Dennis1971 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 Just been looking at the thread on the Zoom B1 Four, would this be a good alternative to a small practice amp? Debate I am with myself is do I buy a practice amp for home use or something to use with headphones. Advantage of the practice amp will be that you can be plugged in, play and have a video playing on youtube. Anyone prefer one or the other and why? Just trying to figure out what to buy... knowing myself it will be 300W and a bit loud for at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrixn1 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 21 minutes ago, Dennis1971 said: Debate I am with myself is do I buy a practice amp for home use or something to use with headphones. Advantage of the practice amp will be that you can be plugged in, play and have a video playing on youtube. You can do this with Zoom by plugging a cable from your computer/phone into the Zoom's aux in. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 30 minutes ago, jrixn1 said: You can do this with Zoom by plugging a cable from your computer/phone into the Zoom's aux in. This. Use the amp and cab simulator too and sound better than a practice amp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 (edited) I think I'd still want a small amp... Just to be able to make things rattle now and again Edited May 1, 2019 by ahpook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 For reasons I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I really dislike practice amps and using amps at home. They rattle everything. They seldom sound much good at low volume. You can hear the acoustic sound of your bass over the amplified sound. People can hear you. A headphone solution is amazing. You can also get the perfect mix in your cans for playing along with music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operative451 Posted May 1, 2019 Share Posted May 1, 2019 I do this with my b3n when I'm away for work (another reason not to sell it!). Laptop into zoom via the aux and out to headphones, it works well! I have played around with audio interfaces and then vst amps but unless your computer is bonkersly fast theres always latency. Plus somehow faffing with vst plugins is less fun than actual musical kit somehow...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dannybuoy Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 14 hours ago, ahpook said: I think I'd still want a small amp... Just to be able to make things rattle now and again This - I'd get an amp with an aux in and headphone out. I do love my little practice devices and multi-fx boxes, but only because I already have an amp. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helbass Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 Go for a pedal with an aux in and a phone out and choose a good headphone. If the pedal has also a DI out (such as the Zoom B3, TC Spectradrive, Palmer Pocket...), maybe you'll never need any amp at all. This way, you'll save money for a good and loud amp if you really need one. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 (edited) 35 minutes ago, Helbass said: Go for a pedal with an aux in and a phone out and choose a good headphone. If the pedal has also a DI out (such as the Zoom B3, TC Spectradrive, Palmer Pocket...), maybe you'll never need any amp at all. This way, you'll save money for a good and loud amp if you really need one. +1 ^^ This! It seems to me that you've got two opposing schools of thought here. We're probably all exactly right (for ourselves) and all wrong (for folks who take the opposite view) 😂 Bit like should your pedal velcro be hooks on board or on pedal, or should your compressor be at the start or the end of the chain? The key questions that underpin the nature of space and time as we know it... Edited May 2, 2019 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 18 hours ago, Dennis1971 said: Just been looking at the thread on the Zoom B1 Four, would this be a good alternative to a small practice amp? Debate I am with myself is do I buy a practice amp for home use or something to use with headphones. Advantage of the practice amp will be that you can be plugged in, play and have a video playing on youtube. Anyone prefer one or the other and why? Just trying to figure out what to buy... knowing myself it will be 300W and a bit loud for at home. i cant really use a rig in my flat, so always go for the headphone option. it suits me and means i can practice anywhere, and also play my ipad though it. Saying that, i do occasionally plug whatever im using (Zoom/Spectradrive etc) in to my Bluetooth speaker, via a cable, and that sounds lovely. Very punchy and loads of bass, without the volume id have to go to if using a rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis1971 Posted May 2, 2019 Author Share Posted May 2, 2019 Thanks for all the replies. Looks like I will be looking into a pedal option. Would be a good option for practising, probably still buy an amp just to be able to turn it up even if it is at home... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 Im sure there will be a small influx of Zoom boxes over the coming weeks/days 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted May 2, 2019 Share Posted May 2, 2019 I'm another one who doesn't like practice amps, I'd rather play without an amp than use a practice amp. I'd go with the Zoom B1 over an amp (and possibly a B3n over the B1), as it'll give you a bit of flexibility if you want to integrate some effects into your "playing out" rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis1971 Posted May 3, 2019 Author Share Posted May 3, 2019 Ordered Zoom B1 Four... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.