power amps - will any amp do?

[FH Bill]

Hey everyone-

 

I'm a relatively new bass player (our band had 2 guitar players and a keyboard player, so I got moved to bass)...I started playing a little Crate practice amp since we were mainly doing some small shows. Now it's time for me to build my own rig and was looking for some advice.

 

I have my hands on a SansAmp RBI preamp (which I've heard great things about), as well as a cab (our soundman will build one, I have full faith that it will rock hard). The only thing I'm missing is a power amp.

 

Where do I go about finding a power amp? Do I just use any PA-style amp as long as the wattage is what I'm looking for? I've only ever played on combo amps but I'm looking for something with more versatility.

 

Thanks for any help you can give me,

 

Bill

[JD_dup2]

Amps made by different manufacturers can sound different. There are higher and lower quality components that can be used and each has an impact on the quality of the sound. If you stick to the better quality units you should be happy with any of them.

[FH Bill]

Okay, so I guess my real question is...

 

When looking for a power amp, do I need to go hunt down a BASS power amp? Or do I just go to the music store/catalog/website/whatever and look for the same kind of power amps that are in a PA system?

 

Sorry if this question is basic, I've just never had experience with this kind of rig before.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

one thing you might try is going to a music store and listening to a CD you're familiar with through the same speakers with many different power amps. take notes about which ones have the deepest, most physical bass, and which ones sound natural in the midrange. do any of them sound brittle or harsh or crispy in the high end?

 

also playing bass through many different amps with your bass and flat EQ settings through the same cabinet can help you guage what you like, but it's not as informative as listening to CDs.

 

it also helps to answer questions before you go there, like "how many watts do you need?" and "what's your budget?" that will help you look at only amps you can afford. it's fun to listen to the billy badass 2000, but the grass is always greener, so you may not be particularly satisfied with your own choice once you make it.

 

this is a case where it matters and it doesn't. you're a beginner so you may not notice the nuance that a more experienced player knows to look for. most of what you're looking at will be perfectly adequate and largely undistinguishable from each other -- you have a 90% chance of randomly choosing exactly what you need. but you have to try a bunch of different amps because that 10% chance of buying something really terrible exists. in the end, though, i think you're very likely to buy what you think you need and what will last you for as long as you want it to. good luck and have fun!

 

robb.

[dcr]

For what it's worth, I used to play through a Peavey "Bassist" preamp into a generic Peavey power amp, 550 watts/channel x 2 channels. It worked just fine. It had plenty of power & then some, & had a very clear, clean, uncolored sound to it. As robb suggested, it's important to get a good power amp, one with all the power you'll need, & within your budget, but I wouldn't say it has to be a bass-specific power amp.

[BenLoy]

PA Power Amps are designed to amplify a full range signal, so they work quite well.

 

That being said, some sound better for bass amplification than others. I use a Stewart power amp and love the sound.

 

Other popular brands include Mackie, Crown, and QSC.

 

Check out a plethora of Power Amp reviews at The Bass Gear Review Archive.

[ClarkW]

Don't get a Mackie. I didn't know that mine required a +4dB input or whatever, and so now I've got to figure out what extra junk I have to put in my signal chain to make it perform the way it should. Until then, sometimes I'm barely able to keep up with the rest of the band, even when I've maxed every volume knob I have. And that just shouldn't happen with a 1400 watt power amp and a 2x10 + 1x15 setup.

[SteveC]

I'm very happy with my QSC PLX 1602.

[_Sweet Willie_]

Originally posted by ClarkW:

Don't get a Mackie. I didn't know that mine required a +4dB input or whatever, and so now I've got to figure out what extra junk I have to put in my signal chain to make it perform the way it should. Until then, sometimes I'm barely able to keep up with the rest of the band, even when I've maxed every volume knob I have. And that just shouldn't happen with a 1400 watt power amp and a 2x10 + 1x15 setup.

Something about this doesn't sound right to me. Two comments:

 

1. Bumpcity has been pleased w/ his Mackie, and has been getting plenty o' power from it -- without "extra junk".

 

2. Some power amps do require a hotter preamp signal than others to achieve full power. The preamp output spec and power amp input spec are usually available at manufacturers' websites. (Maybe robb., or C. Alex, or someone else will be able to explain how this works in slightly more detail w/ numerical examples?)

 

ClarkW, I feel like you posted a prior thread about having some misgivings about the power output of your rig. If so, you might want to bump that thread to the top again to see if we can give you some more and/or better advice. If not, you might want to post a new thread about it, and other Mackie users might have some ideas for you.

 

Peace.

[rumpelstiltskin.]

some preamps do not adequately drive poweramps with less input sensitivity. QSC and mackie have been known to have issues; most crowns are switchable down to .7V (0dBu or -3dBV). there is a mod that can be done to QSCs to make them more sensitive, but anyone who isn't getting enough power from their QSCs can do the research for that.

 

it's possible that your particular preamp does not drive your mackie very well. buyer beware. still, as much as i don't think the mackie M14000i is particularly noteworthy, i don't think it's necessarily the mackie's problem, either. i certainly wouldn't call them shit.

 

robb.