Finding a bass guitar with amp for sale can be both thrilling and exhausting, so to make your search as smooth as possible, consider these tips before setting out on your search journey.
Your musical genre and choice of amplifier can help determine what kind of bass guitar would best suit you, while its tone-enhancing properties.
1. Power
An amp can make your playing feel bigger, richer and more grounded than before. While many bassists choose direct with DI boxes instead of using amps for tone production purposes, amplifiers offer additional grit and tone that cannot always be duplicated by plugging pedalboards into power outlets.
When selecting a bass amplifier, power should always be your priority. This includes both wattage and speaker size – bigger speakers allow more air movement for louder audio with greater headroom.
Beginner bassists should consider purchasing a small combo amp of around 100 to 150 watts with one 15 inch speaker. This will provide enough power for them to play alongside other bassists or drumming in studio or small venues, and also provides them with enough flexibility should they wish to upgrade later to larger head and cabinet combos.
For intermediate bassists looking to take their music to the next level, investing in more power may be worth their while. A 200 to 400 watt amp should provide sufficient power for medium-sized venues while still permitting you to utilize pedalboard effects like overdrive and distortion for added effects.
Professional bassists require an amp capable of powering large halls and arenas. A bass amplifier head paired with either a 1×15-inch or 2×15-inch cabinet can deliver powerful low end that can be felt as well as heard, providing powerful low notes even during performances in large venues.
Some of the premier amp manufacturers produce bass amps designed specifically for bassists, such as the Darkglass Exponent 500. This model offers powerful yet clean and assertive amplifier with an XLR direct output, USB audio interface and MIDI connectivity; five factory presets that can be personalized further using Darkglass Suite; it is often found on stage with musicians as diverse as Foo Fighters bassist Nate Mendel and Canibal Corpses’ bassist Alex Webster.
2. Tone
Bass guitar amps come in an assortment of tones. There are tube amplifiers with classic tones while others utilizing electronic transistors provide solid-state tone. Bassists can find amps equipped with controls to modify their sound according to song or venue needs.
Combo amps may be ideal for small gigs and studio work. Concealment between head and speaker makes this type of amp lighter than separate head/cabinet combinations; additionally they are great for bassists looking for something versatile enough to handle both clean and high-gain tones.
A bassist can quickly customize their amp’s tone by altering its gain and EQ settings. Raising gain allows the amp to distort more, giving more power and producing a gritty sound; or they can decrease gain for cleaner tones.
Most bassists require at the very least, a volume control, input jack, tone control and three-band equalization (EQ). Some choose preamps with vintage blues modern or clean tones so they can customize their amp to the genre of music they play while also matching it to their personal musical taste.
Some bassists opt for the classic tube voice to achieve a warm, full-bodied tone. This amp voicing adapts to each player’s dynamics; when one plays softly it becomes quieter while when hitting harder it begins to growl more loudly.
Some bassists enjoy using the drive setting on their amp to add power and gritty tone, similar to using a distortion pedal. Bassists can easily adjust this feature depending on song or venue – for instance, turn down drive during ballads but increase during rock choruses for total control of their tone!
3. Portability
As you peruse bass guitar forums, one question will remain invariant: “What’s the best bass amp available for sale?” Ultimately, however, the answer to this depends on several factors, including who is using the amp and its purpose, as well as wattage needs and personal preferences.
Beginners or intermediate bassists looking for their first amp should consider an all-in-one combo amp as an excellent way to learn. Easy to set up, with enough power for playing live situations such as jam sessions. These units typically feature three knob tone control, an overdrive circuit that can be used alone or blended with clean channel, series effects loop and/or series effects loop to add your signal further.
More serious bassists may require separate bass amp head and speaker cabinet systems, which offer greater EQ and effect control as they can be tailored specifically to the bassist or style of music they prefer. Open or closed back 4×10-inch cabinets may also be available, as well as more complex EQ controls than simpler models.
These bass amplifiers can be quite heavy, so it is advisable to inspect for sturdy handles and wheels that make transportation easy. Furthermore, these bass amps may offer more features than a basic practice amp such as the ability to plug in additional external speakers that increase volume and provide improved sound quality in larger venues or more demanding musical styles.
Peavey Tone Hammer 700 bass amplifiers provide gigging musicians with ample options when it comes to choosing their gear. Their powerful output offers enough output for most live situations while the headphones jack makes silent practice possible. Their 6-band EQ section offers control over each band for individual adjustments that could have significant effects on tone.
4. Controls
Many bassists prefer combo amps, which combine the amp head and speaker cabinet into one unit for easy setup and plenty of power for small venues or practicing at home. Some bassists also choose separate amplifiers for more precise tone control.
An amp’s controls include volume, tone, reverb, EQ settings and more. An EQ settings enables bassists to alter the tone of their instrument by altering bass and treble frequencies and thus craft an ideal tone and sound.
Bassists should consider both types of amps for optimal playing performance: tubes (which use vacuum tubes to produce distinctive and natural sounds), as well as solid state amps that use solid state circuitry to produce more powerful signals and reliability.
Bassists should consider choosing either a single- or dual-channel amp with its own effects loop for each channel, enabling them to craft different sounds on each one and switch easily between sounds on the fly. Some bass amplifiers even include an input sensitivity reducing feature that reduces input sensitivity by 10dB to keep signal levels from overpowering their amp.
Many bass amplifiers feature a gain control that determines the signal strength. When this control is adjusted upward, louder and more aggressive sounds result. This feature is essential for bassists playing heavy metal music or genres that demand intense overdrive.
Some bass amps feature a blend control that enables players to blend wet and dry signals of their amplifier. This feature can be particularly helpful when using effects, enabling bassists to preserve their original tone while still using effects. Furthermore, this feature gives bassists who DI their amp a clean signal source.