This is one of the great things about being a bass player. Even just our home rigs make great revenge weapons.
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Why can't I use a small radio or speaker for practice???
- Thread starter diegom
- Start date
This is one of the great things about being a bass player. Even just our home rigs make great revenge weapons.
I concur. I have a rumble 25 and it sounds pretty good. I mostly practice using Shure 535 earbuds though.
So many great responses!!! Thank you for the participation!!!
Replying to some messages:
My first guitar amp WAS a Montgomery Ward Airline tube radio. It sounded awesome and distorted at just the right level!!! Those boxes were built like tanks. Unfortunately, that one is long gone, victim of my brother's early electronic experimentation...
The cathedral radio idea is more about looks than anything else. I'm sure an old speaker could not take that much... I'll get a structurally-sound cabinet and stick a little class-d car amp with a modern 6" to 8" woofer. Input, volume, tone, and that would be it. Now, if I were to get a big Philco console like @Bruce Johnson, I'd probably restore that as authentic as possible...
HPF is something I definitely had in mind. But now this is turning into a RIG.
I liked that little Fender. I guess I should look on Craigslist and find a small, cheap guitar practice amp and change the speaker to something bassier... I doubt tone stack would make that much of a difference for a lil practice, low-volume amp. Why doesn't Ampeg make a micro-mini??!!?? (BTW, I have a BA-108. I'm looking for something even smaller...)
Little battery-powered guitar mini amps, while cute, they really have no bass at all. And no possible speaker-modding options... Again, where is Ampeg??!!?? (I did try the Eden MicroTour a few years back. Too much distortion, too early...)
M-Audio powered monitor - I had not thought of that. Many small powered monitors to choose from. Thanks for the idea! I could even velcro a preamp to the back... I think this could be the winner...
The reason for my no headphones policy, is that I don't want to be so isolated from the rest of the house. This is practice, noodleling, not rehersal.
Thank you again!!!
Diego
Replying to some messages:
My first guitar amp WAS a Montgomery Ward Airline tube radio. It sounded awesome and distorted at just the right level!!! Those boxes were built like tanks. Unfortunately, that one is long gone, victim of my brother's early electronic experimentation...
The cathedral radio idea is more about looks than anything else. I'm sure an old speaker could not take that much... I'll get a structurally-sound cabinet and stick a little class-d car amp with a modern 6" to 8" woofer. Input, volume, tone, and that would be it. Now, if I were to get a big Philco console like @Bruce Johnson, I'd probably restore that as authentic as possible...
HPF is something I definitely had in mind. But now this is turning into a RIG.
I liked that little Fender. I guess I should look on Craigslist and find a small, cheap guitar practice amp and change the speaker to something bassier... I doubt tone stack would make that much of a difference for a lil practice, low-volume amp. Why doesn't Ampeg make a micro-mini??!!?? (BTW, I have a BA-108. I'm looking for something even smaller...)
Little battery-powered guitar mini amps, while cute, they really have no bass at all. And no possible speaker-modding options... Again, where is Ampeg??!!?? (I did try the Eden MicroTour a few years back. Too much distortion, too early...)
M-Audio powered monitor - I had not thought of that. Many small powered monitors to choose from. Thanks for the idea! I could even velcro a preamp to the back... I think this could be the winner...
The reason for my no headphones policy, is that I don't want to be so isolated from the rest of the house. This is practice, noodleling, not rehersal.
Thank you again!!!
Diego
Before I picked up my vox pathfinder i would plug my portable usb speaker into vox amplug. While it wasnt bassy it worked. For lolz plugged pedal in too. Needed something more portable than rumble40 when going to inlaws for weekend.
The bluetooth speakers are "not designed for low frequencies"? Really? REALLY? They are certainly designed to reproduce sufficient lows or you would not hear the lows in the recorded music you play through them.
Yes they can reproduce lows. Their limit is not in frequency response, but in volume output. They can reproduce lows but not loud. Not loud enough for most home practice. If you can discipline yourself to keep the volume down they would work fine. But most of us can't. After all, you want it loud enough to mostly cover the acoustic sound of the bass, right?
If you can keep your instrument level to the same volume as the bass in the recording playing through the speaker you'll probably be fine. My guess is you'll want it 10 dB louder than that and the little speaker won't be able to do that.
Yes they can reproduce lows. Their limit is not in frequency response, but in volume output. They can reproduce lows but not loud. Not loud enough for most home practice. If you can discipline yourself to keep the volume down they would work fine. But most of us can't. After all, you want it loud enough to mostly cover the acoustic sound of the bass, right?
If you can keep your instrument level to the same volume as the bass in the recording playing through the speaker you'll probably be fine. My guess is you'll want it 10 dB louder than that and the little speaker won't be able to do that.
your phone produces a line level signal
your bass produces an instrument level signal, which is weaker
https://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcar...ic-instrument-line-and-speaker-level-signals/
nothing to do with the speaker or bass frequencies at all.
to bring a bass up to line level you need a preamp.
If the OP wants small, visibly pleasing and good sound, that could be tough. Those three factors are some of what make an expensive product.
If small is all that's needed, converting the radio could probably be done, but it might not be worth the trouble.
Years ago, my wife bought a cigar box amp out at Pike Place Market. It sounded good for a little bit, but quality began to degrade until it couldn't reproduce sound without farting to some degree. If I only had what fit into a gig bag on a lone island, that amp could do the job. Poorly, but it could.
If small is all that's needed, converting the radio could probably be done, but it might not be worth the trouble.
Years ago, my wife bought a cigar box amp out at Pike Place Market. It sounded good for a little bit, but quality began to degrade until it couldn't reproduce sound without farting to some degree. If I only had what fit into a gig bag on a lone island, that amp could do the job. Poorly, but it could.
Do you have a component-based stereo? My best and cheapest way to hear bass guitar through a receiver + speakers was to plug into 1/4” “mic” inputs in a tape deck, put in a sacrificial tape, hit record + pause, and adjust the recording level to taste.
Any mixer with rca outs can also work...
Any mixer with rca outs can also work...
How are you at wood bashing? I always say that you shouldn't home build cabs unless you have special requirements, but a cathedral radio case sure sounds like a special requirement... Grab a little cheap bass practice amp - they go for very little round here - and make a cathedral shape case the same volume and you should be ready to go. Transfer all the components and you're good. Then you can bung the standard case in the loft or whatever and reassemble if you ever want to sell. Reasonably grained hardwood plywood finished with danish oil will give a nice vintage style finish, you'll just need to source some legacy grill cloth.
I don't get it at all. If it's a practice setup, headphones not only reproduce good tone and lets you pipe in songs to practice. Headphones and a cheap mixer and good to go.
Wood BASHING is exactly how I would describe my skills!!
I like where this is going... I think I'll incorporate 2 previous ideas as proof-of-concept and see how it goes...
0. Check craigslist and/or garage sales and...
1. Get a cheap practice amp. (That'll take care of preamp (levels, impedance and such..)
2. Get a cheap, good-looking bookshelf speaker.
3. Transfer guts from amp to speaker cab. Position control plate and input jack out of the way, or make it look good...
If I can manage that and make it sound decent for my application, then I can start looking for an old, wooden radio (I didn't say "vintage" or "antique". Those are too much money!! Old will do!!
or make my own cab. Transfer guts. PLAY THE F***ING BASS!!!Thanks again, all!!
Not necessarily so, according to my friend Wayne. Back in the day (early 70s) he would gather up and collect old transistor radios. Once he had accumulated 15 or so radios, he would pull the speakers out, wire them all to a 1/4" jack, and plug it in to his Bassman. He would crank it full volume, full bass, then hit his low E and chuckle as they all crackled and squealed for a split second before they blew. Magic smoke, but no actual flames.
We though it very entertaining.
a cheap practice amp is not guaranteed to have a decent preamp, at least not one that you can easily get a separate output from.
consider that this bheringer bass preamp goes for under and is dedicated to the task. It may not be a top of the line bass pre, but it certainly gets you Invalid Link Removed. Plus, once you graduate form bookshelf speakers, you can continue to use the pre for other bass pursuits.
Crosley and Thomas have made alot of
" repro" cathedral radios.
I see alot of them at antique shops. Even though not real Antiques of course. Dealers usually have used ones for about 20/30 dollars.
You see the occasional real philco on eBay just the case no guts for around 30 dollars too.
A fun realiable cheap easy class AB amp is the Velleman K8060. If you solder the kit yourself it's only 29 bucks. The bridge rectifier and caps are built onto the board. Just hook up a transformer your all done.
Cool thing about the kit is you know where the feedback resistor is and can increase the gain if needed. Depending on what pre amp you use. I figured you could just gut a cheap Beringer bass pedal for a pre. And adjust gain on the kit amp as needed.
Always wanted to shove a Eminence Beta 8" in something cool. Or try and shove a alpha or beta 10" on a large cathedral or tombstone style radio.
Not burst your bubble on the class D kit you wanted. But you could probably find older Ampeg BA108 or 20watt Acoustic/Peavey/Crate bass practice amp and just use that or steal the guts. Those go for about 30 bucks.
Heck even fender guitar frontman 15 goes for 15 dollars used. Just use amp, guts transformer etc. And use a better speaker for bass
" repro" cathedral radios.
I see alot of them at antique shops. Even though not real Antiques of course. Dealers usually have used ones for about 20/30 dollars.
You see the occasional real philco on eBay just the case no guts for around 30 dollars too.
A fun realiable cheap easy class AB amp is the Velleman K8060. If you solder the kit yourself it's only 29 bucks. The bridge rectifier and caps are built onto the board. Just hook up a transformer your all done.
Cool thing about the kit is you know where the feedback resistor is and can increase the gain if needed. Depending on what pre amp you use. I figured you could just gut a cheap Beringer bass pedal for a pre. And adjust gain on the kit amp as needed.
Always wanted to shove a Eminence Beta 8" in something cool. Or try and shove a alpha or beta 10" on a large cathedral or tombstone style radio.
Not burst your bubble on the class D kit you wanted. But you could probably find older Ampeg BA108 or 20watt Acoustic/Peavey/Crate bass practice amp and just use that or steal the guts. Those go for about 30 bucks.
Heck even fender guitar frontman 15 goes for 15 dollars used. Just use amp, guts transformer etc. And use a better speaker for bass
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While reducing your footprint is a noble goal, and not using ear buds ( better than headphones), a live sound requires a bass amp/speaker (s) that can move air.
I like the idea of using an old Hi Fi radio care. Repurposing it into a bass amp would look really cool. Great Idea.
