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yet another amp choice question

bgx

bgx

Jul 24, 2015
32
28
#1
Hi everyone

First and foremost thanks to the countless contributors I've been reading these pas days, I sure learned a lot. I've been playing guitar for a good while now and am turning to bass. Pulled the trigger on a squier classic vibe 50's, because 1/ didn't felt right to spend thousands on a high end / reissue / custom shop instrument being a beginner on bass and 2/ I've always liked to keep things simple - 1 pup, 2 knobs, not much to fiddle with, so more time for practicing & learning.

I'm now after an amp I guess really for home use at this stage. Got a warwick bc20 - again I quite liked their approach: rugged/basic electronics, 'transparent' sound, just 4 knobs. Returned it because I was shocked at the volume - I usually play a (heavily tampered with) fender champ 600 with my guitars and really this things is LOUD past 12 o'clock. The warwick was really soft in comparison so I'm thinking I should maybe try a 30 / 40w.

now for the question: unless you guys have other suggestions (which would be more than welcome), I'm hesitating between a fender rumble 40w and warwick bc 40.
The rumble has a whole lot of knobs (by my standard that is) so I'm thinking more things to explore tonewise than the sort of 'raw' sound of the instrument warwick claims to be giving with the bc line.

So yet another 'which amp' question I know, but I thought I'd give it a shot!

Thanks

ben
 
#3
If you don't think the 20 watt amp was loud enough, why not go ahead and get a 100-200 watt combo? There won't be a lot of difference in the 20 vrs 40 (all other things being equal). Maybe some, but IMO not enough to justify getting one. On the other hand, a 200 watter would be enough to actually jam around with.

I also played guitar before playing bass.
 
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#4
gee that was quick!

Thx Linnin, I did see there was a lot of love for rumbles in this club.

I'm actually leaning in that direction. I'll let you know how it goes- decision time this weekend and will order amp, whatever it is, next Monday!

Thanks again!
 
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#5
Hi bebass,

Thanks for replying too. Well wattage I tried to wrap my head around this and my thinking is 100-200 watt for practice volumes will be set too low to give the speaker enough work.
Obviously I'm not intending to shake the walls (which the wife would most likely not like at all) but just get to the equivalent of 1-2 pm on my 5w guitar tube amp. A bit loud, enough to get the sweet spot but no more.

But this I assume is thinking in guitar terms not bass so might be wrong.

So if in the bass world relatively low volumes do give sufficiently satisfying tones (I'm thinking grind & thump & boom not sure how that translates technically) then yes for a little more bucks I'm getting a rehearsal worthy amp, with a reasonably savage drummer I assume.

Thanks again!
 
#6
Bass requires a LOT more power than guitar to get similar volumes. My guitarist uses a 30w combo and can drown out the drummer. I recently upgraded from a 250w combo with 1x15 because it wasn't enough in the band setting. For the small difference in cost, get at least a 100w combo with a 12" or 15" speaker. Turning down won't be an issue, but if you start jamming with other people you'll really be glad to have a little extra power.

Edit: Also, you won't generally get "satisfying bass tones" at low volume with any amp because you won't get enough speaker movement for the way we perceive low frequencies. This is common for audio in general and is the reason a lot of stereos have bass boost buttons. If you want great sound at low volume, get a good pair of headphones, or maybe boost the low frequencies a little with your eq. Otherwise, just accept that it'll sound better when you turn up.
 
#7
bgx said:
Hi bebass,

Thanks for replying too. Well wattage I tried to wrap my head around this and my thinking is 100-200 watt for practice volumes will be set too low to give the speaker enough work.
Obviously I'm not intending to shake the walls (which the wife would most likely not like at all) but just get to the equivalent of 1-2 pm on my 5w guitar tube amp. A bit loud, enough to get the sweet spot but no more.

But this I assume is thinking in guitar terms not bass so might be wrong.

So if in the bass world relatively low volumes do give sufficiently satisfying tones (I'm thinking grind & thump & boom not sure how that translates technically) then yes for a little more bucks I'm getting a rehearsal worthy amp, with a reasonably savage drummer I assume.

Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Yes, as lakefx says we can't do a 1 to 1 watts comparison.
For instance I have a Traynor Darkhorse 2 or 15 watt tube guitar amp. I always use the 2 watt setting cause it sounds so freakin awesome. It gets quite loud. I use a Traynor SB200H 200 watt bass amp with a 12" speaker in order to really keep up with the 2 watt tube amp into a single 12. In fact, it is a perfect match. I recently did a small gig where I brought the Darkhorse amp for the guitar player and took the SB200 with the 12 for me. Small group of 25-30 people. Just simply divine sound. And I never tell the guitarists I do this with that they are playing a 2 watt amp - ha ha.
You can always turn the volume knob down but you can't ever turn it up if the amp has run out of horsepower.
 
#8
sound logic bebass, you can always turn down a bigger amp but not the other way round a smaller one.

And lakefx (thanks for chiming in!) I understand at practice volume (home / wife / kids setup) not much to expect anyway, regardless of wattage (except with headphones, good thing I invested in rather pricey beyerdynamics)

So I've been checking out 100 or so watt amp. My shortlist includes the Rumble 100, GK mb110 and there's the Warwick bc 80 too.
The GK has a 10" speaker, the rumble a 12", Warwick I think 12" as well.
Choices, choices...

Thanks again to all for your advice & explanations!
 
#9
I haven't played any of those combos, but I've had a couple GK amps in my life and they are fantastic. I currently use a GK MBF500 head and I love it.

I hear good things about the new Rumble series. I haven't played any of them. The old ones kind of sucked, but that has no bearing on the new ones. I've never touched a Warwick amp, but the BC80 is only 40w, so it won't give you much room to grow.

Out of those options, I would pick the GK mb110 or the Rumble 100. GK makes very solid products and they sound great. Fender has more of a mixed history, but the 12" speaker will give you a little more volume capacity than the 10" speaker in the GK.
 
#10
Also, depending on where you are, you might be able to save some money by buying used. In particular, older SWR combo amps tend to be a great bargain and are very solid. The SWR Workingman's 10 sounds really good for a 1x10 combo and it even has a jack for an extension speaker if you want to get louder. Sometimes you can get lucky and find something truly amazing too. The TB crowd here is always quick to help you decide if an amp is worth looking at.
 
#11
Thanks lakefx.

As a kid I first got into bass listening Flea and Duff McKagan and other GK guys so definitely had a look to these amps when I started looking for one.

To get a 12" speaker there's either the MB112 or MB150S-112. Respectively 200 and 150 watts, approx. $450 and $800 (converting from euro and assuming you live in the US).
I'm thinking too much power and money.

So it could be a rumble for me.

I've checked out used SWRs - we do do them here, I live in Paris, France. Found a couple of LA15 with prices ranging from $200 to $600.
 
#12
I'll give a huge +1 to fender rumble stuff. Great amps, they use quality speakers in em and have some practical features with eq presets, phones out, auxiliary in, all sorts of stuff. And if you like the sound and need more power they've got you covered up to 500 watts. The extension cabs they sell are great too.
 
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#14
bgx said:
Thanks lakefx.

As a kid I first got into bass listening Flea and Duff McKagan and other GK guys so definitely had a look to these amps when I started looking for one.

To get a 12" speaker there's either the MB112 or MB150S-112. Respectively 200 and 150 watts, approx. $450 and $800 (converting from euro and assuming you live in the US).
I'm thinking too much power and money.

So it could be a rumble for me.

I've checked out used SWRs - we do do them here, I live in Paris, France. Found a couple of LA15 with prices ranging from $200 to $600.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize that you're not in the US. That definitely changes the used market. I think you'll be happy with either the GK or the Rumble. The reason I said to look for a 12" or 15" is because there are a lot of cheap crappy amps in the 10" market. A good 10" will give you room to grow, but a bad one won't. The GK is good. So is the Rumble 100. An Eden, SWR, Mesa, GB, or other high quality 10" will also be good. It just comes down to what sound you like and what is available in your area.
 
#15
Hi all,

Thanks so much (again) for all your replies. Today was decision time and I went for a rumble, 100 as advised. I will get to play it later next week, possibly Thursday - will let you know how it goes! So one more for the Rumble club I guess! And for Lakefx, it really was a tie with the GK MB110.
Can't wait to plug in. The Podxt helped for the past few months but a proper amp will be a different deal!

Cheers,
ben
 
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#16
Congrats on picking the Rumble 100, it is a really nice amp for your use.

One upside that no one has mentioned is that the current Rumble 100 is crazy light, it weighs only 10 KG.(22 lbs) I joked that it feels like they must have filled the cabinet with helium. I don't generally care about weight as I own and happily carry an all valve SVT, but this one is so light that it deserves mention.
 
#17
drummer5359 said:
Congrats on picking the Rumble 100, it is a really nice amp for your use.

One upside that no one has mentioned is that the current Rumble 100 is crazy light, it weighs only 10 KG.(22 lbs) I joked that it feels like they must have filled the cabinet with helium. I don't generally care about weight as I own and happily carry an all valve SVT, but this one is so light that it deserves mention.
Click to expand...


Hi drummer5359!

Yes I did notice the light weight. My 'guitar den' (you know, with the 'no kids no wife allowed' sticker on the door : ) is 2 floors up in the house so I'll be thankful for that I guess!

Cheers
 
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#18
image.jpg

Hi everyone, just played my brand new rumble 100 and I'm glad I followed your advice. I have yet to get the hang of the settings but overall very pleased by he sound and volume.
I would never have thought I would one day play a 100 watter at home but that was thinking in guitar terms.

Thanks again for you replies & advice!
Cheers,
Ben
 

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