CletePurcel Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I have just started playing bass (moving over from guitar). I have an Ibanez SR500. This is my first post so apologies if these are dumb questions. I have been looking at bass amps for home practice but with the option of doing small gigs or jamming with a band if I get that far. I mainly play blues and blues/rock styles. I have been looking mainly at small combos and brands like Ampeg, Fender (which I use exclusively for my guitar), Hartke, Roland. I seem to have narrowed my choice down to Fender Rumbles and the Ampeg BA series. A local store has both in stock so I am going to try them out. Before I do I have a couple of questions. In terms of power would a 100W amp still be OK for practice? So if my choice was between a Rumble 100 and BA-115 is the extra £100 or so worth it for the Ampeg over the Fender? As a guitarist who uses tube amps I would never use a 100W amp for practice so it seems a bit too much but this is for a bass and solid state so I don't really know - I guess it is apples and oranges. Otherwise would I be wiser saving more money and just comparing a Rumble 40 with a BA-112 and making that my main option? Thanks for any advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) As far as I can make out from the reviews a Rumble 100 Combo would be fine for home practice (it has a volume control!) and also good for rehearsals and small-to-medium gigs. I can certainly tell you that my Rumble 500 Combo is way louder than I ever need at gigs and the 100 is of the same series, so... the other consideration for rehearsals and gigs is weight. The Rumble 100 weighs in at less than 10kg, which for a bass combo is practically nothing. I have no real negativity regarding Ampeg combos, but they do seem to be relatively heavy and also relatively expensive. I'm going to buy a 100 for gigs as it has a similar preamp to the 500, which I like a lot. Also it's smaller and is about 7kg lighter than the 500 and is currently available for £221 - which is an absolute steal as far as I'm concerned. But it's a good thing you're going to try both - you may just fall in love with Ampeg (I have done so in the past) and the sound of an amp is very subjective and depends on your tone goals. good luck. Edited March 2, 2016 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delberthot Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 My own experience of the Ampegs is that they don't seem as loud as they say they are and conversely the Rumbles are the opposite. For just a practice the 100w should be ok depending on the volume of everyone else but for gigs I would go with at least the 200w one. I use the 500w one for gigs so I know I'll never run out of headroom, plus I'm not driving it hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lw. Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I'd go for the Fender out of the two; Ampeg are great if you want a ground-shaking all-tube monster but I see their smaller offerings as box ticking really - Fender are very good at the budget to mid range of the market. I played through a Rumble 500w at a gig the other day & it was very easy to get a nice tone out of it. A 100w combo will definitely do the job for at home & probably be fine for rehearsals/smallish gigs. It probably wouldn't have the welly for full on gigs though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CletePurcel Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) That was quick. Thanks for your replies. I'll definitely go for a comparison of the 100W models then and give the smaller models a miss. Edited March 2, 2016 by CletePurcel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Fender all day long. I'd also go for something loud enough to gig properly with or you'll be losing more money when you need to change up than the upgrade would cost you now (if that makes sense). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CletePurcel Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 They have a Rumble 200 in stock at the shop. There isn't any Ampeg BA to compare that with, but I'll give it a try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I would also recommend the Rumble for what you need Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Yep, the Rumbles are great amps, really nice tone to them, powerful for their size, and nice and portable. The Ampegs of the same size are a fair bit heavier - I had the BA108 and it was probably twice the weight of the equivalent Rumble amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 [quote name='CletePurcel' timestamp='1456921960' post='2993522'] They have a Rumble 200 in stock at the shop. [/quote] Bear in mind the 200 is the same size and weight as the 500... and the 500 is not wildly more expensive, either. There is a BassChat member who regularly gigs with a Rumble 100 and he says he hasn't run out of steam yet. By all accounts, unless you're in a very loud rock band with a shed-building drummer you may find the 100 will suit you. Like I said, the 500 is silly loud and has way more beans than you'd expect. Not forgetting that without an extension cab the 500 is actually putting out 350W into 8ohms maximum. The 100 has no facility for an extension cab, so is 100W, it is what it is. From my experience with the 500 and from what I've read online I get the distinct impression the Rumble 100 is a little beast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CletePurcel Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 The Rumble 100 is looking more of a steal at only £220. The 200 is significantly more expensive, but still within my budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sammybee Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I have a BA115 - and while it sounds lovely as a practice amp, it doesn't seem particularly loud. I don't gig - so I don't have a reference point - but I would imagine it would struggle to keep up with an enthusiastic drummer in anything else but the smallest venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Yep, I use the 100 for small-medium gigs and never found myself wanting more volume. We're not an especially loud band, but loud enough and I can be easily heard over a drummer using proper sticks. However, I prefer to have the bass control completely off all the time. I get more beans this way because the speaker isn't wasting power trying to reproduce those ultra-low frequencies and instead has more power available to push the frequencies that I actually want to hear. Honestly, the 100 is a revelation. Costs nothing, weighs nothing, sounds great and looks even awesomer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CletePurcel Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Thanks everyone I will try different amps but it looks like the Rumble 100 will be at the top of the list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 If your budget allows the larger Rumble, do consider it. You might outgrow the 100 and end up selling and buying a bigger one, which always costs more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CletePurcel Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 I guess there are two things putting me off the 200. It is only 149W unless you buy another speaker and it is already nearly £200 more than the 100. If I'm going to need another speaker to get the full benefit maybe it would be as well getting a separate head and cab now rather than getting by with the 100. On the other hand the 100 doesn't have the capacity to add another speaker as far as I can tell ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 [quote name='CletePurcel' timestamp='1456919809' post='2993485'] I have just started playing bass (moving over from guitar). I have an Ibanez SR500. This is my first post so apologies if these are dumb questions. In terms of power would a 100W amp still be OK for practice? So if my choice was between a Rumble 100 and BA-115 is the extra £100 or so worth it for the Ampeg over the Fender? As a guitarist who uses tube amps I would never use a 100W amp for practice so it seems a bit too much but this is for a bass and solid state so I don't really know - I guess it is apples and oranges. [/quote] Nothing dumb about these questions! Directly answering your point about the amp being too much for practice, no, you won't lose anything by playing a bigger solid state bass amp quietly, unlike your comparison of valve guitar amps, so nothing to worry about with 100 or even 200/500 watt amps. I use Rumble cabs which I am very happy with - great kit for the money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mingsta Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) I can't comment on either except to say that I've heard nothing but good things about the Rumble series, while I've heard next to nothing about that ampeg. With bass amps you can only read so much from the wattage rating as so much depends on the drivers and their efficiency. Perfect case in point are the PJB combos which need a lot of power to get to a half decent volume from my experience. I've always felt that big speakers need to be played at higher volume to sound nice, so if I was after something that's good for home practice and rehearsal I'd go for a 2x10 or a 12. I'd always go for as light a combo as I can get away with. I used to have a trace combo which weighed over 30kg and it was a nightmare for moving about. I could never go back to that. I think there's a ready market for fender rumbles so if you're not sure how far you are gonna go with bass, you could always start with that and sell in the future. If you're after something more future proof then a second hand Genz Benz combo e.g contour or shuttle is a great choice but that latter may push the budget a bit. Regarding the the rumble 200, it might only be an extra 50 watts but the ability to add a further speaker in the future would give you a considerable volume increase compared to simply pushing more watts through one speaker. Edited March 2, 2016 by mingsta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvin Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I spent some time researching combos before I bought the Rumble 500. I considered, didn't get to try it, the Ampeg but dismissed for a few reasons. Firstly, quite fickle of me, but the BA combos look dreadful. Then there's the fact they weight quite a bit and they cost more. Finally, unlike the Rumble, the Ampegs don't have a matching series of ext cabs so you can get the full beans out of the larger combos. I ended up buying the Rumble 500, and I was more than happy with it. Features, price, weight, size, practicability, flexibility and tone. IMO Fender have really hit the mark with the Rumble range, especially in terms of tone. They've done a lot of work an made a great sounding combo, I'd tend to go for as much 'power' as I could afford. Although the Rumble 200 does seem a bit of a weak link. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CletePurcel Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 Hmmm. The 500 is only £75 more than the 200. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deksawyer Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 [quote name='CletePurcel' timestamp='1456957069' post='2994104'] Hmmm. The 500 is only £75 more than the 200. [/quote] Decision made then!! When the time comes to be loud enough to be heard with a band, you'll appreciate spending those 75 notes more than anything you've ever done before. Trust me. If you don't spend it now, you'll spend it further down the line when you realise you have to upgrade. And I'll always spend the required amount when I could rather than arse about at a later date, but I am from Fife! Much tighter than a Yorkshireman!! D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 (edited) [quote name='CletePurcel' timestamp='1456957069' post='2994104'] Hmmm. The 500 is only £75 more than the 200. [/quote] And the 200 is the same size box and nearly as heavy... if you have the budget and you're happy with the size and weight of the 500 then you may as well go for it. You can use it for practice at home (simply turn it down) and you will also be able to play any room with it, because even at 350W it's LOUD. And if you start playing really big rooms or just want the headroom you can get an extension cab. I've not needed an ext cab yet, and I probably never will. The amp is a cracker just as it is. I'm only considering a Rumble 100 for my current band, which is not a rock band and is very quiet - as bands go. I'm interested in the smallest and lightest combo I can get away with that sounds good, and it's very affordable. But the 500 isn't exactly big or heavy - I'd use it for everything. This Rumble 100 purchase is by no means a done deal, I'm really happy with the 500. Edited March 3, 2016 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CletePurcel Posted March 3, 2016 Author Share Posted March 3, 2016 I think considering the price structure of the Rumbles that the 500 now makes the most sense. From what I've read on various forums you should go for the maximum wattage you can afford to be future-proofed. The price at the store is about £220 for the 100, £375 for the 200 and £450 for the 500. So it really only boils down to a choice between saving some money and getting the 100 (and maybe regretting it later) or splashing out now for the 500. The 200 doesn't seem to sit right when the gap in price is so small between the 200 and the 500 unless there is a big difference in the sound. Unfortunately the store only has the 100 and 200 and not the 500 in stock. I am going to try the 100 and 200 and if I like the sound (which I am sure I will) I think I will just order the 500. Thanks for all your helpful replies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 [quote name='CletePurcel' timestamp='1457001232' post='2994308'] I am going to try the 100 and 200 and if I like the sound (which I am sure I will) I think I will just order the 500. [/quote] Good call, makes sense to me. I've decided not to go with the 100 and carry on using my 500. It ain't broke, so I'm not going to fix it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted March 3, 2016 Share Posted March 3, 2016 You could always try to find one secondhand. There will be one in the classifieds very soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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