Combo for a beginner

[bassbiscuits]

My friends 14yr old daughter is learning bass (her mates all play guitar so I’m quite proud of her for taking the bass path…)

 

Weve sorted a Squier Bronco bass from BC for her. 
 

Any recommendations on decent small practice amps, sort of 30-50watt I’m guessing for playing at home with her mates?

 

Anything too big and heavy will be a nightmare to transport. I know Blackstar are good for guitar stuff, but the Roland Bass Cube range seems to have become just one very small amp.

 

Any suggestions ?

[David B]

For my “portable bass amp” I use an Ashdown Studio 10 which is compact, light and puts out 50 watts (enough for a decent jam). No complaints from me.

 

The new Eden combos sold through Gear4Music look interesting, although I have no direct experience of them. On paper they look good value and there should be no issues if you needed to return it.

 

I’ve never been a fan of the very smallest practice amps because I think they are just too limiting if you plan on playing with others.

[Pea Turgh]

There will probably be  a fair few secondhand practice amps in your locality. Most of them will do the job until she wants to get a gig rig.

[bass_dinger]

52 minutes ago, bassbiscuits said:

 

Any suggestions ?

@NancyJohnson of this Parish, and joint-patron of the South East bass bash, had a splendid little Eden amp for sale. 

 

I tried it out at the event and was impressed  - the only reason that I didn't buy it was because I use headphones at home, and because it struggled with the low B on my 5 string. *

 

However, if you are looking for recommendations for someone who has a four-string, then the Eden range impressed me.

 

* that's two reasons. 

 

 

 

 

[bassbiscuits]

20 minutes ago, David B said:

 

I’ve never been a fan of the very smallest practice amps because I think they are just too limiting if you plan on playing with others.

That’s the thing - I have memories of several early years of thrashing some awful underpowered bass practice amp and wondering why it didn’t sound like the thunderous bass on the records I loved!

 

Good call on the Eden stuff. 
 

There's a Roland Bass Cube on here for sale too but it’s far away from me. 
 

Wasn’t sure what people thought of Fender Rumbles? 
 

My own practice amp is a knackered old Orange Crush which farts out almost immediately and has been relegated to the garage, so it’s not much to go on. 
 

[Pea Turgh]

I’ve tried the lower powered rumbles in music shops across the land - they are all disappointing!  I I’ve heard the 100w+ the rumbles sound ok, but I have no personal experience of them.

[Lozz196]

Def check out Blackstar, I’ve played through their larger bass rigs and found them to be very good.
 

But at around 50watts Ampeg, Ashdown, Fender, Orange will all be decent enough.

 

[PaulThePlug]

Whats local on facebook?... an Orange Crush, Baby Rumble...

[Elfrasho]

If i was 14 today i'd ask for a 2nd hand peavey tnt 115.  Sounds great. plenty loud. easy to move about. lots of ins and outs. Completely future proof.

[JPJ]

Check out the TC Electronic BG250 combos. Great for home practice but loud enough to jam with mates and even gig. They come in 2x8”, 2x10”, and 1x15” formats. I’ve got the 2x8” version and I love it, and yes I’ve gigged it albeit in an acoustic gig. They seem to go for about £120-£150 secondhand and will be more future proof than a 30-50 watt practice amp.

Edited 11 hours ago by JPJ

[Norris]

I have one of the old wedge shaped Ampeg BA-108 practice amps. It is a bit chunky, but sounds like a bass amp and can just about handle a low B. Ampeg have some new amps out these days though from 30W upwards, that might be worth checking out.

 

My main gigging amp is an excellent Fender Rumble v3 500 combo, but I have no experience of the smaller amps in the range

[Norris]

2 hours ago, Elfrasho said:

peavey tnt 115.  Sounds great. plenty loud. easy to move about.

I hope it's a bit lighter than my Database combo (400W 1x15) - that has it's own gravitational field! My back loves the fact I don't gig it any more 😁

[Phil Starr]

13 hours ago, bassbiscuits said:

That’s the thing - I have memories of several early years of thrashing some awful underpowered bass practice amp and wondering why it didn’t sound like the thunderous bass on the records I loved!

 

 

That's good advice. Underpowered, so called practice amps are the best way possible to put off anyone starting out on bass. Get a small 'real' amp that will sound great at home and make the lovely full sound that made us all want to be bassists. They don't need to be huge either the BG250 has been mentioned. My first proper amp was a Hatrke Kickback 10, It sounded great and was good enough to see me through to first rehearsals with a drummer. I even managed a few gigs with it. Small enough to fit in any car but tbh it weighed more than it should have. It might be worth looking at separates if funds allow. Something like the Warwick Gnome will fit in a gig bag and combined with a 1x10 can be a very portable rig. Go for a good condition used amp and avoid the starter amps completely, they are a false economy as you can't really sell them and they really aren't fit for purpose. They will also kill any enthusiasm for bass.

 

Probably the best thing you could do would be to go along and listen to a few things with her.

 

Do you know what the budget is?

[bassbiscuits]

11 hours ago, Elfrasho said:

If i was 14 today i'd ask for a 2nd hand peavey tnt 115.  Sounds great. plenty loud. easy to move about. lots of ins and outs. Completely future proof.

I had one by the time I was 16 ha ha! Great amp. Silly heavy tho 

[bassbiscuits]

16 minutes ago, Phil Starr said:

 

Do you know what the budget is?

I suspect a few hundred quid. I think they’re happy to be guided by me towards something suitable and decent. 

 

There’s a music shop in town so I’m going to take her there to have a look and try a few things. And keeping an eye on BC too obviously.
 

I’ve got a surplus Markbass 2x10 cabinet that’s probably too big for her to practice with but she’d be welcome to use for gigs. 
 

I suppose at that age, relying on lifts to and from places etc, it needs to be something portable to be of any use. 

 

Some good suggestions tho folks - I’ll keep my eyes peeled. 
 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by bassbiscuits

[Paul S]

10 hours ago, JPJ said:

Check out the TC Electronic BG250 combos. Great for home practice but loud enough to jam with mates and even gig. They come in 2x8”, 2x10”, and 1x15” formats. I’ve got the 2x8” version and I love it, and yes I’ve gigged it albeit in an acoustic gig. They seem to go for about £120-£150 secondhand and will be more future proof than a 30-50 watt practice amp.

 

I regularly see the Hamish Stuart Band/360 band and his bassist is Steve Pearce - a top echelon session player and one of the best bassists I have seen live.  He uses one of these.  Mic'd up but you can still hear it.