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Suggestions needed for small battery powered amp/combo for acoustic jam.

J

JeffG47

Supporting Member
Jun 6, 2024
17
47
#1
I'd like to bring an acoustic bass to a weekly acoustic jam session/open mic. I'm under the impression that an acoustic bass won't cut through the mix and thought that there might be a small cordless speaker/combo that I could purchase to bring along with me. Does anybody have any ideas or a solution that has worked for them?
I haven't purchased an acoustic bass at this point . I'm under the impression that very few project any real volume when in the company of other Instruments unless they are amplified. Thoughts, comments welcome.
Best,
Jeff
 
#2
Just to clarify, acoustic bass as in acoustic bass guitar, not upright/double bass, correct?

If so, then you are right, an acoustic bass guitar will totally get buried in the mix among other acoustic instruments like guitars.

The question becomes: If you already need an amplifier, then why not just bring an electric bass you are already comfortable with? If you really dig the vibe and feel of an acoustic bass then that's cool, though you'll have to be ready to battle with feedback if you have to get loud. But if you just want to play then I'd question whether you actually gain anything from buying an acoustic bass guitar for this rather than bringing an electric, and perhaps putting the saved money into a better amplifier.
 
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#3
There ARE a few ABGs that can get heard in a jam, depending on the size of the circle and how the other players act...see my avatar. But those basses are large, expensive, and uncommon.

There are a ton of small battery powered amps out there, and they dont have to be very expensive, depending on what features you want and what quality of sound you expect. Just do your google, or hit GC or Sweetwater.

Before you buy though...talk to the people at the jam. Some jams will be cool with what you have in mind. Others will beat you like a redheaded stepchild if you show up with any sort of amp at all.
 
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#5
gtirard said:
Since an acoustic bass won't let you compete with acoustic guitars, you need a battery powered amp.
So the question is: "is it acceptable to use a regular bass and a small battery powered amp, or do you need to buy an accoustic bass and a battery powered amp?"
And the next question is your budget?
Click to expand...
For what it's worth, I use this kind of setup for my vocal band (20 singers + acoustic guitar + cajon + my ABG)
  • Taylor GS Mini-e bass: very small, but loud for its size. Needs amplification like all ABG, but it sounds nice on its own when I play alone on my couch. Super fun to play.
  • Phil Jone Double 4: this first version can't use battery power, but it's small and it sounds great. The newer version can be used with an external power bank.
This setup is expensive, but I love it. You may find a cheaper instrument and a cheaper amp, depending on your budget, but you should avoid entry level micro-amps that look like toys: they also sound like toys.
 
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#6
If you would play plugged in anyway, perhaps getting an acoustic bass is optional. If it's acceptable to play an electric bass, this frees up your budget for a proper amp.
You have four options:
1. Battery-powered combo.
2. Small head powered with a DC brick.
3. Ordinary mains powered amp and a UPS.
4. Modeler and battery-powered FRFR speaker

Let's get the simplest option out of the way first: Continue using what you have, or get a more portable combo, and get a good mains UPS (also called a mains power bank or such). They're actually fairly affordable nowadays, and can be used for other purposes, which makes them an attractive option. They're fairly bulky and a bit on the heavy side, but acceptably so, and you won't have to make too many additional purchases.

The second-simplest option are battery-powered combos. I'm aware of five:
1. A number of plastic ~5" combos, e.g. Joyo MA-10B. Excellent choice for repair work on basses to quickly check your job, perhaps for quiet practice at home, and useless for anything else.
2. DK iB-50. It's a complete enigma to me. In theory, it has everything you might need. 10" woofer, allegedly 2-way (advertised with a 4" high frequency driver), 50 or 80 watts, depending on where you look. Has a complete set of output and inputs (even an XLR microphone input, I think I saw it even has phantom power). In practice, I never saw one in person, I can't tell you how it sounds and how useful it actually is.
3. Yamaha THR family. Plenty of hype. But there's a number of comments which mention that it's really not cut out for bass.
4. Positive Grid Spark family. Again, a lot of hype. Then I saw them constantly cropping up for sale used.
5. Roland Cube family. I only looked at them briefly. Again: A lot of hype and several comments that mention that it's useless for bass.
I think there are more options, I'm quite sure of it, but none of them satisfactory, I looked at what's available and forgot about them, so they must have been even worse than the ones above.

The third one is a modeler and a battery-powered FRFR speaker. Now, you'll note that most small FRFR speakers are not cut out for bass playing. They give you the frequency response at -3 dB, and it usually drops off quickly below 50-60 Hz. That might still be useful to you. Or not.

The fourth option is a DC-powered amp and using a USB Power Delivery power bank.
@gtirard already mentioned Phil Jones Double 4.
I'll add a few more:
1. Combo: Vox VX-50BA. 8", 50 W power, can be powered with a 19 V USB-PD power bank, just get a USB-C PD to DC 19 V cable and you're golden.
2. Head: Joyo Bantamp Badass. 50 W power, has a 24 V DC power supply, but runs well with a 19 V USB-DC cable and with a 28 V USB-DC cable.
3. Head: Quilter Interbass 45. 45 W power, has a 24 V DC power supply. I never owned one, but there are users with a positive experience here on TB.
 
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#7
gtirard said:
  • Phil Jone Double 4: this first version can't use battery power, but it's small and it sounds great. The newer version can be used with an external power bank.
Click to expand...

The first version of the Double 4 is actually capable of battery operation. It's the one that comes with a laptop-style power brick. I bought an USB-C to 2.5mm barrel jack adapter and run mine with a laptop powerbank.
I think the second version has the IEC plug and has the power supply on the inside and is not capable of battery operation, and the newest version has an USB-C plug so you don't even need an adapter any more.
 
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#8
JeffG47 said:
I'd like to bring an acoustic bass to a weekly acoustic jam session/open mic. I'm under the impression that an acoustic bass won't cut through the mix and thought that there might be a small cordless speaker/combo that I could purchase to bring along with me. Does anybody have any ideas or a solution that has worked for them?
I haven't purchased an acoustic bass at this point . I'm under the impression that very few project any real volume when in the company of other Instruments unless they are amplified. Thoughts, comments welcome.
Best,
Jeff
Click to expand...
Subscribed. I'm in similar situation, except more guitars, fiddles, ukes, mandos, harmonicas…. Everyone seems fine with bass needing amp support as long as I'm supporting the music and paying attention to my volume levels.

I have a Boss Dual Cube Bass LX and use a small 9V battery bank. Generally it works well, but depending on the situation, I sometimes wish I had just a bit more volume and/low end. The real kicker is when a banjo or accordion shows up.

I have an ABG that is relatively loud, and definitely combines with the amp to add volume, but they all eventually get overwhelmed, so sometimes it's just easier to pull out an electric. The ABG can also lead to me playing too hard trying to get just a bit more volume out of it.

Considering the PJ D4+and a battery bank. I'm not sure how much more real world volume this will have, but on paper it looks significant. The lack of a DI is a bummer as I've used it on the Boss on gigs with PA support. For me, a DI box is another device to keep track of, but not the end of the world.

Interested to see other recommendations.
 
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#9
toughluck said:
If you would play plugged in anyway, perhaps getting an acoustic bass is optional. If it's acceptable to play an electric bass, this frees up your budget for a proper amp.
You have four options:
1. Battery-powered combo.
2. Small head powered with a DC brick.
3. Ordinary mains powered amp and a UPS.
4. Modeler and battery-powered FRFR speaker

Let's get the simplest option out of the way first: Continue using what you have, or get a more portable combo, and get a good mains UPS (also called a mains power bank or such). They're actually fairly affordable nowadays, and can be used for other purposes, which makes them an attractive option. They're fairly bulky and a bit on the heavy side, but acceptably so, and you won't have to make too many additional purchases.

The second-simplest option are battery-powered combos. I'm aware of five:
1. A number of plastic ~5" combos, e.g. Joyo MA-10B. Excellent choice for repair work on basses to quickly check your job, perhaps for quiet practice at home, and useless for anything else.
2. DK iB-50. It's a complete enigma to me. In theory, it has everything you might need. 10" woofer, allegedly 2-way (advertised with a 4" high frequency driver), 50 or 80 watts, depending on where you look. Has a complete set of output and inputs (even an XLR microphone input, I think I saw it even has phantom power). In practice, I never saw one in person, I can't tell you how it sounds and how useful it actually is.
3. Yamaha THR family. Plenty of hype. But there's a number of comments which mention that it's really not cut out for bass.
4. Positive Grid Spark family. Again, a lot of hype. Then I saw them constantly cropping up for sale used.
5. Roland Cube family. I only looked at them briefly. Again: A lot of hype and several comments that mention that it's useless for bass.
I think there are more options, I'm quite sure of it, but none of them satisfactory, I looked at what's available and forgot about them, so they must have been even worse than the ones above.

The third one is a modeler and a battery-powered FRFR speaker. Now, you'll note that most small FRFR speakers are not cut out for bass playing. They give you the frequency response at -3 dB, and it usually drops off quickly below 50-60 Hz. That might still be useful to you. Or not.

The fourth option is a DC-powered amp and using a USB Power Delivery power bank.
@gtirard already mentioned Phil Jones Double 4.
I'll add a few more:
1. Combo: Vox VX-50BA. 8", 50 W power, can be powered with a 19 V USB-PD power bank, just get a USB-C PD to DC 19 V cable and you're golden.
2. Head: Joyo Bantamp Badass. 50 W power, has a 24 V DC power supply, but runs well with a 19 V USB-DC cable and with a 28 V USB-DC cable.
3. Head: Quilter Interbass 45. 45 W power, has a 24 V DC power supply. I never owned one, but there are users with a positive experience here on TB.
Click to expand...
Great overview of options.

I would add the Traynor BM12MOBILE, that I would call a "no compromise busking bass amp"
  • 12 inch speaker
  • 350 Watts on AC, 80 Watts on Battery
(as much as I love the Quilter Interbass 45 for its sound and size, it's also much louder than one might think, I wouldn't choose it in OP's context, because I find it a little complex to find a compatible power bank, and plug everything together. I would prefer a combo).
 
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#10
Horse farm campfire rig. The phil jones double four is way cool.
 

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#11
I agree with other posts here that amplification is a touchy subject in some settings. Before you research more gear and invest in your plan it would be best to ask the other musicians involved. You say it's an "acoustic jam." Find out just how acoustic it is. I switched to upright 32 years ago when I jumped from bar bands to bluegrass to increase my opportunities to play and it was a great decision. Is that an option for you?
 
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#13
In my experience with many acoustic jams, an electric bass through a small amp with a clean old school thump is acceptable. Everyone else will be worried about their next lead. Most acoustic bass guitars, IMHO, have too much sustain.

OP, what gear do you have? If I had a small combo I would look at a battery pack if needed.
 
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#18
Acoustic Bass Guitar can be legit. Just listen to Jonas Helborg. I got me an inexpensive Yamaha nylon ( often sold at a bargain on FB M or CZl ) slapped a K&K under saddle pickup and a set of Magma Transpoditor strings and basically gave me an Acoustic Bass VI and less bulky than an ABG

I am currently using a Bose battery powered PA speaker. In a pinch I can run it without a preamp but a Zoom MS 60B works as well and also battery powered but my also battery powered Headway EB2 which I used for my double bass works well. The Bose is small but the Phli Bass C4 wins since it is made for bass and it is stealth. Small battery powered mini PAs from EV and JBL and Bose. Most have EQ or EQ profiles and a HZ input

You need an amp against guitars. If someone brings a Cajon or hand percussion...no question
 
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