't like that.

I'd start by finding an amp you like the sound/tone variety of anywhere between 200 & 500 watts, that's enough to play anywhere. Coupled with one smallish 8ohm cab like a 210, 112 or 115 you like the sound of. That much will hang with a sane drummer, although probably not for rock/metal. Add a matching, identical 8ohm cab for larger gigs/big stages. A rig like that will cover about anything, can be broken down into smaller pieces for transport, and you have the option of bringing one cab for practice/smaller gigs. Can also pick this up a piece at a time without a big cash outlay all at once. By used and you'll be able to get higher quality stuff and be able to sell/trade pieces without much loss until you find something you really like.

Another option is a decently powered combo amp that has the ability to add an extension cab to it.

And yes, a lot of tone is in your hands. Work on that and find a couple basses you really get along with. Brands, etc. don't mean that much as long as they're built decent. Just play some until you find one or two that just feel right in your hands. Ones where playing them becomes an extension of you rather than a machine you have to operate.
 
#12
TheRealKong said:
get a real good bass. Amps come and go, but a good bass is a keeper.
Click to expand...

Hm, I don't know. There's a point of diminishing returns on that principle, methinks.

Case in point. After a decade away from music, I picked up a cheap bass on a whim. Ibanez SR 300. Got it new for $250.

A bass is not much good without an amp. So I bought a GK MB210 combo. I ended up jamming regularly with some loud friends, so I quickly realized the folly of my amp and sold it. Next I got a GK MB500 head and a GK Neo 212 cab. I started jamming with some other guys. Then stumbled into my current awesome band. I picked up a used GK 410MBX cab to sit under it for loud situations.

This all happened in seven months. I have a pretty decent GK stack. It costed me about $1200 easily, even considering the 410 was used.

During this time, I got into effects. I'm on my second pedal board, having outgrown the first one. I got a compressor, an envelope filter, a tuner, got (and sold) two SansAmp units, recently picked up a Source Audio Pro Multiwave Bass Distortion unit--with a Moog expression pedal. There's easily $700 or more on the floor.

That makes $1200 plus $700...rounding up to two grand I've spent on non-guitar bass gear. And I'm still playing the $250 SR300.

And I think that was the right choice for me.

Still, having said all that...I'm seriously jonesing now for a new SR505 :)
 
#13
I do like my bass. Nice and simple.

I think the want for a larger amp (currently) really comes from my friend. Right after I brought the Rumble 30 to his house to jam he got a 50 watt something.
I believe when next I go over to play he will be blasting my bass out just because be can, even though in the actual songs we play you can clearly hear the bass (i.e. Holy Wars).

And I think this is one reason as to why I will not form a band with him.

And as for a new bass, I think I'm just being distracted by the big ones. There are tons of basses that I want just for looks (like a Ric :D).
But at the same time feel the need for one that cost thousands of dollars actually very small.
I believe a new simple bass would be best for me (if I got one), like a Fender J, or another Ibanez (maybe one step up from what I got).
 
#15
How about getting some lessons? Learn to read bass clef? Picking up a keyboard to learn about chords and inversions? Or a guitar to learn some blues progressions on? Or working on your vocals?

I suggest you put some of your time/money into improving your musical knowledge and becoming a more accomplished musician.

The bigger amp will come in good time, especially if you move up a notch or two in your playing ability and can hold your own with gigging musicians.

Check you my >500 link thread below for some great TB info that may help you along your musical journey.

Good luck! :bassist:
 
#16
Stumbo said:
How about getting some lessons? Learn to read bass clef? Picking up a keyboard to learn about chords and inversions? Or a guitar to learn some blues progressions on? Or working on your vocals?

I suggest you put some of your time/money into improving your musical knowledge and becoming a more accomplished musician.

The bigger amp will come in good time, especially if you move up a notch or two in your playing ability and can hold your own with gigging musicians.

Check you my >500 link thread below for some great TB info that may help you along your musical journey.

Good luck! :bassist:
Click to expand...
That's some more good advice. The learning I did studying violin at highschool comes in handy all the time as a 40 year old born again bassist.

When you can hang with real musicians instead of kids and overgrown kids your own skills are pushed along.

I'd still recommend you get some kind of giggable amp to widen your opportunities. Also earplugs any time you are in same room as guitardo and his 50w, or drums. I have a diminished hearing in 10khz range as well as a slight case of tinnitus from playing loud rock for a couple of years without protection. My drummer has a huge gaping hole in his highs, when he mixes sound he maxes out on overhead cymbal sizzle.
 
#17
Downunderwonder said:
That's some more good advice.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I suppose it is. Still, when I was a lad growing up in suburban Wisconsin we didn't need no stinkin' lessons. We listened to vinyl albums on our cheap stereos and we learned who to play the songs with our wee baby practice amps. In time we got combo amps so we could bring the neighborhood kids into the basement and have a drums-bass-guitar combo. nobody could sing worth a damn, but that came later.

Now is when I could use some lessons. Not in my first year of playing. I should hook up with a top notch professional, well-schooled musician and get some jazz or blues lessons. That would be great right about now. At the age of 43. :)
 
#18
scottfeldstein said:
Now is when I could use some lessons. Not in my first year of playing. I should hook up with a top notch professional, well-schooled musician and get some jazz or blues lessons. That would be great right about now. At the age of 43. :)
Click to expand...

I'm liking this method for myself as well, now that I've been playing bass for 15 years. I don't necessarily think it's the right order for everyone though, and it's certainly certainly not saying don't learn anything during the meantime. I kinda wish I would have taught myself to read back in high school :p
 

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