soulstar89 Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 Hi guys, hope everyone is well. I have extremely little knowledge on amps. over 10 years ago i got a stagg 20 ba bass amp combo with my p bass. never really used both my and and until the first lockdown. IF all the turning dials (volume, treble, mids,bass) are at 12 o'clock the bass becomes extremely distorted on the E string. If i turn the bass dial to 9 o'clock the distortion goes. i thought the speaker had gone so plugged in some headphones the same thing happened. All the videos ive watched state that 12 o'clock is normal not adding not subtracting. is this normal? I fully know how crap this amp is before people say. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tdw Posted January 28, 2022 Share Posted January 28, 2022 12 o clock may be normal for the eq controls, but the volume control doesn't really have a normal setting. I'd try setting the bass,mid and treble to 12 o'clock and setting the volume to its most anticlockwise position then try playing and slowly turning up the volume control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulstar89 Posted January 29, 2022 Author Share Posted January 29, 2022 46 minutes ago, Tdw said: 12 o clock may be normal for the eq controls, but the volume control doesn't really have a normal setting. I'd try setting the bass,mid and treble to 12 o'clock and setting the volume to its most anticlockwise position then try playing and slowly turning up the volume control. ok cheers ill try it now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddycall Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Maybe your bass is overloading the pre-amp. I’d try it at a low volume setting on the amp and turn the volume pot on the bass down until the distortion goes then turn the amp volume back up and see if it stays clean. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 P basses are indeed a fairly hot output for being passive. No harm in backing off either the amp input gain control or the bass output. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 29, 2022 Share Posted January 29, 2022 Reproducing a P bass with a 20 watt practice amp with an 8" speaker is a big ask, other than at very low volume. That applies especially to the low E string, which may explain why the problem reduces when you dial back the lows. The poor thing is probably struggling, either, as others point out, because you are overloading the input or because it just doesn't have enough grunt. It isn't crap per se. It's just a low powered budget starter amp that isn't up to the job. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40hz Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 I will go with all previous points. Very much sounds Ike your overloading the input. Better designed amps will had a pad for basses with hot outputs, usually designated 'passive' and 'active'. Although ironically, as has been stated, my P-Bass is probably the hottest bass I have for output. Turn your gain down! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulstar89 Posted January 30, 2022 Author Share Posted January 30, 2022 thanks for the responses. I had a play and when i had both volumes on amp and bass at 9 o'clock it helped but its so so quiet. looking for a new amp is overwhelming. not sure whether to get a combo, amp and speaker or a audio interface which i can hook up to my computer. I think that question is for another thread. appreciate the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulstar89 Posted January 30, 2022 Author Share Posted January 30, 2022 2 hours ago, Dan Dare said: Reproducing a P bass with a 20 watt practice amp with an 8" speaker is a big ask, other than at very low volume. That applies especially to the low E string, which may explain why the problem reduces when you dial back the lows. The poor thing is probably struggling, either, as others point out, because you are overloading the input or because it just doesn't have enough grunt. It isn't crap per se. It's just a low powered budget starter amp that isn't up to the job. what power wattage would be suitable to look at? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 12 minutes ago, soulstar89 said: what power wattage would be suitable to look at? It's not a practice amp's job to give you bottom end jollies. 20w is fine. The trick is to not overload the input on your amp and then turn up the master output to get some volume. Don't be shy to turn the input down some more and turn up the output. My 6'' speakered practice amp can just keep up with one saxophone. I forget how many watts are inside, 15 or 20 probably. I wouldn't spend good money on a practice amp. Better to get a small used rig that can do gigs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waddycall Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 What do you want your bass amp to do ? for me the answer would be lightweight head with headphone output and stereo aux in for practice at home, onboard compression, versatile tone and enough power driving my 210 cab for loud band rehearsals and small gigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 30, 2022 Share Posted January 30, 2022 Combos are convenient. Separate amp and cabs are more versatile and expandable - you can add cabs or an extra power amp if you need more volume - and you can upgrade one without the other. You say you are a noob, so you may not want to throw a lot of money around. Don't buy on the basis of recommendation or reviews. Go shopping and try some stuff. Used is cheaper, so answer a few ad's for used gear and go and have a look. No reasonable seller will object to you trying things. It also gives you the opportunity to sum up the seller and decide whether he is a hooligan who has hammered what he's selling or not. Don't buy the first thing you see. If you envisage gigging, I'd suggest 200w as a minimum requirement. You can always turn it down for home/practice use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted January 31, 2022 Share Posted January 31, 2022 On 30/01/2022 at 01:54, soulstar89 said: thanks for the responses. I had a play and when i had both volumes on amp and bass at 9 o'clock it helped but its so so quiet. looking for a new amp is overwhelming. not sure whether to get a combo, amp and speaker or a audio interface which i can hook up to my computer. I think that question is for another thread. appreciate the help. On 30/01/2022 at 07:49, Waddycall said: What do you want your bass amp to do ? I think this is the question you need to answer. Looks like you need your bass for recording as much as playing out loud. For that you might only want headphones for practice and there are ways of having a little pre amp that will give you great sound through headphones and which could feed direct to your soundcard. Or for better quality audio interfaces which will also give you a good headphone sound. Are you currently feeding your combo sound into the recording via a mic? Or is the recording issue a red herring? If you need live sound into the room then that's a different issue. Is cost important to you or space? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulstar89 Posted February 3, 2022 Author Share Posted February 3, 2022 overwhelmed by the responses. I decided to head to camden and kill two birds with one stone. try some basses and amps. the advise of not overloading my mp has helped ALOT. It funny how i went to guitarguitar and the bass gallery and there wasnt much amp choices. I shall keep searching to try as many as possible. At the moment i won't be recording or gigging for now. I need to better my craft. the way the bass sounds inspires me to keep wanting to pick up the bass and explore. i just find this this amp meh. I play acoustically alot as i like the sound of the bass more than the amp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tdw Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 You might try placing your current amp right in the corner of a room, this should get you a bit more low end at the volume level your amp can work at. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downunderwonder Posted February 3, 2022 Share Posted February 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Tdw said: You might try placing your current amp right in the corner of a room, this should get you a bit more low end at the volume level your amp can work at. Compared with in a bad spot it could be night and day different in a corner. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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