I know feck all about amps

[The Hat]

Am after just an amp for home practise but know next to bigger all about them other than they make my bass sound louder. What's a good home practise amp that ain't to complicated ?

[RhysP]

What's your budget?

Edited February 9, 2016 by RhysP

[grandad]

PM me if you want a Roland Cube 30.

[Lw.]

For exclusively home practicing does it even matter? Any combo will do, though I'd go for one with line-in and headphone out - so long as you go for a vaguely decent brand they'll all do the job.

[CamdenRob]

For home practice just the one SVT and 8x10 should do.

[DeezerButler]

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1455036401' post='2975277']
For home practice just the one SVT and 8x10 should do.
[/quote]

BWAHAHAA! I would do that at my house, if my wife let me!

I have had good luck with Hartke gear. I have a older Kickback 15 combo that I use for home noodling.... I think it's a 120 watts, maybe.
The newer model Kickback 15 has a HyDrive speaker and the amp is 500 watts! And still pretty light and portable. Over here in the U.S. it runs about $550. Not sure what it costs overseas....

Just a thought....

[Hobbayne]

You could even get a vox amplug if your just noodling at home. You can play along to your music or the built in drum machine.

[The Hat]

Vox amplug sounds interesting

[The Hat]

Cube 30 for bass ?

[discreet]

Fender Rumble 40? More than enough power for home and it has a stereo jack input for your phone or mp3 player and a headphone socket too, so you can play along to your music silently. Plus it sounds great and is good enough to do small gigs, too. If any.

[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_rumble_40_2014.htm"]http://www.thomann.d...ble_40_2014.htm[/url]

Edited February 9, 2016 by discreet

[barkin]

For home noodling I use a Zoom B1on - effects, tuner, drum machine, looper, aux in, headphone out. And if you want to use it with a real amp, they sound really good.

Edited February 9, 2016 by barkin

[Grangur]

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1455040300' post='2975331']
Cube 30 for bass ?
[/quote]

I just bought one. It's really good. The output sound is louder than I expected from a 30w. It's also got some effect built in. Great tone too. Mind you, mine has a Celestion speaker in it. But they're really solid bits of kit. It's the 2nd I've had. I regret selling the first one I had.

[discreet]

[quote name='barkin' timestamp='1455040650' post='2975336']
Zoom B1on - effects, tuner, drum machine, looper, aux in, headphone out. And if you want to use it with a real amp, they sound really good.
[/quote]

Another vote for this box. It's very versatile and can be used in many ways... headphone practice, multi-FX unit, pre-amp, amp sim, compressor, noise gate and on and on. High-quality sounds. At the price (about £42), everyone should have one.

[Phil Starr]

If you are happy to practice through headphones the B1ON gets another vote, they do everything you could want.

For a basic little amp you could do worse than the Hartke Kickbacks, I use a 10 and it has a proper grown up sound which a lot of little practice amps lack. About £100-120 used.

Not used the Roland Cube but the Cube guitar amps do the job so I'd expect the cube to be fine too.

I wouldn't bother with a really small practice amp though, the sound is really not very satisfying so you end up practicing less which is kind of the point.

[The Hat]

I actually have a small Kustom amp, nothing special but like I say I know feck all about em. I'm intrigued by the B1on, sounds right up my street

[TheGreek]

My first buy was a Gallien Kruger Backline 110 - still got it though it doesn't get that much use. Built in Distortion - if you like that sort of thing..there was one on eBay recently for £80ish.

[Grangur]

Probably the best thing you can do is go to a good store and try a few and find out what sound you like. Think about what music you want to play, do you want distortion and dirt, or a clean sound.

Many of the smaller amps will sound more metallic. Hartke all seem to sound metallic to me, which is good if you want a certain sound for funk and slapping perhaps. go for a more "woody" sound, but each to their own.

Zoom multi-fx boxes are great too. You could find a Zoom B3 is worth looking out for, used if you can get one.

[Marvin]

A Zoom B1on. That's all I use at home. If you don't mind using headphones it's got everything you need really.

If I were looking at a practice combo, that's easy, a Fender Rumble (just pick the size to suit need). They are lovely sounding combos with good features.

[The Hat]

Are these effects boxes simple to use ? I look at some of em and I wouldn't have a clue what buttons to press

[Dad3353]

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1455046123' post='2975425']
Are these effects boxes simple to use ? I look at some of em and I wouldn't have a clue what buttons to press
[/quote]

True, they can be daunting at first view but, as with many things in life, it's only the first forty years that are the worst, after which things generally tend to get (slightly...) better.
It's not rocket surgery; do as we all do (or did...) press the buttons and listen to what happens. If it's good; keep it. If not, try another. Rinse and repeat. 'Seasy, really; even I can do it (sometimes...), and I'm a drummer..!
Another vote for the Roland Bass Cube 30; in fact, all Roland amps are good, in my experience.

Edited February 9, 2016 by Dad3353

[ColinB]

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1455046123' post='2975425']
Are these effects boxes simple to use ? I look at some of em and I wouldn't have a clue what buttons to press
[/quote]

They come with an instruction book.

[jezzaboy]

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1455046123' post='2975425']
Are these effects boxes simple to use ? I look at some of em and I wouldn't have a clue what buttons to press
[/quote]

The B1 comes with loads of built in sounds already. If you don`t fancy making your own up, you can use them. It has a tuner and drum machine as well. In its simplest form, there is just an up and down pedal to move between effect. A great piece of kit.

[Phil Starr]

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1455042138' post='2975365']
I actually have a small Kustom amp, nothing special but like I say I know feck all about em. I'm intrigued by the B1on, sounds right up my street
[/quote]
[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1455046123' post='2975425']
Are these effects boxes simple to use ? I look at some of em and I wouldn't have a clue what buttons to press
[/quote]

You know the sound of a practice amp then I started with a similar Peavey practice amp, OK for the price and size but as soon as you move on to something with decent speakers and a bit more power you realise what you've been missing.

The effects boxes are simple enough to use, I just scrolled through the pre set sounds of my B1ON (ten banks of ten) until I found the sound I wanted. Now for practice it stays on one setting and it's just plug and play. One button turns on the drum machine/metronome and pressing both pedals at once turns the tuner on and off. The rest is fairly intuitive but you can keep it as simple as you like.

[scrumpymike]

If you want a proper little amp with a relatively big voice, nice tones, headphone socket, light weight, compact size and the right number of obvious buttons, go for an EBS Classic Session 60w. Google it and read some reviews. Not cheap new though (think I paid £240)!

[Hobbayne]

[quote name='The Hat' timestamp='1455046123' post='2975425']
Are these effects boxes simple to use ? I look at some of em and I wouldn't have a clue what buttons to press
[/quote]

I,m the same as you, A complete technophobe. That is why I suggested the vox amplug, just plug in and play.
However, as others have said, Its not rocket science to read the instructions on the zoom. There are also youtube vids