School me on combo bass amps

M

My96z

New member
I am going to be in the market for a used cheap bass amp. I have been combing craigslist and see some decent deals. I am trying to stay $150 topps.

I am a shotty guitar player and I picked up a cool Squire standard Jazz bass for super cheap. I got it to lay down some tracks and maybe for a garage band in the future.

I see lots of Peavey TNTs, Behringer combos and the like on the local craigslist for really cheap. I know with the price I am willing to pay I am not expecting much. I am looking for somthing that will work as a practice amp and keep up with a garage band and it also has inputs and outputs for recording. I know that basses need more wattage but I dont know what the minumum I should get. I also hear that I should get no smaller than a 12" speaker.

Any info you could provide would be great.

Thank you for your help and time,
Jeff
 
Re: School me on combo bass amps

I use a Mexico-made 2002 Fender Bassman 1x12 combo 60w. It gets pretty loud when playing along with others, but it has options to connect to external cabs or to PAs if more volume is needed. This has been serving me well for many years.
 
Re: School me on combo bass amps

Carvin Red-Eye series. Serious thump, light, great tone, and available on the relative cheap.
 
Re: School me on combo bass amps

You can get Peaveys for cheap, and they don't sound bad for the price. I would avoid Behringer.
Are you planning to gig with this amp? if that's the case, I would suggest at least a 200watts amp.
 
Re: School me on combo bass amps

Carvin BX120 Bass Amp

It's only 120 watts but if you have a P.A. you can always go direct into that and use this as a monitor or even mic it with the right style of mic (I'm partial to the Shure Beta 52 and the AKG D112)


**EDIT** Just noticed the "local pickup only" on that auction, which is silly seeing that it's a rather small bass amp as far as amps go, alas, the search continues.
 
Re: School me on combo bass amps

I got my son a used Peavey TNT 130 a while back. 130 watts doesn't sound like much, but with the Black Widow 15" in a good-sized enclosure, it makes a lot of noise. The amp iteslf is a nice, full-features design with good EQ, preamp send and return, built-in crossover for biamping, and an output limiter.

They can be had cheap because they are kinda old (late '80s-ish), but the old-school technology is bulletproof and (if all else fails) serviceable. Their prices are further depressed because they are heavy, and therefore no one sells them on eBay. Local deals through CL are the way to go.

Did I say it's heavy? That's its only downside - if you're gigging a lot, it's a drawback. For church gigs, or jam rooms, or steady long-term club dates, the TNT 130 can't be beat.

If you're going to be moving it around a lot, look for somethnig more modern with a class D power amp. Also, spend more for a plywood cabinet. Cheaper amps use MDF adn they, too, are heavy. The modern re-creations of the old Acoustic brand come to mind - they seem like good value until you look at the specification for weight. I e-mailed Acoustic about this and they confirmed it: MDF cabinets.
 
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Re: School me on combo bass amps

I stand by the Ampeg BA-112 for practice/small gig.

Line, speaker and 1/4" headphone outs, RCA in, high/low instrument in, hi/mid/low EQ with vari-tone mid.

I swapped the factory speaker for an Eminence 12" PA driver with a whizzer cone. It gives me more top end, which helps define a sharper slap sound. Otherwise, it's a great little amp.

If you want more beef, you can go with the BA-115, with (duhh!!) the 15".
 
Re: School me on combo bass amps

I gotta go with the Acoustic bass combos...the 100 would get the job done, but the 200 will do it with loads of headroom to spare. The EQ on them is better than the Ampegs, I have to say. You can really dial your tone and string response right in on them.

Speaker out for another cab, adjustable level DI out, passive/active inputs. Weight is not a problem, unless you just can't lift one...then a hand-truck is your friend, and the amp has spots for removable casters. They also make a 2x10 400 watt version, that goes down to 2 ohms and up to 600 watts with an extension speaker added.
 
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Re: School me on combo bass amps

I don't know how cheap 'cheap' is to you, but the Eden Metro is a great sounding bass combo.
 
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