as a guitar player, i have decided to learn the bass and need so help with a suitable amp for home practice. I am currently playing my bass (P Bass) through my 5W guitar tube amp (Blackstar HT5r MK2). However i cannot tell if it’s a suitable bass tone or not. Therefore i am thinking of getting a small and quite amp for home use. I live in an apartment, so i have to be respectful towards my neighbors. Which amps do you use and have you got some recommendations? I am thinking of getting an Orange Crush Bass 25W. What do you think? Or should i just keep going through my guitar amp
Best regards from germany and thank you in advance!!
Based on this video and others like it and recommendation around the internet, I got a Fender Rumble 40 and it has worked out well for me as a practice amp.
I started using my son’s 10W 6” Fender guitar amp and while ok for practice, really leaked low end. Got a Fender Rumble 40, which gives decent low end and is plenty loud for practice.
I started with a Fender Rumble 25, and returned it after about 2 weeks with the intent of getting the Rumble 40. It sounded decent but I just wanted the extra features and oomph of the 40. The local shop ended up being sold out of the 40 and couldn’t give a timeline of when more would be in, so gave me a refund. I went to Guitar Center to get the 40 and saw the Boss Katana 110. While I was trying to convince myself that I could justify the cost, I saw a different local shop had the Katana 210 for the same price GC had the 110. So I bought that. It’s a bit big for my needs, but tons of features and plenty of power. Weighs a ton, though. I’m a complete noob and figured that with all the tone and effects options and modeling through USB or Bluetooth that I could play around with trying to find a tone I like without starting a pedal collection until I had a better idea of what I wanted to sound like.
While some will state that an amp is 100% required, I have gone completely the other way. I don’t practice using an amp at all. I have a multi-effects pedal that I plug the bass into, along with a decent set of headphones and my iPhone. This set up allows me to hear a backing track (or BassBuzz lesson), plus the hear the bass. I can bathe in beautiful, rich bass tones, while the rest of my family can’t hear a thing! I tend to practice very early in the morning, before everyone else is up. This would be impossible using a conventional amp set-up.
I do have a 300w amp for band practice, but that’s an entirely different scenario.
A cheap multi-effects pedal that will allow you to silent practice is a Zoom B1four. For the money, they are really good.
You might like to take a look at this other thread about this same subject:
If you live in an apartmentand want a quiet, small but good amp, I could recommend the Joyo BA-30 Vibe Cube Micro Bass Amp. It is mostly for indoor practice. I bought it from Thomann and I’m happy with it.
I wrote a short review of this Joyo here:
Also @Whying_Dutchman wrote a good review there in that same thread, you might like to check it out.
It really depends on how loud you can be (and want to be).
If you have unfunny neighbours that are stronger than you, a smaller amp (like the Joyo) might be better.
Otherwise: get a large one (@Al1885 always has great advice!).
The Joyo BA30 is great for smaller rooms and stressfull neighbours. Ask @TheMaartian
I will use it in the summer, outside in the park, though friends of mine will use it for a small gig in a “kiosk” here in Hamburg. That will be funny!
Personally I use a PA speaker next to my sofa, the JBL EON 310.
Reasons:
It sounds great, not only for bass but also for other instruments or background tracks. I even use it now to listen to music, instead of my large surround system.
I can measure the room and set the EQ via DSP on the JBL, so it sounds absolutely neutral. No booming etc.
It hum- and hiss-free … which is a MUST in sofa playing sitations.
I can make it sound like ANY other amp using software (amplitube, bias f/x, TH-U etc.). Buying a bass amp instead of a PA is so very very old school
The amp has finally arrived and i think it was the right choice! I can play it quite enough without annoying my neighbors and its pretty simple, dialing different tones. Using the overdrive channel in a clean way also sounds not bad imo! For my purposes as a practice amp at home it is more than enough. Sounds way better than through my 5W tube amp.
What is your budget? If you are starting out with AMP then Marshall MG15FX. I also got this, it’s my first AMP and I love it. Rest all things depend on your specific need and budget.
Another option for you, as you play guitar, I would recomend a Yamaha THR30, that way you have a guitar and bass amp that you can use at low volume with the option of using a wireless plug, so no cable around. They also pack a lot of effects if need be.
There’s a Fender Rumble Club sub-thread for the modelling Rumbles (25, 40, 800) over on TalkBass. It’s currently 112 pages long, having started in 2019. I’ve posted there, as well as in the main Rumble Club thread.
The Studio 40 has additional I/O options, a tweeter in addition to the main 10” speaker and 100 pre-defined presets, a few of which show off its ability to also serve as a guitar amp. Of course, there’s a preset that models the regular Rumble 40. Plus, aesthetically, I prefer the black grill cloth to the gray. Finally, it also supports the GTX-7 footswitch, which takes it to another level. Note: you have to use the setup menu to tell it that a GTX-7 is attached, since it defaults to the MGT-4.
This video showcases the GTX-7 on the modelling Mustang guitar amp, but it’s completely applicable to the Studio 40.
