just got a bass; total beginner.
I have a Peavey Nashville400 amp.
would this be ok to use (entirely for home/practice) with a Fender Bronco bass?
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In theory, yes. The 15 inch speaker and 210 watts should have enough beef to handle the bass’s sound range. You’ll likely have to do some tweaking with the gain and EQ to get the tone right, however.
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thanks for the reply…appreciate it very much.
because I’m a total newbie, I won’t use much volume…just enough so I can hear how I sound…again, thanks for replying.
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I wouldn’t worry about the volume. For comparison, the most popular recommended practice amp is a Fender Rumble 40. It’s 40 watts with a 10 inch speaker. Not great for gigs but fantastic for practice. 210 watts on yours? The more watts, the more your neighbors love you.
Yours will be just fine. Just get good with the EQ.
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thank you…appreciate it…
I saw the Rumble at the store where I got my bass.
being I’m just starting, tried to save some $…and I do have this
really like new Nashville 400 just sitting in closet. it’s 210watts.
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I also have an old Stinger 50w amp laying around too.
it was the first amp I bought. it’s made by Martin.
the sound is kinda “thin” compared to the Nashville 400.
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I’m sure you’ve already tried playing through your amp. If it has good dynamics at a low volume, then you’re set. I’d recommend snapping up a 25 to 50 watt combo amp when you have some spare change. But, there is nothing that would mandate that at the moment.
I actually need to find a cab to match up to a Bass head I recently picked up. Some guy was selling a Galien-Krueger 400RB III for $65. He had picked it up at an estate sale to flip it. I was pretty stoked on that find. Just need a cab to plug it in to. But I have a nice 50 watt orange crush that I use at home. So nothing pushing me to run out and get one.
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this morning I used the N400 on low volume…sounds nice as compared to my Stinger…I will keep an eye out for a 50W bass amp…that’s what the store guy recommended to me…thanks for your reply.
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As @Huth_S0lo mentioned, that Orange Crush Bass 50 is a very beginner-friendly combo (with built-in tuner, even) and is really rather affordable. (Personally, I have the 100, which also has a 15" speaker and XLR DI-out.)
But also, if you already have a massive Peavey thing… there’s no need to spend any moneys on more gear for a while, is there? That ol’ Peavey seems way cooler than most “basic practice amps” that people start out with. 
Save the money for another bass or some pedals further down the line into your learning journey. 
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thanks for reply…I agree with you about saving/using the money for a nicer bass farther down the line…
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…and all the other “little things”, like a couple of Dunlop “variety packs” of picks/plectrums, right, and perhaps a little looper (like the Joyo Ironloop), and perhaps some kind of stand (from Hercules, perhaps) and all the rest of the stuff that is neither bass nor amp, but which we need/want/crave as we’re getting more comfortable with the act of having fun with bass!
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Could I add a couple of things to this…
- with such a large amp, be really careful with volume and your hearing. I would seriously consider hearing protection. I use this whenever I play through my amp (Orange Crush Bass 50)
- I rarely (actually, never) practice using the amp. I have a Zoom B1four and just plug the bass into that, plug in my iPhone for either the B2B videos or backing tracks, and plug in a set of headphone. Job done.
- for recording myself, I plug the bass directly into a Scarlett Solo, which is then routed to my IPhone (and GarageBand). No amp required
Unless I am playing with someone else, the amp is really superfluous…
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100% on the hearing protection. That’s really good advice.
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I really like to “feel” the bass, at least a little, even when playing on the sofa!
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I find it always superfluous now, for any purpose. Haven’t owned one in years
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If you are using headphones, you can also damage your hearing if you turn it up too loud. Isn’t it the same issue with the amp, and just don’t crank it up so much?
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Agreed, but I think most of us are quite used to listening to music through headphones and not being daft with the volume. The trouble with an amp (in my experience), is that there is a temptation to crank it up - mine goes up to 11 and all that - and that can really damage your hearing…
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I agree with all the replies about protecting my hearing…I totally agree.
I keep this amp volume turned down for 2 reasons; I do intend on protecting my hearing, and, my wife will be sure to let me know if it’s too loud!! and so will my 2 chihuahuas!!
I am kinda sorry I didn’t get the Rumble amp at the store when I bought the bass…I may eventually get the Rumble and try to sell my Nashville 400.
I really appreciate everyones’ replies.
Agreed that protecting ears whenever, but also… just behave on the volume. “cranking it” seems mostly like a valve/tube thing, to get “those sweet overdriven tones” or whatever… with analog solid-state, isn’t it mostly just a case of behaving? With my Crush Bass 100, I’ve never had the volume past ten o’clock (and that was wild, type “shaking the squirrels of the outer walls”), and for reasonable comfortable volumes I have it at the volume at like eight-thirty o’clock. (Hopefully, this also means that the combo can be used in smaller live settings eventually.)
So lets just enjoy how much air we can move at low volumes with our huge combos/amps, and not be crazy loud.
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Keeping the volume in check so as not to potentially damage the speaker is all you need to worry about and from the sound of it you’ve already done that. The tone stack won’t be ideal for bass but it’s fine for a home practice amp.
Most of the early bass amps like Fender’s original Bassman ended up becoming guitar amps later on anyway because as the need for higher volume became apparent they made lousy bass amps. It’s fine.
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