Good settings for 15 watt amp

[waylander]

Hey

well i make no secret im a n00b at music and setting things up etc as i really havent been playin long ( 3months )

anyways i have a 15watt practice amp which i been fiddling with settings to get a good tone e.g. treble, mid etc , any suggestions as i tend to find it goes tinny etc

I mainly try and play rock/punk/metal stuff, but atm greenday kinda music

any suggestions would be good

thanks

[Mr. Foxen]

a 15w amp with I'd guess an 8 or 1" speaker isn't ever gonna sound that big. EQ is entirely dependent on the sound of the amp to start with, probably best leaving it flat and trying to get the sound from your bass. Turning up the low on it will either make your amp sound farty, or mean you have to be very quiet.

[stevebasshead]

Just to add to the confusion(!)..."flat EQ" may depend on the type of EQ in your amp. If it's passive EQ and based on the old Fender circuit (check this by turning the bass, mid and treble to minimum - if your amp goes [i]silent[/i], it's passive EQ!) then flat is usually bass and treble at minimum and mids at max. Weird but true. If it's active EQ then flat will be all controls at 12 o'clock.

But to your main question, small adjustments are usually better and try turning EQ's down not just up. For example if your bass sounds too thin turn the treble down and boost the volume rather than turning the bass up. Experiment a little and see what effect each change has - do them one at a time.

Hope this helps,
Steve.

[oldmanrock]

[quote name='stevebasshead' post='673574' date='Dec 3 2009, 07:54 PM']..."flat EQ" may depend on the type of EQ in your amp. If it's passive EQ and based on the old Fender circuit (check this by turning the bass, mid and treble to minimum - if your amp goes [i]silent[/i], it's passive EQ!) then flat is usually bass and treble at minimum and mids at max. Weird but true...[/quote]
Well I never knew that. You learn something every day. I'll go and check that out. Cheers.

[cm261]

Exeter eh? Student?

[maxrossell]

This is an easy thing to say, but good settings for your amp would be switched off, unplugged, and stood next to a better amp.

I'm being flippant, but there really isn't much you can do about the sound of a 15w practice amp. It's a chipboard box with a cheap tranny circuit and a really weak speaker. I assume you're using it on your own (15w in a band situation is all but pointless), so if you want a better sound I'd recommend using a set of headphones if it has a headphone output (the saving grace of a lot of cheap practice amps), and if not, but funds are an issue, maybe consider selling it and getting one of those little headphone amplifiers.

[Cat Burrito]

I think there are good practice amps out there. Good not great but I don't see why anyone can't achieve a fair sound. My thoughts are that I just try a few variations on the EQ until I find something that works for me. Bear in mind that what works in one room may sound rubish in another

[waylander]

[quote name='cm261' post='673860' date='Dec 4 2009, 02:26 AM']Exeter eh? Student?[/quote]

no not anymore lol, just come outta educatin and job hunting

[waylander]

ye i kno not gona get much from a 15watt, but came with the guitar. i been playing bout with it n gettin some "sound" from it, enough to practice with.

will be gettin paid just after xmas from some part time work been doing so thinking of getting a Behringer BXL 900A 90 watt amp which should be enough to then properly learn on and running it through a Ibanez PD7 Tone lok phat hed bass over drive pedal so can have bit of fun with some effects

[longtimefred]

[quote name='waylander' post='675675' date='Dec 6 2009, 01:45 PM']ye i kno not gona get much from a 15watt, but came with the guitar. i been playing bout with it n gettin some "sound" from it, enough to practice with.

will be gettin paid just after xmas from some part time work been doing so thinking of getting a Behringer BXL 900A 90 watt amp which should be enough to then properly learn on and running it through a Ibanez PD7 Tone lok phat hed bass over drive pedal so can have bit of fun with some effects[/quote]

have a look at the Orange 'Crush' practice amps, really good little amps with a decent EQ section. And they look cool. You may find one for sale on here in the for sale forum.

[tarcher]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='673877' date='Dec 4 2009, 05:29 AM']I think there are good practice amps out there. Good not great but I don't see why anyone can't achieve a fair sound. My thoughts are that I just try a few variations on the EQ until I find something that works for me. Bear in mind that what works in one room may sound rubish in another[/quote]




15 watts should be fine for practicing.Try changing the position of the amp in your room eg how close to the wall is it?
In a corner or not?
On the floor or raised up above it.Remember where the floor meets the wall is just another corner.
All these factors will have a bearing on the quality of the sound.
You dont need lots of deep power or even a good tone for that matter to practice your scales etc

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='waylander' post='675675' date='Dec 6 2009, 01:45 PM']thinking of getting a Behringer BXL 900A 90 watt amp[/quote]

If that's new, don't bother, spent the cash on something second hand, can do quite a lot better.

[SteveO]

[quote name='maxrossell' post='673876' date='Dec 4 2009, 06:14 AM']This is an easy thing to say, but good settings for your amp would be switched off, unplugged, and stood next to a better amp.

I'm being flippant, but there really isn't much you can do about the sound of a 15w practice amp. It's a chipboard box with a cheap tranny circuit and a really weak speaker. I assume you're using it on your own (15w in a band situation is all but pointless), so if you want a better sound I'd recommend using a set of headphones if it has a headphone output (the saving grace of a lot of cheap practice amps), and if not, but funds are an issue, maybe consider selling it and getting one of those little headphone amplifiers.[/quote]

Its all subjective but I'd ignore this (sorry max ) The peavey microbass I use is only 20W, yet is more than loud enough for my practice room. OK, so its 30% more powerful than the 15W you have, but don't get drawn into the quest for big wattage until you're looking at a stage rig.

[waynepunkdude]

[quote name='waylander' post='675658' date='Dec 6 2009, 01:34 PM']no not anymore lol, just come outta educatin and job hunting[/quote]


What did you do? My brother in law just finished his degree at Exeter.

[cm261]

[quote name='waylander' post='675658' date='Dec 6 2009, 01:34 PM']no not anymore lol, just come outta educatin and job hunting[/quote]

Snap. Well, learning to drive more than I am job hunting at the moment.