Will bass amps ever be obsolete?

[Akito]

Hey guys, forgive this rather morbid train of thought, but I recently had a few gigs where due to various issues (such as a bar complaining my band was too loud to the point where I just turned my amp off) I eneded up running my bass through a di box and used the mains and my dual-driver in-ears for monitoring and no bass amp at all.
No one in the audience noticed or was aware of any difference, and it got me thinking that probably 85-90 percent of the public that I perform for have absolutely no discernment when it comes to bass tones, and quite possibly have very little clue what the bass is in a standard mix beyond what the bass eq control does on their car stereo.
Also with modern PA's in a band that is well equipped and fairly proffessional in their approach, it seems that most of the time your amp and cab aren't really what the audience hears anyway.
I'm beginning to wonder if I am crazy or just an outright tool for lugging around an amp and cabs when I could just carry a di box not much bigger than an ipod. Most of your tone comes from your hands anyway, right?
What are your thoughts here? I'm kind of weirding myself out.
Life without an amp... would it be an unthinkable post-apocalyptic nightmare? Or is this acceptable to you?

 

[M.R. Ogle]

I'd LOVE it... Ever play live with just headphones or through JUST the foldbacks? It can be great.

 

[Zombbg4]

For shows maybe, I don't think I'm ever going to get a PA system and a sound guy for my room when I practice

 

[kennydakid]

I've played shows before where the bassist played live through the monitors with a di box and no one noticed. I also noticed that he did not have a hunch from carrying his 65lb amp from his dorm to the venue 1/4 mile away

 

[kosmicwizard]

I know what you are saying Akito, and it is a possibility for venues with PA support. However, open air shows with lots of people in the audience is a completely different ball game. I for one am going to keep lugging my gear around and feeling the sound waves hit my back until I can no longer physically do so, but many people welcome the possibilities that come with new technology. Just like everything else, in the end, it is completely up to the individual bass player to decide what works best for him/her. Cheers.

 

[scootron]

People freak out when you talk about this (I'm never giving up my tone!!!!), but I see more and more professional bands putting their amps backstage and mic'ing them there, or just going DI. Bass players first realized, and now guitarists are starting to catch on, that it doesn't make a damn what your tone sounds like when you are playing alone, but only what you sound like in the mix, and that is controlled by the FOH.

 

[superfunk47]

I don't have a very big rig. I keep it small because if I'm playing a smaller venue that's impractical to bring a PA to, I want to be covered but not overpowering. But if I play a show that's big enough that my rig wouldn't cut it, I figure it's a gig big enough to reasonably expect a PA, so I'd just go straight to the house, and use their monitors (or my amp if I really had to).

IME, playing a show ampless feels really free. I like my sound (and the sound of the band) a lot better through the PA, so it all works out.

 

[B-string]

Sure I could see it happening....I won't be playing then. Music to me is emotion, if I can't feel as well as hear what my playing is doing to tell the story (and most songs tell some kind of story) grab a synth. I'm done.

 

[Ely Lyonblum]

last year i played a club of 800, with a DJ and guitarist, with no amp at all.
i had my modulus Q4 running through my effects (flanger, octave and envelope filter with my tuner as a mute switch) and the sound guy told me he had never heard such clear tone at the venue.
bottom line: with an active bass, or a passive bass with an active DI, you can indeed play a club without an amp!
i love the idea of walking in with only my bass and effects board. in fact, i sold my SWR SM500 for an AI contra for practicing and acoustic gigs.

 

[poomwah]

I know guys that just use amp modeling units and run through the board with no amp

 

[sonic assassin]

not as long as bassists still lust for tube tones. i wouldnt be surprised if im the last guy on earth with an amp, but i loathe the sound of DI bass to the point that i start foaming at the mouth.

 

[TerenceSharp]

Although it's tempting to me to get a sansamp and go direct, I think I'd miss the tumping of the bass amp behind me.

 

[stratovani]

I play "straight through the board" at my church and I sound great, just the way it's supposed to sound. And not lugging a boat anchor with speakers is a blessing for this 55-year-old body of mine!

 

[dean owens]

i know it's not the same... but this sorta came up at church. they're trying to have more "house" control. they tried to put me through the system with no amp. maybe i'm just not that good, but i could hear bass but i couldn't hear my notes. they kept trying to turn monitors up and turn me up and none of it worked. finally they let me turn on the amp. i then told them to turn down my monitor and we had a more manageable stage volume... i could hear myself better... and everything sounded better. it could be cool to only have to bring a bass... but i guess i'm someone that needs to hear myself behind myself.

 

[Ryan L.]

I played in a band for over a year using nothing but a Sansamp Paradriver and IEM's. Setup was wonderful, but IMO, nothing replaces the "feel" of an amp onstage.

 

[Dave R]

Very possible they will become obsolete--when used with a big PA.

Ever since my band upgraded out PA, I've let the PA carry more and more of the volume. Now my amp is essentially just an on-stage monitor. And its dang heavy for an on-stage monitor!

I have to say, though, that I have not been able to get a tone from the PA that I like as much as the tone from my amp.

 

[SteveC]

The endless debate. People will never agree. I do not need an amp for my sound. I would love to never bring an amp to a gig.

 

[K-Funk]

With my taste in tones and instruments, I could totally get away with going ampless, and would love to do so. I would keep some medium-power solid state amp for small gigs and rehearsals, but for a gig with PA, I would just bring a Warwick, a DI or POD, and be completely happy. I won't argue with how cool tube amps are, and I dig the tone, but it's not for me nor my style of playing. Because clear, clean tones work well for my music, going without an amp would be fine with me!

 

[honestjohnny]

For shows maybe, I don't think I'm ever going to get a PA system and a sound guy for my room when I practice

Exactly. Or if your band doesn't have a PA in it's rehearsal space (our vocalist uses a single cab "backline" like the rest of us).

OTH, in a perfect world the house PA's everywhere would have "surround-sound" high and mid drivers and the floor of the stage and house would be one large Buttkicker or Pleasure board. All guitarists would have a Fernandes Sustainer and drummers would be willing to use eDrums, without exception.

 

[DanielleMuscato]

Most of my gigs are amp-less. Except at very small places without a PA system, a bass amp on stage is really just a stage monitor, anyway. If you have a decent PA and/or in-ears, you shouldn't need an amp. I use my Line6 Bass POD xt Live or just a DI box for ~80% of my gigs and sessions.