testing small amps at music stores

[dbsfgyd1]

so i'm still on the lookout for a small, lower priced combo. the problem is that our local stores seem to be set up to make sure everything sounds its worst or at least nothing like it will sound played at home or anywhere else.

the bass room at west l.a. guitar center, which is our closest store, has amazing properties to make almost everything sound like mud. amps i'm familiar with sound 50% worse, amps i'm not as familiar with i can't get familiar due to the poor room acoustics. the only combo that sounds good there to me is the TC BG250 2x8, and it's above my budget; besides, i know that not one amp there sounds the way it will sound either at other stores OR where i play.

hollywood guitar center, with their crappy new layout, always has guitar players pounding away, and it's worse than before. the only way to hear an amp is to put it at ear level, and last time i did that, i ended up with ear pain for a couple weeks. hollywood sam ash's open room seems to suck up the sound, and at ear level without turning way up makes everything sound better than it sounds where i use them; torrance sam ash has a huge open room with a high ceiling, guaranteed to give no idea of how things will sound unless you play in a huge open room with a high ceiling.

and so it goes. we live by 7 guitar centers and 3 sam ash stores, and not one of them is going to give a decent idea of how amps sound.

so i'm wondering how you choose a combo or amp and cab when you know that what you hear at the store isn't the sound you'll hear from the combo or amp once you play it anywhere else. is it the luck of the draw? do you figure you can always return it? inquiring minds want to know!

Since it’s a small amp, at Sam Ash, take it into either the drum room or acoustic guitar room. Also, going when they open on a Tuesday morning the stores are pretty much empty.

 

[Kipp Harrington]

so i'm still on the lookout for a small, lower priced combo. the problem is that our local stores seem to be set up to make sure everything sounds its worst or at least nothing like it will sound played at home or anywhere else.

the bass room at west l.a. guitar center, which is our closest store, has amazing properties to make almost everything sound like mud. amps i'm familiar with sound 50% worse, amps i'm not as familiar with i can't get familiar due to the poor room acoustics. the only combo that sounds good there to me is the TC BG250 2x8, and it's above my budget; besides, i know that not one amp there sounds the way it will sound either at other stores OR where i play.

hollywood guitar center, with their crappy new layout, always has guitar players pounding away, and it's worse than before. the only way to hear an amp is to put it at ear level, and last time i did that, i ended up with ear pain for a couple weeks. hollywood sam ash's open room seems to suck up the sound, and at ear level without turning way up makes everything sound better than it sounds where i use them; torrance sam ash has a huge open room with a high ceiling, guaranteed to give no idea of how things will sound unless you play in a huge open room with a high ceiling.

and so it goes. we live by 7 guitar centers and 3 sam ash stores, and not one of them is going to give a decent idea of how amps sound.

so i'm wondering how you choose a combo or amp and cab when you know that what you hear at the store isn't the sound you'll hear from the combo or amp once you play it anywhere else. is it the luck of the draw? do you figure you can always return it? inquiring minds want to know!

Buy one that you think fits the bill for you. Take it home. Run it through it’s courses. If you don’t like it, return it and try Plan B. Most major chains have a 30 day return policy. Good luck!

 

[Phil508]

I agree, they use floor space and don't care how it sounds.
(Just like they setup basses at GC)
Believe it or not , my favorite practice setup is, A&H ZED FX10 board ($279) has Two channels with input for Guitar/Bass, I get a Bluetooth receiver for the stereo in and play music on my phone to practice with. Started with headphones, now wireless with in-ears and I can go anywhere in the house and practice. Doesn't sound too bad either.

 

[johnpbass]

Start a thread that's more focused on actually looking for specific amps. Include a good description of what you're looking for tone wise, features, etc. Folks on TB have played probably every amp in existence so you'll get a lot of good feedback and ideas. Then order the amp that sounds closest from a vendor that has a return policy. If you don't like it, you can return it.

 

[pcake]

i wanted to reiterate that one of my problems is how poor the acoustics are in some of the stores. going there early will not, alas, make the rooms sound better. i guess a leap of faith - which hasn't been always successful for me - may be needed. that and returning if necessary.

... just buy the Double Four ...

i'm actually currently swinging between a less expensive combo or getting a different cab. the bass cab 27 is on my list for cab along with the elf 110 and the fender rumble 115.

Since it’s a small amp, at Sam Ash, take it into either the drum room or acoustic guitar room. Also, going when they open on a Tuesday morning the stores are pretty much empty.

hollywood sam ash's drum section is a separate store across the street - the acoustic room is the room the actual guitars are in. i could try the "nice" guitar room, i suppose. i hadn't through of that. the wall of glass probably means everything will sound a bit different but not like a muddy mess like two stores within an hour of me.

 

[brianrost]

i'm wondering how you choose a combo or amp and cab when you know that what you hear at the store isn't the sound you'll hear from the combo or amp once you play it anywhere else

1. Use your own bass or one that is as close to it as possible.

2. If the store has another amp on the floor that you know well, play through that, too so you can get a comparison between the two in that room.

3. Sit close to the amp, so you're getting less of the effect of the room. If you are buying it for practice only, this is how you will be using it anyway.

4. Don't play it really loud when you are trying to assess thge tone. Crank it only when you are trying to see how loud it will get and stand further away when you do this to protect your ears. 30 seconds of this is enough to get a sales droid to come tell you to turn it down.

5. Tweak the EQ all over the place to hear what happens. Try dialing in specific tones.

6. Play as many amps as you can even when you are not in the market. Over time you will develop a sense of what tones each one can get.

 

[bearfoot]

You might have to make sure you're there when the store first opens.

 

[pcake]

1. Use your own bass or one that is as close to it as possible.

2. If the store has another amp on the floor that you know well, play through that, too so you can get a comparison between the two in that room.

3. Sit close to the amp, so you're getting less of the effect of the room. If you are buying it for practice only, this is how you will be using it anyway.

4. Don't play it really loud when you are trying to assess thge tone. Crank it only when you are trying to see how loud it will get and stand further away when you do this to protect your ears. 30 seconds of this is enough to get a sales droid to come tell you to turn it down.

5. Tweak the EQ all over the place to hear what happens. Try dialing in specific tones.

6. Play as many amps as you can even when you are not in the market. Over time you will develop a sense of what tones each one can get.

thanks for taking the time to write this. since you don't know me, you don't know that i've been trying acoustic guitars in stores since about 1972 and basses and amps in stores since 1994, so i already do or try to do everything you wrote. i hope people who aren't experienced at trying gear in stores save your list so they can do those things every time they want to try gear!

1. i always use a bass i'm very familiar with when testing amps or cabs. that takes one variable out of the equation, taking into account string and sample variation. i've been using mustang P/Js and a couple other models that i've both owned and tried many of in many stores.

i try to test between an amp i know well and others, but in the case of at least two stores, the amps sound pretty dismal. in one store, no amp has any high end or upper mids at all. alas, that's the closest store to me. also they have stopped carrying a lot of the amps i know well, preferring to replace them with tons of acoustic amps.

i always sit near the amp. doesn't everyone who plays in stores?

i have never turned a bass amp way up at a store since i try to be considerate of others who are trying gear. i don't want to be "that guy"... well, or in my case, that gal.

i always tweak the amps. i mean, who knows how an amp will sound without really putting it through its paces?

the thing is, for example, you would never equate a rumble 40 you tried in sam ash torrance with the same amp at west l.a. guitar center since the rooms give such a radically different sound. it doesn't sound like the same amp to me as it has totally different tonal characteristics.

at a certain point, i'm going to have to buy to try. sweetwater and AMS charge return shipping if there's no issue with the item, but sam ash and GC will let me walk the item in and return in store.

 

[Morse_77]

With regards to trying an amp (or a bass) in a store:

It sometimes feels like we are second class citizen. From a music store`s business perspective: we are.

They will sell A LOT LESS basses and bass related product then guitar. They will have 12 (or more) guitar players shredding away for 1 bass player trying to hear the difference in tone between a Mexican and Japanese Fender…

My secret: early weekday mornings.

I have taken Mondays and Tuesdays morning off from work to try basses and amps at music stores. I walk through the doorstep the second it opens. There is usually no one around. Even the staff is not really there (that`s the impression I got from the bleary-eyed rep. who took down the spec for my custom G&L).

Hope that helps!

 

[bass40hz]

Many brands have baked in tonal characteristics, if you like the "Fender" ("insert any brand of choice here") tone, chances are you will get it or a close representation in any of their gear offerings, same for GK, Aggie, TC, Mesa, etc...if you know what you are looking for it should help at least narrow it down for you.
Good luck and Rock on.

 

[EatS1stBassist]

have you played any in the bass room at west l.a. GC lately?



i don't keep them that close to my ears or pain. i usually keep my cab 2 feet below and to the side when sitting. if i'm playing louder than 1 am volume, i need it further away. i did try to A/B the rumble 25 and 40 at GC hollywood at ear level due to room noise, and ended up with ear pain and more sensitivity for a couple weeks.

the fun never stops.

No I haven’t. I always try music stores when first open so it is quiet.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

i wanted to reiterate that one of my problems is how poor the acoustics are in some of the stores. going there early will not, alas, make the rooms sound better. i guess a leap of faith - which hasn't been always successful for me - may be needed. that and returning if necessary.



i'm actually currently swinging between a less expensive combo or getting a different cab. the bass cab 27 is on my list for cab along with the elf 110 and the fender rumble 115.



hollywood sam ash's drum section is a separate store across the street - the acoustic room is the room the actual guitars are in. i could try the "nice" guitar room, i suppose. i hadn't through of that. the wall of glass probably means everything will sound a bit different but not like a muddy mess like two stores within an hour of me.

It’s a small amp. It’s unlikely you will be playing at collosium levels. More than anything you need sound isolation and a quite room should help. I agree, crossing the street, mmmm, maybe not...