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bronsonelliott
04-15-2012, 08:43 PM
Hey guys. I've been silent for a while. Life has my pulled in many different directions lately. But, at least I've been able to play my bass. A lot in fact. I am in a band with some dads from my kid's school and it's turning into a big deal. We will be playing more gigs (both school and non-school related).

Right now I have a Fender BXR60 (60 watts) amp. I'm finding it's not cutting it especially in band rehearsal. I have to crank it almost to 11 to cut through the rest of the band. And still i have a tough time hearing myself all the time and some of the other guys can't hear me either. Plus, I'm concerned that if we play a gig that doesn't have good sound and I need to run purely off my amp, I may as well not be there because no one will hear me.

So I'm in the market for a new amp. Obviously a minimum of 100 watts is a must. But should I go all the way up to 200 watts or more? Should 200 be the minimum I should be looking for?

I'd like to keep it below $300 if possible. I've been looking at the Acoustic brand of amps. Both the B100 and B200. I know there are many different brands with many different price points. I'm just looking for the best deal that ets me what I want without breaking the bank. I'm ok with used as well so that's not an issue.

Ok, what else can I tell you?? I need some advise.

Thanks guys!!

--
Bronson

5Slinger
04-15-2012, 09:18 PM
You might want to check out the Fender rumble series, they make some pretty great amp. I have to tell you thought, with my band, absent running through a PA, even 200 watts was not getting it done. What you don't want to do is buy something and then realized that you need more...

bronsonelliott
04-15-2012, 09:32 PM
You might want to check out the Fender rumble series, they make some pretty great amp. I have to tell you thought, with my band, absent running through a PA, even 200 watts was not getting it done. What you don't want to do is buy something and then realized that you need more...

Thanks aebell. Yes, I've heard good things about the Rumble series.

You're right, I definitely don't want to underbuy or overbuy. I guess that's the lessons one just has to learn. :-)

Thanks for the input!!

Bronson

Basslad
04-15-2012, 09:38 PM
Hey Bronson,

You're in a band! Congratulations! Now, it's gonna be hard to keep it under your limit unless you go with a used amp. If you play with a band and a drummer, you'll want at least 300 watts. Just as important, you'll want a decent size, quality speaker cab with at least a single 15" speaker or a couple of 10" or 12" speakers. For gigs, you want as much power as you can afford and speakers to match. A typical pro rig will have a minimum of 400 watts and either a 4x10", 1x15", or 2x12" speaker configuration. I guess you'll have some tough choices to make, but you probably want to go with a rig configuration as it's easier to upgrade. On the other hand, it's more equipment to carry around.

Combo amps can be quite powerful as well. My Fender Rumble 350 would certainly do the trick for you in terms of power, and it has casters. Anyway, that's all I can say. I'm sure the other members will have some great advice for you.

Bassix
04-15-2012, 09:41 PM
I own an Acoustic B100 and it's GREAT amp with all kinds of tone shaping controls and it gets plenty loud, but if I were looking for something within the price range you specified that would be adequate for some small venues I'd probably go with this:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/fender-rumble-150-150w-1x15-bass-combo-amp/584202002001000

A little more power than the B100, but not quite as expensive as the B200.

Just to add to what Aebell said, a lot of folks over on talkbass feel that about 300 watts is the minimum that you'll want to have in order to obtain a nice full sound and be heard in the mix for your small-to-medium venue.

ghsky1
04-15-2012, 10:01 PM
Good call on the Fender Rumble amps. Although they are a bit over your stated budget of $300, the 150w is only $350 and can make some noise. The 350w is a little more expensive at $500. I have the 150 and absolutely LOVE it. I admit I have never used it in a band situation and can't testify to its ability to hold its own against cranked up guitar amps and live drums, but it does seem to get loud. I would venture to say that it should meet your practice needs. Most venues (even schools) should have some type of PA and these amps have XLR outputs for direct connection into the system.

As for the Acoustic amps, personally, I wasn't impressed. I had played through one at a Guitar Center and thought it was pretty good (although now I realize it wasn't as good as the Rumble 150). Instead of buying that particular one at the store, I came home and purchased one online. When it arrived, the speaker was blown the first time I plugged in. Trying to contact Acoustic was virtually impossible: no phone number, no physical address, only e-mail. That was over a year ago and I still have not heard from them. Fortunately, the online retailer took it back and covered the shipping.

As Aebell mentioned, you may find you want more power. If you think that may be the case, consider spending the extra $200 and go for the Rumble 350. In my opinion you would be hard pressed to find a better value.

line6bassman
04-15-2012, 10:20 PM
Sorry to jump in on this and change this a little bit but maybe some of you know this better than me. If you noticed on a thread here I mention that I was interested and I'm really thinking about getting that 3,600 watt!!! Bass amp really!!!
What single bass cab nit would handle that is straight 4 or 2 Ohms and not 8? So for me I'm going all out!!! May take a few months to pull it off but I think I'm going to try it!!!
Like everybody else said here, get the most that you can afford. Also I always like Carvin for the price, but that's me.

Line6bassman

Basslad
04-15-2012, 10:41 PM
Sorry to jump in on this and change this a little bit but maybe some of you know this better than me. If you noticed on a thread here I mention that I was interested and I'm really thinking about getting that 3,600 watt!!! Bass amp really!!!
What single bass cab nit would handle that is straight 4 or 2 Ohms and not 8? So for me I'm going all out!!! May take a few months to pull it off but I think I'm going to try it!!!
Like everybody else said here, get the most that you can afford. Also I always like Carvin for the price, but that's me.

Line6bassman

Alright L6B, nuke 'em all! I'm with you all the way!

5Slinger
04-16-2012, 05:05 AM
Wow, 3600 watts!!! is that legal??

Ok, Carvin makes great stuff and probably the best value for your money. The Rumble 350 is very very good. But I would say 300 watts is the minimum you will want (IMHO). A head and a cab (I have 2X12 that seems to work pretty well), A good 15inch would work, or of course 4x10s. But this will most likely bust you budget pretty good. But, if you guys are doing well and anticipate more/bigger gigs, you are going to need more power. I hate to say it, but you are probably looking at 500 bucks (unless you can score some great deal on craigslist or some other used gear).

Brands to look at (in no particular order):
Promethean (Ibanez)
MarkBass
Fender
GK
Carvin
Genz-Benz

AB

bronsonelliott
04-16-2012, 07:35 AM
Wow, lots of opinions but that's exactly what I was hoping for. I think it's safe to assume I won't be doing the 3600 watt beast!!! I can only imagine that. I'm thinking of Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future'. Only that was a guitar amp. I can only imagine the reaction with a bass amp.

I looked at the Fender Rumble 150 online. That may be the one I'm leaning towards right now. Believe me, I'd love the Rumble 350 but unless I find a really good deal, that's probably out of my range. But please keep the suggestions coming. I really do appreciate it!

Best,

Bronson

Elmeaux
04-16-2012, 08:51 AM
Wow, lots of opinions but that's exactly what I was hoping for. I think it's safe to assume I won't be doing the 3600 watt beast!!! I can only imagine that. I'm thinking of Marty McFly in 'Back to the Future'. Only that was a guitar amp. I can only imagine the reaction with a bass amp.

I looked at the Fender Rumble 150 online. That may be the one I'm leaning towards right now. Believe me, I'd love the Rumble 350 but unless I find a really good deal, that's probably out of my range. But please keep the suggestions coming. I really do appreciate it!

Best,

Bronson

I have the Rumble 75 and it shakes the rafters...big time. Probably not good enough for the stage, but in a house, it's a beast. The 150 should be able to handle a small venue. In terms of frequency, the only guy you really need to compete with is the drummer and that big bass drum. Other instruments are in a different space, aurally.

Also, the amp sounds differently to you on stage than to the audience. Make sure you get an opinion from the back of the room.

:)

slejhamer
04-16-2012, 09:14 AM
60w vs 100w is barely any difference in perceived volume, all else being the same. To double the perceived volume you need a 6 to 10 dB increase in SPLs, which requires about 4 to 10 TIMES as much power in watts.

The speaker and cabinet design will have a huge impact too. Small low-wattage head through a 4x10 cab will push much more air (and thus appear to sound louder) than the same head through a 1x12.

If you're playing rock music with a loud drummer and guitarists cranking up their Marshall half-stacks (we all know how those old dads can be!) you need some serious power to keep up.

5Slinger
04-19-2012, 02:38 PM
I am not sure if this would work for your 250 Watts but only out of a 10inch woofer. I think you could add a cab to it if you wanted to.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/CARVIN-MB10-250w-10-10-Inch-Micro-Bass-Amp-Amplifier-Cabinet-Cab-Combo-NEW-/400292414592?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d33498480

Ditto
04-19-2012, 07:05 PM
Let us not forget about the SOLID STATE vs. TUBE facts.

If you get a TUBE amp, the output is 3 X that of the solid state equivalent.

Also I think the sound has better TONE coming from TUBES. now of course you are not going to stay in that budget with a good tube amp. The problem had be exposed earlier, we all face it at some point. The band is getting some gigs, parties and such... cool...Then you get a following and play a few more parties and then a club owner hears about you and you go to a 300+ room and walk in with a Fender Rumble 150 and no one hears the bass! So do I spend my $300.00 now and end up with a short term solution to what could be the cause of a long term problem? Or do I spend some more money and get a nice TUBE head and cab set up the I will never need to replace? HUMMM decisions, decisions, decisions.

I went ahead and bought a MESA 600 WATT Tube set that has these things on it called volume knobs.. I can turn down 600 watts...... You can't turn up a solid state 150 once it hits 10! Better to have too much then not enough!

Nobody can make that choice for you, but go and play these things through your bass and buy local... you get way better service for not that much more money. I use my local music store and they know me by name, know what I play and help me with what ever I am looking for. Not only that, most music stores employ MUSICIANS! They can really help you.

Just my thoughts------- Quality? see my thread about my tour of the MESA FACTORY.

bronsonelliott
04-20-2012, 07:26 AM
Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I've found a couple of local people selling on Craigslist that I may go try out and see how they sound. Plus, I'll go to some local music stores to try some different models. I know a few bass players locally and I've been hitting them up for information. Of course, answers range from get a 600 watt stack to "everything I play goes through the sound system so my 100 watt is fine".

Seems to be more art than science and a dash of trial and error. At the end of the day, I'm just trying to get the best I can get for the price my CFO (aka wife) allocated for the purchase. :)

Thanks guys!!

Ditto
04-20-2012, 05:25 PM
You miss read teh memo..... it was not $150.00 total.... It was $150.00 a month! MESA BOOGIE here you come :)

Bassix
04-21-2012, 05:41 PM
Mesa stuff is sweet-but-expensive. I played through a Mesa Boogie M6 Carbine amp head and Powerhouse 4x10 cab at a music store in Florida last summer and couldn't believe my ears. Totally put my Mesa Boogie Walkabout Scout (which sounds very good, imho) to shame. I told my wife right then and there that if I ever start gigging, that amp and cab are exactly what I want. She advised me to buy a doghouse at the same time...gotta sleep somewhere. ;) :cool:

Ditto
04-22-2012, 11:19 AM
YUP Bassix.

The only reason I was able to get mine is that my wife FORGOT my Birthday. I woke up expecting breakfast... nothing. I was home all day as I always take my birthday off.. I worked around the house.... nothing. I was thinking maybe a surprise party.... nothing. Not even my kids. Sitting down at dinner we are all talking about our day... NOTHING!

I got up the next morning to go to work.. nothing. **** I was very upset.

So I went to Northridge Music our local MESA dealer, but I actually went there to get the Fender BASSMAN STACK with the 1X15 and 4X10.
When I got there I told the guy Chris, I have know for 30 years that I am here for that amp. He took me into the amp room and we played with all of them and he showed me the MESA. I had the same felling, wow that is expensive. He told me to come in at 9 the next morning and bring MY BASS. That is an hour before the store opens. I played it through my G&L and was sold. It cost $1800.00 and it is wayyyy more amp then I will ever need at 600 watts of TUBE power. But with the finace options he had and the forgot my bithday. I GOT IT!


oh an dog DOG HOUSE FOR ME :)

TobiasMan
04-22-2012, 09:11 PM
No "real" specs on that 3600 watt amp. Under most normal circumstances a 15 amp, and probably a 20 amp circuit could not provide enough power to feed a 3600 watt amp.

A couple of years ago someone was on the net about a digital amp that was used for auto sound systems that was supposed to produce a mind numbing amount of power. He spent a fair amount of time promoting the idea, but it turned out that a very complex kind of DC power supply had to be created and only small, homebuilt versions of the power supply had ever been tested. The net was buzzing about the amp, for about 3 weeks, then the whole thing went bust.

Sometimes the rules of physics and math get in the way. . . ;)

bronsonelliott
06-29-2012, 01:10 PM
Hey everyone. Thought I'd let you know I have solved my amp issue. I was able to purchase a brand new Acoustic B450 combo recently. It pushed 450 watts as is with the ability to go up to 600 watts with an external cab.

She's a beauty and love the tone. Still got to learn how to manipulate the EQ settings though so I can find new tones for it.

http://www.acousticamplification.com/products/index.cfm?catid=3&subcatid=5&modid=13&product=B450

line6bassman
06-29-2012, 02:21 PM
Looking good!!!!

Line6bassman

Elmeaux
06-29-2012, 03:47 PM
What a monster!!

:::looks at line6:::

Not YOU!!!

:cool:

SilverFlame46
06-29-2012, 08:27 PM
Looking very good!!!

Ditto
06-29-2012, 08:45 PM
cool, nothing like a new amp to get rid of GAS! ;)

bronsonelliott
06-30-2012, 08:56 AM
cool, nothing like a new amp to get rid of GAS! ;)

You would think that BUT....the band is starting to learn a couple of songs that are tuned down and you know, it's so darn time consuming to stop the flow to re-tune. So wouldn't be nice to have a second bass around that's already tuned down so all I have to do is switch them out??

Now why doesn't my CFO (aka wife) agree with me??? :confused:

Bassix
06-30-2012, 10:03 AM
You would think that BUT....the band is starting to learn a couple of songs that are tuned down and you know, it's so darn time consuming to stop the flow to re-tune. So wouldn't be nice to have a second bass around that's already tuned down so all I have to do is switch them out??

Now why doesn't my CFO (aka wife) agree with me??? :confused:

If the CFO insists that you own only one bass, it might be time to trade in your present bass for a shiny, new 5-string. You'll be able to go as low as you want and it will definitely diminish G.A.S. pains! :cool:

TobiasMan
06-30-2012, 11:35 AM
Mo strings do give ya mo options! :cool: