How much difference in tone will 60W give me compared to 25W

[markdavid]

Need to get a small Bass combo amp , not after anything loud as this will literally be used as an amp to use at home to practice and and my other much bigger amp (300W) will be used for gigs , am interested in getting the Fender Rumble 60. Basically to cut a long story short i have a 25 watt amp at home and I find that although there is bass and treble controls on the amp the low wattage on the amp means that the amp has basically one tone (tin can) , if I upgraded to a 60W amp for practice would I get any increase in low end. I have tried a 100 watt Fender combo and it sounded good but I think for practice 100watts would possibly be overkill

BTW , I understand that good tone is achieved by having a good quality amp rather than a powerful one but obviously the wattage will play some role in providing the low end on a bass amp , therefore presumably a more powerful amp will have more low end , also i will reiterate that this will be used for practice so I would like more low end than my current practice amp but I dont need wall shaking lows

Edited February 26, 2009 by markdavid

[Mr. Foxen]

I think its more the speaker that the power stage. I modded my 30w amp so I could plug it into my 15" cab instead of its own speaker and it was fine. Plus you have a cab for when you want bigger for gigging. You can score a 15" cab for £60.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='markdavid' post='420338' date='Feb 26 2009, 02:40 PM']if I upgraded to a 60W amp for practice would I get any increase in low end.[/quote]
Yes, like night and day, totally worth it.


Since you posted the same question in two forums it seems you want to go with whichever gives you the answer you like best. The least I could do is give you two answers to choose from.

[markdavid]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='420467' date='Feb 26 2009, 10:34 PM']Yes, like night and day, totally worth it.


Since you posted the same question in two forums it seems you want to go with whichever gives you the answer you like best. The least I could do is give you two answers to choose from.[/quote]

No need to be sarky , its not my intention to go with "whichever gives you the answer you like best" , just trying to gather information so that I can make the best decision for my needs whether that means going with a more powerful combo or going for a lower power combo , regardless I certainly dont need to justify this to you

Edited February 26, 2009 by markdavid

[Hamster]

Don't bother with the technical stuff for doodling away at home - just buy one of these - they're excellent - [url="http://www.dv247.com/invt/35051/"]http://www.dv247.com/invt/35051/[/url]

[Musky]

[quote name='markdavid' post='420338' date='Feb 26 2009, 07:40 PM']Need to get a small Bass combo amp , not after anything loud as this will literally be used as an amp to use at home to practice and and my other much bigger amp (300W) will be used for gigs , am interested in getting the Fender Rumble 60. Basically to cut a long story short i have a 25 watt amp at home and I find that although there is bass and treble controls on the amp the low wattage on the amp means that the amp has basically one tone (tin can) , if I upgraded to a 60W amp for practice would I get any increase in low end. I have tried a 100 watt Fender combo and it sounded good but I think for practice 100watts would possibly be overkill

BTW , I understand that good tone is achieved by having a good quality amp rather than a powerful one but obviously the wattage will play some role in providing the low end on a bass amp , therefore presumably a more powerful amp will have more low end , also i will reiterate that this will be used for practice so I would like more low end than my current practice amp but I dont need wall shaking lows[/quote]

If you're looking for a fuller tone, with due respect I think you're asking the wrong question. Had you asked 'how can I get more low end from a practice amp?' I doubt you would get any suggestions that you simply up the wattage, as that not really any guide to a fuller tone. You could still wind up with a thin sounding amp that need not even be any louder than what you're currently using.

What have you got at the moment, and what's your budget for a new amp?

Edited February 27, 2009 by Musky

[Hamster]

Thinking again, - I quite often just use a pair of quality headphones and a Korg PX4D for home practice - just dial in a tone from one of hundreds.

[KennysFord]

Or you could buy [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=41147&st=0&gopid=420595&#entry420595"]this[/url] and blow that pesky little Line6 to kingdom come
It'll do everything your asking for and a few more things besides.

Edited February 27, 2009 by kennyrodg

[lemmywinks]

I use a Hartke A70 for my bedroom amp and it rules. Kicks out loads of bass for it's size, plus i've done a few small gigs with it. If i need to go any louder than CD-playalong volume (trying out pedals etc.) then i can just crank it up. I have it between 1 and 3 usually.
The 12" speaker will handle a 5er too.

I think they did 25w - 100w versions of these, all cheap second hand too

[geoffbyrne]

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/laney-rb4-160w-bass-amp_W0QQitemZ280317200524QQihZ018QQcategoryZ58719QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/laney-rb4-160w-bass-...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url]

Pretty good for practice & with the addition of a 2nd cab, good enough for (very) small gigs.

G.

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='420467' date='Feb 26 2009, 10:34 PM']Yes, like night and day, totally worth it.


Since you posted the same question in two forums it seems you want to go with whichever gives you the answer you like best. The least I could do is give you two answers to choose from.[/quote]

If you check some of the other responses, Bill, you'll see the sort of assistance he was looking for.

Edited March 1, 2009 by skankdelvar

[DanOwens]

I use a Hartke A35 and I love it. Yes, it is mainly low-mid not bass, but if I'm practising who cares and if I'm gigging I DI anyway.

Dan

[markdavid]

Thanks for the replies , I am going to go for a 100w combo to be on the safe side as all the 100w combos ive tried have had plenty of bass response and the price difference between 60 and 100w is not that much at all

Edited March 1, 2009 by markdavid

[alexclaber]

You absolutely do not need more than 25W for practising at home. Going to a 100W combo with a larger speaker will mean worse mids and highs yet still not enough power to gig with. What exactly is this 25W amp and where are you placing it?

Alex

[GreeneKing]

Yes I agree. I've been there and gone for a 100W combo for home use (a Crate, many moons ago). To big for a good tone at home and too small for gigs, a waste of dosh imo.

I had a Roland Cube 30 which did the job really well until it had a fault (it was a good few years old). I now have a Warwick Blue cab 60 which is more than I need at home but importantly has a CD/MP3 input and a headphone out.

Otherwise I need the LMII and 2 x GS112's for making an impression in a band situation.

[Buzz]

No matter what, don't get the Orange Crush 35b. Better cabs can be had for the same price.