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Bass amp advice please..


ChrisF
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Chris, it might be worth hanging on a little to try to save some more money. By all means go for it if you see a bargain but for what you want even an extra £100 opens more possibilities.

How many pickups are you using on the bass? Just a bridge pickup or a neck pickup as well? Using two pickups I like to have two proper channels with separate EQ so I can treat the slap separate to the bridge. Amps like the old HH Bass Machine, Trace TAB100, EA Iamp micro/doubler spring to mind but there are others.

A useful feature for any acoustic bass is a notch filter for the fight against feedback.

Head/cab or combo is personal choice. Separates give greater choice, Combo is convenient. Some of the modern amps are incredible in power to weight - a couple of pounds weight and 500 Watts! they may be a touch out of your budget though.

Paul.

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[quote name='fatback' timestamp='1369227114' post='2086551']
I would double that wattage if you have a loud drummer. Being underpowered will drive you crazy if you're not going through a pa and the room is big or full. You'll end up turning up too much and distorting horribly.

We're by no means loud for a country rock/rockabilly band, but without PA support I need 350W if I'm to have any headroom at all. And that's with a very efficient cab (a Midget).

If your back is ok, and the budget is low, I'd say choose loud over light. And don't worry about loud being feedback prone. Feedback is caused by a host of factors, not just the loudness of the amp.
[/quote]

+1 i agree fully with this,my band doesn't have a drummer & don't play overly loud but even though my Roland is rated at 400w (although in reality it is 360w + 40w horn) i still have to crank it up pretty high to keep up with the 2 guitars.
i'm pretty sure a 100watt amp will be totally lost in your band Chris so i'd look for something used with planty of power.

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Nothing wrong with wanting everything! It does come down to light, powerful, cheap. Pick two. Occasionally bargains do come up. I'd not be overly worried initially about power - I'd see what I could do about borrowing a rig or two to see how they fare.

I'd also say that at larger gigs, you'll probably be off to the PA for FOH anyway. It's rehearsals and smaller gigs that are probably the immediate concern.

For rehearsals I'd suggest you consider an amp stand if using a combo. A combo sitting on the floor is all well and good, but the sound is going nowhere near your ears! You could look at something like http://ponymusic.com.au/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/OSRS7705.jpg or if handy with a saw http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g41/Bluesbob/AmpStand2.jpg or from another angle http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g41/Bluesbob/2X10Bassmancombo3.jpg

Paul.

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[quote name='cattytown' timestamp='1369311746' post='2087598']
Nothing wrong with wanting everything! It does come down to light, powerful, cheap. Pick two. Occasionally bargains do come up. I'd not be overly worried initially about power - I'd see what I could do about borrowing a rig or two to see how they fare.

It's rehearsals and smaller gigs that are probably the immediate concern.

Paul.
[/quote]

But I want it all :angry: :(

Gigging and rehearsals aren't really a problem. We rehearse at my mates house ( the one with the very nice Peavey ) and if/when we gig I reckon I can get my sons to lug stuff for me for now :D what I really want is an amp for home use...so maybe I should just get a really good practice amp ???

Edited by ChrisF
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[quote name='cattytown' timestamp='1369329465' post='2087902']
I tend not to bother with an amp at home...
[/quote]

Me neither...normally, but I want to play about with the settings of my Pro Plat pre-amp...so I need an amp for that. Also,my son plays my bass guitar in a band and wants something to use too....so it was going to be a joint amp.

Complicated this music lark innit :P

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If you can stretch the budget a bit then a second hand GK MB150 would be worth considering. They're small, surprisingly loud and they sound great, both for DB and BG. I have a Fishman Plat Pro but since I got the GK I've found that i prefer going directly into the amp.

Like yourself, a new one was out of my price range but it was worth the wait for a second hand one.

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Instant lightweight bass cabinet...

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Einhell-Folding-Truck-90kg-Capacity/dp/B001GU6FYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1369392135&sr=1-1&keywords=Einhell+Folding"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Einhell-Folding-Truck-90kg-Capacity/dp/B001GU6FYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1369392135&sr=1-1&keywords=Einhell+Folding[/url]

You can get these cheaper - Lidl were selling them a couple of weeks ago for 15 quid. Our guitarist was co-erced (threatened) into buying one as we were fed up of humping his bloody heavy Fender Twin Reverb amp around - that thing ways nearly twice as much as my bass gear!!

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I have one similar to that and also one of these - http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/clarke-cstf4-aluminium-flat-folding-sack-truck

The one you mention is a little more stable in use, the MM one folds flatter. The two comments are entirely related as the wheels on the MM one do not seem to latch in the open position...

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[quote name='invicta59' timestamp='1369392624' post='2088633'] Instant lightweight bass cabinet... [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Einhell-Folding-Truck-90kg-Capacity/dp/B001GU6FYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=diy&ie=UTF8&qid=1369392135&sr=1-1&keywords=Einhell+Folding"]http://www.amazon.co...Einhell+Folding[/url] [/quote]

hahahahahahahahaha...... nice one :lol: wasn't expecting to see that when I opened the link.

I like how your going at the problem from a totally different angle.....which is why I threw it open to all you lovely people on here.....ideas. B)

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[quote name='tinyd' timestamp='1369387494' post='2088567']
If you can stretch the budget a bit then a second hand GK MB150 would be worth considering. They're small, surprisingly loud and they sound great, both for DB and BG. I have a Fishman Plat Pro but since I got the GK I've found that i prefer going directly into the amp.

Like yourself, a new one was out of my price range but it was worth the wait for a second hand one.
[/quote]

Had a look and there are a few about.. the prices aren't too bad. Nice one ...cheers B)

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[quote name='ChrisF' timestamp='1369330788' post='2087921']
Me neither...normally, but I want to play about with the settings of my Pro Plat pre-amp...so I need an amp for that. Also,my son plays my bass guitar in a band and wants something to use too....so it was going to be a joint amp.

Complicated this music lark innit :P
[/quote]
i have a Roland bass cube 30 for home use & rehersals,cracking amp & pretty loud too.
they are usually pretty easy to find on here or ebay.

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  • 2 months later...

I'm just about to buy an Ashdown Electric Blue 12-220 after much research! They retail new at £299 so you should get it second hand within your budget - or the previous model which they've just stopped making, the 12-180.

I tried one out in my local dawsons through my fishman pickup and b-ii preamp and it sounded pretty good - am definitely going for one of those trolleys too - I think the worst thing for you arms/hands before a gig is carrying a 30kg amp around!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Won a Peavey micro bass 50w amp the other day... £18. :) Picked it up today... blimey its loud. Only about a foot tall, but perfect for home practice. Ive already used it to set up my Pro Plat...and the bass is sounding much better.

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