Decent bass practice amp

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MartinBushMartinBush Frets: 239
Hi all

I have just picked up a Squier Bronco and I'm very pleased with it.

So far I have only played unplugged and into my 10w Stagg guitar practice amp. 

Is it worth me getting a dedicated bass amp at this stage? My plan is to work on one of the Rockschool grades rather than playing in a band, although I will also be using it for home recording. I don't have a style yet nor do I have a sound in mind - I just want to hear the bass and do some practice (and not blow my guitar amp).

I see that Fender do the Rumble 15 which is about my price range. It seems to look the part too. Size is also a factor so I'd like something compact.

Martin
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  • chromatunachromatuna Frets: 366
    edited June 2021
    I bought my son a little Hartke one about 15 years ago and it is really good. It was the only small bass amp that we tried that didn’t rattle or flub out on low notes. Still going strong after lots of use. 
    This is the truth from hillbilly guitars!
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  • JezWyndJezWynd Frets: 6021
    The Fender Rumble series sound excellent. There's a 40w model on Reverb atm at a fair price, a good buy if you can stretch to it.
    https://reverb.com/uk/item/41040569-fender-rumble-40-v3-40-watt-1x10-bass-combo-amp
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23968
    The Rumbles are very good.

    A good amp is always a good choice - a nice tone that you enjoy usually means you play more rather than being frustrated that it's not quite right.

    I've got a Roland Bass Cube from about 20 years ago that I still keep despite my silly money main set up. The Roland sounds great and it's small. Although by modern standards it's actually quite heavy.
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  • MartinBushMartinBush Frets: 239
    Thanks all.

    I think I may go for a new Rumble simply because it will have a warranty and there's the ease of ordering. At this stage providing my guitar and amp work as they should I think I will be happy. And the Fender look is to my taste :)


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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7735
    FWIW the Peavey Microbass smps are crazy good for the size and money, they also make for decent clean  guitar amps.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    The Rumble is really good, and unlike most tiny low-powered bass amps it doesn't suffer from farting when pushed hard, since it has a very effective limiter.

    In fact, even the Stagg should be OK at genuinely low home practice volume, but the Fender will just sound better.

    "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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  • MartinBushMartinBush Frets: 239
    edited June 2021
    Cheers @ICBM ;

    Am I right in saying you are more likely to damage a bass amp playing a six string through it than damage a guitar amp with a bass?
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  • John_AJohn_A Frets: 3775
    Cheers @ICBM ;

    Am I right in saying you are more likely to damage a bass amp playing a six string through it than damage a guitar amp with a bass?
    Probably the opposite.  A guitar speaker won't like the low frequencies, but played quietly it should be OK
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963

    Am I right in saying you are more likely to damage a bass amp playing a six string through it than damage a guitar amp with a bass?
    A guitar is normally fine through a bass amp - unless it has a tweeter, in which case playing any kind of distorted sound through it will firstly sound terrible, and secondly risk blowing the tweeter at any real volume. (Tweeters in bass amps are usually a fairly stupid idea in my opinion, but that's another story!)

    A bass through a guitar amp may not be fine at any real volume, because the extra power in the low frequencies and the larger cone excursion - often even worse if the cabinet is open-back - can blow the speaker. It's usually OK if the speaker is rated for at least twice the power of the amp and especially in a closed cab.

    "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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  • MartinBushMartinBush Frets: 239
    Thanks.

    So it looks like I may have a reason to buy a new guitar amp too if I make a "mistake" as described above :)

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    Thanks.

    So it looks like I may have a reason to buy a new guitar amp too if I make a "mistake" as described above :)

    :)

    Even though its not 'recommended', you may find it harder than you expect to do any harm to it... a bass-playing friend of mine has an old Solex 10W 8"-speaker guitar practice amp that she insists on using for bass - it's even been gigged with, albeit as a personal monitor and with the main signal run through the PA from the amp's line out jack. It has resolutely refused to die!

    "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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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23968
    edited June 2021
    ICBM said:
    Thanks.

    So it looks like I may have a reason to buy a new guitar amp too if I make a "mistake" as described above



    Even though its not 'recommended', you may find it harder than you expect to do any harm to it... a bass-playing friend of mine has an old Solex 10W 8"-speaker guitar practice amp that she insists on using for bass - it's even been gigged with, albeit as a personal monitor and with the main signal run through the PA from the amp's line out jack. It has resolutely refused to die!
    My very first amp was a Solex ML10

    If ever there was an amp that should be set alight, it's that.

    Horrible thing!

    Mind you - I saved and saved and saved.... took a couple of years on my pocket money, and just when I had a nice little pot of money Marshall introduced the first Valvestate amps and I got the 8080.

    That was a cracker.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71963
    fretmeister said:

    My very first amp was a Solex ML10

    If ever there was an amp that should be set alight, it's that.

    Horrible thing!
    It does sound fairly dire for guitar. Surprisingly, not too bad for bass... with the overdrive off, of course.

    "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: 14324
    Is it worth me getting a dedicated bass amp at this stage? 
    Yes. Treat yourself (and your neighbours) to an Ampeg SVT VR and an ickle 810 cabinet.
    Be seeing you.
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  • bencowling81bencowling81 Frets: 420
    I got a MarkBass 801 Combo recently. Really compact and does pack a punch. 
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  • LegionreturnsLegionreturns Frets: 7965
    edited June 2021
    For home practice, I used to just use my Zoom B3n with headphones. 

    Has the added benefit of an aux in for playing along to tracks, a looper and lots of on board sounds. 

    My Trading Feedback    |    You Bring The Band

    Just because you're paranoid, don't mean they're not after you
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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26754
    I use a Yamaha THR on the bass setting, which sounds ok. I actually use a HX Stomp into the THR in "flat" mode and that's really decent. Granted, it doesn't fall into "cheap practice setup" but if you already have either of those for guitar it might be worth looking at
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31371
    I have a Blackstar Fly3 bass amp, with the extension cab. It may be too small for what you want, but it sounds ridiculously good for jamming with YouTube stuff or just general practising without pissing the neighbours off. (Bass frequencies really travel through walls.)

    We even use it for band rehearsals, along with an e-drum kit. 
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  • MartinBushMartinBush Frets: 239
    I'd not heard of the Fly3 @p90fool but have watched Phillip McKnight's video on the guitar version and they do appear to be pretty good. The small size may be a benefit in our house providing it does the job. The Fender still looks best to my eyes, but that won't be the only factor when I do buy something.

     On the subject of sounds that travel through walls, I find that crummy music played on bluetooth speakers are also pretty undeterred by walls/ distance. 
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  • TimmyOTimmyO Frets: 7350
    EBS Session 30 that I got for my lad sounds lovely to my uneducated (bass) ears 
    Red ones are better. 
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