Music Equipment (Bass Amp)

Typhus733

For those with experience playing music as more than a very off pastime, I'm trying to pick out an amp for small gigs and practice. I'm in a 3 piece thrash metal band (1 guitar/vocal, me on bass, and a drummer). I play fairly technical music so I'm trying to find an amp that can hold it's own and can produce a distinguishable sound alongside a guitarist and drummer going all out. The clincher and reason I need help, I only have access to $200 from our last show.

I'm looking at Crate BT100 for cheap but most reviews consider it a practice amp that wouldn't hold up at a show. The features are nice and if anyone can vouch for it I'd love to get this.

On the other hand I'm also looking at Behringer Ultrabass 180W which is a fair bit more kick for not much but it's going to require extra cash I may not have without making other sacrifices.

I'm up for any other suggestions but it's required that I go through a local store when ordering so I'll have to pay extra for ordering it through them making money even more an issue. I'm not looking at stadium level sound here but something that could hold up in a small venue cheaply would be best.


Obviously I'm not too well versed in what amount of watts would work with what venue but the largest shows I'm looking at right now have worked well with a 180W before (my last show had that size amp supplied by the previously mentioned shop and it played well).

mooshoepork

Sorry, this might not help much, but why don't you rent an amp, save some more money, and buy something you actually want instead of settling? Just an idea

Typhus733

I actually quite want the Crate (I lack a good practice amp too so it serves as more than just for shows) I'm only worried I'll be unheard through most any shows defeating the point of my whole writing style. Thank you though, I may look into renting if necessary but actually owning would help me more.

Soggychicken

Not too knowledgeable about this, it has been a while since I took my bass out of the closet, but from my experience venues usually do a direct line-out from the bass amp to the house system. If they're going to line-out your amp anyway won't it make more sense for you to go with an amp with the sound you want rather than power output?

Typhus733

As I said I'm not too experienced with the actual technical aspects of music, I've learned to play fairly well (not to sound narcissistic, I'm no Cliff Burton but I know his style like the back of my hand and can back that up) but have always left the real work to people that know it. Thank you, I'll keep that in mind and will probably go for the cheaper Crate that I honestly was more interested in from the get go but was worried it wouldn't be up to par.

Mephistopheles

I have the Ampeg BA115. at $350 it's a bit pricier than the Crate you're looking at, but it would definitely be able to play small shows. I have a friend with the same amp that has used it many a time (although he hasn't been playing metal...). Even though it's only 100 amps, it sounds way louder (and better) than pretty much any other combo amp I tried out.

James

What are you using right now? A 100W amp will be fine for practice or really small venues, but I'd suggest using what you have or renting and saving up some money. Shop around a bit and see what you like; blindly purchasing anything without hearing it first is a really bad idea.

If you're concerned about being drowned out: do you know what amp your guitarist is using? If he has a 30W tube or a 100W transistor amp, you'll be looking at 300-400W for a bass amp. That's a pretty good ratio for comparison.

useless4

I would go with an Ampeg (used) honestly.
They are built like tanks and can keep up with a half stack... I abused a working man 15 for years.

Your other option if you do punk - get a mid-seventies bass man head from fender. Buy one ea. 15 inch speaker and 2 ea. 12 inch speakers and have the greatest punk setup ever for dirt cheap.

Demerdar

Don't make the mistake of getting something with less power. Being drowned out on bass sucks, take it from me. I made that same mistake, buying a bass amp without as much power as I needed and I ended up sending it back. So I suggest you save up a little bit more money and buy something you really want.

useless4

My working man 15 with a 2x12 extension cabinet is just ok for practicing against a full drum set and a half stack.

My bass man (a real one, from the seventies - don't get the two volume one, just the a/b split black face one) with one fifteen or just 2x12 will cut thru anything. I don't think it's ever gotten above three out of ten.

Old is good if it fits your music style

kingmetal

useless4 wrote: »

My working man 15 with a 2x12 extension cabinet is just ok for practicing against a full drum set and a half stack.

My bass man (a real one, from the seventies - don't get the two volume one, just the a/b split black face one) with one fifteen or just 2x12 will cut thru anything. I don't think it's ever gotten above three out of ten.

Old is good if it fits your music style

Huh, that's funny, if my memory serves although the Bassman was pretty much the progenitor of bass amplification systems it was kind of a mediocre rig that was soon outmoded and thrown into the guitar amp pile (all the reissues are considered guitar amps).

That was kind of off topic though, sorry.

I've run through a gamut of bass amps over the years and I'll impart the following:

1. If you're playing a reasonably sized show, you will be going through the house PA
2. You can survive small gigs with 120 - 200 watts (depending on the efficiency of the amp and speaker)
3. 1x 15" speaker is also acceptable, assuming the impedance of the speaker matches the nominal impedance of the amplifier and the efficiency of the speaker

Currently I play though a single 15" Fender Showman cabinet and an Acoustic 150b. I can't recommend the 150 enough, they're awesome old amps that are solid as a rock as long as you can find a working one.

But since the head alone is about $200 (a damn STEAL if you ask me) I'd go with the Behringer. What are you playing through right now and how is it sufficient for your current practice situation?

You may also look at buying a junked out single 15 cabinet and swapping the speaker with something you pick up on the cheap at Partsexpress.com.

flatlinegraphics

a behringer is basically throwing money away. you will never recoup any money from it. if you buy a decent amp (used) you can typically sell it for approximately what you paid for it.

combos on the low end will either bust your back or be lost beside a drummer. or both. i usually reccommend a head/cab combo. this way, you can upgrade stuff as needed. a combo is a all or nothing proposition. and i will definately recomend 150w+.

one note on DI'ing into a house pa: its better to have an amp and not need it than to show up at a gig with a DI box and finding a vocals only pa. this is especially true of smaller bar gigs, house shows, hall shows, etc.

but... 200 dollars is not a lot of dollars. is it possibly to rent to own? or make payments on something? you dont need to go a lot higher. a hartke ha3500 or a gk 400rb can be had for around 200ish used, and a decent 15 should run another 150ish. watch your local craigslist.

T-bolt

Echoing the statements of the guy above. Look at Craigslist, look used. At least 1 X 15" speaker, at least 200W-400W for a solid-state amp (don't really know tube amps). Yorkville/Traynor is pretty good for a workhorse-type amp. Do NOT go with Behringer, I'm not just talking about mediocre tone here, they are prone to breaking. Check out reviews on harmony-central.com for stuff you find on Craiglist if you're not sure about whether something is a good deal or worth buying.

Quirk

If you can lay your hands on one I can't reccommend a Laney enough. Though I'm not sure about their availability outside the UK

CptKemzik

As others have said combos is the wrong way to go, and $200 is a neigh impossible budget for finding a good head/cab setup unless you have amazing connections or find a fluke of a deal. You also need to consider the acoustics of the venue, size, and what kind of PA is supplied and how competent the soundman is. Also you should tell us what kind of amplification your guitarist uses so that way we have an idea as to where to point you for amp options.

The two options you're looking at are both money pits for gigging rigs, and if you're looking for a tone that cuts through the live mix you're going to want to look at amps which emphasize the midrange frequencies, and have a speaker cab that uses 10-inch drivers for as fast response as possible (IE 2x10 or 4x10 speaker cab). However you should specify what kind of sound/tone you're looking for and how you usually dial in your EQ when playing.

You'll also find better advice by browsing the amp subforums of Talkbass.com.

EDIT- seeing your comment about using the house amp (180w) at your last large show, i'd recommend getting either a used GK 400 or 800 rb online, or buying a new backline 600 new (GK's entry level amp), those amps are all rated at 300 watts which should serve you well with getting your foot in the door rig-wise. I can personally vouch for the GK backline (it was my first real amp), and a good half-stack enclosure should serve you well. However you should still provide more specifics on what you're looking for.