—or di
—or di
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
When I decided to attempt playing bass, I bought a Behringer GX112 off Craigslist. The fellow I bought it from was playing bass through it and had just put everything aside. Turns out it's not specifically a bass amp, but a combo amp the guy was playing bass through. It works well enough for home use, and I bought it because it has a lineout (in case I wanted to plug into a sound board).
Turns out the church has two bass amps, so I don't need to bring my own. On the other hand, I've been considering a Fender Rumble 40, because it's a true bass amp.
The main amp consists of an Aguilar DB680 preamp into a Crown K2 power amp diving a pair of Euphonic Audio VL210 speaker cabinets. The only photo I have available is this from an outdoor winter gig (standing on ice). My smaller amp is an Eden WTX500 driving a TC Electronic RS210 cabinet.
Since we're on the topic of bass amps, let me ask the assembled experts here a question that might tip the scales for me in the direction of a Rumble:
I hear a lot of "string whine" when playing any of my basses through the Behringer. Part of me suspects my clumsy fingerwork, another part of me suspects the amp is picking up more noise from my bass pickups than a true bass amp would.
Would a true bass amp reduce the sound of my finger movement on the strings?
My guess would be no. An amplifier amplifies what ever signal is fed to it so if there is string noise present it will make it louder. The speaker enclosure has more to do with an amp being a “bass amp”. If you’re using round wound strings you might try changing to flat wound to eliminate string noise.Originally Posted by OldStrummer
Thanks. This isn't the first time flat wounds have been suggested. Maybe I should take my brand new Epiphone bass with its Dean Markely $teel$ amd have it set up with a set of flats. Any recommendations on brand/size?
Willie -
I mostly use a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0T head/cab combo. it has 1-12 and a horn. MOST rooms I play can be filled with this. it weighs like 32 #.
If I need more - I put it in the PA. I use the built in DI. Its fine.
I also use other cabs and an Ampeg portaflex 500 head.
I have a 2-10, and 1-12 cab that couple nicely with it - but I don't usually haul all of that. I also have a BBC Tank 212. It is an isobaric 2-12 cab. More power - small footprint.
Between them - I NEVER need more. I have our band PA so I put in what i want or what I need.
Old Strummer -
I would say this -
Bass amp will have a different frequency range that it emphasizes. New strings are new.
roll highs down or off - both on amp and bass itself, to taste.
If you are going to play bass - get a bass amp of some sort.
Take YOUR bass shopping if you are buying local - and make it sound like you want through things you try.
OR - use something similar.
if I didn't mention it - roll of highs. Roll down some mids while using the guitar amp. Turn ALL effects off. You dont' need them.
Kenny Belmont
>:^{I)>
Thanks! Silly me, I forgot all about tweaking the amp knobs. I'm running clean on the GX112, but I think I have everything set to the middle. Right now I'm going to change that and see what happens!Old Strummer -
I would say this -
Bass amp will have a different frequency range that it emphasizes. New strings are new.
roll highs down or off - both on amp and bass itself, to taste.
If you are going to play bass - get a bass amp of some sort.
Take YOUR bass shopping if you are buying local - and make it sound like you want through things you try.
OR - use something similar.
if I didn't mention it - roll of highs. Roll down some mids while using the guitar amp. Turn ALL effects off. You dont' need them.
I’m sorry but I just don’t think in terms of what is a “bass amp”. To me, any amp is a bass amp depending on how you set it up. When I started playing bass we were all using Fender Single or Dual Showman Amps for bass and there was no special “bass circuitry” involved. There were many, many hit records recorded with Shownam amps as the bass amp. Over the years I tried sticking JBL E140 speakers in my Dual Showman cabinet and found they didn’t work. No fault of the amp, the cabinet wasn’t ported so the excursion of the cone couldn’t be realized. Over time I learned what makes for goodbass and what doesn’t and it is all involved with cabinet design and speakers used. My EA cabinets are high-fi transmission-line speakers that drive bass like there’s no tomorrow. Every bass player that sits in on my system is blown away by the sound they hear. I can make ANY amplifier a good bass amp (within reason, bass takes a lot of power) with the right speaker cabinet.
Laker no argument. That behringer isn't even close to what you are talking about. That is all.
Kenny Belmont
>:^{I)>
Hartke B600 ---
Ive had it for YEARS -- love it-- perfect home bass amp-- only 60 watts so not good for "gigging" but I dont "gig" so alls well.
Ive owned a Marshall-- a couple fender rumbles-- peaveys -- a 1970 KUSTOM 150 15" (amazing amp but way too damn LOUD for home use-- vol level 1 shook pics off shelves!!!)
all "flipped" out the Hartke just DOES the job and does it well.
though (again low volume home use) the ROLAND CUBE Bass 20XL is certainly looking feature packed-- and space saving
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
The Fender RUMBLE ---if I didnt HAVE the Hartke --or it melts or gets blown away in a hurricane etc.--- would be my second choice the 2 I had were VERY nice -- good LOW thump -- light-- easy to move around-- and cheap-- perfectWhen I decided to attempt playing bass, I bought a Behringer GX112 off Craigslist. The fellow I bought it from was playing bass through it and had just put everything aside. Turns out it's not specifically a bass amp, but a combo amp the guy was playing bass through. It works well enough for home use, and I bought it because it has a lineout (in case I wanted to plug into a sound board).
Turns out the church has two bass amps, so I don't need to bring my own. On the other hand, I've been considering a Fender Rumble 40, because it's a true bass amp.
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
As you might remember, I have my Ampeg. V4B head and an Ampeg Heritage cab. I also have a Rumble 350. I love my Ampeg, but I use the Rumble at band practice. I’ve had lots of compliments on the Rumble. It’s a great little combo.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
I was using a Carvin B2000 with a 2x15 cabinet, then I found this Ampeg SVT 1000. This is by far the best sounding bass amp I have ever played through.
Plus, I still have my all-original V4-B as backup.
Last edited by Strings Jr.; 01-30-2019 at 08:11 AM.
I used to have a SWR Workingman 10 with the matching extension cab that I personally found to be a great amp for home use and jamming with acoustic players. I even played a 'gig' with it once (pig roast). These get put down because of reliability issues. I think it was more of a QC issue, you either got a good one or it was junk. Very hard to find now. All the junk are in the landfills and the good ones don't come up for sale. I think one of those would be perfect for church gigs or coffee house.
I currently have an Acoustic 260 mini stack. I compared these to the Ampeg mini SVT and preferred it. The first one had a wonky input jack (they're plastic) and I returned it. I later bought one off CL, the owner put new casters on the tilt back bottom. It's waiting for a bass to play through it.
I used to own a bunch of cool tube bass heads! Ampeg V4B, SUNN Model T, Nomad Bass 300 (custom Fender/Marshall circuitry but only about 120 watts). LOVED the sound and they were perfect for clubs, but too loud for church and not loud enough for outside gigs. I’ve played many different speaker cabs, but prefer Ampeg. Currently own 2 6X10’s and 2 of the 2X10 Mini SVT cabs. I sold my tube heads except for the FlipTop. I bought an Ashdown head that sounds great, gets me about 85% of the tone I had with my tube heads. It has compression, OD, and a DI. It sounds and feels a lot like my V4B but is lighter and easier to control volume wise.
When I play at church I use a BBE OptoStomp compressor and a SansAmp Bassdriver into their rig. It gets a nice tone that doesn’t need much external processing.
One of the main things I do is turn off the horns in the cabs I use, they all sound horrible to me.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
I would like to say CHUCK--- "like" to that post -------
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
Chuck’s my bass question guru.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Kenny, I’ve played through one of those GBs. Excellent.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
I’m really at a loss reading this thread. It seems like,after playing bass in several successful bands/venues, I’ve done everything wrong. When I needed to play at a low volume I turned my amp down, and when an explosive bass was needed, I turned my amp up and made tonal adjustments to get my sound.
I’m totally missing the apparent mystery of playing bass. I just strap the sucker on,plug it into an amp, and adjust that amp to give me the sound I want that fits the occasion. BadaBing Bada Boom playing bass 101 .
Kind of my point(s)
I HAD a 2-15 cab - too much to big to carry everywhere
I HAD a SVT410 HLF - more than I needed and although I could turn it down, I found myself the PA Guy for my band
I have had other bigger cabs, but honestly my current setup works well and if I need more - I add it into the PA.
Truth be told - I don't even own a bass pedal.
I have to engineer my gear purchases to fit my needs both financially, and physically (size/weight).
everyone has there own "What works for me". Sometimes it takes a little while to find what that is.
Glad you found yours sir.
Kenny Belmont
>:^{I)>
OOOh - me likey!
And I have the same mixer that you have in behind there....
I was using a Carvin B2000 with a 2x15 cabinet, then I found this Ampeg SVT 1000. This is by far the best sounding bass amp I have ever played through.
Plus, I still have my all-original V4-B as backup.
When using an actual amp and cab, I play through my Ampeg PF500 and PF115HE cab. Great little workhorse.
When I was gigging regularly - and supplying PA - I used a SansAm RBI direct into the board, monitored via IEM. Best setup ever.
Here's the Ampeg rig in action....
Where's the LUST button when you need it?I was using a Carvin B2000 with a 2x15 cabinet, then I found this Ampeg SVT 1000. This is by far the best sounding bass amp I have ever played through.
Plus, I still have my all-original V4-B as backup.
Fixin to use this one---------never owned an ashdown -- seems a good cherry popper for sure. Rootmaster 220watt......
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
Score!
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
500.00 amp-- 160.00 to my door -- yep thats a "win" ;)
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
Shit! What a deal!
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
I wasnt looking for a larger amp---Ive never played through an Ashdown dont even know if I will like it --but at that price---I figured worst case I sell it on craigslist for 200.00
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
Ashdown has a great rep. I’m really curious about how that bugger sounds.
If we'd known we were going to be the Beatles, we'd have tried harder.--George Harrison
Ill be happy to report in.
Havent had a bass amp OVER 150 watts in decades---- so should be FUN! :)
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
I think you’ gonna love it! They’re great amps, I got turned onto them about 15 years ago. I’d always been a tube guy but I think the Ashdown circuit can get really close.
Laker: I’m sure I come off sounding like a pretentious tone snob. That’s totally NOT my intention. I’ve done professional live sound for almost 20 years now, and I find bass instruments to be the most challenging thing to get to sound “right”. They need to be big and fat without being muddy, cut through without sounding harsh, and not compete with the guitars in the midrange. I love tube bass amps, but don’t find them very flexible volume wise. I like to have some “grind” and natural tube compression in my sound. But I’ve found with most tube bass amps there’s a very narrow window on the volume pot throw where I hit that sweet spot. Just me, my experience. The other thing I have found is that with bass frequencies, the soundwave is really long. So standing in front of your amp sounds different than 8ft out, 20ft out, back of the room. I’ve found ways to get my sound onstage, not too loud, and send the sound guy a nice representation of that to let the PA do the work. Back in the day PA systems were horrible, why everyone was playing walls of amps. Now though? You can plug into a preamp and have no stage volume if you so choose.
Sorry, I got to rambling there! It’s easy for me to do as I love geeking out on sound. I really hope you didn’t take anything I said as a slight, or even worse as if I was preaching the Gospel of sound. There’s so many different ways to do it, and I love learning about how others work. I’m very opinionated about what I like, but keep an open mind and listen to others. Hopefully I’ll learn something new!
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
Heres the thing. Get hung up in the playing - not in the Gear. At the same time - get the right gear to get hung up into the playing.
It doesn't have to be ultra expensive or high end, but should be at least adequate. I would love more rig - more me. The truth is - this enough for home - bedroom, and most smaller to moderate rooms. I have done outside shows with it. That 1-12 cab carried a 200 seat room all night long - not in the PA this time. its 450 watts at 8 ohms. It wasn't dimed or pushed Real hard.
If you don't mind hauling more - haul all you want. More is definitely fuller, etc. I have a sansamp RBI and a Peavey IPR 5000 which is like 900 watts at 8 ohms, with two channels if needed. I don't take it out much.
This is from last night - I wasn't hurtin for anything sound/gear wise.
YMMV
Kenny Belmont
>:^{I)>
Thanks Chuck--funny you mention tubes-- ORIGINALLY I was online looking for the little VOX 50 with "nutube" -- to get tube tone----however this popped up and was a hair over HALF what a 50 watt vox cost----220 watts-- ASHDOWN for SHORT money ----I had too
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
Volumeknob - can't wait to hear how you dig that when it arrives!Thanks Chuck--funny you mention tubes-- ORIGINALLY I was online looking for the little VOX 50 with "nutube" -- to get tube tone----however this popped up and was a hair over HALF what a 50 watt vox cost----220 watts-- ASHDOWN for SHORT money ----I had too
Stay Low my friend!
Kenny Belmont
>:^{I)>
Absolutely no offense in what you are saying. If you look up the specs on my Aguilar preamp you will find it was designed for use in the recording studio. I have “dialed in” my sound with the preamp and, with the use of my Crown amp and speaker cabinets, I can create whatever bass configuration that is required from studio work to playing small venues or festival stages. Every soundman I have worked with for the last 20 years absolutely been in love with the system I put on stage.
I realize that we’re talking about “apples and oranges” with a lot of this discussion. I haven’t had the need for the use of a little combo amp ever in my playing career so I cannot offer any contribution to what is the best in that arena.
As I originally said I do have a little Eden WTX500 driving a TC Electronic cabinet that does really well in a lounge setting. If required I’ll bring out some vintage stuff like a Dual Showman if that is the requirement.
been that way my whole life not gonna stop now ;)
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
Laker: right on brother! 👍 I do my best to keep my stage volume down, and that’s kinda hard with tube amps. ESPECIALLY 70’s era ones without a master volume!!! 😂
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
Well its here----and I am testing it now VS the HARTKE 600!!!!
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
Hartke WINS-- anyone want a great deal on an ASHDOWN?????
The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty. The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets. Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits.
T. Roosevelt
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