What requirments does a bass amp need to have for gigging. My last amp was 100 watt crate. Im curentley considering the 200 watt ampeg micro vr with the 2 10 cab
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I would say 500w minimal for medium sized venues, for smaller venues you should be good with 200.
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I gave this a lot of thought and finally decided on a solution that - I think - will afford me the most flexibility:
- an amp that can give me 700 W at 4 ohm, and 350 W at 8 ohm
- two (2!) 10’ cabs
Depending on the size of the venue, I can
a) take the amp and one cab (350 W)
b) take the amp and two cabs (700W)
c) take the amp and use its DI to connect to the main PA; bring one cab to use as a stage monitor
d) just come with my pedals (including a DI) and use whatever the venue has
Having two cabs instead of one offers flexibility, but also means I don’t always have to lug a bigger cab around (if not necessary).
Make sure the amp you choose has sufficient EQ’ing and filtering options (especially HPF or perhaps some notch-type filters) to tame venue acoustics. Alternatively, you can relegate those tasks to an appropriate pedal, of course.
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If you play with a loud drummer in venues that need the band to supply all the sound, you may need more like 300-500 watts. Number of speakers is also huge for making more sound. 4x10 or 2x10 and a 1x15 with lower watts can sound massive and much bigger than 500w into a single 1x15.
If you play with a medium to lower volume band, your idea of 200w and a 2x10 cab would be perfect.
If the venues that you play have a PA system that they use to project the band - and not just the vocals - then 200w would be plenty, so long as the musicians on stage can hear you.
The biggest factors would be:
- How loud is the drummer
- Do the venues put bass in the PA system
If:
LOUD & NO - maybe more wattage, more speakers.
If:
LOUD & YES - you might be OK, so long as drummer isn’t crazy loud and your band can hear you.
If drummer isn’t loud you can get anything and it will work.
Drummers.
Making bassists buy louder amps since John Bonham.
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Just curious, have you ever met a drummer that is not loud. 
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Oh my lord.
Do we have a drummer thread yet? This may need a thread.
Yes! They do exist.
But you won’t find them in rock bands, unless they are very, very good rock bands.
I think the first thing rock musicians learn is how to play with excitement.
That’s easy.
And loud.
The last part they learn (still learning here, by the way) is how to play with control.
Control is so dang hard.
I’ve been lucky to play with some absolutely phenomenal drummers with incredible musicality and control. A drummer in control of their volume is a joy for everyone - the band, the audience, and the sound engineers.
Having said that, my favorite loud rock shows almost always feature a drummer who is (by all visual appearances) trying to put a hole in their drum heads with their ferocious playing and massive volume.
So… they do exist!
Just, like the unicorn, very rare and coveted by all.
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I could not agree more but have to say that I don’t feel an upgrade from 100 to 200watts is worth it.
I have a Rumble 100 and if I do upgrade it will be to a Rumble 500 with an external cab.
In my experience any venues requiring more than 500 Watts will usually have a PA system you can plug into.
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Fully agree and @joergkutter makes a good point too that you have to think about the ohms of your cab as well.
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Best line I’ve read in ages!!!
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