• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

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

#21
I was playing my DB at a truly acoustic jam on Sunday…no mikes, no amps of any kind. It started with just me and the jam leader on his archtop acoustic guitar. A guy name Sam asked if he could play bass, so he was invited up.

Since the venue also hosts open mikes twice a week with some cheap guitars, basses (both electric and acoustic) hanging off the wall, a knocked down drum kit piled up in the corner next to a small PA.

So the leader handed him the ABG and Sam had never played one before, but was able to be heard against the guitar. I'm sure the leader kept his dynamics in check so as to not drown him out. It had bronze-wound strings, so more twang than thump but it cuts through better.

I'm pretty sure it was a Dean like this one:

J45423000001000-02-600x600.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Church-Bass
#23
brianrost said:
So the leader handed him the ABG and Sam had never played one before, but was able to be heard against the guitar. I'm sure the leader kept his dynamics in check so as to not drown him out. It had bronze-wound strings, so more twang than thump but it cuts through better.
Click to expand...
I don't know how much is due to this particular ABG, the bronze string, and the leader playing quietly, but we've had multiple threads on the topic "can a ABG rival with a guitar without an amp", and the consensus is "no", so if there was a miraculous solution, I think we would know by now. I'd love to be wrong though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Plectrum72, jthisdell and mikko93
#24
I suggest buying an inverter to match the small amp of your choice.
You end up with an amp that is usable for other light gigs, and an inverter that can be used for other fun activities.
 
#25
For you specific application, I would choose the Roland Cube Street EX. Assuming I was able and willing to pay for it. It's not cheap. My recommendation is based on size, weight portability, and volume capability. The Cube Street EX should work really well in an acoustic jam. But it will quickly run out of headroom for louder situations, for example if the guitars are using amps.

The EX version has two 8" woofers and claims 50W total power. I think it performs more like about 20W. It weighs 16lbs, which is about the most I would consider for this application.

The Cube Street EX can run off eight AA batteries. You could get Eneloops in a kit with a charger. A consideration, AFAIK the available power is reduced on AAs. If you need more volume you can get an optional power pack that claims to allow the amp to make almost full power. Unfortunately the power pack is fairly expensive.

One possible concern is the Cube Street EX is more of a mini PA than a bass amp. I personally like a full-range sound, but many do not. If you strongly prefer a more traditional sound, you may want to look elsewhere.

If you want more headroom, you might consider a battery powered PA. Multiple companies have introduce fairly high quality options within the last year or so. Electro Voice has the Everse 8 and 12. QSC has the CB10. These options are basically high-end blue tooth speakers. They should have considerably more headroom than the Cube Street EX and some of them are comparable cost wise. Consider the features, performance, convenience, and cost that best meets your needs.


There are tons of blue tooth speakers on the market...many of them are cheap, but also crappy. You usually get what you pay for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nebadon2000
#26
  • Like
Reactions: Nebadon2000
#27
There are certainly sessions where any kind of amplification is absolutely forbidden. I have an Ibanez ABG I take out for my local one. I suspect it must be pretty much inaudible across the other side of the room over umpteen melodeons and whatever, but we don't really have an audience so its not that big a deal. I can hear it so I'm getting to play in that company, and its certainly audible in at least the quieter tunes, because I get comments to that effect. Ultimately if I can hear what I'm doing and having fun doing it, in the context of a casual jam it desn't really matter a damn if it doesn't cut through the mix, so don't worry about it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: mikeoso
#28
I was also going to suggest a power bank with your amp of choice.

But also, maybe consider a something like an Alto Uber. It's battery powered can double as a Bluetooth party speaker. Not much more than a combo input or two, but in an acoustic jam/campfire situation it really doesn't take much to get your level up where it needs to be. Unless you have hoard of guitarist strumming like they have a bad case of scabies and the guitar is in the way. Or there is always the Roland Bass MicroCube. They can be found relatively inexpensively in the used market. Neither option will compete with a full on bass rig, but nor should it have to.
 
#30
JimChjones said:
There are certainly sessions where any kind of amplification is absolutely forbidden. I have an Ibanez ABG I take out for my local one. I suspect it must be pretty much inaudible across the other side of the room over umpteen melodeons and whatever, but we don't really have an audience so its not that big a deal. I can hear it so I'm getting to play in that company, and its certainly audible in at least the quieter tunes, because I get comments to that effect. Ultimately if I can hear what I'm doing and having fun doing it, in the context of a casual jam it desn't really matter a damn if it doesn't cut through the mix, so don't worry about it.
Click to expand...
I play weekly at an Old Time jam circle, usually has 8-14 players. Couple fiddles, couple guitars, hammer dulcimer, mando, some harmonicas. They tell me they can hear me ok.

SC bass guitar(0).jpg


TBH, that's not a normal ABG, though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Church-Bass
#34
Honestly, I'd get a power station like a goal zero yeti 300 and then plug any amp into it.

My other suggestion would be an Alto TX412B, which is a battery powered PA speaker, and use a battery powered pedal to get the sound you want.

And, I personally wouldn't get an acoustic bass.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Wasnex
#35
toughluck said:
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.
Click to expand...
When my two daughters were growing up we had a family three piece band that gigged regularly. We'd also have many acoustic campfire and backyard BBQ jams. I had an ABG and with two guitars and vocals three only person that could hear the bass was me...... not only that but an ABG in a hard case takes up a lot of room in the van.

I made a travel electric bass that takes up very little room and bought a Roland Cube Street. Together they took up less than half the room in the van and the bass could be heard when jamming..... my youngest would also plug in sometimes so her lead solos on her travel sized acoustic guitar could be heard. It worked very well with the added bonus being that we could also play recorded music through it. The batteries last a long time.... around 20 hours or so.... and while I always took spares I rarely needed them even when away camping for the or four days.

Did it sound like a good quality bass amp? No, but it certainly sounded good enough for some of the most enjoyable camping jams I've ever had.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rok51 and Wasnex
#37
gtirard said:
I don't know how much is due to this particular ABG, the bronze string, and the leader playing quietly, but we've had multiple threads on the topic "can a ABG rival with a guitar without an amp", and the consensus is "no", so if there was a miraculous solution, I think we would know by now. I'd love to be wrong though.
Click to expand...

It's just an example of what is needed to really make an ABG work without an amp. Unless everyone else is willing to control their intrument and vocal levels (not likely) to acommodate the ABG, it won't work. That Dean wasn't any louder than any other ABG I've heard other than the big boys like the Ernie Ball or the early Guilds that have been long out of production.

To me an "acoustic jam/open mike" means there's amplification in use. You don't need mikes when there's no PA, eh? Since JeffG47 has yet to get his ABG, he should go to the session first and see what other bassists might be bringing to play. Then he can make a buying decision.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rok51 and gtirard
#38
I've done a lot of busking and small gigs with a Bose S1 pro. Very bass heavy, can easily keep up with most non drum situations, and weighs 11 pounds. I own v1, which have been around long enough to be pretty cheap used.

I'm sure the Everse and QSC options are better, but they will also be bigger and more expensive.

If you don't already own an ABG, don't buy one. Put the money in a nic3 battery powered speaker. You'll get a lot more enjoyment out of it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: rok51

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back