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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Worth a look if only for how light they are.
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
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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.
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
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
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.
Thanks to all for the advice.
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.
Quite often, however, the right thing turns out to be Claytonesque eighth notes on the chord root.