Why do we still use amps?

[Raimonds]

We have an extended Sprinter that beyond fitting our members also carries a full kit, Twin (in roadcase), my full rig, Keyboard setup with 3 or 4 boards, IEM rack, cable bins, merch bin(s), any ancillary stuff.

At home my full rig and gear fit in the back of my Element without any problems.

If it's over 3.5 tons, then you have to get a different category drivers license. We have the B category: max 8+1 seats or up to 3.5 tons. I'll look it up. But we're going off topic now

 

[the zombywoof]

and while you are at it everyone could play in house guitars, no need to haul them around. where does it stop. robots. that's not rock n roll. lazy robots

 

[Bassndrums73]

Because they sound good.

 

[john_g]

Cuz

 

[MJ_Sotti]

got a drummer friend of mine (actually my brother) and when I always show with the Berg 610 and the AG7 which is not a hard move at all, I get the "what'ya bring all that s--t for?" I tell him it's got a volume on it then I say "so you using brushsticks?" and he ignores that.

I'll bring any amp I want

 

[jbybj]

You might as well ask, why do we still have sex?

 

[MJ_Sotti]

You might as well ask, why do we still have sex?

cause I like the way it makes the ground feel

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

Well time to wake up to technology of the times.

LOL that's not bass anymore

 

[EMoneySC2]

I've seen a bunch of interesting bass rigs from touring artists - mostly in the rock / metal scene where the guys usually send some sort a direct signal to the front of house and use amps on stage.

My question is - why do so many guys spend the money on 800+ watt amps and 8x10" cabs plus go trough the effort of transporting it to gigs, when no one except the bass player actually cares. How many bands do you know that actually mic up their cabs and don't just go trough the DI of the amp in the end?

Here's a recent example, where the guy is sending 2 direct signals to the PA. Why not use the same setup + an IR loader to send the signal directly.


P.s. I don't use an amp, and my band uses an in-ear monitoring system.

I'm starting to genuinely dislike ampless performances. If you stand up close to the band all you hear is drums, and it is a major disappointment. Some venues have front fills to fix this situation, but many in my area don't.

I like standing up front on the bassists side of the stage and hearing their amp!

 

[br1qbat]

Because I play in a loud doom band, and doom is the amp worship genre. Plus, they are cool, and no I don't mind hauling the stuff especially when we get to shake the foundations. And yes, this is a genre the audience wants that delucious volume as much as the band. So no, we aren't too loud.
And my offer stands for all of TB, I'll gladly dispose of all that heavy, dinosaur technology. Send it my way.

 

[nilorius]

That cabs and monitors are not made specially for bass guitar, they are more like to vocal and keyboard and any classical instrument.

 

[CapnSev]

It’s been a while since I’ve regularly gigged, but were I to get back into it heavy, I’d go amp-less. Technology, choices, and the ease of just hauling a pedalboard are to the point now where I can get tone that I’m more than satisfied with.

I’m always going to l have a moderately sized amp around though for those situations where I won’t be in the FoH.

 

[b-bottom]

Because it's pretty lame not to.

 

[el murdoque]

I've done IEM with a big amp for a while. Our drummer, who was reluctant to swap over, was the only one without IEM. I thought I needed the flapping of pants and shaking of floorboards my big rig supplies so well. Then, at one point we started a song during rehearsal and just after the firs chorus the drummer stopped playing and looked at me. I asked why he stopped and he asked me if anything was out of the ordinary. I could not guess what he meant, everything was just fine - until he pointed out that my amp was on mute. Everyone had the bass on IEM, only the drummer had none at all. I did not miss the flapping pants and the back massage. I just did not notice their absence, IEM had me immersed in the song too deep. So when we got the drummer to get a pair of earbuds, I switched to a small amp - just for appearances sake, and then to no amp at all.

My entire IEM
setup(earbuds, custom molds, transmitter + bodypack, Headrush Gigboard; total cost roughly 1500)
cost me quite a bit less than my
normal rig (Aguilar Tonehammer500 or Ampeg PF50-T, Barefaced Super Midget, Barefaced Super Compact, small pedalboard with essentials [tuner, comp, OD, reverb]; total cost roughly 2700)
But I actually came to prefer those gigs where I leave the rig at home and travel light.

However - for the time being I could not imagine myself without owning some means of amplification that can hold its own against a hard hitting drumer and a guitar halfstack.
I guess it has to do with where I came from and how it was playing live back in the days when I was young and FOH was for vocals and bassdrums.

I've come quite a way already from the state of mind where I always brought a powerful rig (I can turn it down if it's too much) to my present state where it's important to have such a rig when needed, but it's actually quite the rare occasion where it sees some use.
Will I ever ditch that and not have a potent rig at all? I can't answer that.

 

[SactoBass]

Every amp sounds different, and plays differently, just like every bass sounds different and plays differently. I don’t use a fly rig into a PA because I prefer the way my rig sounds. I don’t care if nobody else but me cares how I sound. It’s my responsibility to manage the way I sound, just like it’s my responsibility to manage my tone of voice and inflection, or posture, or wardrobe when I’m meeting and speaking with someone. Nobody cares about my choice of pocket square or pants, but I do.

 

[Double E]

I just recently played a gig where a sound company provided complete stage, PA and backline for a multi band lineup including some reasonably well known acts. These guys were top notch. While I’d bet they would have been happy to accommodate any of the acts that may have wanted to go ampless, nobody did.

Every guitarist brought their preferred amp and the backline included not one but two, yes, two 8x10 bass rigs to facilitate the bassist’s preferred placement in respect to the drum kit.

None of the bassists chose to forego using one of the backline amps to go direct.

I keep hearing about all this ampless nonsense but in my bubble it has not been reality for any gig I’ve played or attended... and I hope it never is.

 

[2playbass]

I'm the only one in my band that uses an IEM system. To make sure I can hear myself at all times, I have at least one ear piece in that has my bass and vocals in it. I have a splitter for my vocal mic and DI, so if I need to, I can run one line to FOH, and one to my IEM system. It's better if the venue can give me a mix for my IEMs, but this is usually not the case.

If my bass is running to FOH, my amp gets pointed towards the drummer and guitarist so they can hear me. Volume is set appropriately for them. If my bass does not get run to FOH, I point my amp to the audience and turn up as much as needed for a balanced sound out front.

Too much bass volume (or any instrument for that matter) is bad for singers to hear themselves. By always using my IEM system, I can direct the speaker and adjust volume as needed to try and stay away from high stage volumes.

 

[SamPerdisian]

I've been toying with the idea of downsizing and can see the appeal of it.
I run and amp and pedals and all the usual bells and whistles but trading it in for a line6 helix stomp and a little micro head just in case I need to power a cab if the monitors are crap or non existent is really appealing! Just can't be bothered to lug everything around anymore seeing as most venues I play have a half competent sound guy that could give me everything I need in the monitors.

Then again... I've never owned a tube amp and don't know the feeling of cranking one so I could be a bit one sided.

 

[FaithNoMan]

This thread gives me hope.

 

[Double E]

The only reason I’d use in ear monitors would be to hear my vocals... which I am almost never happy with using wedges.

But my bass will always be heard on stage through an amp.

Kicking and screaming, cold dead hands and all that jazz.