I think water comes before food, but besides that, yeah.
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I’m glad we could help you decide.
I am sure you will not regret your decision.
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I thought bass was so much simpler than sax. Get a bass, get an amp. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Between pedals and amps and other electronics its actually much more complex.
Sax, mouthpiece, ligatures, reeds, repeat. Sure there are straps, cases, stands, but every instrument has stuff like that. Granted mouthpieces are a huge rabbit hole, but these pedals…OMG, amps…OMG…sim amps…OMG…endless.
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I don’t think it’s bad at all. I think it’s a cool feature. It’s just a feature I would never want on an amp and always want on pedals or in the DAW 
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Hi @peter22robinson,
I know I am late to the party but…
I started out like you, just a bass and VOX Amphones, I just had these for at least 6 months. I thought is was a great way to start, and I could think about what type of amp I would like or need later. The Amphones have been great and they also work fine as normal headphones, they are just ugly, so happy with my choice there.
Like you I read heaps of reviews including Josh’s and was deciding between the Rumble 40 and 100, I finally bit the bullet and bought the 100, I am really happy with it! It will be loud enough to play with friends, if that ever happens, and when practicing at home I run it at about 1/4 volume. I think you have made the right choice. It really is good to feel the bass, although this thing can shake the whole house!
As an extra, I am a bit of a tinkerer, there are heaps of cheap mod’s to do to the rumble if you are so inclined. I have performed a few and it only made it sound better.
Cheers Brendan
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I got both the Vox headphone amp and wasn’t gonna get an amp but get stuff to play through my laptop. However the thing I needed to play through my laptop was backordered (Behringer UM-2 – I think it’s a DI box but not really sure) and I found a Fender B-Dec through craigslist for 70 (I think it's a 25 watt amp). I think it's the predecessor to the Rumble 25LT (I think it was sold between 2006 and 2008 or so). It has a bunch of modeling features and it also have a lot of different tracks with a manual that are for beginners (both songs and practice exercises). I used it quite a bit prior to signing up for the course but haven't touched it since the course started. I've just been using the headphone amp. I'm sure I'll go back to the amp but to be honest I haven't felt like I really needed it. It has a built in tuner and that's pretty much what I've used it for recently. I guess I would say that I wouldn't invest a lot of in a modeling amp and wouldn’t let it distract you from your goals, but if you can get a good deal on one they’re fun to play around with.
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Yeah for sure. Like I said, I would never select an amp because it has modeling features and would always look for better amps for the same money; but if an amp happens to have them, it is a neat thing to have - I just prefer having it elsewhere than on the amp.
And if I was going to get a modeling amp because that WAS what I wanted, it wouldn’t be a Fender, but that’s another discussion
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I think amp modelling can be a bad thing if it leads to analysis paralysis or simply too much time fiddling around every practice. But if someone is just going to pick a tone or two and use that for everything then it works well. Getting closer to the tone you want can increase enjoyment and that increases chances of success.
That being said, the standard bass tone is great to my ears anyway. It’s just one of those instruments and that’s why quite a lot of bassists have no pedals at all. So unless you are chasing a certain sound, like heavy distortion or 80s chorus or something, just plugging in will be adequate. Sure, cab sims and playing with EQ and such can give your sound that extra edge, but it certainly isn’t needed.
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Same here and that’s how I personally feel about it too. I was just trying to approach it from a beginners pov. That’s why I asked my son how he feels about the modelling feature on his LT25. 
He just said that it’s nice to change a preset for a certain song he is playing but it isn’t a huge deal for him.
Yes that would be bad. But I also assume that a beginner wouldn’t care too much about modelling anyway and just focus on what Josh has to say in the B2B course. I personally think the modelling on Fender amps is mainly a cool feature while on the Positive Grid Spark you would be much more tempted to fiddle around in the App. So in context of learning I also agree that you should stay away from modelling amps but for pure fun/jamming I think the modelling amps are a nice addition to get you hooked up with bass.
Great choice!
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Thanks!
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Thanks Brendan… the 100 is arriving on Wednesday 
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Just an update on my take on the Studio 40 modeling amp, esp now that I have the warranty replacement and it is working as it should.
For me, and this is the key part, for me, it is exactly what I needed/wanted.
I literally have/had no idea what type of amp/sound I wanted/want.
The amp lets me try out loads of different types of amps, in both recording and in playing out load. I find myself gravitating to certain amp sims, and they are quite different recording and ‘live’. And although for recording, I can eventually go to plug ins or zooms etc and taylor sounds in that way, which I do already and enjoy; I have not really found ‘the’ amp sound I want to invest in for ‘live’.
The Studio 40 lets me explore the different possibilities in the open air and I really like that feature over zooms, plugins.
When I do buy a ‘big boy amp’ one day, I think I will be better researched for what I ultimately want. Heck, might even end up with the Fender Stage 800 (modeling too).
Of course, YMMV, but just one view of the value of a modeling amp.
Previously, I was thinking SVT or even B15N for their distinct characteristics.
Now, I am realizing a really nice clean amp that I can further color with pedals etc might be the way, or, a second tube head for dirt. The quest continues.
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Yup! That was my journey as well (coming from the Studio 40)
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and one of the biggest mistakes i see people make (not limited only to playing bass) is buying for what they might need later vs what they actually need right now.
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Because they spend more money than they really need to or because it’s too early to predict what they will need later?
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All of that but mostly because they buy something that doesn’t work as well for them now and they never end up doing that future thing they thought they were going to do. If I’m just practicing at home, I live in an apartment and i buy myself a 500W amp because i might gig later, I’m probably gimping myself for playing at home now and there are probably solutions that will work better for the requirements i have right now which will result in me having a much better playing experience.
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I’ve had my Studio 40 for a month or so now and have a very similar view. I’m using it to help me figure out what I want later down the line. I’ve only used the presets so far, but will start tinkering more with custom settings eventually. The amp is also loud enough for my rehearsal sessions, even with a drummer, which was surprising to me. So, I’ve been carrying it to rehearsals and experimenting there too. The band also likes being able to listen to snippets of previous songs through the Bluetooth connection on it. I got mine used for the same price as a standard Rumble 40 new and I’m happy with my purchase.
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