Are Bass Amps Still Relevant?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- In this video, I'm asking the question: are bass amps still relevant? And the answer is...
Whether you're a beginner looking for a affordable beginner bass amp, or a seasoned bass player looking for an upgrade, bass amps are still a great option. In this video, we'll take a look at some of the best bass amp features that have become common amongst most bass amps on the market, that keeps them relevant. So if you're wondering if bass amps are still relevant, this is the video you need to watch!
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Feeling the bass is the best part about playing bass!
Amen to that brother : )
🔥🔥💯
I second that Amen!!! There's nothing better than feeling the notes pass through air and hitting your ears...it's not the same with headphones..
I so agree!! With that said, I'm in my 50's so, while feeling it is important, portability and in-ears are starting to look better everyday. :)
I guess I'm the only one or maybe I'm just old School lol but I will still take my gk700rb and RBH 410 cab to most of my gigs and rock out. It has nothing to do with wanting to be louder than everyone else. I love having that low-end sound coming from that rig. It creates a stage experience that can be felt. Rock on everyone! 🎶🎵 🎸 🤘♥️
I have an identical rig, and lugging that 98lb cab (or two) is ALWAYS worth it to me
@@mattcastiglia7535 yes!! the bi-amp options on that rig is CRAZY good lol
Yes, stage volume is crucial!
I love a good massage from a couple of 15s and a 4x10...
...but when you play a big festival of stadium gig, you'll be using (or wish you were using) in ear monitors.
Especially when your bass tech has a violent case of diarrhea and you have to manage the columns of Stone Henge all on your own, on a very limited time budget.
Trust me, that guy running sound won't be giving you extra time because he understands your predicament.
That being said, small gigs with little to no PA... Bass amp all the way.
Yessir With just the pedal on live gigs, you are at the mercy of whatever sound system is provided
I recently picked up the smaller Boss Katana 110 bass combo amp, and I feel like it's the only amp I'll ever need. It can get surprisingly loud, has drive and compression built in (along with most effects I'd need like chorus, octaver, delay, filter env), and has a DI out that works with the cab emulation.
I use the headphone out for home practice, and with the Bluetooth features, my tablet can stream audio to it for backing tracks, playalongs, or metronome. You can also switch between presets with the mobile app and go in-depth to all the settings, which works well if you don't have a foot switch.
Unfortunately it's a bit heavy at 37lbs/17kg, which makes it less practical than a DI box for gigging. But still lighter than most huge amps and cabs people go for.
In my opinion it doesn't make sense to have an amp any bigger than the one in your video. You don't need to fill a stadium with your amp any more, let the PA do the heavy lifting and use your amp as a personal monitor. There are plenty of gigs that you don't need an amp at all as long as you have a good preamp/DI and you trust the sound engineer.
This is the way! I used to run sound at a 275 cap club and bands would show up with Marshall 4x12 stacks and Ampeg 8x10 fridges, and it was absolute overkill. Guitarists only need a 1x12, and bassist only need a 2x10 or a 1x15 at 99% of gigs.
Would you believe Stanley Clarke used about 7 amps on stage,,, at the same time? Did you know he uses a Marshall guitar amp for his hi tone pickups, did you know that one of the amps drives a18 inch speaker under the stage…do you know how many amps a series 2 Alembic can drive? Do you know about the five pin stereo electronics? Music is art. Just like I don’t listen to music performance that becomes a hit and all the guy uses is his iPhone and trap beats…. I could only imagine Bootsy without amps. He runs one amp clean and put the effects on the other and plays stereo.
@@saustindavis Yeah... you must have a quiet drummer.
Well what if the venue has garbage monitoring or mains? I will still haul around my ampeg svt 4x10 cab and rack mount rig. I also have a Darkglass DI/preamp.
@@tbirdpunk acoustic or eDrums? Or both :-)
yes... yes they are for me. I don't care how big the pa is, a floor wedge is not a bass amp and not designed to be one. Not a fan of IEM's but they can work okay if you okay with that headphones no low end sound. For me part of the point is to feel it and when that's gone and guitar amps are screaming on stage while acoustic drums are booming in your ears, you're just tinking on some strings representing low end pretending to be bass.
Why play bass if you don't want to feel it? Yes real amps are still relevant. How else am I going to rattle the pictures throughout the house? Will your family even know that you practice? 🤘🏻
You can’t beat a good little bass combo. The clue is in the name. Matching amp to speaker. The oldies are the best. Fenders, older Peaveys, they have a matched round sound that’s totally reliable. I’ve never owned a big cabinet, if I can’t carry it by myself it’s too big!
I just can’t imagine doing a gig without an amp pumping out the bass behind me. 4x10 forever 👍
Yup, same here.
Absolutely!!
4x10 😀
❤yup 44/10 ampeg or 4/10 thick trace w/ david eden hiway or 405 traveler..yup....
SWR 4 x 10 Goliath lll with my '76 Ampeg B25 B. Tone to die for.
My first Bass amp barely fit in the back of my pickup truck. Now I just use a Caline Wine Cellar Di. At home I just use my Hartke HD 25.🤘🤠🤘
My first bass amp was an EMC 1970's, 2 18 inches cabs, 400 watts each, talk about heavy !!!!!
Now, I'm a fan of 10 inches combos.A 25 watt 190 inches is enough for practice.
I’ve always found that bass amps with 30 tube watts and a 1x12in speaker or bigger (15,18) will usually always get the job done if you through a driver pedal in from(my choice is a sansamp bass driver). If it’s solid state you might want 100-200watts. With bass it’s about moving air whereas guitar for gigging the bigger the better, usually twice the speakers and twice the power of what the bassist have. My main bass rig for playing heavy and loud is as follow, I play a 51 telecaster P-bass, 2003 Gibson EB-0, and a 1969 Gibson EB-0 longscale. They run into a boss analog tuner, Sansamp Bassdriver, Sovtek Russian Big Muff, the yellow Boss Bass Overdrive, JHS delay, Hall of Fame reverb unit(which if you don’t have one get one, great for bass and guitar, then finally the Electro-Harmonix three knob compressor. Going into a 68 drip edge Fender Bassman with original matching 2x12 Original Jensens in a oversized showman cab, I would like to get the dual showman cab with the four JBL 15’s(next big bass purchase) jumping channel 1 and 2. Bass set at 10 on both channels, treble set at neutral 6 on both channels, and stage volume at 3 on channel 1, volume at 5 on channel 2. I use my Marshall 4x12 and Laney 4x12 off my second output on the Bassman head. Next I run into a 1970 acoustic 370 through matching acoustic 301 cab and that is slaves through a Sunn 6x10 cab and a Sunn 4x15 V angled cab using a Sunn concert slave 1,000 watt head with one knob hahaha! So yeah it’s a lot of amp just because I can but for church I’ll just use the Bassman head with the 2x12 match cab and my sansamp bass driver because that really the only pedal I need in that setting and it’s handy because it has a direct line out to send to the sound board and it gets some great tones and o can use a little bit of overdrive on some parts and it’s not like the big muff more of a gentle OD to kick on during big epic parts! Not to mention the Bassman head through theb2x12 and my marshal and Laney cab stacks makes for a crushing guitar sound. Anyway great video and thanks for sharing and I apologize for my long back line back story! I’m just really passionate about bass!!
I agree! Definitely still relevant!
I exclusively use the Darkglass Infinity as my DI, Compressor, Distortion, EQ, and Headphone/Practice amp. I'm never going back.
I dont gig without my amp. I love to feel some power behind me. And to gig through some crappy 12 inch PA speakers makes the bass sound awful in my opinion
I bought an Ampeg SVT-4pro solely to use the line out for recording. I don’t even own a bass cab. Overkill? Probably, but I got it for $650 when they went for $1800 new. I used to just use a radial di or plug direct into my avid interface. This was a game changer I didn’t expect. Now I also have a really good amp if I ever need to gig with it.
I have a 12" and a 15" Markbass and they are remarkable. The 15" is a monster. I use the 12" on most gigs because it really cuts though. I have a friend who uses two of the 12inchers with one for amp each pickup.
I'm an ampless bass player, but I do own a fender amp. I think the points you made about powering other amps and portability are interesting, but in my application (church, small gigs) it's easier to show up to a venue with my pedalboard and be ready to go in 3 minutes. I think if you're running IEM's, there's no need for amps because the FOH will be supplying the sound to the subs and it's basically only being used for stage volume. There's no need for stage volume unless your IEM's fail and you will need a backup to getting sound output volume when stage wedges aren't present. Most modern bands use IEM's and therefore I think the amps are going the way of vinyl records, which are super cool to listen to but kind of cumbersome when you need to change a song or in this case move the amp around.
I've never heard a PA that sounds better than my bass amp. The bars I play are small enough I let my bass rig carry the sound. We mostly just use the PA for vocals
If the pa doesnt sound any good / no subs. Let that shit rip. If u play a large room or something tho, let those floor 15s do their thing
Exactly. Oldschool. You're in charge of your sound too
I was just thinking about this because everywhere I've gone lately don't allow amps, the bass has to go direct and you have to use IEM's. My little 2-10 cab and 350 watt d-class amp is more than enough whenever I get to use it.
Appreciate you Travis and what you contribute to the bass community.✌
I have a pedal and I listen through my IEMs, and that's all I need. It works and sounds great.
Yeah the Fender Rumble 500 is so incredibly good !! ❤️🔥
I always use my Aguilar 1x12 and db 680 pre for live or studio dates. The DI from the pre sounds great but I think not bringing your own rig is leaving you at the mercy of the back line. Who knows how well it’s been maintained? When I started out 30 years ago used to haul around 1 or 2 4x10s but nowadays I think that’s overkill. I’d much rather keep the stage volume down anyhow and and let the PA do the heavy lifting. Great video!
I do understand both sides of the debate. For those who’d rather travel light, use a DI, run straight to FOH, use IEMs, eliminate traveling with speaker cabs, more power to ya, if that’s what turns you on.
Me…. I have a truck and I load up and take gear to EVERY gig, and I play EVERY weekend.
I have a GK 4-12 cab, an AMPEG 4-10 cab, an AMPEG 1-15 cab, and a little BEHRINGER 2-10 cab I typically use at home for practice along with a GK BACKLINE 600.
My GK BACKLINE 600 I use mostly for home practice, although it and the little BEHRINGER 2-10 cab are very useful in most small venues I play, and I HAVE used them for smaller venues, and yes they performed flawlessly and exceeded my expectations.
I have a CROWN 1500 watt power amp I use to run a tech 21 Sansamp preamp, and two CARVIN B2000 (2000 watt) bass heads which I ABSOLUTELY LOVE and will never get rid of. They are my FAVORITE bass head of all time, and no longer manufactured by CARVIN.
All my amps, power amps, and preamp, with the exception of the BACKLINE 600, are mounted in road-ready racks, and I choose by venture size, indoor and outdoor, what gear suits me each gig. We also use IEMs, but I still like gear on stage.
I like gear on stage at my ready. I LIKE to FEEL the floor rumble with low end while I play. And, if we set up at a venue with no stage, and a concrete floor, I have a small wooden pallet I take, and place my speaker cab on it, to get it off the concrete floor and on some grounding, resonating wood.
I’m ALWAYS overpowered, and ALWAYS ready for any situation, HOWEVER….. I NEVER….. NEVER play louder than necessary for my band’s needs, and NEVER create a volume war or power struggle with my bandmates. It’s NOT professional, and I’d never do ANYTHING detrimental to the integrity of my band or myself.
Bottom line is, YES, you can get away with less, and still perform as needed. However, I personally LOVE my gear, love having it on stage with me, and I personally will NEVER treat bass gear, amps, heads, cabinets, as irrelevant.
I’m 56 years old, have been through hell and back. I’ve been blown-up, shot, stabbed, run over, beat on, but I keep in good shape.
Maybe someday I’ll have to succumb to loading and lugging “GEAR,” and travel light…. however, while I still can, I’m taking it with me…… OLD SCHOOL!
I think nothing beats an amp when it comes to acoustics. Sound coming out of an actual cab is superior to any simulator or plug in. When it comes to power and filling up a venue, then I agree the PA should do the hard work.
Bass Amps will always be relevant if you play an electric bass or guitar. Each amp has a slightly different character which though you can simulate through a DI pedal, it's not quite the same.
But, will anybody (other than the bass player) ever notice?
@Craig Phillips Prob not but it's about the feel and the maybe even possibly, the look of having a big ass cab on stage
@@craigphillips3154 yes. They feel it but don't know why. A lot of people maybe even don't know what bass is playing, but they know without bass it will sucks !
When I play on stage I'm certainly mostly concerned about the entertainment and how the crowd is enjoying the overall experience, but it's also my moment, and I want to feel the air pressure behind my back. So yes, I might choose one day to have a more compact rig, but I'll always have an amp and (most importantly) a cab behind me.
Most of the characteristic amp character comes from the cabinet. In most live situations, the engineer will not risk using a lot of bass-amp mic (and very often he'll just ignore whatever the bass player says about how awesome that amp sounds, and instead just work with the DI signal anyway because he knows exactly how to use that in the mix and his job is to make the crowd happy, not the bass player...)
And when it comes to DI: a pedal can provide that _exactly_ as well as a bass amp can.
(Also FWIW, I'm pretty sure pedals nowadays can even approximate whole amp+cab+mic so good that nobody could tell the difference, neither consciously nor subconsciously.)
All that said, I agree that a bass amp is still relevant because it's the best kind of monitor for the player herself, which is in fact also a very important aspect.
Yes bass amp are still relevant because most situations don’t have a decent PA system or subwoofers to project the low end
My personal opinion is that the “big amp” days are gone and the main two reasons ( again, in MY opinion ) is that stage sizes in most clubs and bars are very limiting and bigger bands need the space that big amps and cabs take up. My second reason is with everything getting mic’d up or di into sound front of house boards there’s just no need for them when you can adjust what you hear through a stage monitor or in ear monitors.
I have a 2x15 Peavey cabinet and a 4x12 just collecting dust in my basement and use on stage a 4x10 Mark Bass or a Boss Katana 2x10 amp and I’ve never needed more including outdoor gigs. I’m gonna catch crap about this, but that is MY opinion and MY experience only.
From DI Pedals to big monster stacks,they’re all relevant depending on your needs and uses,I’ve only ever played in Rock Bands and trust me a 1x12 ain’t gonna cut it😂
Playing through an amp is much more fun and exciting than just a pre-amp / IEMs...but I totally understand the house sound advantage of a no amp stage. I prefer an amp but most of the time it's not up to me and you just gotta roll with what the gig calls for. I'm always glad when I don't have to haul a bunch of gear around though too!
Started playing bass in the late 60’s. First real amp was a Kustom with 2 15” JBL’s. Only 100 watts per channel but really cool for the time being 17 years old on stage with this amp.
Yes. Bass through a PA sounds like garbage. I have let myself show up at a venue with no amp before and I've never been happy. I don't like pedals and I don't think simulators sound like a real amp. The distortion in particular is just not right and there's no substitute for genuinely slamming those wave-peaks into a real analog circuit.
In my situation, the answer is yes. I have no PA support in most places I play, so I have to provide the sound the audience hears.
... so you pump your sound from on-stage into the audience? How do you know what it sounds like from the perspective of the audience? What about issues like your bass clashing with the kick drum - are those things you care about? I suppose everyone else in the band also just blasts their sound from on-stage into the audience... My goodness!
@@busterfoxx unfortunately, yeah. We don’t have enough money for subs and a higher quality FOH, so we just use the PA for vocal. I use my wireless to walk out during soundcheck and then make tweaks as necessary. *shrug*
They are definitely still relevant in the metal world. It's hard to keep up with a guitarist running a ts9 into a100 watt tube amp through a full stack. I play a pretty wide range of venue sizes as well so it is nice to have a large rig that can handle any stage environment. I have a hard time imagining playing a show with just DI. They would need to be blasting the stage monitors in my face for me to even stand a chance.
It doesn't really matter at the end of the day, this guy can barely play his bass during demo videos and has the opinion of a tween that just found out about modeling amps but has yet to look up the price point.
On top of that he obviously has never played a gig in his life because unless you bring your own sound guy, the house sound guy has NO IDEA what your specific bass tone is so they will make it how they like a bass to sound.
Give me my SVT-AV, 8x10 and 18" Black Widow or its not even worth showing up for the gig.
Plus when have you ever heard your bass through the stage wedges at a gig you didn't headline!
amps will always be relevant IMHO. i do think they're definitely LESS relevant for live gigs as IEMs and killer DI boxes have gotten way more popular. it seemed as soon as i got my AG DB751 with 212 cab in matching tweed, this no amp trend started.... LOL!!! never getting rid of it though, it's too sexy! current live rig starts with Tone Hammer 500 and i'll bring along 1 or 2 of my SL112s depending on size of venue and instrumentation . i love that the Tone Hammer can just run as a DI box if needed. that's my 2 cents.
Im LOVING my tech21 stack and dont use anything else. I may eventually switch, but i cant help but love having an amp everyone can feel especially when places dont have a good sound tech or DI.
My bass rig has not left my house since I played a large conference back in 2018! Every gig I seem to do now is either at a church with an in-ear monitoring system or in a studio. Most of the time I use a Line6 HX Stomp for amp sounds and effects, I also have a Tech21 Programmable SansAmp for when I want to go quick and simple. I have to say that I really don't miss lugging a big amp around, and I think if I ever do start needing an amp again I will probably look into that GK and other small but mighty bass amps.
Much easier to mix a miked bass cab than a direct recording.
I use a SWR 6x10 cabinet and I love it 😂
I think bass amps definitely are still relevant ,and thats because the big companies have been keeping up with the times. I think competition between companies is also great for the consumer (me)! As long as we are willing to buy it, they will build it! lol
I have the GK 1x12 x earlier model about 27 #s And it totally kills it . I am always amazed when it stands out in an incredible way over the mix. It is a piece of engineering art. No pedals and standard p bass is all you need
Bass amps are only relevant now where you are doing an exclusive gig with your own band which doesn't tend to happen too often for me. I have an EBS 210 and 311 stack and HD 350 head which is quite a mid range set up in terms of out put and size, however most times I arrive for a gig the organisers have already set up a tried and tested generic amplification and PA system that is usually shared across all the bands on the ticket. The sound engineers are not really too keen on you introducing a rouge connection that in addition to deciding to throw a tantrum on that particular day, will take up unnecessary room on stage. I only use it at home these days and its sometimes a little too much for my neighbours, so in addition I just got a Boss Waza Air Bass head phone amp so I am using it less and less. But its there when I need it.
You need a great PA and competent sound guy to just bypass a bass amp. A DI or mic from an amp should be seen as a supplement to your sound unless you're playing arenas, and they should have the highest quality PA which makes it ok.
Are you suggesting stacking combo amps? You stated if you want to build a bigger amp just buy another ($1800!) combo amp and stack it but why wouldn’t you just by a 12” cab? Why would you buy multiple combos and stack them?
Which amp falls in the middle between the Fender Rumble and GK Fusion 112?
My first bass amp in the '80s was a 100 watt GK combo with built in compression and chorus, as well as external speaker jacks and 1/4"/balanced line levels out -- they were way ahead of their time in the tiny, light, utilitarian amp category. Then I went to giant SWR rigs in the '90s and now I'm back to a 5 lb. GK 500 Fusion head after selling off the heavier SWR rack stuff. And the circle of gear life continues.
Yes bass amps are relevant I love the big sound
For me it's just weird not to play over an amp.. I used to know a guy on Facebook that just plugged into a computer over a interface and got great tones with a software. But I'm too old school for that 😂. I want a amp and pedals.
Not as much, and in a good way. For many if not most stage situations, we have to go thru the stage sound system, and an amp on stage can work against this with phasing, and it's a phenomenon for which the FOH guys have a hard time compensating. Also, often times the FOH guys have to carve out low frequency room for the kick anyway from 60Hz and below, and bass cabs that reproduce sound well below 60Hz end up competing with the kick for space in the low end where the ear has a harder time accurately hearing bass pitches so that what the ear associates with keys and harmonic structures are the 1st overtone above the fundamental which would tend to be above 60Hz anyway.
Relevant? Depends! In practice room probably not, on stage, maybe. Depending on the PA system and acoustics?
I'm a fan of the Fender Rumble Stage 800. I've had it for a few weeks, and I may give up bringing my pedal with me to gigs.
Ironic because I've got the same amp and do the complete opposite 🤣
... if you don’t have a bass amp, you are 100% dependent on the sound engineer !!! if you got a good one, great!!! if you got a bad one or one who doesn’t appreciate the bass, you’re in trouble...
I totally connect with this comment. Sometimes even if you are nice to the audio engineer they may not think the bass is that important to the mix.
Combos are more relevant these days,those big stacks/heads are kinda dying off.Then again I played mostly punk gigs(smaller venues) which well packed to the outside and my bassist used a Mark5 300w combo and why he ditched the Ampeg I have no idea.And switched from a Stingray to a Richenbacker(2 truss rods?) I'll never know.But hey I'm a Jazzmaster guy witha Peavey bass 100w amp(loud!)and when I get a switch up its definitely an Ampeg Rocket or Fender rumble.Combos forever.🗽🛸🎧
Hartke 7000 is still relevant so is Mesa Boogie Bass 400+ ;)
I have a few amps that I use for different situations; a 1-10 combo for small places, and GK neo 2-12 cabs for larger places. SansAmp Bass Driver /DI is awesome and I recommend it for both amps and DI situations. Good video.
I use two SansAmp DIs: the BassDriver for clean Full Range and the ParaDriver for more of a Geddy Lee Overdrive.
I’ve got a Behringer DI …it’s a nice cheaper version of Sansamp
Yes - I’ve been looking for a tiny amp with a built-in compressor as that’s the only “effect” I use
Still relevant! I’m actually getting the Fusion 212 combo today… 😎🎸
I can't speak for doing large venue PA stuff as I've never done anything like that professionally. However, each and every component in your rig adds character and tone, even the drivers in your speaker enclosure. Just like a guitarist chases tone, bass does that too with amps, though its not as pronounced when in a mix or band. But in a small room or practice space with others, I'll take the designed bass speaker over the in house PA monitors.
You ever see Stanley Clarke’s Rig? Man you need an amplifier if you seriously playing bass! Do you think I would go out on stage with an Alembic series 2 and used a PA?! If you don’t use a amp, your not doing nothing heavy as far as prog or Jazz, that’s for dam sure.
I can't tell you the last time I used a amp. I now run a Zoom B6 with Headrush monitor. Before that it was a Line 6 Bass POD. But the Headrush was just for that little bit of feeling since everything is in ears.
Probably depends on your genre and venues. For Doom/Stoner rock nothing will touch standing in front of a 8x10 cab with a monster tube amp.
Single 15" combo at home, on stage I just plug into D.I. box and use monitors. Just my bass and cable. stage people turn amps down so low theyre pointless to haul.🍻
With the advent of in ear monitors and certain types of pedals people are moving away from bass amps...except for me....I use it all..most local sound people own a pa but do not know how to run it ...they act like it's a big home stereo..and the bass guitar suffers for it...enough said
It is a stupid idea that a pedal can replace a bass amps when your rehearsing with a drummer and band. I guess if you're a bedroom jammer this is a real discussion. "didn't need much more" translates to "not enough" in the real world, if you're honest.
Yall are going to hate me for saying this lol but GK amps sound better then MarkBass amps thats my opinion btw good videos bro really helpful God Bless
Plugins and pedals for the studio, full rig for live.
From doing sound and playing bass. I always preferr going bass>pedals>DI split to amp on stage and PA. AMP on stage should be loud enough for stage use with a bit of bass out the fold back. Then the sound guy can controll what's coming out of the main PA.
I haven’t made “appropriate” use of my 4x10 540w cab in a couple decades, but I’ll never get rid of it for a couple reasons: 1) It’s awesome in every way, 2) If I’m ever in a situation where there’s an acoustic drum set but no PA, I’m golden with the 4x10s.
Otherwise I use an orange crush 50 so I can play in different rooms in my house.
Impossible to stop the amps … I’m a many years GK user and can’t live without it …
Bass amp is the real deal.
If the pa lacks power, your bass is going to sound thin, it's lovely to have a speaker that actually punches and cuts through the mix on stage
I have the GK mb212 and GKmb110 i think its still logicak to have bass amp. They are built as bass amp for a reason. The frequncy and the power is different from direct to the P.A with DI and all, in my opinion amps still has long way to go in the music industry and p.a is just p.a
While I do have several bass amps for various applications, I use IEM's most of the time, I'll DI whenever I can. Good sound guys know their venues better then I do. So I could care less if I have an amp on stage or not.
Depends for me. Do I have PA support? If they have a good sound system and are normally having bassists run direct, I just take a DI. If there's a question, I carry my amp. Basically same setup... single 12 Markbass combo (small gigs) with a matching extension (larger gigs) just in case.
I switched to a sansamp a while ago, and the actual amp is chiefly for monitoring so I don’t use anything big.
I know some people swear by their ampegs and what have you, but I think pairing a ss amp with a good preamp pedal can save you a lot of backache while providing a consistent, workable sound.
I’ll still take my gk 2001rb over anything
I think it really depends on what you are doing as to whether you need one. A small amp under 50lbs and 100 - 300 watts is what works for me now. I like to practice out load. I find headphones irritating and only wear them when I need to, (like when the rest of the family is sleeping).
It is industry standard to record and blend, both mic'd amp and DI signal. Therefore, I'd personally say yes.
short answer, yes they are. best combination is in ear monitor+bass amp. i prefer and i use 4x10 or 6x10 cabin with EBS REIDMAR 752
For home practice, my recommendation has always been to use a "direct" sound, typically out of a DI. Amps in comparison sound more colored and flattering. Feeling the bass with your entire body is great but a DI sound provides a clearer, truer picture of what you are doing with your instrument. This consequently is a better way to hear the subtleties of your playing and what needs to be improved upon. As far as live situations go, "strictly no stage amp" gigs have become a lot more common but they are still not the norm across all styles and all situations. I personally have nothing against in-ears but one does have to recognize that their use requires depending on the engineer’s expertise and equipment. The best engineers and the best equipment is usually not typical with your average, local/club/church gigs. A great musician, especially a bass player is I guess one who is willing and able to humbly adapt to a variety of situations, ideal, or not. Our job is to "make it happen" and to leave the rest to guitar players.
I started playing bass with a cheap 50$ amp 4 months ago and intent to keep learning! If what you’re saying is true what DI or equipment do you recommend or should I just stick to my amps?
In the philippines we use karaoke integrated amps.
Personally, i so agree that huge amps are not necessary, but I love cranking my 6x8 just so I can feel the rumble…. but all you really need is a 1 or 2 speaker cabinet/amp.
I have the same bass amp but mine is the 210 version. Best amp. You should make a video of how you set it up!
One thing that you didn't mention is that it is MUCH easier to record from a bass DI pedal than from a mic'd amp. I do a lot of home studio recording and that's why I chose to invest my money in to a really high quality bass DI over a nice amp. I can still use the DI when I play out. On the other hand, if you choose to spent that money on a big amp, to record it you will also probably need a good mic and a good mic pre-amp. Plus, when you record from an amp you have to worry about the room and many other things that you don't have to worry about when you DI.
Just lone out from the amp and turn the master volume all the way down.
@@jubalfergerson1750 that is not going to sound great on most amps. High noise and the tone you get will not be nearly as good as a from a DI
I think as long as companies like GK continue to try and keep up with the times in terms of features, size, and versatility, then yes: I think amps in general will have a place. However it’s nice to live in a time where 99% of gigs can be played by going direct.
Absolutely love my MB112. I've used for small pub gigs, weddings and even big swing band gigs in big venues and never gone past 1/2 way on the volume. If it needs to be louder out front, the post DI thru the desk does all the work. Great choice sir!
Im going to keep this in mind when I get gud at bass. right now I got 7 nation army bass riff under my belt and about to branch out and explore in the garden of eden.
It depends on if you want to simply hear your bass or feel the glorious wall shaking thunder. Lol!
Bigger cabs sound deeper and bigger they just move more air so its always fun to have them around
The amp could be small
They've definitely lost popularity. Even digital modelers/FX units for bass are being phased out and they just add in some bass pedal, amp and cabinet models in the guitar models and don't bother with units dedicated to bass.
I think plugging into a modeler and straight into a P.A. is a great options, but you made some really solid points about current technology, and I say this having a formal education in electrical/electronics engineering.
What's really crazy is being 46 years old, 20 years ago you could get a full featured bass amp with insane wattage like 500 and you literally paid a buck per watt. I'm a stickler for Class-A for guitar, but you can run a bass on Class-D without suffering the obvious consequences a shred and sweep player like myself will with guitar rigs. The digital Class-D amps going in bass pedal amplifiers are providing ridiculous wattages and they perform well. With a solo guitar's massive gain and distortion needs, a lot of digital amps start oscillating and chattering.
I'm still old school though, and have a pair of 18's I can run my 4, 6 and even 10 string basses through lol!
*The unique thing about musicians technology is nothing ever truly becomes obsolete, and there will undoubtedly be a point in soon to come years where we see a resurgence of their popularity.* In fact, some engineers recently found a way to build micro sized vacuum tube CPU's that overcome some of the problems with semiconductors, and are likely to end up in commercial phones and other technology.
Amps! I love amps! Nothing shameful about being a purist. I used to lug around a Leslie for my keyboards! Late 70's, 80's . I played my '63 Fender Jazz on a Fender Bassman, mic it. But I also love the smaller amps that have quality sounds and can jam a place. I'm 61, female, and play praise and worship, country/ western, love southern rock and of vourse, Tejano. Love your channel!
I've played so many different rigs and gig set-ups over the years, I'm happy with my Ampeg Scrambler Di and for small clubs I have a 1000 watt powered speaker I play that through. Gone are the days for me lugging a 8x8 and a 500 watt head up and down stairs! But plugging into a sound system with subwoofers is ideal. 👍😁
i just picked up a SVT-350H for $100 and i'll likely pair it with a 115 or 210 for a psychedelic rock band i'm trying out for or i'll just DI from the SVT into the house lol
but $1800 for a 112 800 watt WTF....
Bass amps will always be a necessity.
Still relevant brother and the on going improvements in technology with lighter and smaller builds packing same punch as your old school bigger ones make it more of a reason that no time soon will they become irrelevant. I own a 112 Aguilar cab with a tone hammer 500. It’s beautiful and like you said, I’m planning on saving to get another 112 to stack. When God permits it! Blessings to you brother and keep on jamming!
In my opinion, at a Gig, feeling the low end whilst you play is crucial,
I play my Rickenbacker Bass like a Guitar, Almost Royal Blood esque, using octaves pedals and drives with a Wah. I need to know that I am still putting the low end out when I hit a solo or move onto the high end
If you’re playing dingy little bars and don’t bring an amp, you’re going to have a bad time. The chance of finding a PA that can handle bass is negligible.
Bro! So this is what I have been looking for. My question is did you come out pre or post eq out of you bass amp. My guess is you came out post eq and that’s why it sounds killer ….Everyone I talk to says come out pre eq but my ear tells me coming out post eq sounds way better. If I have learned anything during my music life is trust your ear 👂
the only time you dont need an amp is if your venue/church has a sound system which includes a subwoofer capable of handling the low frequencies put out by your bass. otherwise amps are still very useful
The Boss Katana Bass amp is honestly everything i could have ever wished for. It's honestly perfectly versatile.
A strong amp is often heavy too, unfortunately. I love my mini universal amp but it just isn't suitable for concerts.
I do believe bass amps are still relevant
Hey, I'm an endorsee of a cool Bass Amp Company but I've noticed that I only need my Amp occasionally nowadays. Especially Theatre shows. I come from having an Ampeg 8x10 Rig.
I bring my own PA to the gig, yamaha speakers from the 80s through a mackie 4 channel board. Any effects can be run through the post jacks.
Amps are still going to be around, but I've kind of changed how I use the amp I take with me most of the time. But I do see a lot of advantages of using a DI like a "SansAmp" Bass DI for a lot of the stuff I am doing.
I have 3 amps, an Accoustic 200 Watt (2 15inch speakers), a Fender Rumble 30 and a Roland Cube Bass amp (4 2-inch speakers). I primarily take the Rumble with me and it becomes my bass monitor, though I will use it as my amp in small rooms. I have gone to going through a DI to the board most of the time and use an in-ear system when I can.
But for bigger rooms, I will take the big amp with me and use that, even in conjunction with going to the sound board. I like it because of it's larger tone control on the middle and low end.
I use the Rumble as my practice amp, with an input from my computer for playing what I am working on and then headphones so I don't bother the others in the house.
I agree with you about being a bit of a purist about things, but I also keep up with some of the trends.
Thanks, Travis!