adz Posted October 7, 2001 Share Posted October 7, 2001 I am currently debating whether or not to actually buy my first bass combo (Ampeg B-100R). I was thinking that instead of buying an amp i would buy a good DI Box, amp simulator (like the Bass Pod for example) or something along those lines. I mean do i really need an amp nowadays?? When you play a gig most of the time you can plug straight into the PA and when recording you hardly ever need an amp (and if you do the studio usually owns a decent amp anyway). So i guess the only time it's essential to have an amp is when your practicing... so is it really worth having an amp?? adz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzzzz Posted October 7, 2001 Share Posted October 7, 2001 I like having an amp if for no other reason you're not totally at the mercy of the pa.I guess if you don,t have an amp you could put bass through the monitor much to the singer's disapproval.If I were you I'd definantly get a good bass amp for more tonal and volume control.Just my $.02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Poff Posted October 7, 2001 Share Posted October 7, 2001 If you are performing EVERY time with a compitent sound man and professional gear, it could work. But I wouldn't want to do it. Having an amp on stage is like a security blanket. If you need something, especially in mid song, an onstage amp is much more handy than trying to get your soundman to make eq or volume changes for you. Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Addicott Posted October 7, 2001 Share Posted October 7, 2001 I would say... AMP! First of all, I think it's a good idea to practice with a real amp. I practiced unplugged for many years before getting an amp, and it kind of messed up my "touch" on the electric. IMHO, hearing your signal amplified is an important part of develloping a good rapport with the instrument. Secondly, having an amp is a good idea, onstage. As others have mentioned, you never know what kind of PA and/or soundman you'll have to deal with. I do use the PA on some gigs, but I also encounter plenty of situations where I'd be screwed without an amp. And then, there's rehearsals! So, if anything happens to my amps, I'll be replacing them in a big hurry. But that's just me... Jeff Addicott http://www.jeffnet.org/~addicott/bass.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thumper_dup2 Posted October 8, 2001 Share Posted October 8, 2001 This is really not an either/or question. The reality is that depending on the gigs you do both have their place. However, my experience is that even when you are going through mains for the audience sound, it is a good idea to park an actual bass amp right back behind the drummer. That is much better for locking in than relying on the monitor feed. Plus, a lot of clubs, at least in my neck of the woods, don't want a whole ton of volume. For those situations, my regular band has gone back to using rather small mains just for vocals and using the amps on stage for the audience mix. Roots! For a DI, I've been very happy over the last few years using an ART MP-1. It gives a nice tube tone for the amp input and can simultaneously provide a nice tube signal for the board. Excellent tool! - pt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike H. Posted October 8, 2001 Share Posted October 8, 2001 I myself prefer and amplifier on stage. Depending on the gig, I have a small SWR Workingman 10; or for larger gigs and SWR Bass 350 head and 4x10. The only time I would go with just a preamp like the POD, would be if I knew the monitor system was going to be really good so I could hear myself. The other time would be for a direct recording purpose. The way I see it is that I can't go wrong with what's already proven to work. http://www.identity5.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Thorne Posted October 8, 2001 Share Posted October 8, 2001 Amp, for all the reasons previously mentioned. Besides, speakers have "voices", and form an integral part of one's sound. Get a amp, drop a mic in front of that puppy, pi** off the keyboard player (my wife, in my case...). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted October 8, 2001 Share Posted October 8, 2001 Amp, for the reasons stated. Your bass is only half of what you play, the amp is the other half, the amp and the bass interact acoustically at anything louder than practice volumes and the touch and tone change. In my world, much of the time the PA's on stage with me are bring-your-own, small, and for vocals only, as are the monitors. No way they can cope with bass. Having a full blown sound rig and a sound-person is not universal. Also curious how one can jam or practice with other real live musicians without an amp... Personally I am not part of the elite players with major chops, and neither are my friends and fellow musicians, and we have to spend a lot of time practicing compared to time spent gigging or recording! This message has been edited by Ben on 10-07-2001 at 09:26 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted October 8, 2001 Share Posted October 8, 2001 hello. In 35 years of gigging, rehearsing, etc., I can count the number of times when I did not need an amp on one hand. Most of those five times were for an elaborate show where I personally knew the sound man and there were separate monitor mixes for everyone. IMHO, monitors should be reserved for the vocalists. When you play in a club with a PA, you are totally at the mercy of the sound man. You need an amp to hear yourself and to assure that the rest of the band can hear you. On most gigs that I play, the band brings the sound system. Unless you own the sound system and it is quite large and expensive, the typical band sound system cannot really handle the bass and you won't hear yourself on stage. But you'll find this all out in a hurry the first time you are invited to a rehearsal and show up without an amp. Jeremy Cohen ------------------ http://home.jps.net/~jeremy/basspage.html Please note that I have a new web address. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Griffith Posted October 8, 2001 Share Posted October 8, 2001 One more vote for an amp. For starters, it's a good thing to have for practice, although i've gone through a PA for practices too, but the amp is louder (if necessary), clearer, and sounds better than a PA. As far as gigs go, unless you're playing a big club with a sound system, not all bars have a house PA, and it's always better to run your bass through an amp rather than through your band's powered mixer or something. And I'll go one further & support your decision to buy the B-100R. I own one & couldn't be happier with it. It sounds great, the eq on it is pretty versatile, and it has plenty of bark for it's 100 watts. If you need more power, mic it or it has a 1/4" line out so you can run it into the house. I've only had to do this a couple times, usually it's got more than enough power for the gig. Peace, ~Ryan Regards, ~Griff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brianrost Posted October 8, 2001 Share Posted October 8, 2001 Originally posted by adz: do i really need an amp nowadays?? When you play a gig most of the time you can plug straight into the PA I hear this a lot and just am amazed that people say this. I'm not sure what gigs you do where there is always a large PA. After 20 years of gigging, easily 50% (if not more) of my gigs require me using an amp rather than DIing into the PA. Unless you want to borrow or rent amps forever, buy one. You DO need at least one amp of your own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted October 8, 2001 Share Posted October 8, 2001 Amp. Like others have said, my experience with (small) sound systems is that they are not equiped for bass. One group I play with uses the sound system for the keyboard, vocals and some miked instruments (violin, etc.). If I got in there, it would muddy up the lot, and since we are carrying the system to different places, I can usually position my amp so that it "fits in" with the sound coming from the system. I also second the "jamming" and "you need to hear yourself, even at home" ideas. I don't have a small combo at the moment, so I can't advise on the Ampeg. Just shop around thoroughly (unless the Ampeg is a special deal). I've seen a big difference in sound between Ampeg and some of the other products on the market. When my time comes, I'll probably pick something other than Ampeg. Having said thta, plenty of people here at the Bass Station have had very good results. Shop and decide...and good luck !! Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Henry8x8 Posted October 16, 2001 Share Posted October 16, 2001 Another vote for Amp. My amp is a very important part of my sound, esp. my speaker cabinet. I spent alot of time and money on this amp, and I prefer it's sound to the sound of almost every house PA I've ever been plugged in to. If possible, I'd much rather have the sound man mic my cab, than run through a DI. I have no comment on the Ampeg B-100R. I've never tried one. ------------------ |O O| |O O| |O O| |O O| |O O| |O O| |O O| |O O| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.