Smallest, cheapest practice combo you actually enjoy(ed)

[My name is Mudd]

Acoustic B20!

 

[ddbassGA]

I don't see 100 Watt BA115 or B100R amps as small or necessarily cheap practice amps, but everything is relative and these both have good tone. . B50R or BA112 yes. Old GK 200MB combo was tiny and sweet but not cheap. Had Orange Crush 20 that was useless.

 

[mwesth]

Roland RX Bass Micro Cube. Works fine with both my Ubass and the Epi Viola.

 

[wshines1892]

I used a Yorkville Bassmaster XM50 for a while. It was a fantastic amp, nice low end for its size/weight. Most recently, the only practice amp I own is a Fender Rumble 15, which is also pretty solid but I liked the Bassmaster better for just tone purposes.

 

[Bassics101]

Kustom DE50 (maybe not cheapest since I got it new).

 

[Bassman12350]

I have an SWR LA-8 which is very small and light, 30 watts, and is a great recording or "acoustic" amp. The low B string sounds fine at lower volume levels. The thing excels as a practice amp too.

 

[Martin89]

My SWR Workingman's 10 is a surprisingly nice amp, and it's just big enough to fit a 10" speaker and a tweeter. It has a direct out, and it kicks back using the extra handle on the bottom, so I've gotten a lot of use out of it monitoring my bass on stages with less than stellar PAs.

One of the coolest that I've ever played through but didn't own was the (now discontinued) Fender Bassman 60. It was actually pretty hard to get a bad sound out of it IIRC. That makes it great for less experienced bassists who need a good sound but may not need quite the tonal versatility of other amps. For something similar, the newer Rumble series reminds me somewhat of the previous generation Bassmans (Bassmen?).


+1 for the surprising Rumble line and,
+1 for most small Peavey stuff. The Minx is pretty good.

I have a Rumble 60(now also discontinued due to the 75 tilt model but still newer Rumble line) and I have to agree on the fact that they are close to the bassman's and very nice. Great tone and very simple, not exactly small compared to today's amps but fit's the bill nicely for venues w/ less than 75 people; no problem sitting in a mix w/ 2 guitarists, drummer, etc. I feel like Fender's amps have always been much louder/good tone for the money/wattage. 60W combo holds up to what a lot of people here would want a half-stack(makes no sense).

 

[jacobcurry1]

fender rumble 30-love it!

 

[Inconnu]

I have an SWR LA 15 I bought off of Craigslist for $75 that isn't too bad - in a quietish band, I might even be able to gig it with PA reinforcement... I did tape over the horn on it, and that improved it's sound - the horn was pretty sucktacular, and I like horn loaded cabs, generally speaking...

The above is saying something - here's my normal gigging rig:

My normal rig is also an 8x10... the more traditional SVT Classic rig I've been carting around for 15 years... Hence the idea of a small practice amp...

 

[prd004]

Love my Ampeg B100-R, the only combo I've owned that I got a lot of use from.
But I'm more of a head/cab guy.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I've owned several combos and can say this: if I had truly enjoyed any of them, I'd still own it!

Formerly owned Peavy 115 combo, Trace Elliot 108, Carvin Cyclops combo (115/2x08s), Eden CXC110, and Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0T.

I do not own a combo today.

 

[tjh]

FWIW, in practice amp category ... I agree with one post above .. has to be 50 watts or less, and up 12" speaker ... lots of suggestions here, but many are well beyond the 'practice amp' criteria ...

The Minx is great for practice, nice clean sound for distinction when playing with CD's, tracks, etc ... yet still sounds like a bass amp should ... 35 watts into a 10" ... light and built well, sit it on its side on top of a milk crate and you have storage under for books, etc, the amp is at sitting ear height, and flat surface on top for your CD player, etc ...

The Bassman 25 (not to be confused with Rumble 25, etc) is 25 watts into a 10" also, quite a bit fuller sounding than the Minx, a tilt back cab design that takes up a little more room than the Minx, but for all intent and purpose, plays 'bigger' than the Minx also ... with line out (unbalanced)

Ampeg B50R is 50 watts into a 12" speaker ... this has to be the 'ultimate' practice amp, but then, it is quite possibly the ultimate small/acoustic gig combo as well ... incredible tone, simple to use, with line out (unbalanced) ... actually overkill for most probably with only the need for a practice amp ... quite a bit more $$ than the first two

interestingly enough, all three above are discontinued, and of the three the Minx is the most readily available ... very possible to get at least the Minx under $100 shipped off the bay, and pretty indestructable if used as intended ... the Bassman 25 at up to $150 is a good value ..

... the two that I have not used and are of interest would be the Peavey Basic 112/60, or the Ampeg BA112 ...

hope this helps in your fact finding ... and of course as always ... JMHO

Edit to add: I would try to avoid anything smaller than a 10" speaker if at all possible ...

 

[bass4worship]

My Trace Elliot 65 watts 110 combo sounds so good I can take it to small gigs. I would never sell it.

 

[AMJBASS]

I originally bought my Ampeg BA112 to be a practice amp around the house, but it has become invaluable to me as a rehearsal/small gig amp. Its not expensive, and sounds great.

 

[unclejane]

I tried the LowDown a couple of times. Only issue I had was that the clean channel was peaking, at whatever input gain I would set it. Was that a faulty unit or just the amp that couldn't manage the power of a G&L L-2500?

No, that's just life with the MFD pickups. They have so much output that they'll overdrive the input of practically anything you plug them into. Just have to turn the volume knob down until it quits overdriving the amp.

The Line 6 is a superb amp, but my Roland Micro Cube RX has everything else I've ever tried beat. Keep in mind it's overkill in terms of smallness for all but the most stringent requirements for power consumption and size. It's capable of running on batteries and only puts out 5 watts total from its 2 power amps. So sounds very boxy and a little nasally through its eensy 4" speakers.

It's kind of like a very miniature JC-120 but designed for bass and will run on batteries. And when you plug it directly into a sound system you just go absolutely _whoa_ how can a little cheezy box like this sound so great.....

LS

 

[No Neck Shrek]

Hartke A70 great combo !

 

[brianrost]

Crate B10XL

Nothing special but it sounds good. I paid $50 used, found another for a friend for $35.

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[Lowbrow]

Acoustic B20.

20 watts
4-band EQ.
12" speaker
The perfect bedroom/garage/recording amp.

$149.

 

[Jazz Ad]

The Ampeg BA110 sounded absolutely lovely.

 

[spaz21387]

peavey makes some decent practice amps... our demo was actually recorded with my modded j bass and a 35 watt peavey combo that the guitarist owns. it actually can be heard with the drums too.

Myspace.com/thevagines