Comments on: Bass Amp Set Ups

By: S&y

S&y — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 21:51:39 +0000

I started with a Hartke Kickback 15. It sounds good & is very durable. It has a quiet DI & functions well as a stage monitor. After 8 years of moderate use, the input jack & pots are getting cranky. I use it as a 2nd amp for house jams & in my studio.

I replaced it with an AI Clarus SL. At 150 w into 8 Ohms (250 w into 4 Ohms) and 30 ounces (!) + a very quiet DI, It fits in my gig bag with all the wires I need. I play through a GK 112MBX which weighs 12 lbs (Neodimium 12″ speaker in an un-ported steel cabinet). It too is a good small venue rig or stage monitor.

I am in Metro Boston & can come & go on public transport. I load in/out on foot with everything, I use a luggage cart if there is a long walk.

I use a Multi-FX pedal to massage the sound as needed. I can’t hear the difference between tube & solid state amps & am not willing to carry a lot of heavy, sometimes expensive gear around in a car too big for the rest of my life.

I find amplifiers are at least as personal as bass guitars. Each of us seems to focus in on the things that are most important & adjust to the situations, music & players we encounter. It’s no surprise to me there are so many choices & opinions. I like it that way.

By: Ahmed Abaza

Ahmed Abaza — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:21:11 +0000

Hey all,
I a new bassist ,and I have some problems setting up the sound of the bass amp I am using. I use a behringer3000A 2 channel amp.It has 7 sliders for equalizers some times it sounds very good, and at other times it sound terrible,I don’t know why?? any advice.I am using an AXL bass with 1 tone knob.

By: Ampless Bass Set Up | The Bass Guitar Blog

Ampless Bass Set Up | The Bass Guitar Blog — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:23:13 +0000

[...] thought of playing without an Amp? The last set up in the Bass Amp Set Ups list is one that doesn’t use an amp at all – the ampless set up. Actually there is an [...]

By: In-ear monitors - Future Sonics

In-ear monitors - Future Sonics — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:45:36 +0000

[...] I’ll write up the complete “amp-free” set up in the next post (completing the Bass Amp Set Ups posts), but first let’s talk about what I found when I tried out the Atrio in-ear [...]

By: Bass Reflex - Ported Cabinets

Bass Reflex - Ported Cabinets — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:25:34 +0000

[...] speaker cabinets for a while, I promise! Completing the mini-series that started by talking about Bass Amp Set Ups and covered open back designs and closed back designs. The main type of cabinet design in use [...]

By: Bass Amp Cab Design - Open Back Design

Bass Amp Cab Design - Open Back Design — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 08:00:53 +0000

[...] A little while about Mark Wright of Accugroove shared some excellent advice in: Choosing a Bass Cab – Part I and Choosing a Bass Cab – Part II. The next couple of posts add a little bit of background about the different designs of cabinet, to take away the mystery of the shapes that you see around, and follow on from the post on Bass Amp Set Ups . [...]

By: Clark

Clark — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 18:23:43 +0000

I would chime in and say that in contemporary music bass is so rich and defined wether a very sub sort of sound or a clicky pick tone that all parts of your rig should be important. For example some better cables like Mogami or Monster etc. are an inexpensive way to improve your rig of any configuration. I also suggest a added boost box between your bass and your amp like the ones made by Demeter, Sans amp, Xotic, or Aguilar which for a few hundred dollars can make a huge difference. If you check out the bass set-ups of huge touring players most have multiple stage signal chains with many essential components between bass and speaker. Also try an on floor isolater like the ones Auralex($40) makes that will keep your sound tons more consistent from room to room.

By: Bass Combos

Bass Combos — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:02:28 +0000

[...] to Jemimah Knight (@jemimah_knight) for setting me off down this path. Of all of the Bass Amp Set Ups, the bass combo has a history and richness of variety that could fill several [...]

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 15:57:11 +0000

@Brian – I’ve only played through an old Bassman once. I really loved the sound – a very specific tone. That’s a wonderful piece of vintage kit you have there! 2×12 seems to be an even more popular set up than I thought.

@Bry I haven’t tried an SWR 200, but I have tried some others. With a modern speaker, a 1×12 can be fine for bass – as long as it isn’t a big venue or overly load band.

By: Bry In Sanford

Bry In Sanford — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 20:05:12 +0000

Has anyone tried those SWR 200 Watt combo amps with
a single 12? Do they sound any good?
That looks like a really good transportable set up.
If the sound is good, then it might make a nice, compact
package for small top medium gigs or to run it
as your monitor when going throuhg a DI to the
P.A. system…. anyone tried that? Or other medium
sized combo rigs?
By the way I tried out the Nemesis combos and didn’t
like the sound. I know other folks think they
are great. Maybe it was just me, but comparing them
with other equipment in the store (Bass Central in FL)
they just didn’t hold up well.

By: Brian Sharples

Brian Sharples — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 18:15:58 +0000

I started out with a 1974 Fender Bassman modular setup (still have it), a 100 watt head on a 4×12 cabinet. The cabinet weighs 50 pounds and the head weighs 54 pounds. Looking for something lighter I went to a Fender BXR100 combo amp (still have it as well). Now I’ve gone back to modular with a Genz Benz NeoPak 3.5 with a Genz Benz 2x12T cabinet. I like the idea of modular because of the ability to mix and match.

By: Benjamin

Benjamin — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:32:46 +0000

Bry, I like the idea of ‘anything that makes the right noise’ – of course it does need to be transportable and durable too! Aguilar 2×12 is a good call – I have one of those sitting behind me, for bigger gigs.

By: Bry In Sanford

Bry In Sanford — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:25:17 +0000

Interesting comments. Of course, anything that makes the right noise you want will be fine, but try a few amps
and/or cabinets in the store first and make sure you will be happy. We all have different tastes when it comes to amp rigs.
I use a seperate amp head and speaker – Warwick PRO FET 5.1 and Aguilar 2 X 12″ but I have seen some very decent combo amps too.