Sorted: Experienced guitarist/newbie bassist needs bass amp advice

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TheBigDipperTheBigDipper Frets: 4722
edited August 2021 in Bass
I'm in discussion with a local band regarding playing bass with them. The only catch is I'm not really a bass player, I'm (surprise!) a guitarist. I do own a bass (an Ibanez SR300) but I don't own a bass amp. I use it to record bass parts for my song demos. But they seem keen to give it a go - mainly because I'm keen to try and they're big on enthusiasm (and I think also seen lots of bass players they didn't think they'd get on with). I've no interest in playing covers on guitar, but the idea of doing it as a bassist has some appeal. 

I need advice about a bass amp for band practice and gigs, please... 

The band is drums, bass. guitar, keys, voice. It's looking to play in small venues (pubs, small clubs) and is against the idea of silent stages. So I'll need something to fill a small venue from the stage and (perhaps) a line out for the PA at bigger places. I'm not looking for a practice amp for home use - this amp will need to double up. '70s rock, indie, Britpop, that sort of thing. No metal, country or dub. 

What should I be looking at in terms of power output, speaker config, etc. Combo rather than head & cab? I'm favouring used, not new, with an eye to recouping costs if it doesn't work out. 

TIA. 
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Comments

  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14322
    Has the band got a full range P.A. system? You might get away with a D.I. box.
    Be seeing you.
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  • TheBigDipperTheBigDipper Frets: 4722
    Has the band got a full range P.A. system? You might get away with a D.I. box.
    No, vocals-only for small venues, I believe. Haven't met them yet, nor have I got the gig, but I'd like to have a plan in place if it all seems to click. 
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  • JCA2550JCA2550 Frets: 431
    Fender Rumble combos are a good place to start. I used to gig a Gallien-Krueger mb210 combo which was great sounding, relatively compact and light.
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  • Shark_EyesShark_Eyes Frets: 373
    Fender Rumbles are cracking amps, very light with a good range of tones. The bigger ones have DI out and also cab extension outputs.
    Worth a look if only for how light they are.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    TheBigDipper said:

    What should I be looking at in terms of power output, speaker config, etc. Combo rather than head & cab? I'm favouring used, not new, with an eye to recouping costs if it doesn't work out.
    Minimum of 100W, preferably 150W+. Minimum of 1x15" unless higher-powered. You can get away with smaller and less efficient speakers with more amp power to push them.

    If you go used, you will get something in that spec range or significantly bigger and more powerful for very little now *if* you can put up with the weight.

    Combos are fine, but head & cab gives you more upgrade options if that becomes important, and is more portable when you start getting up to 4x10"-size cabinets (you don't want to carry a 4x10" combo on your own, trust me ).

    Peavey, Ampeg, Hartke and Trace Elliot are all fine and common. Avoid older Ashdowns, they aren't very reliable (although easily repairable, at least).

    I'm not sure about the Fender Rumbles - the small ones are excellent practice amps, but the only time I've heard someone use one of the big ones for a gig it was very oddly gutless and seemed to completely disappear in the midrange, although the very bottom end was still audible. Not sure if it was a settings issue but it didn't sound like it.

    "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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  • TheBigDipperTheBigDipper Frets: 4722
    Thanks for advice, all. I'm waiting on them at the mo. 
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14322
    ICBM said: 
    Fender Rumble … the only time I've heard someone use one of the big ones for a gig, it was very oddly gutless and seemed to completely disappear in the midrange, although the very bottom end was still audible. Not sure if it was a settings issue but it didn't sound like it.
    Fender is a bit naughty with the wattage numbering on the larger Rumble amplifiers. 

    For example, the 200 combo is only capable of 200w when an extension loudspeaker cabinet is combined with the internal 'speaker. By itself, the combo yields roughly 125w.

    Scale up to the 500 V3 combo and you will only be getting c.350w through its onboard 1x15 or 2x10. Adding an extension cabinet raises the portability issue that ICBM already mentioned.
    Be seeing you.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71957
    Funkfingers said:

    Fender is a bit naughty with the wattage numbering on the larger Rumble amplifiers.
    It wasn't just that - the band weren't hugely loud on stage - it was that when the bassist played anything that overlapped with the range of the guitars, the bass was literally inaudible. When he played below their range, or when they weren't playing, it was fine - it was very odd, like the bass was somehow gated by the rest of the frequencies in the mix. At one point I even thought his bass (a Rick, so no lack of mids there!) somehow had a faulty pickup that was only working on the bottom string, but the rest came through when there was a break in the guitar part.

    I don't think my old Peavey Century 100W amp and Ampeg 1x15" would have had that problem at that volume.

    I do wonder if the light weight has something to do with it - I know it's possible to build light cabs that have plenty of punch (eg Barefaced), but they rely on complex internal bracing to make the cabinet as stiff as a traditional heavy one, and the Rumbles don't have that.

    "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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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14322
    Cabinet construction could be a factor.

    My old Marshall DBS 7400/7210/7115 stack was all marine birch ply. [Shudders at the thought of loading or unloading it.] Its contemporary, the Bassstate series, was a cheapened version of the amplifier concept in a particle board cabinet.

    The former could shake the room. The latter just farted quietly to itself in the corner. A local rehearsal facility made a BS150 available in one of the sound rooms. They weren't overly fussed if it got trashed or stolen.
    Be seeing you.
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  • 4on64on6 Frets: 86
    Some idea of budget might also help?? Peavey stuff is pretty consistent if you’re on a budget.. markbass maybe if space is an issue at home. The amp heads seem to be reasonable secondhand these days but the cabs seem to hold their price. Maybe keep an eye out for older SWR workingman stuff (I believe the newer series are not as good). 
    I managed to get given an old ex-hire acoustic 370 head Years ago.. sounds really great.. but it’s mass is about the same as a medium sized black hole, especially when you figure in the large step down transformer needed for it. 
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  • KeefyKeefy Frets: 2272
    Head over to https://www.basschat.co.uk/ and check out the Amps & Cabs For Sale pages. I’ve bought and sold some cracking kit on that forum.
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  • Aaahh...  So I went along to meet these guys and have a go. Lovely peeps who were fun to play with. I spent much of my time wishing I was playing the guitar with them. I now think I wouldn't be able to be happy about playing bass in a band context. So I'm dropping it as an idea and letting them get on with finding a bass player rather than wasting their time (ultimately) with me. 

    Thanks to all for the advice.
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  • KeefyKeefy Frets: 2272
    You’ve just saved yourself a small fortune in bass kit that you would inevitably have felt compelled to buy!
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14322
    I wouldn't be able to be happy about playing bass in a band context. So, I'm dropping it as an idea
    Electric bass guitar is not just an instrument, it is a state of mind. If you are not properly in the pocket (or da groove), you are probably messing up the band.

    Somebody in my locality is desperate to be in a band but his ego prevents him from so much as looking at bass guitar. He sees it as some sort of demotion. This is unfortunate because he has the stature, big hands and scant chordal knowledge to be ideal bass fodder. 

    As a player of both guitar and bass, I try to accommodate both roles in my own music. Bass lines that support my guitar noodling and guitar parts that leave scope for the bass to play something interesting.

    Quite often, however, the right thing turns out to be Claytonesque eighth notes on the chord root.
    Be seeing you.
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  • AdeyAdey Frets: 2208
    I bought a second hand Laney Nexus recently. 500w. Very portable. Got a few unnecessary features you won't ever use, but has DI, aux input, USB connectivity for recording, re-amp option, headphones etc.

    I've only used it a home so far as we end up using shared back line often when gigging.
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 7349
     the stature, big hands and scant chordal knowledge to be ideal bass fodder. 


    I lol'd 
    Red ones are better. 
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