Totally confused!

[petecarlton 81]

I'm a recent convert to the bass and to Basschat, which I'm loving (including the podcast and the Midlands Bass Bash).  I'm learning on a Stingray 34 and using a Fender Rumble 15 practice combo (and a Vox headphone amp for when my partner wants to sleep!).  But I'm wondering where to go next with amplification.  I'm not gigging, but I'd love to.  I'm a bit bored with the Rumble sound, though I know it's great for the money and size).  Any ideas where I should go next?  Should I get a good middleweight combo, or go head and cab, or preamp and DI? Or should I just tuck my horns in and wait till a) I'm more proficient; and b) I'm playing in public?

Or is this just a case of beginner's GAS?

Help!

[Roland Rock 31]

9 minutes ago, petecarlton said:

sound

 

[jezzaboy 669]

Having owned a few combo`s, I am now firmly in the head and cab camp. It lets you change things round easier if you get fed up with the sound and fancy a change. 

You could buy a small Class D amp like the TC BH and BQ range, budget amps with headphone and aux sockets built in and get a decent 2 x 10 cab and it will be enough to play pubs on their own. I use an Ashdown ABM 500 and a Bareface cab or there are plenty of bargains to be had if you don`t mind a bit of weight

Combo wise you can`t go wrong with the Rumble 500, which sound very different to your 15 watt Rumble or the RM series from Ashdown or some of the Markbass gear. 

Really it all depends on your budget but if you intend to gig in the future, I would go with something with around 500 watts. You won`t always need all the power but it`s better to have than not. There is so much choice these days. If you post your location, someone local could let you have a blast through their gear. Your bass will sound so much better through a decent set up.

[Roland Rock 31]

I have no recollection of quoting from or replying to this thread 😂

 

Ummm, welcome to basschat

[LukeFRC 1,834]

If you’re not going to play in public for a while something like a zoom multi fx pedal would be a cheap way of giving you more sounds and tones. New strings are nice too if your sound sounds dull. 

If you want to get playing with people, then a secondhand rig from here would be good. Combo or head and cab is your choice based on how much you have to spend and if you want to carry bigger heavy things- there’s some good gear at low prices in the amps for sale forum at the moment - it all depends on what’s around for sale near you. 

 

[jrixn1 759]

I second the idea of a Zoom multi-fx unit. The one I have which is easy to use is the Zoom B1 Four.  It has lots of fun or useful effects and amp/cab simulations.
Also a tuner, a drum machine, and a looper.
You can use it in conjunction with your existing Rumble and headphone amp.  But it's even more versatile than that; in the future if you go out gigging, you can use it in that situation too.

Edited May 21, 2019 by jrixn1

[chris_b 3,966]

IMO if you are learning you are far too early in the process to be getting bored with your sound! You've been on the internet too much if you're getting GAS at this point! Until you start gigging I'd stay with what you are currently using. Spend your money on some lessons instead and really take your playing to another level.

When you get to the point of joining a band, then a 300-500watt amp and a good 112 or 210 will do the job. You can add to this system if you want to take things even further.

[Delberthot 831]

I'm with chris_b on this.

I generally change my setup to suit the band I am playing with at the time. My last band was a loudish rock band so I had a Hartke LH1000 with Laney NX410 & NX115 cabs.

The latest incarnation of my rig with the wedding band is a Radial Bassbone which also serves as my DI into a QSC K12.2 for my on stage sound.

My advice would be to keep some money aside (if you can) and decide once you're in a band what the best rig for your circumstances would be - circumstances being type of band, pa or not, sizes of venue etc

BTW a Ray34 is a hell of a bass to be learning on and to be honest I would happily gig that bass myself. Don't think that because it's not the full fat US version that it isn't a good bass

[Lozz196 4,769]

45 minutes ago, Delberthot said:

BTW a Ray34 is a hell of a bass to be learning on and to be honest I would happily gig that bass myself. Don't think that because it's not the full fat US version that it isn't a good bass

I’ll echo that, I had a Ray34 as backup to a US Ray and there really was so little difference between them it was quite amazing.

[LukeFRC 1,834]

On 21/05/2019 at 14:54, chris_b said:

IMO if you are learning you are far too early in the process to be getting bored with your sound! You've been on the internet too much if you're getting GAS at this point! Until you start gigging I'd stay with what you are currently using. Spend your money on some lessons instead and really take your playing to another level.

+1 

(Though some of the tiny 15w bass amps can be a wee bit depressing to play through)

[petecarlton 81]

On 21/05/2019 at 14:54, chris_b said:

IMO if you are learning you are far too early in the process to be getting bored with your sound! You've been on the internet too much if you're getting GAS at this point!

I wouldn't disagree with that! But I'm having weekly lessons as suggested and - I think - making a lot of progress. 

I'm loving the 34 and have absolutely no intention of getting rid of it, it's just that when I play it through my teacher's rig, the tone is growlier and phat-er (is that even a word?!) than my Rumble (even though I know there are far worse practice amps on the market. Thanks for all the advice tho, guys! 

[chris_b 3,966]

What amp is your teacher using? Excellent on the lessons, by the way.

[petecarlton 81]

No idea - he teaches guitar and drums too, so it may not even be a bass amp.  I'll ask tomorrow night and report back!

[bassfan 1,986]

Get yourself a 6x10 cab, Aguilar db751 and be prepared to have your neighbors calling the police. 😂 

sorry. I’ll get my coat.  

[walshy 1,759]

19 minutes ago, bassfan said:

Get yourself a 6x10 cab, Aguilar db751 and be prepared to have your neighbors calling the police. 😂 

sorry. I’ll get my coat.  

😂😂

[bassfan 1,986]

30 minutes ago, walshy said:

😂😂

Just like that mate! 😃😃👍🏻

[petecarlton 81]

My partner plays alto sax so she's already "conditioned the neighbours"! 

😉🎷🎷🎷🎧🎧🎧

Edited May 24, 2019 by petecarlton
Punctuation!

[Al Krow 4,761]

If you're loving bass, get the best gear you can comfortably and want to afford!

A good cab is perhaps the single most important bit of kit in terms of the sound you're hearing, and if you aren't having to worry about neighbours IMO playing through a decent bass rig is much more satisfying than playing through headphones or a 15W practice rig. 

If you buy good condition used, your downside risk is pretty low i.e. if you decide it's not for you and you look after it, should be able to move it on for close to what you paid for it. 

So have a think about what you might want to reasonably fork out and I'm sure there will be plenty of very good suggestions coming that will be a step up from your current rig and potentially something you can also use when rehearsing and playing with a full band in the near future. 

[Jack 569]

If you buy sensibly and buy used (which are things that we can help you with!) then you shouldn't lose money if you run out of steam and decide that you're not going much further with bass.

 

With that said, there are some VERY high quality large house or small gig rigs on here for not much money at all. I can't believe that nobody has bought that Eden mini head and 1x12" cabinet or £400. That's dreamy.