I was just going to buy my first bass, and I need some help with choosing the best amp for starting my bass journey. I don’t want it to be too pricey but I still want a decent enough sound.
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The first bass amp that I bought is a Fender Rumble 40 and I have been very happy with it. I just use it in a small room to practice.
How and where will you be using your amp? What is your budget?
I fairly certain that others here will offer their opinions to help you decide.
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Uhhh I’ll mostly play in my room…my budget is around 200€ to 250€.
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You’ll find some good advice here:
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Rumble, rocket are great but if you can add a few more quids then Katana 110 would be my top choice it’s $329 now I’m pretty sure Thomann offers similar price if not cheaper.
It has built in effects and since you are playing at home there’s no need for GA-FC foot pedals expansion yet you can upgrade that later. The only thing that would be convenient is the Dual Bluetooth dongle. That’s $40. Then you can just BT your music and use the app tone control straight from your phone or tablet.
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What about Rumble LT25?
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All the amps mentioned in the other comments are good amps and often easily found used and often cheap in great condition on Market place and craigslist.
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buying used can always increase the value for sure. also if it’s a halfway decent amp, resale value on it is usually not terrible so you can recoup some cost if you need to or want to sell.
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It’s ok if you can find them cheap or used.
I just paid $230 for my Katana 110 from ProAudioStar and without a doubt it’s a much much better amp than LT25.
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I would look for something with both an Aux In and a Headphone jack. That way you can plug in your phone/PC and play along with songs you are learning and you can be quiet while doing so. The Fender Rumbles have both of these.
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I have a Rumble 25 and use it in my practice room and playing with others.
I am thinking about upgrading to a bigger one but it isn’t even necessary-even with a drummer and guitar I never get about 1 quarter on the vol.
Sounds good and is simple-I have a Zoom pedal for effects.
The Rumble Studio 40 is the next step up if you want to combine Amp+effects
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I recently bought a Rumble 100 as an upgrade to the Rumble 15 that came with my little Fender “so you wanna play bass” kit. I know that Josh and a lot of folks here will recommend the Rumble 40, which I tried and liked, but if the extra $100(usd) is within your means, I think you get a lot more watts and features with minimal gain in weight, 18 lb (8kg) vs. 22 lb (10kg). My Rumble 15 seems heavier. I think the weight difference is the 100s on up have ceramic woofers, below that they are made of something else. But feature wise there’s an effects loop, which seems fun to play around with, my first pedal, a Boss CEB-3 should be here in the next few days. And it has more power, so you could take it to play with other people including a drummer. Not that I do, but I hear it is possible.
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This is the eternal dilemma @MatijaMataja …
I got by with the Fender Rumble 25 for noodling in the living room but I think the Fumble 40 has got some more tone shaping options that might be fun.
If you you’re planning on playing with anyone other than a drummer then maybe think about 100-150W? Live gigs probably at least 200-300W.
Also think about the weight if you’re intending to go to practice sessions…
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My first bass amp was a Roland Bass Micro Cube. It keeps up with two acoustic guitars and is super easy to carry around. It’s got battery power option, so if we go to a park or corner to jam it’s ready.
It’s not going to meet the needs when you play with a drummer but as a practice amp while you figure your bigger amp needs it’s great.
It’s still my practice amp and sits comfortably by the couch. : )
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Mine is coming today, finally, I’ll report back how it compares with the Genzler combo I have. I used the 110 and 210 before on the gig but that’s different than playing at home.
I have the Katana Artist series for my guitar and I love the amp and the tone for the 2 songs I know how to play on guitars, 
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@Al1885, I am looking forward to your review! I am planning on purchasing one. I appreciate your posts.
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Did it arrive?
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Yes it did.
I connect the GA-FC to it but not doing anything yet, I have not dig down to the app and make any kind of adjustment yet, but it has some huge promising potential. This monster has such a deep, deep selection of effects. Like every multi-effects I own, I only need maybe 3-4 and maximum 10 would ever be entertained.
I also installed the Bluetooth dongle so I can access the amp with my phone or iPad as well as streaming audio music. It’s very convenient. My only gripe is that the app is portrait mode only, seriously?
How does it sound?
Great, it sounds great. It has this compressed HiFi element to the tone which is quite neutral it does not have the Mid forward tone like some other modern bass amps or classic British amp for that matter.
Adjustments are very easy and intuitive although I wish that the panel is in the front and not on the top. The sub level LED selectors are very useful and space saving. It’s plenty loud and the 1W switch is very cool feature so you won’t accidentally crank anything too loud if you need to have a quiet practice session.
If you can only have one amp, this would be it the low foot print is a big plus just space for amp and the GA-FC pedal switch and you’d have just about everything you need. If want to max it out you can also expand and add another foot switch as well as expression pedal. If you want to go all out you can get the newer model GA-FC EX and add another GA-FC as well as other foot switches.
I tried streaming the music to the amp and play along, it was not as good experience as I’d like, no surprised there. I usually separate the source anyways, so I went back to my original setup but I know that in a pinch I can get everything all in one amp.
I’ll be diving down the effect menus and tone exchange and set up my switch pedal and hopefully soon I can share the cover video on this amp as well as some effect samples.
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That looks good, I hadn’t considered/been aware of this one, now it is on my radar.
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@Al1885, thanks for the unboxing and testing of the amp. If you like it , it will suit my needs wonderfully. I am buying one! You are an influencer that I feel comfortable trusting!
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