Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

How quiet can they be? (500+ watt amps)


JvJazz83

Recommended Posts

Hi!
I'm considering adding a second amp to my "arsenal", as my 14 year old son is becoming interested in learning the bass. (Yeah, I know most of you consider multiple amps a necessity, but that is not my situation right now.)
I currently have a GK MB 200 going in to a GK MBE 210 Cab, and/ or an old Stage Line 15" PA speaker (which actually sounds quite all right at modest volumes).

With the GK being only 200 watt @ 4ohms (cabs being 8 ohm), i think it would be wise to add a slightly bigger amp. I'm thinking 500 to 800 watts  @ 4 ohms.

I want: Light weight head, warm sound, possibly a tube or three in the pre amp. Budget about £300- 400. (another cab will probably come later on)

Will it be possible for such an amp to produce a nice, warm sound, clean enough to be of value for a learner at livingroom/ bedroom volumes.
The idea is that I can practise together with my son to help him learn, and maybe me to become more concious of my own playing.

Suggestions are welcome, of course. 9_9

 

Best regards
halvor

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've found getting low volume is more about the speaker cab than the amp, if I run my small amp through my 2x12 cab it's hard to get the volume under control for a quiet jam whereas I can put my 900watt head into my 1x10 and practice upstairs whilst the Mrs watches television in the room below without complaining. 

The GK cab will probably stop you from getting any actual benefit from the bigger wattage head though. 

A Genz Benz Streamliner head sounds ideal if you can find one, paired later with a pair of nice 1x12s will give you a great modular rig, the GK head and one cab for home practice, genz head and one cab for louder practice/rehearsals etc, genz head and both cabs for proper gigs with the GK head as a spare 😁

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the reply. I am aware that the "square footage" of speaker cab is also a factor when it comes to how loud things can get.

I got the same response about the GK cab from a guy on "the American site", and I am a little puzzled, as the cab is rated 400 watts @ 8 ohm. (The old Stage line is rated at 500.) I guess that I eventually will get another designated bass cab, possibly another 210, but these will have to do for now.

I have the streamliner on my watch list, but they don't come up that often second hand here I Norway. (I do have a rather right budget.... And I like the thought of utilizing what others don't want or need anymore.😀)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not so much the rating of the cab, it might not break the cab but it won't sound great near breaking point. 

A more efficient cab could be rated at the same wattage but sound nicer and louder even when using a smaller amp. 

Adding another gk cab wouldn't be a bad idea if one crops up, the streamliner into a pair of those will sound great on a gig and just one for home practice. 

Keep searching :)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought a s/h Ampeg PF500 as a back up amp (but have used at gigs and rehearsals too) just because it has the headphone socket.  The bass sounds really good that way and my crazy neighbour has stopped banging on my door too.  Worth considering as an option.

Edited by pbasspecial
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, chris_b said:

I'm currently getting a fantastic sound out of my PJ5 through an 800 watt Thunderfunk and 2 Barefaced One10's. This is in my front room and the neighbours don't hear anything.

Have you tried switching the amp on? That's your front room rig? Hellfire!!!!!! 🙂

Edited by Mudpup
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, stingrayPete1977 said:

I've found getting low volume is more about the speaker cab than the amp, if I run my small amp through my 2x12 cab it's hard to get the volume under control for a quiet jam whereas I can put my 900watt head into my 1x10 and practice upstairs whilst the Mrs watches television in the room below without complaining.

From the opposite end I used to put a battery powered 1-watt Maplin guitar amp through my 1x12" Marshall cab, just to freak people out. A good way of proving that 10 times the power is only twice as loud, so 10W through a decent properly ported speaker sounds quite loud in a living room!

I also had a mate who wired his quad hifi through a 10kW pa in his living room. With part of the lightshow.

Obviously only ticking over but Dark Side of the moon sounded pretty good... sometimes I could hear it and I lived about 150 metres away.

Edited by Stub Mandrel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

From the opposite end I used to put a battery powered 1-watt Maplin guitar amp through my 1x12" Marshall cab, just to freak people out. A good way of proving that 10 times the power is only twice as loud, so 10W through a decent properly ported speaker sounds quite loud in a living room!

 

Agree, my little Marshall practice valve amp is 5 watts, but has a switch to knock it down to 0.5watts. And that is still too loud for home use at 5 on volume. Half a watt and I can’t even use all of it!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the good answers and stories, guys. I guess I will continue my quest for a warm sounding amp in the 500+w. range. I sometimes find the GK a little harsh and sterile sounding. However that may also be caused by other parts of the sound chain. (SquierJV jazz with Dean Markley steels.) I will try some nickles and see if they are a little more mellow in tone.🤪

Edited by JvJazz83
Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you like warm/old school, an Aguilar has to be worth trying. The Tonehammers are the warmest/thickest sounding. The AG700 (which is what I have, so I'm obviously biased) still does warm, but has more clarity and can do modern, as well. Not really worth bothering about a tube front end, imho. They're largely put in for marketing purposes. A well designed modern solid state pre will give you all the warmth/roundness you want. Do try a few before you buy. If you like the baby GK MB head you have, one of the larger models (they do a 500 and an 800) should be a good bet. They will all be good for at home practice volumes.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Don't get caught up in watts.  You can put a low wattage amp through an efficient cab & it'll be loud.

If I were buying, I'd probably go for 2 1x12 cabs.  I can use just one in the house & for most small gigs, then add the 2nd for when I need more volume.

Saying this, I used to have a MarkBass 2x10 which got used everywhere.  From in the bedroom, to Beer Festivals.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, xgsjx said:

Don't get caught up in watts.  You can put a low wattage amp through an efficient cab & it'll be loud.

If I were buying, I'd probably go for 2 1x12 cabs.  I can use just one in the house & for most small gigs, then add the 2nd for when I need more volume.

Saying this, I used to have a MarkBass 2x10 which got used everywhere.  From in the bedroom, to Beer Festivals.

Agreed, I have an Ashdown CTM15 which can vibrate the entire house through a couple of 2x10s.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Tried lots of amps, never had one that I couldn't get a nice quiet playing volume from.

However, I moved some of those amps on because the fan kicked in too loud when the amp was nowhere near warm. Aguilar TH500 being one, also the Orange Terror Bass probably had the most obnoxious always on fan, but I swapped the fan out for a quieter one!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What is it with guitards & 4x12s?

Last band I was in with a guitardist, he would go stereo through 2 4x12s in the rehearsal room. Sounded bloody awful. 

The 1 gig we did, he played through a 1x12 combo & it sounded really good. 

Edited by xgsjx
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 14/03/2019 at 22:38, JvJazz83 said:

Thanks for the good answers and stories, guys. I guess I will continue my quest for a warm sounding amp in the 500+w. range. I sometimes find the GK a little harsh and sterile sounding. However that may also be caused by other parts of the sound chain. (SquierJV jazz with Dean Markley steels.) I will try some nickles and see if they are a little more mellow in tone.🤪

Do these GK amps work the same as the RB ones? On them to ‘warm it up’ you can Turn the volume almost full on and then use the gain to control the volume 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, LukeFRC said:

Do these GK amps work the same as the RB ones? On them to ‘warm it up’ you can Turn the volume almost full on and then use the gain to control the volume 

They don't sound the same even if the theory is the same. I had a GK MBFusion and now have a 700RBii and the RB is much warmer sounding

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, xgsjx said:

What is it with guitards & 4x12s?

Last band I was in with a guitardist, he would go stereo through 2 4x12s in the rehearsal room. Sounded bloody awful. 

The 1 gig we did, he played through a 1x12 combo & it sounded really good. 

1 4x12.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...