Bass Gear...

[Paan]

I know we had some posts on this in the past. But I am in a situation where I need to upgrade my gear to 'playing live' level fairly quickly. I don't really know the gear very well, so does anybody have any recommondations on what is good, and what to stay away from. I am looking for a 3 to 4 hundred watt amp minimum, and don't really know the accessories needed either. I don't really have an amount to spend in mind at this point, but I will probably know the gear I want when I hear it. I am probably going to buy used if possible. I do have a 6-string Washburn and 100Watt Crate amp that I am going to sell or trade.

I do have several of the bass sites that I am looking at, but as usual on the Web, information-overload, so I thought I'd ask around here.

And if you, or somebody you know has any for sale, let me know.

Cheers!

Edited April 16, 2007 by Guest

[AcidNintendoOrgan]

Pretty vague question (I didn't mean to sound condesending there), but it depends on the sound you and your mates are trying to achieve. To quote Mike Watt....."Ball Hog or Tugboat?" Are you a slapper, jazzhead, situational, or playing the part of the dude from Crazy Horse?

I'm just guessing (someone correct me here).....but I bet you could get by with a WAY smaller wattage combo/ head and cabinet ((cheaper $$$ than huge) try AMPEG...they normally sound lovely) that has a kick ass sound that YOU are looking for and buy a nice microphone (which will come in huge when you establish yourself and start playing the ARENA gigs)......Sennheiser has nice Dynamic Mics for instrument amps that won't "kill" your pocket book. Just remember ANYTHING musical that has QUALITY(I know that's relative) is gonna cost you. At least as far as my income goes.

It's really too bad you have to "rush" to get this shit together. It seems to me a great sound is built over time

[AcidNintendoOrgan]

Sorry, I really don'y know why most of that was in italics. I previewed it and it looked fine.

[ersh]

I recommend ACOUSTIC amps all the way. My two main bass players play them - amazing sound. You can find the heads for anywhere from $200 and up.

http://acoustic.homeunix.net/twiki/bin/view/Acoustic/WebHome

I owned this head, and I greatly regret selling it.

[SaggyBalls]

I got my combo for about $600 and am totally glad that I did. It fills a little jamspace nicely and is really mobile (albeit heavy for a 1x10...but the speaker has a heavy magnet) and if you set yourself up with (rent for gigs?) a 4 ohm cabinet pluged in there it turns into a 500 watt amp.

It is digital but not full of effects like some cheesy toy.

EQ, Compressor, Noise Gate, Effects Loop, Balanced and Line outs, +4/-10 dB switch for proper voltage, and I think it was designed to be suitable for international gigging.

It is endorsed by nathan east if that matters and it can be bi-amped nicely with another yamaha head.

It's a totally useful little bass rig that sounds great and performs. You shouldn't have any trouble getting a good deal on it.

Digital Amp

however, 'ersh has a great point that there are a lot of sweet sounding old rigs that work really well for cheap. Acoustic stuff is fantastic, so are old traynor and garnet amps if they're beefy enough for you.

here's a trick I sometimes use for trying out amps...when you're setting levels for playing loud turn your instrument volume down. then try the amp out playing quietly -- you can pump the instrument volume and see how much headroom there is for your dynamics.

if you can make your quiet playing nice and full and also get a great loud rock tone then you've got something you can use for gigs and jamming alike.

[dark_starr]

It's really too bad you have to "rush" to get this shit together. It seems to me a great sound is built over time

Bang on... your tone is something that you develop--and will continue to develop--for as long as you play the bass.

That said, for my money the best all-round amps are Ampegs. If you can afford a B-series head you'll get all of the power and versaltility that you'll probably ever need, regardless of the size of stage that you're playing on. I own one; it's married to an Ampeg 410-HLF cabinet. It sounds great with either my Modulus or my Precision. Articulate, beefy, dynamic, punchy... and if I want, as loud as hell.

I also agree with setting some coin aside to purchase a top-notch mic and DI box. You'd be amazed at the number of clubs where the sound guy only gives you a piece of crap DI to plug into. If you spend time and money caring what your sound is like, make sure that the people that come and see you will get to hear it, too. Get an industry-standard SM-57 and a Countryman DI box... and if the sound guy has the imputs available on his board, insist that he devotes two channels to you and run them both.

Edited April 20, 2007 by Guest

[dark_starr]

Oh... and get yourself a good compressor, too. I actually use a Symetrix 528E Voice Processor; the compressor is nice and quick, and the unit also includes a variable 3-band EQ that will really help you sweeten your sound or get rid of those nasty low-end rings that can muddy your tone in most clubs.

[Paan]

Thanks for the info folks, I've had to do alot of learning all around in this area lately.

I am going to read these over in detail and try-out the gear in the stores. But basically what I decided to do for the next couple of months is just rent when I have to, and take my time on deciding what sound and set-up I like before buying.

A compressor is definitely on my list.

Thanks again!

[Paan]

... and ohhh boy, I can't wait! I love shopping for instruments, like a kid in a candy store in those places.

Edited April 20, 2007 by Guest

[dark_starr]

Renting a variety of gear and trying it out in real-world situations is always a good way to go. Much like a car, it's always nice to have a test drive first!

[richbass]

amp is all dependand on how you want to sound, just try them all and im sure you'll find something you like. I can recommend fender bass though can't go wrong, either jazz or p-bass. But it's all personal preference......

[SaggyBalls]

I'm just guessing (someone correct me here).....but I bet you could get by with a WAY smaller wattage combo/ head and cabinet ((cheaper $$$ than huge) try AMPEG...they normally sound lovely) that has a kick ass sound that YOU are looking for and buy a nice microphone (which will come in huge when you establish yourself and start playing the ARENA gigs)......Sennheiser has nice Dynamic Mics for instrument amps that won't "kill" your pocket book.

yeah...I have to correct you on this one.

When a bass player brings a big rig it's not there to power the room. That's what the PA is for. THAT is the reason it is crucial to have a great sounding Mic or DI. Many amps have Direct Outs built in.

Size makes a huge difference. It really does matter for Stage Volume - if you want the band to feel your lines then you will need an amp that is louder than you need. Don't play it louder than you need to mind you, but if YOU can play loudly then everyone else can and there's one less thing to hold you back onstage.

Smaller combo amps are great for practicing and tiny jam spaces. They pretty much need quiet drummers and other musicians with small amps - You will never get a big full sound out of a lower wattage bass amp when playing with others unless you're all playing very quietly or have your stage sound worked out so as to not compete with anybody else's frequency spectrum, AND to support and thicken other folks' lines with sympathetic tones. This takes a lot of time for most musicians to really get.

Low Wattage guitar amps can really kick out some sound and cut through a stage because the force needed to move ait at higher frequencies is much lower.

think about it this way: a sound wave that is a low frequency can easily be 30 feet long - for one repetition of the sound wave. A bigger sound wave takes more energy to produce and push than a 5 foot midrange wave that your ear can actually hear more easily anyway.

If you want a nasaly distortion/fuzz tone then a smaller amp may work but if you are at all into big full tone with a heavy bottom from time to time then save your money and get a bigger rig. I waited until I could get an amp that was at least 250 watts and I could gig with or take to a jamspace.

I'm Glad to have waited. I almost bought a great big behringer head and cheap cabinet to be able to turn up my quiet, or gotten by with used gear but settling for used gear to save money just wouldn't be fair to myself.

I will second the call to Fender. I've played a lot of basses and I still love the tone I get out of my 5 string mexican Jazz more than most basses up to the $2000 mark. It's what I learned on, they are built like tanks, and can be very attainable. there are a lot of copycats out there but don't be afraid to try them if they're seemingly expensive. Tokai used to make fenders better than fender...then got sued, so they changed their designs. Ibanez used to make gibsins better than Gibson, got sued, and then made guitars better than both...for a short time. The only full sized Neck Through Semi-Hollow body with fender scale I've ever seen was an old Ibanez...see? instruments can really get you off-topic.

Amplifiers are ultimitely key. You can make a shitty bass stink no more with a great amp while a sweet bass through piddly tone will just feel nicer to play.

If you have a bass already but need a biger amp then don't get carried away with a total rig overhaul. You might only need a tune-up to make your bass rattle a room with some fat lows and still kick out tight.

If you can't go high-end just yet I have to recommend Yorkville.

They're workhorses and not at all hard to find.

Just remember ANYTHING musical that has QUALITY(I know that's relative) is gonna cost you. At least as far as my income goes.

not exactly. High-end gear costs a lot of money. Take your time, rent when you have to, and take advantage of financing if need be. I totally lucked out on my amp. It cost me $600. My bass was just more than that, and of course straps, cables, and cases...

Good luck with your rig, dude. I hope you like your tone as much as I love mine.

[Paan]

Well, think I am getting close here. I have been trying out alot of gear, and found some used gear at Songbird that I really like.

Its an old Traynor tube head, combined with a David Eden 4x10 700w cabinet. The sound and tone is beautiful. I have it on hold right now, but I think that this is what I may be going with. Just checking out a few others in the mean time.

[briguy]

Well, think I am getting close here. I have been trying out alot of gear, and found some used gear at Songbird that I really like.

Its an old Traynor tube head, combined with a David Eden 4x10 700w cabinet. The sound and tone is beautiful. I have it on hold right now, but I think that this is what I may be going with. Just checking out a few others in the mean time.

That sounds like it sounds excellent.

[Buck Bacock]

I've been playing Ashdown amps for about 7 years (ABM 500 with 4X8 and 1X15 cabs) and loved that for years. With almost 1000 gigs under it's belt, it finally started to die. Ashdown service isn't that great in Canada since they're a realatively new British company.

I just got an Ampeg B-200, and what a sound! Awesome built in D.I., and rated (way low) at 200 watts, this thing almost as loud and just as clear as my old 500 watt beast. And a third of the price, size and weight.

my two cents