What to use for home practice? Amp or no amp?

[frankie5string]

Switch to headphones. I learned to play and always practice with headphones. It can sometimes make using amps jarring, but you shouldn't be getting clinical sound out of the VT bass. Lower your level and raise the drive control and you should quickly get a more hairy-sounding signal.

 

[fhm555]

I usually use a small amp but for a while I was playing away from home and was either housed in the BL's spare room or a motel and had to learn new material in both places and usually late at night. One was a house full of people and the other a big building full of people, so I got a Phil Jones Bighead and a good pair of headphones to use for that purpose, and it was an excellent combination for what I needed. The Bighead charged with a cell phone charger so I could plug it in when I started the three hour drive to where I was playing and be ready to practice as soon as I got there. It had tone control, I could plug in a music source for play along, and it also served as an analog to digital converter. The included literature said it could be used as a simple preamp, but I never tried that function. What made it so good for me was even through headphones it sounded like a small amp in the room rather than something pumped directly into my ears from headphones. When that work ended and I no longer was going out of town to play, I went back to my small amp and (foolishly) sold the Bighead. If I ever found myself in a similar situation, I'd grab up the latest version of PJB's Bighead and my headphones.

 

[CallMeAl]

Mixed bag for me, depends on where and what exactly I’m practicing. Sometimes unplugged, sometimes Blackstar amplug. I have a Rumble 25 too and it’s great for home. I use my Markbass for band, but almost prefer the warmer Rumble tone for solo practice; but the tone difference at living room volume is negligible.

But I’ll echo what @Redbrangus is saying; a new toy might be fun, but probably won’t net you much difference at this volume level.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I use my small home amp and cabs.

 

[rebellovw]

I'm very happy with the Rumble 40 - I'll use it with a drum/pedal and create nice loops and then use my little Mustang V1 and play guitar parts - so I definitely need an amp - and I'm an amp junky anyhow. It makes for a great practice routine where I can play and play until I'm done for the night. I can also watch a movie (something that doesn't require any attention - just a old favorite horror movie) as I'm doing this.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Rumble 100. Even used it at my gig Wednesday night!

 

[bassliner50]

I use and can recommend an Ampeg BA108 combo. Satisfying sound. Small footprint.

 

[nono]

Lots of useful advice, thanks. I wouldn't have thought of something like the Bighead, last time I checked this kind of headphone amp (20+ years ago) they more or less universally sucked, sounds like they have come a long way.

What is definitely not useful is anything about 100+W amps or huge cabs, sorry. I can't see how this would fit my "tiny crowded room in an apartment" situation.

 

[Killing Floor]

PJB Double Four. Now. Do it.

 

[GrayGoesBlack]

I also play through monitors, and use a Mesa Subway preamp to get my bass in the interface. Yes, it's not the most exciting sound coming out of the speakers (JBL 305 or something), but it's functional and that's what matters; I can play along with stuff, easily record something quick and I can even practice late in the evening without bothering anyone and without headphones. I don't like headphones. I do, however, play outside at least once a week and push some real air. That's what practice is for, to make the air-pushing sound nice.

I did try out a few preamps, and the Mesa is the winner so far. Good clean sound, plenty of range, and can do the bass sounds I want to hear. Even for a practice set-up through monitors, the Mesa makes me smile.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Hi!

My current home practice rig is, more or less, bass into SamsAmp VT Bass (v2 I think, not the DI) into mixer into studio monitors (KRK Rokit RP5).

It works good enough but the sound is somewhat clinical; good for hearing my mistakes but I kind of miss some grain here, I guess.

What would you do? Keep things as is, use different speakers (maybe a small stage monitor) or a small bass combo, and if an amp what kind of make and model?

Between the tiny room I use for practice and the fact I live in an apartment with neighbors, the most powerful I could realistically use is something like the Markbass Micromark 801 (which I tried and quite like, but it is quite expensive). I heard quite a lot of good reviews about the Phil Jones X4 but I wonder if it would bring me much more grain than the VT Bass. Or maybe a cheaper combo like one of the small Fender Rumbles?

Choices, choices...

I live in an "in-law's apartment" on the bottom floor of a house built on a hillside. My landlady's bedroom is directly above me, so there's no chance of playing through an amp. Not a problem for me though as I use a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 Gen3 audio interface hooked up to my computer. I plug my bass into one channel of this two-channel audio-interface and my SM58 into the other channel, and I'm all set.

Works great for recording 2 channels at a time on a DAW, but I mostly use it to listen to and play along with the songs I'm learning. It replaces the sound card on my computer because it has far better fidelity than a sound card. I use a pair of Bose AE2 headphones, which are old, but give me great fidelity too, so I have no problem playing along with any music I need to be learning. The one problem I run into is that it drives my wife a bit nuts to just hear snippets of singing, especially when they are harmony parts, not the melody.

Think I paid about $179 for it, which is a pretty standard price anywhere, and it was a great choice.

 

[FunkMeister57]

I use Soundcraft Notepad 5. Best home solution for practicing. It have Hi-Z input for passive pickups, USB input, RCA and TRS stereo inputs, stereo headphone output with high volume capability.

 

[socialleper]

Focusrite interface, DAW, amplitube or SHB-1, Dr Bonkers IRs. Sounds fine in my Neumann NHD20 headphones.

 

[Danny C]

I use a Rumble 25, but Eminence speaker, 2nd port cut in and both tuned low with the length of the tubes I installed, and baffling inside. A Linden Barber pedal and it's good. If in phones, a PJB Bighead. For 6 string, a Spark 40. Enjoy!

 

[Lobster11]

If you live in an apartment I honestly don't think you have any reasonable options besides headphones. The fundamental problem (no pun intended) is that low-frequency sounds travel readily through walls and floors and ceilings, so the only way to use an amp/cab/combo without headphones is to make sure it has no bottom end. And what would be the point of that?

 

[truand85]

PJB Double Four. Amazing little amp.

 

[Djadja]

I use my board which ends in a Darkglass B7K Ulra V2 and headphones. This also allows me to plug my tablet into the Aux in and play along with Youtube videos or other music on my tablet without disturbing anyone (except by my heavy foot keeping time). I’ve also just downloaded the Moises software which together with that set up should be a big leap forward for my practice time.

 

[Wild_Bill_57]

If I’m going for quiet practice I use this Zoom B6 and My Ultimate Ears UE11’s and an IPad.

 

[Jeff Scott]

When I'm just practicing/noodling I run my basses through one of these (MXR Phase 90; Sansamp GT2; tc electronic MOJOMOJO, Cave Passive Pedals B-Drive Mk II) > Strymon Flint > Radial ProD2 > Marantz PMD661 > Sennheiser HD 280 Pro headphones.

For learning songs I use a Raven Labs PHA-1 that my Mac Mini is connected to, and AKG K401 headphones.

 

[rapidfirerob]

Michael Kelly ABG. No amp. Plenty loud to play along with any song or practice anything else.