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Small amp for a bedroom bass player
- Thread starter Jvagiar
- Start date
Thank you very much for the great idea! I ordered one yesterday, received it in the evening, and since then enjoy playing with my headphones on. Really cool
This setup will serve me until I save enough for a small quality amp that suits my needs.
Ditto! I started another thread asking for amp suggestions, but ended up getting the HoTone Thunder Bass and a decent pair of headphones - Sennheiser 280Pro.Thank you very much for the great idea! I ordered one yesterday, received it in the evening, and since then enjoy playing with my headphones on. Really cool
This setup will serve me until I save enough for a small quality amp that suits my needs.
For the time being this will serve me well, until i get better, at which point i’ll get the Ampeg Micro-VR
Played bass for the first time in 15 years today and i played for 4 hours straight. My fingers are all tiednup and sore, but i haven’t been happier in a long time!
The OP said he has no plans of playing in a band, not now, not in the future. A 40 watt 1x10" amp ala Rumble 40 or BA110v2 is plenty.
Even the 1x8" 25 watt unit will do the trick.
I also have a BA110v2 and love it. But I've heard others say that even the BA108v2 was very decent. The OP has no plans to play out.
I’ve been waiting for someone or two or three to spend some playing time with that and report back.
I’ve got one! (Check sig) Unfortunately the amp’s power supply died then died again a couple months after repair. I won’t put more money into repairing it again. It’s 13 years old and has had lots of playing time so the previous owner and I have sure gotten our value from it. I picked up a Trace Elliott Elf to use with the MiniMark cab and that works just fine but it’s back to head/cab. So nothing’s been decided yet but I am looking at high quality, small-sized stuff like the MicroMark and the PJB Micro 7 (at 1/2 the MicroMark price).
I picked up a Darkglass X ultra recently and it's awesome for home practice. Aux in and headphone output makes playing along to songs or lessons (whether on my phone or computer) super easy. Sounds great and I can always use it as a DI for gigs.
Does my Rumble 15w sound as good as my mesa amp going through my 4x10 cabinet? No. Does it foot the bill for solo practice at home? More than capable, with a headphone jack to not disturb people with repetitive sessions.
I have no qualms plugging into my rumble 15w when my gigging rig isn't at home. I didn't buy the thing to be loud enough to be heard in a band setting. I bought the thing to help me develop my technique with an amplified bass.
Have to say I disagree with all the people telling you that you need a rumble 40. At $100 more new, $120 more than a new Rumble 15w, it's still an amp that is going to stay at home or in the shed and never be suitable in the mix with an accoustic kit unless your drummer is just one special kind of guy that plays light as a feather while still getting the point across. Most of them like to hit hard.
I have had my Rumble 15w for coming up on 7 years at this point. I use it regularly because I leave my 4x10 at my drummer's house so I don't have to lug it around. I never play it at full volume. If there aren't drums, there's no reason to be very loud. I honestly find myself more comfortable practicing the repetitive things that I'm going to struggle with when I'm not worried about someone else hearing it.
An $80 Fender Rumble 15w, or a $99 Rumble 25 is more than enough for a personal practice amp. Can an amp with bigger speakers and more wattage sound better? Yes.. but can you practice bass on a 15w amp with an 8 inch speaker designed for bass guitar? Yes. You can develop technique which will attribute your tone. You can do so with minimal invasion to those around you, and you can put that extra $100 you'd shell out for a new rumble 40 in the bank to start saving for a gig worthy rig, or maybe put it into a slightly nicer bass guitar. If I didn't have people to play with, and my options were a low quality bass, but decent amp, or a higher quality bass and a rumble 15w, I'd take the nice bass and the little beater amp every time. I also have no qualms with putting a mic in front of one into an interface to record something.
Now if $100 is not a significant amount of money to you, there is no shame in going for the rumble 40 or other options more expensive than the 15w or 25w, and chances are you would probably enjoy it a little more A/B.
But if that $100 is an SX vs an MIM Fender, or potential savings for a gig worthy rig, buy that cheap bedroom amp. It'll be enough to develop some chops on, and will serve you for many years if you respect its limitations.
But it's your budget, the value of your dollar is based on your own circumstances. Me? I run $800+ dollar bass guitars into an $80 practice amp at home, same basses, with a Mesa head into a cabinet I got on the cheap with my band. Those basses have some bang for their buck too.
I have no qualms plugging into my rumble 15w when my gigging rig isn't at home. I didn't buy the thing to be loud enough to be heard in a band setting. I bought the thing to help me develop my technique with an amplified bass.
Have to say I disagree with all the people telling you that you need a rumble 40. At $100 more new, $120 more than a new Rumble 15w, it's still an amp that is going to stay at home or in the shed and never be suitable in the mix with an accoustic kit unless your drummer is just one special kind of guy that plays light as a feather while still getting the point across. Most of them like to hit hard.
I have had my Rumble 15w for coming up on 7 years at this point. I use it regularly because I leave my 4x10 at my drummer's house so I don't have to lug it around. I never play it at full volume. If there aren't drums, there's no reason to be very loud. I honestly find myself more comfortable practicing the repetitive things that I'm going to struggle with when I'm not worried about someone else hearing it.
An $80 Fender Rumble 15w, or a $99 Rumble 25 is more than enough for a personal practice amp. Can an amp with bigger speakers and more wattage sound better? Yes.. but can you practice bass on a 15w amp with an 8 inch speaker designed for bass guitar? Yes. You can develop technique which will attribute your tone. You can do so with minimal invasion to those around you, and you can put that extra $100 you'd shell out for a new rumble 40 in the bank to start saving for a gig worthy rig, or maybe put it into a slightly nicer bass guitar. If I didn't have people to play with, and my options were a low quality bass, but decent amp, or a higher quality bass and a rumble 15w, I'd take the nice bass and the little beater amp every time. I also have no qualms with putting a mic in front of one into an interface to record something.
Now if $100 is not a significant amount of money to you, there is no shame in going for the rumble 40 or other options more expensive than the 15w or 25w, and chances are you would probably enjoy it a little more A/B.
But if that $100 is an SX vs an MIM Fender, or potential savings for a gig worthy rig, buy that cheap bedroom amp. It'll be enough to develop some chops on, and will serve you for many years if you respect its limitations.
But it's your budget, the value of your dollar is based on your own circumstances. Me? I run $800+ dollar bass guitars into an $80 practice amp at home, same basses, with a Mesa head into a cabinet I got on the cheap with my band. Those basses have some bang for their buck too.
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Good advice, don't even need an amp.
Heck, if your never gonna play out (or even if you are), Id get a Zoom B3. (or B3n, tho the B3 will be cheaper now.),
I had to look that up.
I see.. HOT - ONE.. I was wondering what a HO-Tone would sound like..?..
