badboy1984 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 I'm looking to invest in a small bass combo to practice at home without using the big rig all the time. Also i don't want to pay couple of hundred pound for a practice combo. Sound wise i just wanted to handle both passive and active bass and the amp does not distort ...... Had a bad experience on my last one which is a warwick blue cab 15, it distort no matter what bass i play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted August 31, 2013 Share Posted August 31, 2013 The ones I`ve heard which I liked the tone are: Marshall MB15 (approx £85) Fender Rumble 15 (approx £100) Line6 LD15 (approx £100) Ampeg BA108 (approx £100) I currently have the Ampeg, and it is great, but not the most versatile. If looking for versatility, the Line6 would be my choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 Ash is selling an SWR Workingman's 10 on this forum for just over £100. You should buy it! It's got all the functionality of a big time pro head but in a tiny package. I use mine at home, rehearsals and gigs. They go seriously loud. Not just loud for a 10" combo; I mean loud outright! Great SWR build quality and tone. Can't go wrong! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 If you can find a Vox Venue 30 Bass, they're good for home & small gigs & usually less than £100 s/h. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 I can't find the sale thread for the SWR 10" combo ...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 Is the orange 25 watt combo any good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salt on your Bass? Posted September 1, 2013 Share Posted September 1, 2013 I tried a few and ended up with a Roland Bass cube 20 which has some nice options. Didn't get to try the orange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 1, 2013 Author Share Posted September 1, 2013 (edited) For a small ish bass amp with 10" speaker i've found the following: Hiwatt Maxewatt B20 and Marshall MB30 MKII. I use to own the Marshall MB30 and it is pretty decent actually ........ sold it ages ago when i thought is rubbish but actually i think is pretty good. Edited September 1, 2013 by badboy1984 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 Lozzy, Is the ampeg feel very cheap for a practice amp? i'm scare of these 8" speaker these days because i'm afraid my bass is too hot for any practice amp ........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 Line6 LD15 (or studio 110) are both good. Or the ashdown perfect 10 was very good when I had one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 [quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1377993197' post='2194578'] The ones I`ve heard which I liked the tone are: Marshall MB15 (approx £85) Fender Rumble 15 (approx £100) Line6 LD15 (approx £100) Ampeg BA108 (approx £100) I currently have the Ampeg, and it is great, but not the most versatile. If looking for versatility, the Line6 would be my choice. [/quote] +1 for the Ampeg it is a pretty cool amp Mrs Thunderbird uses one and it sounds really good and I dont think it is overly heavy and if you scour the net you can find them for a good price second hand or as Lozz said around £100 new which I think is good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 I think i need to take my bass to the shop and try it ...... i know is only a small practice amp and is cheap but i don't want to waste £100 buying a amp then having a hard time selling the amp if it doesn't work out. rather get it right straight away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borisbrain Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 If you're just looking for something to noodle on at home, then you could do worse than an Ashdown After Eight. Jakester has one for sale here on BC, at £45: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/215561-ashdown-after-eight-practice-amp/page__p__2189900__hl__ashdown__fromsearch__1#entry2189900 I have one myself - very handy. Bestaluck BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 The Ashdown After Eight sale on here is collection only in Birmingham and it won't worth the cost of petrol to drive down from Manchester to pick up a amp that cost £45 ......... After contacting some local shop, it seems they only have Marshall MB30, Orange BX25 and Ampeg BA108. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 [quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1378111963' post='2195772'] Lozzy, Is the ampeg feel very cheap for a practice amp? i'm scare of these 8" speaker these days because i'm afraid my bass is too hot for any practice amp ........ [/quote] Not at all. I`ve used it with passive Precisions & Les Paul basses, active Jazzes & Stingrays and not a problem. Never had the volume over 3 either for regular jamming with the CD on the stereo lark. It obviously sounds very Ampeggy (which to me is a good thing), and no matter what you do with the eq that remains the case. There are threads over on Talkbass about people modding them and putting a 10" speaker in (with pics) which provides better performance but I`ve never felt the need, it sounds great to me as it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 2, 2013 Author Share Posted September 2, 2013 To stir this even more i'm considering the Warwick BC20 as well. After seeing Andy's review on youtube, it seems the amp is decent. Don't know how much of this is true but the amp claims to have no distortion when crank full volume ..... on a 8" speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted September 2, 2013 Share Posted September 2, 2013 Probably too pricy and now hard to find but I picked up a hartke Kickback 10 for £125. The sound is great and just loud enough for gigging at a pinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theyellowcar Posted September 3, 2013 Share Posted September 3, 2013 (edited) Would be good to know how you get on if you pick up a BA108 - I'm about to return the second BA110 I've had in as many weeks - the input went on the first and I seem to be getting a really horrible resonant distortion (even at low volumes) from the second. A proliferation of threads on TalkBass seem to suggest it's a known fault with the 110, so I'm considering a 108 as I'm emotionally attached to the Ampeg sound. EDIT: Hijacking the thread a little, but saves starting a new topic on the same subject - anyone have any experience with the Ashdown Tourbus range? Edited September 3, 2013 by theyellowcar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 4, 2013 Author Share Posted September 4, 2013 There are a few Ashdown Tourbus in the shop near me, so i probably will try some out as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr zed Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 (edited) To the OP - I'm in the same boat as you. I'm on the lookout for a small combo for home practicing that is small enough to take up minimal room, has a good tone, is lightweight and quiet enough so as not to disturb the family/neighbours. Got headphones but hate using them. I would also need it to be loud enough to be heard when doing quiet rehearsals with other band members at their homes (the vocals/acoustic guitars are the loudest things there - the drummer only comes to full rehearsals for which I use my main amp/cab set-up. Not tried any out yet but my shortlist is the Ampeg BA108, the Orange Crush 25 watt jobbie, Roland Bass Cube,20xl, EBS Session 30. I prefer the amp to be mounted top & rear. I really like the look of the Roland - build quality looks rock solid but there are a lot of bells and whistles that I wouldn't use. I'll know more when I've tried them out for volume (both high & low) and tone. Any thoughts from anyone? Have I missed anything? Edited September 4, 2013 by mr zed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted September 4, 2013 Share Posted September 4, 2013 I cant speak for the Cube 20xl but the Cube 30 was very good at all those things you require. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr zed Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 (edited) Just returned from PMT in Salford. Tried the Vox Pathfinder 10, Ampeg BA 108, Orange Crush PiX CR25BX and the Roland Bass Cube 20xl. All really nice combos and the staff there really couldn't have been more helpful. Ended up going for the Cube (thanks MoonBassAlpha) as to my ears it had the best sound. No sign of any distortion at all volume levels, plenty loud enough for what I want it for, great build quality and the built in tuner and power squeezer are useful additions. The range of tones from this little thing is breath-taking. Best of all, I was able to get an exact replication of 'my sound' that I get from my gigging/full band rehearsal rig (GB STL9.0 & Berg 2x10's) straight away - just at a much reduced volume level. I have heard that Roland designed this as a bespoke bass practice amp from the ground up and put lots of thought into it rather than downscaling an existing amp range and I think that shows. PMT even price-matched Reidy's price of £145. Bit of a bargain me thinks. Happy Bunny Edited September 5, 2013 by mr zed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badboy1984 Posted September 5, 2013 Author Share Posted September 5, 2013 [quote name='mr zed' timestamp='1378386827' post='2199501'] Just returned from PMT in Salford. Tried the Vox Pathfinder 10, Ampeg BA 108, Orange Crush PiX CR25BX and the Roland Bass Cube 20xl. All really nice combos and the staff there really couldn't have been more helpful. Ended up going for the Cube (thanks MoonBassAlpha) as to my ears it had the best sound. No sign of any distortion at all volume levels, plenty loud enough for what I want it for, great build quality and the built in tuner and power squeezer are useful additions. The range of tones from this little thing is breath-taking. Best of all, I was able to get an exact replication of 'my sound' that I get from my gigging/full band rehearsal rig (GB STL9.0 & Berg 2x10's) straight away - just at a much reduced volume level. I have heard that Roland designed this as a bespoke bass practice amp from the ground up and put lots of thought into it rather than downscaling an existing amp range and I think that shows. PMT even price-matched Reidy's price of £145. Bit of a bargain me thinks. Happy Bunny [/quote] It was you trying all the small combo in the Salford PMT. I went their today and saw all the small combo were put in place together. I tried the vox, orange, peavey and ampeg. Hate the sound of the vox, the peavey is too quiet in my opinion but tone is ok (can't expect much from a 15watt). The orange sound ok and pretty loud but lack of low end in my opinion. I ended up buying the Ampeg BA108 because it have that ampeg sound and it sounded very loud and good low end for a 25watt 8" combo. I'm a happy Ampeg owner now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr zed Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 [quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1378409626' post='2199974'] It was you trying all the small combo in the Salford PMT. I went their today and saw all the small combo were put in place together. I tried the vox, orange, peavey and ampeg. Hate the sound of the vox, the peavey is too quiet in my opinion but tone is ok (can't expect much from a 15watt). The orange sound ok and pretty loud but lack of low end in my opinion. I ended up buying the Ampeg BA108 because it have that ampeg sound and it sounded very loud and good low end for a 25watt 8" combo. I'm a happy Ampeg owner now [/quote] Yep, that was me. I had a small combo shoot out against the bass wall. I should have tided up after myself when I had finished. Agree with everything you have said - the little vox looks great and sounded better than it should for the price and the 5" speakers but it was boxey. Didn't try the Peavey. The Orange was loud but lacked a bit of bottom end. The Ampeg sounded great and I nearly went for this myself - more bottom end than the Orange probably down to the cab size being slightly bigger and it is ported. A nice full sound. Congrats on your new combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted September 5, 2013 Share Posted September 5, 2013 [quote name='badboy1984' timestamp='1378409626' post='2199974'] It was you trying all the small combo in the Salford PMT. I went their today and saw all the small combo were put in place together. I tried the vox, orange, peavey and ampeg. Hate the sound of the vox, the peavey is too quiet in my opinion but tone is ok (can't expect much from a 15watt). The orange sound ok and pretty loud but lack of low end in my opinion. I ended up buying the Ampeg BA108 because it have that ampeg sound and it sounded very loud and good low end for a 25watt 8" combo. I'm a happy Ampeg owner now [/quote] Congrats, they`re great little amps aren`t they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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