How many amps?

[bassbora]

You quite often see guitarists have few different amps for different flavors/things. 

 

It just made me think if bass players do the same thing?  I only have one but have often thought maybe I should get another (backup for gigs). 

 

So if you have more than one, why?  Is it to get different sounds?  Is it backup for gigs?  If its backup is it the same model or do you have one of these small heads Elf/Gnome.

 

Just curious what people think and maybe its me just trying to justify to myself getting another amp. 

[BigRedX]

I've gone with no amp.

 

All my sound shaping is done by my Line6 Helix and AFAIAC the amp and cab models are just more sound shaping devices, so sometimes the tone I want needs one and sometimes it doesn't - bout half the patches that I use at the moment don't have any amp or cab models in the signal path and most of the ones that have use a guitar combo model because I like the sound. Because of this my actual amp and cab(s) would simply be something to make the bass guitar louder, so most of the time I go straight into the PA. I have a PA-style FRFR cab for rehearsals and the very occasional gig I do where the PA is strictly vocals only.

[BlueMoon]

I tend to hoard stuff on the premise that “it’ll come in useful someday”.

 

So I have amps in Class A/B, Class D, power-amps and separate pre’s.

 

My back tells me that a small pedal-board, IEMs and DI is the way to go for me………….but I do get nostalgic for trouser-flapping “heft”. 

[BigRedX]

1 hour ago, BlueMoon said:

trouser-flapping “heft”

 

This kind of phrase come up quite a bit and wonder just how much truth there is to it?

 

Not withstanding the fact that the last time I wore trousers that were actually capable of "flapping" was some time in the late 70s, I don't think I have ever needed to be so loud that I could feel sound pressure waves emanating from my cabs. I suspect if I had, I'd be even deafer than I am now...

[chris_b]

 I own 3 amps and 5 cabs and take 2 of each to every gig. Depending on the sound check and band I can use either.

 

IMO it makes absolute sense to have a backup, but makes no sense to have a backup that is very different. I use either a 500 watt or 700 watt amp. A 200 watt "backup" amp wouldn't be any use to me. 

 

Edited July 21, 2023 by chris_b

[fretmeister]

2 different giggable heads (Mark Bass and Ashdown), a Roland Combo that I've had for maybe 20 years, and a 5W mini head.

 

The Mark Bass is my favourite. The Ashdown is really a backup and / or lazy option as it has a compressor and some drive built in.

Combo in a bedroom. 5W mini amp because it sounds just like a raging SVT but at TV volume.

 

But if I'm recording then it's all Helix.

[Lozz196]

I’ve two amps, both Ashdowns, RM500 EVO 2 and an Ant as backup.

That said due to back issues I’ll now be going ampless just using my Sansamp, I’ll take along the Ant to gigs in case of difficult sound peoples.

 

Edit - I forgot to include my home practice rig which is an Ashdown Mini Stack.

 

Cab-wise I have two Ashdown ABM PRO NEO 210s for gigs should I need them.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Lozz196

[iamtheelvy]

Two amps here:

 

Markbass Micromark 801 - Tiny 1x8 combo for quieter practices and acoustic gigs.

 

Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 - can use with one or 2 SL112 cabs depending on the gig.

 

Also make great use of the Tone Hammer DI box for no-amp situations, or to run in as a preamp at gigs with borrowed gear - saves having to set up an unfamiliar amp.

[bassbora]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

I've gone with no amp.

 

All my sound shaping is done by my Line6 Helix and AFAIAC the amp and cab models are just more sound shaping devices, so sometimes the tone I want needs one and sometimes it doesn't - bout half the patches that I use at the moment don't have any amp or cab models in the signal path and most of the ones that have use a guitar combo model because I like the sound. Because of this my actual amp and cab(s) would simply be something to make the bass guitar louder, so most of the time I go straight into the PA. I have a PA-style FRFR cab for rehearsals and the very occasional gig I do where the PA is strictly vocals only.

I did think of that.  I am gigging with two different bands and two other projects on the go.  I dont see anyone of them going for IEM but I have certainly thought about it.  I have seen few discussions on here about going ampless and thats also why I thought about asking what people were doing with amps.  I do DI in some venues and I have been tempted to just show up with my Class D head or just a preamp pedal but not been brave enough yet.

[Steve Browning]

I have my Mesa TT-800s for the main gigs. Mesa Walkabout 15 for rehearsals, recording and smaller gigs. I have a Gallien Krueger MB150E to take round a mate's place to run through stuff and an Ampeg Micro-CL set up in my music room. The two that count (the Mesa rigs) are just about portability. No great difference in sound.

[Linus27]

Two amps here, a Warwick Gnome I Pro 280w and a Mark Bass Little Mark IV 500w. Cab is a Barefaced Two10.

[TheGreek]

Far too many...

 

Trace Elliot: Elf, a AH500, AH300, 3x AH150, AH250 combo

Ashdown Little Giant 

GK Backline 100w

Peterson 150w combo

 

I think that's all of them.

[gjones]

I'm starting to accumulate amps, like my basses.

 

I've got two GK MBs, one is 500 watts and the other is 800 watts (I bought the 800 after the 500 wasn't quite loud enough through my Barefaced Super Compact).

 

I bought a Fender Rumble V3 100watt combo because it is so light. I could take it on the bus no problem and it's come in very useful when I play with quieter bands.

 

I also bought a preloved, old, Ashdown ABM a couple of years ago, as I've always loved the sound and it was going very cheap.

 

I bought a Markbass CMD 121 P combo during lockdown, and it's as loud as the GK MB 800 with the Super Compact and not much bigger/heavier than the Fender Rumble.

 

If I was forced at gunpoint to keep one and get rid of the others, I'd probably go with the Markbass Combo.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 22, 2023 by gjones

[Lozz196]

Those CMD121Ps are amazing amps @gjones, capable of a lot more than would be thought from their size

[gjones]

6 minutes ago, Lozz196 said:

Those CMD121Ps are amazing amps @gjones, capable of a lot more than would be thought from their size

 

Yes, it took me a long time to realise that everybody who was saying they were great, for years, were right......they are great.

Edited July 21, 2023 by gjones

[Reggaebass]

I used to have lots in boxes and cases all over the place that I switched around and only used some occasionally ,so a while back I got rid of my markbass and all but one of my Ashdown ones, I mainly like valve amps so I’m down to 

Ampeg V-4B , main amp 

Ampeg PF 50T, occasionally 

Ashdown RM500,  easy to take out and carry around 

Behringer Ultrabass , great amp, still going strong and I use it to play music through 

 

[thodrik]

So I have three heads and one combo. 

 

I currently only own one cab. 
 

Trace V6. Owned about ten years. Bought because I always wanted one and at £600 or so and it was a good deal. 
 

Mesa Big Block. Owned about 4 years. Always wanted one and got a good deal on a used one. Love it. 

 

EBS Fafner. Owned about 14 years. My main ‘big amp’ for when I need more clean headroom than the Mesa Walkabout provides.

 

Mesa Walkabout 1x15 combo. My main workhorse rig since 2009.

 

So, two ‘always wanted them’ purchases. Two workhorse amps. Tonally I can pretty much get by with any of them though the Walkabout struggles for clean headroom, though most of time that is kinda what I’m going for. 
 

Might go the Helix route as I know the days of carrying big amps and cabs is fairly antiquated but frankly I still get a lot of enjoyment out of amps. 
 

I might get a small class D back up like the Elf but I probably would budget for another (lighter) cabinet instead.

[Lfalex v1.1]

Currently;

 

1 amp- Markbass s450

1 cab- Schroeder 21012L 

2 preamps- Ampeg SVP-Pro, Peavey BassMax

1 combo- 1x12 80w ProAmplifiers Demon

 

Think that'll cover most eventualities. 

 

Edit- To be fair, if I suddenly had extra disposable funds, I'm much more likely to buy another bass than an Amp/Cab or effects. 

Edited July 21, 2023 by Lfalex v1.1

[BassAdder60]

3 x amps

Ashdown ABM600 

TE ELF

Aguilar ToneHammer 700 

 

[MrDinsdale]

Only one at the moment, my Handbox WB100. Would love to grab another smaller backup, perhaps a GSS Sumo. If I had the money I'd grab a Jad Freer Sisma they look incredible. 

 

Worst case scenario I can resort to going straight through the PA from my pedalboard. It sounds fine but it's nowhere near as fun. 

[Chienmortbb]

Firstly. Let me say that everyone should have an amp, even those that go "Ampless".

 

To my collection:

1. Bugera Veyron 1001M- The FET one.
2. Ashdown Retroglide 800
3. HH VS Musician Bassamp 100
4. HH Bassamp 100

The first two are my working amps and the HH amps are for nostalgia. I must get the HH's out and check them over.

[Baloney Balderdash]

I use an "amp-less" setup, primarily for the sake of consistency in tone.

 

That is more or less the same tone whether I run it through a headphone amp my studio grade (basically just meaning FRFR) headphones for home practice, though a poweramp and a FRFR PA speaker for band rehearsal/jam, or through a venues PA system at a live gig, plus it just allows you to be much more specific when dialing in your tone.  

 

Which is relatively complex and consists of:

 

Mosky XP Booster (clone of the Xotic EP Booster V1) -> XVive Undulator (tremolo, but never actually engaged and used exclusively for its great buffer) -> EHX Black Finger (tube driven optical compressor, with 2 preamp tubes operating at proper high 300V plate voltage, mainly used as a tube preamp stage, with some very subtle compression dialed in, driven to just on the edge of the breakup point) -> Zoom B1Xon (mainly used as reverb unit, including the {very subtle plate reverb -> subtle spring reverb} patch that is part of my basic "clean" tone) -> Boss LS-2 [Loop A + Loop B Mix] (effects loop switcher/mixer) ->{ [Loop A Send] -> Joyo Oxford Sound (clone of the Tech 21 Oxford pedal, which is an all analog emulation of an Orange type amp, dialed in to deliver a low gain overdrive, and mixed with the NUX MLD Bass Preamp from effects [Loop B]) ->|+|<- [Loop B Send] -> NUX Melvin Lee Davis Bass Preamp + DI (loaded with a digitally emulated Aguilar Tone Hammer amp, and an Ampeg SVT-212AV IR cab simulation, with a subtle low gain overdrive blended in at a 50/50 clean/drive ratio, and mixed with the Joyo Oxford Sound from effects [Loop A]) => [Loop A Return] + [Loop B Return] (mixed at an approximate 1:2 ratio) => [LS-2 Output]  }-> ART Tube MP Project Series (tube preamp and DI) -> [Effects Return] (basically poweramp input) of Peavey Solo Special 112 (160W SS guitar combo, modded with a speaker output, with the build in 12" guitar speaker disconnected and instead hooked up to a FRFR PA speaker) -> The Box PA 502 (passive 300W RMS/1200W Peak FRFR PA speaker, featuring a 300W RMS 15" bass/mids woofer/driver and a 100W RMS 1.7" titanium high frequency tweeter horn)

 

 

That said I do own a few amps, an old 200W Peavey XR-600B PA amp, which though needs to be serviced to work properly (just need to have a proper cleaning performed as well as having a couple of pots replaced, so not going to be overly expensive, and I think definitely worth it), a crappy lowly 40W Fender Mustang guitar combo, which I converted to a head, and a 160W Peavey Solo Special 112 guitar combo, which is what I use the poweramp section of, modded with a speaker output and having the internal 12" guitar speaker disconnected and hooked up a FRFR PA speaker instead, for my "amp-less" setup backline.

 

The Peavey amps does both sound genuinely great, and the lowly budget Fender Mustang amp does actually not sound all that bad either, that is at least as long as the DPS powered section of voicings and effects are bypassed. 

 

I very much regret being stupid enough to sell my 60W all tube amp Ampeg B-15S, a Dynacord 50W all tube amp Bass-King, and a solid state 130W Trace Elliot GP7SM 15" combo, that I once also owned.

 

Though plan on and will no doubt acquire a new used old classic Trace Elliot amp (that is from the 90's, before Trace Elliot was sold off and went through a couple of owners before finally getting sold to Peavey, which eventually reintroduced the brand) in some form at some point again (or might just get the new Trace Elliot Transit B bass preamp, which is supposed to replicate the classic Trace tone quite faithfully), as those are quite common to find used and goes for quite reasonable prices, and might get a Dynacord Bass-King again too, as those are usually quite reasonable priced too, though more uncommon to find used.

 

Eventually, if I ever get that kind of money to spare, I might acquire a new Ampeg Portaflex PF-50T, which is based on the old B-15 amps with some modern upgrades and currently still in production, and is 50W, all tube amp as well like the originals, as well.

 

Edited July 28, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[Chienmortbb]

38 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Trace Elliot was sold off to first Marshall

Wasn't it Gibson?

 

[BigRedX]

2 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

Firstly. Let me say that everyone should have an amp, even those that go "Ampless".

 

Why? I do all my Helix programming either on headphones or via my HiFi system, and then do the fine-tuning in the rehearsal room where I go direct into the PA and where I can properly hear how my sounds fit in with those of the other instruments. Any conventional bass or guitar amp will add too much colouration to the sound for me to be able to make any meaningful decisions unless I was to always use that amp and cab in every single situation.

[Baloney Balderdash]

20 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

Wasn't it Gibson?

 

You are right, it was Gibson, and it was in 1998, thanks for correcting me. 

 

Edited my post to be factual correct.