What Amp?

What’s wrong with folks offering other options to you? You got relevant answers, and, some new thought starters. Sometimes this is how we find a different idea that might lead you into something even better. As far as I can tell everyone is trying to be helpful. Your response however, is not really how we roll here.

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Maybe something got lost in the translation? I am known to be very funny in Dutch (in fact, all Dutch are funny!) … but surely sound offensive in english sometimes (especially American business partners are sometimes shocked by my non-PC statements, but even the most hardened scottish team members took some time to get used to me)…

People here are patient with me - so let’s give @Iain_Lambert the benefit of doubt…

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No, it isn’t.
Not in the rock/blues/pop/soul/funk genre.

It is much more common in acoustic groups where the players play into DIs or preamps and send those signals to the PA.

Bass amps are great!
I think the ones that @Iain_Lambert mentioned up top originally might be the way to go? I’m sorry I don’t have more experience with modern amps that double as audio interfaces.
I can’t add any helpful things here other than… well, bass amps are great at amplifying basses.

Getting an opportunity to play on them is crucial, and hopefully possible at some music shop nearby.
If not, get what you can afford!! You’re right that 200 watts should get you enough power to make it through the gig.

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No danger of me playing in one of those. I’m making up for a childhood of classical music and in my excessive and tasteless distortion phase. I might be out of it after another decade or so.

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Absolutely agree. I would personally never do this; amp/cab sim for me 100%.

it’s taken me 40 years and I am not out of it yet

yes 100% - trying them out is key. Nothing substitutes for this.

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I’m not giving up liking distortion! I’m just very in the “ooh new toy let’s see how high I can turn it up” phase that, uh, doesn’t sound very good lol

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Ok so if I ended up buying, say, one of the Yamaha DBR10 Powered Speakers that guitar center or reverb has for sale used for ~$200, I could run the DI out from a multi-effects pedal* XLR DI jack into the line input on the speaker, run the effects, amp, and cab sims, and it would sound good**?

*Darkglass ADAM, microtubes infinity, sansamp, Line 6 HX stomp, etc

**Looks like the 55 Hz -10dB frequency range is a little high for tuning down/5 strings, but I don’t even know if that matters w/ how human sound perception works.

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Maybe. You need to be careful there. Most DI outs are Mic Level, not Line level. The PA will expect a Line level input. Don’t be fooled because they use the same connector.

I would recommend running in to a mixer or audio interface, and using their Line Outs.

It will be fine. Many bass amps roll off around 50-60 as well; you’re mostly hearing harmonics on them for B too, and really you’re hearing at least half harmonics for E as well on a 4 string. This includes popular ones like the Rumble 100 - here’s its frequency response graph:

Hefty ~50Hz rolloff there, plus that mid scoop is very very Fender traditional sound.

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Ah. In the specific case of the Yamaha I just mentioned there’s a switch for mic level on input 1 so maybe that would be fine. Getting a boss katana is looking more cost effective by the minute here :rofl:

I assume the Sweetwater buying guide article that I’m sure exists on mixers is a good place to start learning about them?

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Ahh cool, then yes you would be all set.

Probably, or you could just buy a Mackie like most other people :rofl:

Yamaha also makes good mixers. I am a Yamaha fanboy but I own a Mackie.

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Honestly though, if you can try all this in person it is best.

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Gonna jump in here with a suggestion I believe is important for all of us to understand and commit to. Guitarists as well. Don’t skimp on an amp. If your peace of mind leads you away from buying a much better used amp than a budget friendly new amp save your money until you can afford the better one.

Why? For starters the amp is far more important overall than the bass or the guitar. Even a relatively inexpensive instrument will sound great through a top quality amp. Try it. The reverse is not true so I’m puzzled why some players over spend on their instrument “buying more bling” as I call it then short themselves on the more important piece of their entire set up.

The second reason is that used bass amps/speakers can be some of the toughest stuff to move. So once you learn you don’t have what you actually want or need to fit how you plan to use it your money is tied up possibly preventing you from upgrading. What then? Trade it taking an even bigger bath on it because you didn’t buy what you really needed to begin with?

As someone whose bought and sold a whole lot of gear over the years I can tell you that basses and bass amps are always tougher to sell than guitar gear simply because of how many players buy. Your refusal to buy a better used rig isn’t all that uncommon. I have some gear for sale right now one of which is brand new still in it’s box with it’s 3 year warranty intact Genzler Magellan 350 head. I have it priced 20% less than new list price. I’ve had just one offer on it in over a month well below what I’d accept. Every time I have sold bass gear it has always taken longer to sell it than any of my guitars or guitar amps.

How much power you’ll need depends on a lot of factors not mentioned as I write this but one thing you don’t want out of bass rig is too little power/headroom. There’s also the cab/speaker you’ll be using and it’s efficiency. For club work 250-300w into 4 ohms is what I would suggest as a minimum. 500w is better if the speakers/cab is not as efficient. Remember when playing a SS or Class D head into an 8 ohm cab/speaker your power is roughly half which then reduces your available clean headroom significantly. Just sayin’.

So, FWIW that’s my $.02 but it’s based on 50 years plus of buying and selling gear. You’ll never be sorry if you always buy the very best you can afford.

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Yeah thats great advice for sure.

I would also say that people think they want flat response - generally this is the last thing I would want in a bass amp (though near the top for keyboards.) If I am monitoring or using something like a PA, I definitely want an amp/cab sim.

Flat just sounds… flat

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Few of us run our rigs completely flat yet it’s better these days to have a rig that’s as uncolored as you can buy as many players are using preamps, hi pass and lo pass filters, and other effects that sound best through amps that are more transparent.

In many cases amps with graphic EQs have been replaced by those with contour controls to shape the basic voicing and either sweepable mid controls of individual hi and lo mid controls to tweak that voicing. IME bass rigs have undergone a real renaissance over the past decade or so.

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That’s why I like Genzler. They are neutral. They sound like your bass. In another word they are like a direct box sound. Although, there’s the blue and amber choice of tone built in modern or vintage. My playlists consists of clean bass tone and the effects used are usually reverb on a Fretless and of course compression. The “effect” I like on the bass sometimes is the envelope effect the Boss autowah is perfect for that occasion.

Never say never but the last amp I’d buy is the Darkglass. Not only I had bad experience with their pedal, digging around their software, I couldn’t find a good tone I want to use in the studio or live. It’s not the genre of music I play.

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I’ve only had positive experiences with Darkglass. Their amps offer different tones. Alpha/Omega sounds distinct from the Microtubes. I can’t imagine anyone disliking the B3K or Vintage preamp.

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I bought an element pedal it was a defect unit it kept cycling through modes and each time it sends spikes of volume through my headphones. Contacted the dealer and Darkglass.

Darkglass cut and pasted a portion of the manual to me as a solution for my issue. Again I replied with specific symptom again they sent me manual. They couldn’t bother to help me I returned the pedal and pretty much stopped looking at their products. They don’t need my money and money of anyone I know. :joy:

Darkglass is a luxury company their products are premium with premium price tags. The minimum requirement is functional products. Sadly they are also a non essential company, which means they are the first thing people stop buying when economy drops and last to recover when economy rebounds. If the top management don’t understand that and train people accordingly. Keep making unhappy customers like me it’s not great for their business. :triumph:

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I think a few folks here found similar issues with the Element, which appears used a lot for very little $, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water here, @howard is right. My B7K preamp pedal is amazing amazing amazing. Versatile from just eq and or klang to all the grittiness one would want. All their preamps are insanely good. Element just wasn’t a great proposition.

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Right there with you. Once I can sell my current Epifani 212 cab I’ll add a lighter weight Genzler 112 to the MG350 Combo.

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Thanks @John_E I appreciate that. I respect and value your opinion

It’s truly sad that it happened. I did get their noise gate with your recommendation but it’s one of those things I could not get pass. I blind buy many products, some are great some are not but most companies stand behind their products and customers service. There’s no secret that I’d try anything and bought many.

So far only 2 companies got on my stop looking list. Darkglass and Hipshots. Hipshots was even worse they have the product I ordered through their dealer sitting on the shelf despite several phone calls directly to then explaining I my situation and I was waiting for the tuners to complete my build they made me wait 4 months for it, best bass gear overnight the tuners as soon as they got them. No more Hipshots on my mods since.

No companies can love their customers if they don’t love themselves first, on the opposite end of spectrum if they love themselves so much and don’t take care of their customers they can go e’ff themselves. :joy:

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