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Practice amp - which one to go for?


christabel
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I'm just starting out on the long road of bass playing. I've got the bass (MIM Fender Jazz) but now need something to play it through. I'm after a simple practice amp so I can play at home without upsetting my housemates and the neighbours and also because I haven't got a huge amount of money to spend on a bigger amp.

Any recommendations? Or anything I should avoid at all costs?

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[quote name='christabel' post='2023' date='May 19 2007, 08:33 AM']I'm just starting out on the long road of bass playing. I've got the bass (MIM Fender Jazz) but now need something to play it through. I'm after a simple practice amp so I can play at home without upsetting my housemates and the neighbours and also because I haven't got a huge amount of money to spend on a bigger amp.

Any recommendations? Or anything I should avoid at all costs?[/quote]

From personal experience, I'd go for the excellent Line 6 Studio 110. Great sounds, small and portable and with the recording functionality built in, has a little more use than simply practicing thru.

Alternatively, the Fender BDEC looks an awful lot of fun. Haven't heard or played thru one yet but have done with the GDEC (g**tar version) and it was amazing.

T

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+1 for the line 6 studio 110, it's a little more expensive than some practice amps but you get A whole load of tone from that little box, in my experience better than the highly rated Roland cube 30 (I have owned one). Its got a 1/8" cd input also which is always handy. Surprising bottom end and loud, the only thing that lets it down slightly is a bit of hiss on the headphone output, when i get the chance i am going to try the XLR out into my mixer

Highly recommended

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I like my Line6 110 Studio too. Amazing sound for such a little amp. I've read a review of the Fender BDEC in the Bass Magazine and it certainly looks impressive. The Fender includes a tutorial mode which can help to teach you bass. The Fender retails at £299, which is expensive but you get LOADS of features Check out The Fender site for details of this amp:

[url="http://www.fender.co.uk/products/search.php?partno=2354200000"]http://www.fender.co.uk/products/search.ph...rtno=2354200000[/url]

The Line6 Lowdown Studio you can get for about £179, here's the details on the Line6 site:

[url="http://uk.line6.com/lowdown/studio110.html"]http://uk.line6.com/lowdown/studio110.html[/url]

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[quote name='tonyf' post='2029' date='May 19 2007, 09:54 AM']From personal experience, I'd go for the excellent Line 6 Studio 110. Great sounds, small and portable and with the recording functionality built in, has a little more use than simply practicing thru.

Alternatively, the Fender BDEC looks an awful lot of fun. Haven't heard or played thru one yet but have done with the GDEC (g**tar version) and it was amazing.

T[/quote]

Just had a look at your signature, you have a Fleabass and a Trace V8? The very thought makes my eyes water.......:)

Edited by Waldo
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+1 on the roland cube, its a nice amp. I started playing again last year and with a bit of advice off here (bassworld) I ended up with an Ashdown Electric Blue 1x15 combo, I got it from dolphin music and the service was excellent! They sell them for £219. They also do one with a 12" speaker for £179. Hopefully you will find something that you like.

Edited by simon73
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Hartke Kickback 12 - a little more expensive than the amps mentioned above, but a real cracker. Big enough for most gigs with PA support too, bar maybe festival stages. Sounds amazing! I swear by mine.

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[quote name='acidbass' post='3709' date='May 21 2007, 04:05 PM']Hartke Kickback 12 - a little more expensive than the amps mentioned above, but a real cracker.[/quote]

a little bit more expensive??? £349???? seven times the cost of the Peavey Max 126... she's only just starting out (I'm assuming we have a she here with a nick of christabel) and she has a limited budget...

I stand by my recommendation of a Peavey Max 126... I have one and it's got a very nice sound and also has a CD input and headphone output... perfect for noodling along to my MP3 player and those CDs that come with learner books... The tone controls and "vintage transtube" circuit have no effect on the CD input.

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[quote name='Paul Cooke' post='3849' date='May 21 2007, 07:27 PM']a little bit more expensive??? £349???? seven times the cost of the Peavey Max 126... she's only just starting out (I'm assuming we have a she here with a nick of christabel) and she has a limited budget...[/quote]

Actually mate, you can buy them for £275 delivered. And if someone is prepared to spend £300 (say) on a Mex Jazz, then surely spending the same on an amp that'll have more playability and serve a lot more purposes than the Peavey Max 126 in the long run, is not out of the question. Also, if she gives up, which has better resale value?

It makes sense to think about these things in the wider perspective, hence why I recommended the Hartke Kickback 12. I also don't particularly fancy putting bass through a single 6.5" speaker but that's just me.

Danny

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[quote name='acidbass' post='4152' date='May 22 2007, 03:35 AM']Actually mate, you can buy them for £275 delivered. And if someone is prepared to spend £300 (say) on a Mex Jazz, then surely spending the same on an amp that'll have more playability and serve a lot more purposes than the Peavey Max 126 in the long run, is not out of the question. Also, if she gives up, which has better resale value?

It makes sense to think about these things in the wider perspective, hence why I recommended the Hartke Kickback 12. I also don't particularly fancy putting bass through a single 6.5" speaker but that's just me.

Danny[/quote]

it's all relative - a £275 amp will be worth more second hand than a used Max 126, but will it be worth more as a proportion of the initial cost? If the Peavey is worth £35 second hand, 15 quid isn't a large loss to absorb. But yes I agree in principle that the Hartke would be a better bet, simply because it won't require upgrading to allow the playing to develop, despite its higher price tag.

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My only other recomendation is going out and trying a few of these sugestions. They are all good sugestions but you need to try a few now. Will be interested to see what you go for and what you liked.


Oh yes, while I remember... Happy birthday.

Edited by simon73
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I'm another very satisfied Line 6 Studio 110 owner - though it's one you need to try before you buy.

If you're not looking to spend quite so much money, I can strongly recommend the Behringer BX108. Unlike the Line 6, this is strictly a practice amp, as it's only 15 watts, but it's well built (had one in our family for over 5 years with no problems whatsoever), looks very vintage and has extra inputs and outputs so you can hook up a CD player or drum machine. When I bought this I compared it side-by-side with a Peavey Microbass and I felt it sounded better than the Peavey, which was more expensive.

Have passed the Behringer on to my son now where it's found a new vocation doing a great impression of a guitar amp!

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Blimey!

I started something here and didn't even have the decency to reply sooner than this - sorry about my shocking behaviour. I'll try to not do that again. (I've been a bit busy recently).

Let me deal with a couple of the points raised:
1. yes, I'm a woman (let's be honest - a man with the username 'christabel' would be a bit weird! My name is actually Kathryn for anyone who cares)
2. Simon73 - thank you very much for the birthday greeting (you must be a very nice young man!)
and....
3. I took all your advice on board and spent a few hours on Saturday afternoon checking out various amps. I settled on an Eden Nemesis N8 because it sounded the best when I hooked my bass up to it. I'm sure some of you will knock my choice (that's fine btw) but for me, right now, this is the amp for me.

Kathryn

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[quote name='christabel' post='9606' date='May 30 2007, 11:08 PM']Blimey!

I started something here and didn't even have the decency to reply sooner than this - sorry about my shocking behaviour. I'll try to not do that again. (I've been a bit busy recently).

Let me deal with a couple of the points raised:
1. yes, I'm a woman (let's be honest - a man with the username 'christabel' would be a bit weird! My name is actually Kathryn for anyone who cares)
2. Simon73 - thank you very much for the birthday greeting (you must be a very nice young man!)
and....
3. I took all your advice on board and spent a few hours on Saturday afternoon checking out various amps. I settled on an Eden Nemesis N8 because it sounded the best when I hooked my bass up to it. I'm sure some of you will knock my choice (that's fine btw) but for me, right now, this is the amp for me.

Kathryn[/quote]
No-one can knock your choice, the person that does is IMHO an idiot. You've gone out and established for yourself what works for YOU!

If the Nemesis works for you and your bass/style/situation then so be it. If we all had to agree on all things we'd all be living in square boxes, driving electric cars listening to muzak... sh*te not too far in the future then.

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