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small and affordable rig for a small apartment

#23
itp said:
I haven't been playing bass for 5 years, but I'm back!
Meanwhile I moved from a house to a small apartment, so I'm looking for a really small rig. My purpose is to practice, playing for my pleasure and music development, and to not bother my neighbors nor my boyfriend.

Rig size preferences: something that would fit on/under desk or in a drawer
Practice preferences: with headphones and without them (50/50). It would be nice to have possibility of hearing backing track
Tone preferences: bright and punchy (P basses and Ampeg fan here)
Music preferences: funk, punk, rock and metal


I'm not sure what kind of gear I really need, my first types were:
  • Nux Mighty Plug (I'm stoked by its possibilities!)
  • Zoom B1 Four (same)
  • Hotone Thunder Bass (looks adorable and promising)
but I don't want to play only on headphones, so sooner or later I will have to buy a cab. For me it's not affordable solution for now (are there any nice sounding and tiny cabs anyway?)
I'm also thinking of a small combo (Ampeg BA108 v2, Fender Rumble 25, Hartke HD25, Warwick BC20).

What would you recommend and which silent practice solution do you think is the best?
Please don't recommend PJ Double 4 - I love its size, but not the price.
Click to expand...
Peavey max 100. Speaker is already tilted upwards in the box. And, it's smaller than the ampeg. And, it sounds better. And, it has far better features.
 
#24
Bit outside the box on what you asked but......

I took about 13 years off to focus on family. When youngest hit HS, I saw the empty nest comin and knew I wanted to get my chops back. What worked better for me than any practice amp was an acoustic bass.

Sits in the corner of my bedroom on a stand and to this day is what I grab to noodle/woodshed/write on. Helps heaps with technique too, an electric feels like butter after putting in work on an acoustic.
 
#26
If you don't plan to take it out gigging without PA support, I think the Rumble Studio 40 is pretty great for this scenario. I don't NEED all the different amp models it offers, but it's definitely fun to mess with at home. Also I didn't even realize it had this feature when I bought it, but the built in bluetooth so you can pipe music from your phone to it without cables and play along is something I won't want to live without. They also make an even smaller version(LT25) that could be better for your needs. I liked the 40 because it has a DI so I can use for gigs with FOH if I want to.
 
#27
itp said:
I haven't been playing bass for 5 years, but I'm back!
Meanwhile I moved from a house to a small apartment, so I'm looking for a really small rig. My purpose is to practice, playing for my pleasure and music development, and to not bother my neighbors nor my boyfriend.

Rig size preferences: something that would fit on/under desk or in a drawer
Practice preferences: with headphones and without them (50/50). It would be nice to have possibility of hearing backing track
Tone preferences: bright and punchy (P basses and Ampeg fan here)
Music preferences: funk, punk, rock and metal


I'm not sure what kind of gear I really need, my first types were:
  • Nux Mighty Plug (I'm stoked by its possibilities!)
  • Zoom B1 Four (same)
  • Hotone Thunder Bass (looks adorable and promising)
but I don't want to play only on headphones, so sooner or later I will have to buy a cab. For me it's not affordable solution for now (are there any nice sounding and tiny cabs anyway?)
I'm also thinking of a small combo (Ampeg BA108 v2, Fender Rumble 25, Hartke HD25, Warwick BC20).

What would you recommend and which silent practice solution do you think is the best?
Please don't recommend PJ Double 4 - I love its size, but not the price.
Click to expand...

get the ampeg or hartke
 
#28
Studio monitor works for a small apt.
20150315_154939.jpg
 
#30
itp said:
I haven't been playing bass for 5 years, but I'm back!
Meanwhile I moved from a house to a small apartment, so I'm looking for a really small rig. My purpose is to practice, playing for my pleasure and music development, and to not bother my neighbors nor my boyfriend.

Rig size preferences: something that would fit on/under desk or in a drawer
Practice preferences: with headphones and without them (50/50). It would be nice to have possibility of hearing backing track
Tone preferences: bright and punchy (P basses and Ampeg fan here)
Music preferences: funk, punk, rock and metal.

I'm not sure what kind of gear I really need, my first types were:
  • Nux Mighty Plug (I'm stoked by its possibilities!)
  • Zoom B1 Four (same)
  • Hotone Thunder Bass (looks adorable and promising)
but I don't want to play only on headphones, so sooner or later I will have to buy a cab. For me it's not affordable solution for now (are there any nice sounding and tiny cabs anyway?)
I'm also thinking of a small combo (Ampeg BA108 v2, Fender Rumble 25, Hartke HD25, Warwick BC20).

What would you recommend and which silent practice solution do you think is the best?
Please don't recommend PJ Double 4 - I love its size, but not the price.
Click to expand...

I would recommend either the Rumble 25, Ampeg BA108, or the Hartke HD25. All three of these amps has an Aux. In and a headphone jack. I have a Rumble 25, which is a solid practice amp.

I would stay away from the headphone amps. I have a Vox amPlug 2 and while it is better than nothing, you are better of with a combo amp that you can play through the speakers or headphone jack. Plus the sound through the headphones of a combo amp is way better than through a headphone amp.

Just my two cents worth...
 
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#34
An USB interface into your computer and decent computer speakers can sound surprisingly good at lower volumes, especially if playing along with songs playing through the computer.

A good DAW like GarageBand is also a valuable tool for recording your practices to track your progress as you get back on the saddle.

I believe most of the Zoom pedals have built in USB D/A functionality
 

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