Bass Amp Advice Please

Duppy03

I'm now doing the occasional gig playing bass and looking for an "affordable" solution for playing live.

I'm a guitarist and already have plenty of gear so not looking to get anything big or expensive, in fact the cheaper and smaller the better. Products that have caught my attention so far:

TC Electronics BH250 - Loosk great , but can't find one second hand to sit within my budget.

Ampeg- SCR DI - Love the look and sound of this, would be great for going direct into a desk and home recording but would still need something for onstage monitoring (should the PA not provide any feedback).

Eden WTDI - As above and falls into budget brand new.

Eden WC10 - Small enough a combo that I could squeeze it in the house, in theory it would serve well for home practices and small gigs (?) and could use the send to my DI box and into the desk for extra volume when needed. But is 50w and a single 10" speaker in a small cab going to cut it? Sounds great on the product demo video though.

Please shout up with any other suggestions, cheers

Funkfingers

General rule of thumb, multiply the nominal wattage rating of whatever amps the guitarist(s) use by at least three.

The tc electronic BG250 is offered in assorted loudspeaker configurations. The -208 version skimps on controls but has the advantage of an easily accessible Neutrik Speakon jack socket. The latter would be handy if you wanted to use a larger format loudspeaker array. With a four-pole plug, it might even be possible to drive internal and extension loudspeakers simultaneously.

If you only want an amp head, I have a tc electronic Classic 450. £300. Pics on request.

Bridgehouse

I have an Ampeg SCR-DI on a mini board. It's great, and as a DI is very good. You are reliant on house monitoring tho, which can be ropey.

Note - it's not as Ampeg-y as a sansamp, but it is a nice gritty vintage tone

Duppy03

Thanks fellas.

I largely play with an acoustic player or he uses not so great Vox solid state or 5w valve amp. And he's never loud, we're always telling hime to turn up. So volume isn't a massive concern... for now.

My wife, who's singer, has a Laney A1+ which is an acoustic style busking amp/monitor which I could use for plugging into if I had an Ampeg SCR, sending the Line out to the amp and DI balanced output to the PA. That could work.

@Bridgehouse I hear mixed reviews about the SansAmp Bass Driver DI even though it sounds more Ampegy do you prefer the SCR over it?

Duppy03

Any experience with the Tech21 VT Character pedals too?

ICBM

Whichever Fender Rumble Bass combo you can afford. They really punch far above their weight - even the little 25W one.

I would avoid the TC, I have seen several faulty ones, as seems sadly common with all their modern products.

The 50W Eden might be enough at the sort of volume you're talking about. If not, you can pick up a large number of older bass combos in the 100-300W range, usually with either a 12" or 15" speaker, for very cheap nowadays. Laney, Peavey, Trace Elliot and others all made many models in this sort of size and most are easily available in good working order for £100 to £150. The reason they're cheap is that they tend to be heavy.

Also avoid all Ashdowns - they aren't nicknamed 'Breakdown' for nothing.

John_P

Duppy03 said:

Any experience with the Tech21 VT Character pedals too?

I have the vt di on my bass board.   All the tech 21 pedals are great imo - just choose the flavour you want and whether you need a Di out and switching.   
The tc gear is fine and I’ve seen the 1x15  bc combo go pretty cheap used.   

If if you aren’t trying to keep up with a loud drummer then there are plenty of practise amps that go for a low price as most people want something louder.   Laney, Hartke etc kickback combos could all do the job.   

ICBM

John_P said:

Hartke  

I forgot those - the little ones are really very good. I don't think I've ever seen one for repair except one that had a couple of knobs broken off due to being bashed.

Bridgehouse

@Duppy03 - yes, I prefer the SCR - slightly more adaptable sound I would say.

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

John_P said:

Hartke  

I forgot those - the little ones are really very good. I don't think I've ever seen one for repair except one that had a couple of knobs broken off due to being bashed.

Borrowed one once - think it was a 2x10. Bit heavy, but sounded great. Much underrated I'd say. A lot better than Crashdown anyway.

JezWynd

I'll second @ICBM's shout out for the Fender Rumble v3. I had the 40 for a while and it was a great combo. Very lightweight with a range of sounds from classic Ampeg to modern rock. For the gigs you describe the 40 would probably suffice but if you can stretch to the 100 go for it.

bandmaster188

Our bass player just bought the Hartke kickback 500. Think it comes as a 1x12 or 1x15.
nice and portable and plenty loud enough.

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

I would avoid the TC, I have seen several faulty ones, as seems sadly common with all their modern products.

I have had no problems with mine. Perhaps, I take better care of my gear than the average bear?

ICBM

I think it's more likely down to luck of the draw, as it seems to be with Behringer (for example).

Bridgehouse

I tried a Rumble 500 in a shop and it was really good - surplus to requirements, but if I was looking for a gig-worthy lightweight combo then it would be near the top of the list.

Duppy03

@ICBM and @JezWynd seems to be plenty of used Rumbles about so could be a good choice. What's the difference between the version i.e V2 and V3? Is it just cosmetic or is there more to it than that?

ICBM

Not sure, I haven't seen any V3s yet.

Funkfingers

The spec got better on each subsequent version.

One important point to note. The Rumble 200 only gives 200w with an extension cab connected. Otherwise, it is only working at 120w. D'oh! The retail price of a Rumble 200 + the cheapest matching Fender extension cab is greater than the price of the Rumble 500. 

Bridgehouse

Funkfingers said:

The spec got better on each subsequent version.

One important point to note. The Rumble 200 only gives 200w with an extension cab connected. Otherwise, it is only working at 120w. D'oh! The retail price of a Rumble 200 + the cheapest matching Fender extension cab is greater than the price of the Rumble 500. 

Different amp and speakers I believe, as well as cabinet redesign. And I do think the 500 is the best value.

speshul91

i'm sure the laney rb2 has di out, not too hard on the pocket either.

4114Effects

What's your BH250 budget? Building myself a valve bass amp so mine may be surplus to requirements soon