Possible Bass Rig

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darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
Hi All,

I've been mulling over adding a Bass to my collection for, well fun really, I'm in this for fun, but I would love to learn to crack out some bass riffs.  Had some help from @bridgehouse at the recent forum man-shopping and curry day, and been mulling since.

I know I'd buy an Ibanez bass unless very surprised by another instrument.  In fact I'm thinking of picking up one of these when I come down south for the southern jam: https://www.andertons.co.uk/bass-dept/bass-guitars/ibanez-sr300e-ipt-bass-in-iron-pewter

But torn between buying a very cheap amp like the Fender Rumble 15 or maybe investing a bit more in the Rumble Studio 40, a great bit of kit I auditioned, but it's £77 vs £350!

Rumble studio https://www.andertons.co.uk/fender-rumble-studio-40-modelling-1x10-bass-combo

(Oh, and yes I'm going to Anderton's on June 1st!)

So what do we all think, that look like a decent rig?  After that if I shove any more boxes in the living room I will probably find myself divorced! :)
We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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Comments

  • mrkbmrkb Frets: 6636
    Ed,
    is it worth being a divorced bass player..... ;-)


    whats the likely use? Home or also at jams? That will define the amp wattage.
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    mrkb said:
    Ed,
    is it worth being a divorced bass player..... ;-)


    whats the likely use? Home or also at jams? That will define the amp wattage.
    A pretty terrifying fate to be sure! :)

    Home, basically, though being able to hold it's own at jam sessions would be nice.

    For a cheap-ish Bass amp the Rumble Studio seems well appointed to go into a desk or PA, while providing lots of different modelled sounds.

    More importantly, it also seems fun.  While I own a few guitar pedals at home I've found very little my Katana 50 doesn't do yet, and it does small jams as well (we used it in the room in Northampton if you recall) so obviously a "Bass version" of that would have some appeal.
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    Call me a heathen, but I don’t think you get the real bass experience (unlike guitar) until you play it in the context of a song with other instruments. It totally changes the sound, the dynamic, the feel and everything about it.

    I would personally look for a way to play along to tracks either through headphones or speakers and enjoy the full band context. Guitar can be enjoyed quite comprehensively as a solo instrument - some would say that’s how they like it best - but for bass it’s definitely more fun in the context of a band when it blends properly and you can understand the complexity of integrating it into a wider sound
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71953
    For purely home practice, the Rumble 15 is OK - it's surprisingly deep-sounding for a 15W amp with such a small speaker. It won't do anything louder though, not even the smallest acoustic gig or jam. It also unfortunately doesn't have a line output, so you can't use it as a preamp for going into the PA on stage, unless you use the headphone output which stops you using it as a monitor.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • mrkbmrkb Frets: 6636
    Ed, I’ll have a garden music room (drum kit and amps) up and running in July, so you’d be welcome to come over and jam on bass then.
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    Call me a heathen, but I don’t think you get the real bass experience (unlike guitar) until you play it in the context of a song with other instruments. It totally changes the sound, the dynamic, the feel and everything about it.

    I would personally look for a way to play along to tracks either through headphones or speakers and enjoy the full band context. Guitar can be enjoyed quite comprehensively as a solo instrument - some would say that’s how they like it best - but for bass it’s definitely more fun in the context of a band when it blends properly and you can understand the complexity of integrating it into a wider sound
    Interesting point - so do you think it might be worth learning some of the theory and some bass lines on the guitar and then moving on to a proper bass and learning the techniques properly when the opportunity to play with others occurs?
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    mrkb said:
    Ed, I’ll have a garden music room (drum kit and amps) up and running in July, so you’d be welcome to come over and jam on bass then.
    Thanks :)
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • JezWyndJezWynd Frets: 6021
    edited May 2018
    Call me a heathen, but I don’t think you get the real bass experience (unlike guitar) until you play it in the context of a song with other instruments. It totally changes the sound, the dynamic, the feel and everything about it.

    I would personally look for a way to play along to tracks either through headphones or speakers and enjoy the full band context. Guitar can be enjoyed quite comprehensively as a solo instrument - some would say that’s how they like it best - but for bass it’s definitely more fun in the context of a band when it blends properly and you can understand the complexity of integrating it into a wider sound
    Interesting point - so do you think it might be worth learning some of the theory and some bass lines on the guitar and then moving on to a proper bass and learning the techniques properly when the opportunity to play with others occurs?
    No. Definitely get a bass. Scale length, feel, all completely different and totally their own thing on a real bass. You might find the transition easier with a short scale bass.

    I know @Bridgehouse likes to think of the bass in a band context as a supporting instument but there are other ways to approach it. I discovered classical music transposed for bass which gave bass a whole new lease of life and inspiration for me when I was bored of playing rock and funk patterns etc. A drum machine though is always a very useful tool.
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    JezWynd said:
    Call me a heathen, but I don’t think you get the real bass experience (unlike guitar) until you play it in the context of a song with other instruments. It totally changes the sound, the dynamic, the feel and everything about it.

    I would personally look for a way to play along to tracks either through headphones or speakers and enjoy the full band context. Guitar can be enjoyed quite comprehensively as a solo instrument - some would say that’s how they like it best - but for bass it’s definitely more fun in the context of a band when it blends properly and you can understand the complexity of integrating it into a wider sound
    Interesting point - so do you think it might be worth learning some of the theory and some bass lines on the guitar and then moving on to a proper bass and learning the techniques properly when the opportunity to play with others occurs?
    No. Definitely get a bass. Scale length, feel, all completely different and totally their own thing on a real bass. You might find the transition easier with a short scale bass.

    I know @Bridgehouse likes to think of the bass in a band context as a supporting instument but there are other ways to approach it. I discovered classical music transposed for bass which gave bass a whole new lease of life and inspiration for me when I was bored of playing rock and funk patterns etc. A drum machine though is always a very useful tool.
    I don’t disagree actually - my point was more around enjoying the whole experience of bass - it’s not just about a bass and a practice amp at home - it’s a versatile instrument in lots of different ways. 

    And absolutely get a bass and not try bass on guitar. I found right hand technique very different and it makes so much more sense with the right strings, tension and scale length
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    JezWynd said:
    Call me a heathen, but I don’t think you get the real bass experience (unlike guitar) until you play it in the context of a song with other instruments. It totally changes the sound, the dynamic, the feel and everything about it.

    I would personally look for a way to play along to tracks either through headphones or speakers and enjoy the full band context. Guitar can be enjoyed quite comprehensively as a solo instrument - some would say that’s how they like it best - but for bass it’s definitely more fun in the context of a band when it blends properly and you can understand the complexity of integrating it into a wider sound
    Interesting point - so do you think it might be worth learning some of the theory and some bass lines on the guitar and then moving on to a proper bass and learning the techniques properly when the opportunity to play with others occurs?
    No. Definitely get a bass. Scale length, feel, all completely different and totally their own thing on a real bass. You might find the transition easier with a short scale bass.

    I know @Bridgehouse likes to think of the bass in a band context as a supporting instument but there are other ways to approach it. I discovered classical music transposed for bass which gave bass a whole new lease of life and inspiration for me when I was bored of playing rock and funk patterns etc. A drum machine though is always a very useful tool.
    I don’t disagree actually - my point was more around enjoying the whole experience of bass - it’s not just about a bass and a practice amp at home - it’s a versatile instrument in lots of different ways. 

    And absolutely get a bass and not try bass on guitar. I found right hand technique very different and it makes so much more sense with the right strings, tension and scale length
    Thanks both.

    So, especially having tried it yourself @Bridgehouse should I look to get the Rumble studio with the better combination of sounds and possibly (??) the ability to kick out enough volume for small jams, or to just buy the cheaper Rumble 15 ICBM gave a solid review to above?

    Thanks all in thread :)
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • JezWyndJezWynd Frets: 6021
    There is a halfway house. The Rumble 40 v3. I had one for a while and liked it very much. It can model a couple of bass amp sounds but isn't as fully featured as the studio version and can be picked up used for not much cash. It has a line out for stage playing.

    https://www.bax-shop.co.uk/bass-guitar-combo-amp/fender-rumble-40-bass-guitar-amplifier-combo?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiaaPzPOC2wIVr7_tCh1PtAMTEAQYAiABEgIBUvD_BwE

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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    I think the choice comes down to what you want to do and what will make you happy.

    Bedroom messing with different sounds? Get the studio but if it’s about playing along with a classic bass sound then the cheaper one will be fine.
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    I think the choice comes down to what you want to do and what will make you happy.

    Bedroom messing with different sounds? Get the studio but if it’s about playing along with a classic bass sound then the cheaper one will be fine.
    Sounds sensible, thanks

    Thanks all in thread for the input :)
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    I say go with what makes you happy - you’re more likely to play it then ;)
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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    I practise on my pc by playing along to MP3 files. Everything I do DIed into an interface. Behringer BDI21 is quite good, but the GDI21 works fine on bass with all the switches down.
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  • funkyfrazfunkyfraz Frets: 93
    Consider looking at a nanyo bass collection from the 90s. It's the easiest to play bass I've ever owned. 200 quid would get you one normally.

    Amp-wise, the rumbles are a excellent  
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  • darthed1981darthed1981 Frets: 11670
    I'm going to go to Andertons on 1st June

    Might walk away with a Bass and Amp, or just restrict myself to a couple of pedals - results TBA! :)
    We have to be so very careful, what we believe in...
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  • BridgehouseBridgehouse Frets: 24578
    I'm going to go to Andertons on 1st June

    Might walk away with a Bass and Amp, or just restrict myself to a couple of pedals - results TBA! :)
    Haha.. restrict... lol.


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