Members andyhumb Posted December 8, 2014 Members Share Posted December 8, 2014 I am a newb as far as electric bass guitar is concerned. What is a good quality used combo amp for bass that I can use to play along with my son who plays guitar. He uses an EVH 5150 III amp for his guitar, but volume knob is way way down. I guess I want my electric bass to sound like a bass should for rock music specifically - but it has to be somewhat compact in size. Where can I get that classic electric bass rock tone? Again, I know essentially nothing about electric bass tone so I would appreciate help from experienced rock guys. As far as electric guitar, I own and play a Voodoo Amps tube amp, Marshall JCM 800 modded amp, EVH III - all tube stuff sound best to my eyes for rock guitar. Not sure if that holds true for bass guitar amps as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 8, 2014 Members Share Posted December 8, 2014 Bear in mind I'm a rhythm guitarist who noodles around on bass so take this with the requisite large grain of salt. The gold standard in bass tone is Ampeg. The BA112 (75 Watts 1X12), BA115 (150 Watts 1X15), and Micro-CL (100 Watts 2X10 mini stack) all fit your price specification but none are tube amps. Warwick makes a few hybrid combo amps in your price range (your best bet is probably the BC80, 80 Watts 1X12) but you won't get the Ampeg sound. Whether you'll like what you do get is impossible to predict. Don't discount used gear either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andyhumb Posted December 9, 2014 Author Members Share Posted December 9, 2014 seems like a reasonable bass amp for 299, thoughts? [h=1]Ampeg BA-112v2 Bass Combo Amplifier[/h] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 9, 2014 Members Share Posted December 9, 2014 ^ Probably as good a choice as any. The same price as the Warwick BC80 I also mentioned. I'd audition it first to make sure it's loud enough. My SWR LA12 is a 60 Watt 1X12 (not far removed from a 75-80 Watt 1X12 like the Ampeg or the Warwick) and it's very clean but not what I'd call extremely loud. If you're after bang-for-the-buck, find a used Peavey. The higher Wattage ones are plenty loud and they last forever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members andyhumb Posted December 9, 2014 Author Members Share Posted December 9, 2014 What is considered loud enough to get over a live rock drummer in a small bar venue? watts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 9, 2014 Members Share Posted December 9, 2014 I wish an actual bassist with rock/bar experience would reply. I mean, there's a whole thread about how dead the forum is while nobody is replying to this one. Talk about irony. That said, it depends on your drummer. Personally, I'd consider the BA112 marginal. If you can pony up an extra $100, the BA115 is twice the Wattage (150 vs. 75) and has a bigger speaker (15" vs. 12"). All else being equal (which it isn't), the BA115's amp will produce an extra 3 dB and its speaker will move about 60% more air. The downside is that the larger, more massive speaker won't be able to move as quickly and the sound won't be as crisp. But if you're concerned about keeping up with a drummer in a rock situation, I'd go for louder. A couple more amps that should meet your needs are the TC Electronic BG250-112, a 1X12 250 Watt combo, and the BG250-115, a 1X15 version of the same amp. They run $350-400, depending on model and where you buy. In fact, the BG250-115 is currently $332.99 at Guitar Center, cheaper than the 112. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted December 10, 2014 Moderators Share Posted December 10, 2014 As an actual bassist with rock/bar experience, I didn't reply because I've never played those gigs with a combo, so I have no input. I also don't recall playing rock gigs with a rig that cost less than $400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 11, 2014 Members Share Posted December 11, 2014 As an actual bassist with rock/bar experience' date=' I didn't reply because I've never played those gigs with a combo, so I have no input. I also don't recall playing rock gigs with a rig that cost less than $400.[/quote'] "Speaking as someone with experience, I don't think what you're planning is a good idea/will work." is still input and valuable input. I certainly respect you opinion. Of course, a separate head and cab and a bigger budget would be preferable but you also gig with the gear you can afford. A couple of weeks ago, there was a thread asking about a "rig" for $300 including effects. I never did figure out whether a "rig" meant the bass, amp, and effects, just the amp and effects, or just the effects. That said, I'm going to reiterate my advice to check CraigsList/pawn shops/etc. and find some used Peavey gear or whatever's out there. Looking at the local (St. Louis) CraigsList, combo amps and heads are plentiful but "compact" cabs other than an occasional 1X15 not so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators isaac42 Posted December 11, 2014 Moderators Share Posted December 11, 2014 I'm not even saying that I don't think it will work. I'm saying that I have no relevant experience, and therefore no opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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