Q about practice amps and speaker size

[timmyo]

I'be been playing through 2 different setups over the last few days : the Stagg CA 20B which I was given (20w, 8" speaker) and via Toneport on my PC which has cinema (sub & surround) speakers attached.

The Stagg sounds totally pants to be frank - it's noise sure, but it's insipid - there's none of that weight or body that says 'bass playing is fun' . The Toneport/PC is much better, because of the range of sounds (modelled by the Line6 toneport software) and the fact there's a modest but still actually-a-sub attached.

Clearly being tied to the PC is far from ideal and the Stagg is frankly just annoying

So : practice amps. I've been reading some threads and certain things do seem to crop up, so if I can get out and track them down I will try them out. I had a specific question abut speaker size though : the Stagg is almost mute when playing a low B - I thought this might be the small driver (I come from a guitar background an dhave experienced the extra wallop a 2x12 cab gives to my 8" practice amp) - but what speaker size would I need to get some oomph from that low B string ?

ta

Tim

[Tinman]

In my limited experience you need at least a 10 inch speaker or preferably a 15. I know there's manufacturers out there who use smaller than 8 inch speakers (Phil Jones) but for us mere mortals the standard size is enough.

Have you tried the Hartke Kickback 15 or A100 combos? IMO they're brilliant and they can double up as a stage monitor too as they have a DI out.

[d-basser]

my peavey microbass has no real trouble with a low B unless you really wallop it

[lowhand_mike]

peavey are certainly worth a look and seem pretty indestructable, i had the use of a MX 115 combo for a few gigs and it jsut about did the job, ok it's a bit under powered for gigging with but it still held up even though it was driven pretty much flat out everytime. though it does weight a ton. they also do lower versions with smaller speakers so there is a 12" and 10" version with a lower wattage but all should give you a nice sound.
ashdown dispite the problems they appearred to have now seem pretty stable and produce (to me anyway) a very nice range of tones and they are very well priced and you also have the choice of 2x10, 12" and 15" drivers. and higher wattage than the peavey's (for the price anyway)
though it really depends on what your budget is before you can narrow down your choices

[timmyo]

Hmm yes, budget. Seems my good lady wife and I have differing views on this . . .

ta

[lowhand_mike]

[quote name='timmyo' post='61680' date='Sep 17 2007, 01:55 PM']Hmm yes, budget. Seems my good lady wife and I have differing views on this . . .

ta[/quote]

hehe, if that was the only thing we differed on

erhem...

if it just for practicing then you should be able to pick something up for between£100 and £200, gigging you are gonna have to look at £300 plus really (just a rough guide)
the other thing is you could buy something cheap and then a few months down the road need to upgrade which would mean more outlay and bad economy

[HarryPotter]

I bought a Crate BT-50 for under a ton, new, from sh!tecontrol.

It is pretty good for a first time amp, and has enough wallop for small gigs.

[timmyo]

Yes - wallop. I think that's what I'd like. Coming over to bass from the 'dark side' of amplified stringed instruments I had been looking forward to [i]feeling [/i]my instrument (missus), so maybe rather than worrying about tone I should go for something with [i]wallop [/i]. . .

[wildman]

For bedroom practice at wife-friendly volumes and wife friendly budget you cant really beat the Peavey Microbass IMO. Despite its 8" driver it handles a low B just fine. I've used mine for acoustic gigs, 60 people, admittedly just percussion, no drums. You can

For bigger venues, rehearsals and with a drummer, I'd go for a Hartke, the kickback or a S/H Trace Elliott from this forum. I had an Ashdown EB 120 that ran out of puff in a rehearsal with a drummer and keys, but we were playing louder than we really needed.