Ampeg BA115? Bass amp questions

[BloodRose]

Hey, bought one of these long ago from a forum bro and it served me for awhile as my guitar amp. (sounds pretty cool with a tone zone and grunge pedal thumping that 15" speaker.. haha) I just pulled it out of the mothballs and using it for bass. Im a bass newbie, but Im hoping to pick up enough to start playing out pretty soon. I know enough about bass amps to know that you need have a massive amount of wattage to equal a 100w guitar head..

Will this amp keep up in a jam setting? Church? (im guessing so)

Part 2. How much wattage/speaker firepower do you need to gig with bass?

Thanks

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Ampeg BA115? Bass amp questions

As long as you use the DI line out of your Ampeg, you can play anywhere IF the PA is up to snuff. Those are ported cabs, and they thump pretty good, but the wattage is at what most bass amp makers call "entry level".

It'll sound great in garage jams, and good on little tiny stages, but on a big stage, you'll find that you can't turn it up enough without the speaker farting out and the amp clipping, both of which are bad.

On a really good size stage in a big room, you'll find that the higher the wattage, the louder you can be without maxing the amp or speakers...200 with a super efficient speaker would work, but most guys go for between 500 and 1000 or more. That way, you can just crack the volume a bit and be loud enough with plenty to spare, depending on how the band likes it's monitors.

There are plenty of used Music Man and Ampeg tube bass amps out there, and for sure, a 150 watt tube bass amp will keep up with a 100 watt guitar amp without working hard.

 

[BloodRose]

Re: Ampeg BA115? Bass amp questions

great info! Thanks! I cranked the bass and vol up on this one for a few min today.. shook the floor. did cut out tho. I need to clean the pots and stuff.

Thanks again