maxrossell Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Hey guys. Due to recent developments that I won't go into because it'll bore you, I'm taking over on bass in my band. Now, it's been some years (like eight or nine) since I played bass in a band. And last time I did, I was playing a Hohner fretless Jazz (nicest bass ever, I could kick myself into next year for selling it) into a Fender BXR100 solid state combo. Okay, so here's my question: Just how big does a bass amp need to get before it's loud enough to compete with a coupla 100w stacks and a mid-loud drummer? We're not playing particularly loud, either. Now in the interim between last time I played bass, I've gotten older, and to be honest I've been through a number of wattage permutations with my guitar amps, ending up with all of 15 watts from my Orange head. On the other hand, I've very rarely stood in front of a bassist who was carring much less than 180w. Usually more like 300w. In my dim recollection, the BXR100 (100w 1x15") did okay when competing with two 100w 1x12" combos and a fairly loud drummer, as in I had clarity and I could be felt and so on. So what's the score? I'm not exactly dripping money, if I was I'd just get a 300w stack and turn it down, but I wanna know how little I can get away with, given that price increases according to wattage. I'm talking solid state here, of course, I'm far from being able to swing valve stuff. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 There's no set rule for how much power you need, but I personally wouldn't go below 100w, and definitely at least a 15" speaker, as most 12" don't create enough bottom end unless you buy something really expensive. Sounds like you are playing rock or similar, so it's also determined by how loud your drummer is. If you have a decent enough PA system, you could use the backline amp as a monitor and let the PA do some of the work. You could go into a music shop and try a 50w 1x12" combo and it would sound pretty loud on it's own. Trust me, it will get lost in a band situation. In a nutshell, get the most power you can afford, as it'll give you more headroom and a cleaner sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maxrossell Posted April 18, 2009 Author Share Posted April 18, 2009 Excellent, thanks for your help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Get a Sansamp and a monitor wedge. (That totally isn't what I do, I have not very many watts per amp, but lots of amps.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Ummmmm - what's your budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I've just looked in the new Bass Guitar magazine and there's an Ampeg BA115 combo for sale, gigged once, for £200. Sounds ideal to me. Call Jeremy 07717 043498 or email [email protected]. Taunton area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassmansky Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 i would say you will need 300w just to make sure.too much power is better than not enough.go secondhand more watts per pound! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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