BabyBlueSound

So I've been looking for a micro amp just to be able to practice in another room without having to carry my small amp around, and so far I am not amused with the options available. I tried the Sonicake "US Madness" microamp, designed for bass. Not great. The sound has no body at all, sounds like I'm listening through a tin can, and I could hear pops and weird noises too. Does not worth the £25. So I thought maybe I need a slightly more expensive quality brand, and tried the Vox one (amPlug2 AP2-BS Bass Guitar Headphone Amplifier). The sound quality is noticeably better, BUT the volume levels are not really satisfactory on my passive bass, and there's a LOT of pretty audible hiss going on that increases or decreases with the Tone dial. Not just your average everyday electric noise, this is a separate hiss (I can hear the regular electric noise as well, not that loudly, so that's normal), and SERIOUSLY loud. All in all I can roll with the Vox, but I am wondering if there's any better options for such a simple goal: to be able to practice with headphones WHILE not breaking the bank. ---------------------------------------- EDIT: I got the NUX in the end, see my review below: So I tried the following stuff: VOX - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NAUKJTY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s01?ie=UTF8&th=1 Almost a solid choice, BUT. It's not nearly loud enough (at least for some passive basses I guess), and there is a terribly, terribly loud HISS. The hiss is not coming from the bass, because the microamp does it even when it's not plugged in to a bass. Sound quality is pretty decent, your bass sounds like a bass... a lot of compromises here. Sonicake bass - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B079FGN89H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Ugh, sounds like rattling a plastic can inside a tin can. Very artificial, dull sound, and the deeps even end up being distorted. Would not give a penny for this sound. Valeton RH-100 Rushead Max - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07W3K92ZM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Like the Sonicake, terrible plastic-y sound without a real body or any deeps. Sounds like a toy. EHX Headphone Amp - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003UIBQEI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Now this one was a quality build, the volume was great, and there was enough bass too. But it does not have an AUX-IN for practicing, and compared to the Vox, it has basically no treble at all. If you're in the game for a very deep sound, this can be a pretty good choice. But I like my zing, so this was a no. NUX MP2 Might Plug - https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084JB519R/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 My choice! Sound quality is not exactly as great as the Vox or the EHX, but almost! And there is no hiss, there is enough volume, and there is enough treble. It actually has bluetooth aux-in which makes practicing very comfortable, it's got drum machines, and a lot of different amp simulators and effects. These were not really a factor for me as I rarely use any effects, and these sometimes (with some settings) sound a bit toy-like once again, but there are enough options to find a sound that works for your taste. Hope I helped some of you.

Oh god, I've been eyeballing the SWB-1 for a while now and that's quite a bit of a jump in price But still happy to support moving production to the UK, good for you!

Wow glad I found this topic! Got myself a short scale Ibanez Talman TMB30 recently, which I love but it's definitely not without issues stemming from being a fairly cheap bass (£150-ish). I will do a proper writeup/review soon.

I try to avoid ordering on Amazon when anything is available anywhere else, but stringsdirect charging £59 for a short scale tapewound D'addario... No thanks, same thing is £48 on Amazon. Your options are much more limited if you're using a short scale

Thanks, might check this out too, for now I went with the Ebay fingerboard cleaner linked above. I'm sure we should not wash the strings with soap 😁 Nylon guitar strings have no metal core on the inside, but tapewounds do.

thanks Everyone, will look into all these!

Hey fellow tape fans! I just got my very first set of D'addario black tapewounds and while it's very different from the rounds I used for years, I am really starting to like them and get attached to them. However, I got seriously sweaty hands, it's always been an issue. Even after 5-10 minutes of playing, I can already see the slightly wet sweat marks on my fretboard accumulating (even when playing in gloves!!!). So when I was using the rounds, I always, literally always wiped the strings and the fretboard off with a GHS fastfret cleaner after playing. I know the tapes do not need to be cleaned as there's no tiny gaps like on the rounds where the mess could build up, and the GHS page specifically says: "we would not recommend using FastFret on coated strings". But I still want to keep my fretboard clean of the sweat residue and obviously I can't take the strings off every time after the daily practice session just to apply the fastfret. Should I just try to dry-wipe the frets with a microfibre cloth under the strings? Is there a better way? Thanks!

Thanks Phil, some great info in there! I'll definitely keep this pedal option in mind. I still do prefer the small amps, as every now and then when the rest of the family goes out I like to let it rip a bit And I have it hooked up to my PC via Aux where I can sample my own drum loops.

Unfortunately not a lot of stores in my city and still being a bit on the careful side with intercity travel. Thanks this is basically what I needed. I expected there to be some more difference apart from the speaker design and the more bass-y box, but never really compared two combos based on headphones only

Well I don't know if my bass has a "weird guitar-ish sound" since I have never heard a Rumble for comparison, basically don't know if the two amps would sound the same via headphones, or if a bass would sound better on a bass combo instead of a guitar combo? Maybe someone tried both. Obviously there would be a difference on loud volumes, but that's not a concern for me.

Hey folks, hope someone can help me. Got back into the bass biz after skipping 10+ years, and enjoying it a lot. I currently have a Fender Mustang LT25 as a practice amp. I only play at home, 90% of the time with headphones on, and only about 10% of the time on the speakers, but always on very low volumes. Question is, given my low volume / 90% headphone use, does it even worth considering to swap my Mustang to a Rumble? Don't really care about the different bass-centric fancy effects and sounds, playing clean with minimal EQ and some compressor and that's it. I'd expect all I need is a set of good professional headphones but want to get some expert opinion on this. Thanks in advance!