Advice for a Bass uber noob

[Mr Grumpy]

OK - need a bit of advice. Have just acquired a cheapo bass off ebay (a Freshman P-Bass copy) as I feel a distinct urge to try the 4 string dark side. Problem is, Im using it at low volumes into my Vox AD30 on the bassman model, its ok but you cant turn it up much. I need either a bass practice amp (about 15W, cant be to big because mrs Grumpy will get, well, grumpier than usual) or maybe a Behringer Bass V-amp. I used to have a guitar V-amp but I had a big gear clear out when I got the vox and got rid, which I regretted almost instantly. Dont want to spend too much so its either the V amp/phones/powered monitors or something like a Marshall MB15/Ashdown after 8/Crate BT15/Kustom KBA16/Warwick blue cab 15.

I dont gig at all yet but do a bit of jamming with a couple of guys, I use a bass cube 30 which I find is easily loud enough.

I throw it open to the experts.....


BTW - I really like bass - I can already feel an upgrade schedule for next year.

[t_ross33]

I'd invest in a small bass amp. Look for one that has a DI out so you can connect to a PA etc. if you ever go down the gig'n road and headphones/line out for practicing at home. That should be good nuff for jammin' and small gigs.

I've always been warned about playing bass thru a guitar amp - pretty easy to blow a speaker, even at moderate volume.

Trev

[Mr Grumpy]

Ive been doing a bit of research and am leaning toward the Marshall MB15 - has all the above for £69 in the UK, about $140 USD. The thing putting me off a modeller, much as I loved my V Amp, is the fact that th eamp is just plug and go - all those gizmos on the V amp would end up being twiddled with, rather than practice.

Looking at something like an Ibanez GSR bass too, fancy a reasonable J bass style. I cant find out much about my Freshman P Bass copy - anyone ever encountered them? I paid £24 on ebay! and its surprisingly good after a bit of a tweak and TLC.

[pie_man_25]

my few pieces of advice from as far as I've been on the road:

1) with amps, behringer is a BAD choice for bass, they cheap out on a lot of hardware and overrate their power supplies.
2)if you're just playing with friends/at clubs you'd want a reasonable combo or small stack, like the warwick pro fet 3.2, which has 150 watts into 8 ohms and a headphone jack.
(make sure if you're drummer has a real set that it is at least 100 watts)
3) DI = BAD
4)ALWAYS check out pawn shops, you can get great gear at a great price and is in a slightly blemished but otherwise perfect condition.

also, if you want a nice upgrade bass:

squier vintage modified series is great, epiphone is not worth it, standard fender if you can afford it. and the Ibanez SR series is good, but generally screams "I don't know anything about bass", mostly because only beginners use them.

[LowEndWonder]

You Got a Cube 30, there's your practice amp.
If you're going to gig you need at least a 200 watter 1X15 to start off, then if your going to add extension speakers take it from there. A 200 watt 1X15 with a horn should pull you through just about anything though. As far as practice amps goes, 30 watts should be the minimum and a 1X10 configuration the minimum.
I use a 50 watter for practice with a 1X12 configuration.
Anything less than 30 watts for bass is going to sound like crap, and you won't hear the nuances of your bass. Remember, everything for bass is three times as big!
A 30 watt guitar amp is actually loud, but a 30 watt bass amp isin't nothing. You need a 100 watt bass amp to compete with a 30 watt guitar amp.

[pie_man_25]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]
Anything less than 30 watts for bass is going to sound like crap, and you won't hear the nuances of your bass. Remember, everything for bass is three times as big!
A 30 watt guitar amp is actually loud, but a 30 watt bass amp isin't nothing. You need a 100 watt bass amp to compete with a 30 watt guitar amp.

+1, a good, powerful bass amp is essential.

[aeolian]

Although I have had a bass for more than 5 years now I play like a beginner. I got a bass for recording purposes and don't spend nearly enough time on it to get decent.

As I see it you have the bass cube 30 for jamming, so you really only need a solution for practice at home? If that is the case I think your own suggestion of the Bass V-amp is a good one. I have a J-Station which has 3 bass amp sims and I do my recording through it (I don't actually own a bass amp at all). Reading through the Bass V-amp specs I see that it has aux input so you can play the bass along to CD or other sound sources; that is exactly the piece that is missing with me with the J-Station. With the V-amp Mrs. Grumpy can be happy (all of a sudden, I'm seeing visions of the 7 dwarfs), and you can practice all you want.

[LowEndWonder]

Mr. Grumpy, I love the avatar! Cool!