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Hi, I'm gonna buy my first bass amp in the coming days and I was wondering if somebody have any experience with any of these I have listed here? I'm not buying an amp from Amazon, I just think it's a great place to show you guys the products. Fender Rumble 30 Amazon.com: Fender Rumble 30 Bass Amplifier: Musical Instruments Peavey 110 Amazon.com: Peavey MAX 110 Bass Combo Amplifier 20 Watts 1x10in Speaker: Musical Instruments Line6 Low Down LD15 Amazon.com: Line 6 Low Down LD15 Bass Amp: Musical Instruments EBS Classic Session 60 Amazon.com: EBS Classic Session 60 Combo - 60 W Tiltback Bass: Musical Instruments Primarily practicing at home at first and jamming with a couple of friends. The drummer plays quite loud sometimes, I wanna keep up with him. For now, it's just me and my friend on drums. We shall play Rock, funk and metal. This is gonna be my first bass amp, the bass I've bought is a Samick PMB-175. - Narrie 
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May 19, 2011 10:51
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narrie posted:Hi, If it absolutely has to be one of those four, get the EBS; and you're still going to be overpowered by the drummer, meaning there's a good chance that amp won't last long anyway. At your stage you'd be far better off with a used 2-300W amp (preferably with an additional speaker output) and a simple eq pedal. You'll be able to use and play around with those until you get an idea what particular sound you like. Don't get anything fancy either; it's much easier to sell a popular brand amp to the next newcomer.
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May 19, 2011 13:00
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narrie - those are all good bedroom practice amps, but they won't keep up with your drummer. Sorry. check out local craigslist deals in your budget and see what you can pick up.
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May 19, 2011 14:52
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The best bedroom amp is a headphone amp. If you're trying to play quietly to avoid disturbing people then you'll alter your technique in a negative way. Same with playing an underpowered amp really hard to keep up with a drummer. Find a 300 Watt minimum amp for jamming. They're not that bad if you're buying from Craigslist.
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May 19, 2011 19:21
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Really you're better off getting a ~300 watt head and a used cab - I've found bass cabs are really expensive new for what they are, but generally pretty drat sturdy and last a long time. Many heads have a headphone output too, and you should be able to run a solid state head with the power stage muted for bedroom action.
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May 20, 2011 03:04
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What's the general opinion on G&L basses like the L-2000?
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May 20, 2011 07:05
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rawrr posted:What's the general opinion on G&L basses like the L-2000? G&L are pretty awesome. Even the tribute line is great. I put them right up there with Lakland. If I wasn't playing Laklands, I'd likely have a G&L.
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May 20, 2011 14:04
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rawrr posted:What's the general opinion on G&L basses like the L-2000? I had a G&L Tribute L-2000 for years. In a fit of madness I sold it. I still regret it. It was easily on par with the vast majority of high end fenders I've played, despite costing a sixth.
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May 21, 2011 16:54
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So now that I got a shiny new bass, I want to get a shiny new amp that goes with it. However, I know gently caress-all about amps and their electronic specs. Really, all I want is something that I can plug my bass into, as well as a headphone jack so my laptop/mp3 player's audio can be fed through the amp at the same time (at the moment I use this portable speaker I bought from radio shack last year to play the audio I'm practicing with). It doesn't need to be a powerful amp, as I live in an apartment and I don't plan on performing anywhere. Just one that I can hear my bass out of clearly, and have a 3.5mm port or some way to input audio (my old amp currently has red & white plugs for "CD" input, so maybe something similar to that). I don't want you guys doing my homework for me, but what name brands are good for practice/performing for yourself (as opposed to an audience or an onstage amp), and has these things? What kind of money should I expect to spend?
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May 21, 2011 17:43
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Morter posted:So now that I got a shiny new bass, I want to get a shiny new amp that goes with it. I have this and like it. I can't speak for other practice amps, but it fits all your requirements. edit: Practice amps also have like zero resale value, so check craigslist for some serious deals. MancXVI fucked around with this message at 17:55 on May 21, 2011 |
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May 21, 2011 17:53
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MancXVI posted:edit: Practice amps also have like zero resale value, so check craigslist for some serious deals. This is the real answer. Other advice: buy a headphone amp brand new for $40 and save your money to buy a non-practice amp. If you still need to have an underpowered amp for some reason, just make sure it has a headphone jack and aux-in. You can get a cord to plug into the red and white jacks. http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Mini-Plug-Computer-Stereo/dp/B000FEHO0U I started by playing through a smaller practice amp and hosed up my technique when I was learning because I played too hard to hear myself. Make sure you can get decent volume out of whatever amp you try with a lighter touch. When you do want to start jamming with people (do this ASAP) I recommended a head+cab setup rather than a combo amp and you need at least 300 watts to be heard over a drummer. gotly fucked around with this message at 18:46 on May 21, 2011 |
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May 21, 2011 18:36
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gotly posted:This is the real answer.  Wait a second, this is the first I've heard of this thing, so let me get this straight: It plugs directly into your bass, and you can plug headphones into it. But it also has another port where you could have your MP3/audio through as well, and hear it through your headphones? That's loving PERFECT (other than the whole needing batteries thing, but I can manage). I do, however, like hearing both my bass and the song I'm playing coming out of a speaker, so an amp might be in the near future regardless. Still, I'll look into that. About jamming with people, there's no one I know who plays instruments, nor do I have any ambition to play publicly. I'm just learning the bass cause I like the sound of it and the rhythms you can make and  .Now all I need to do is find someone in the Charlotte area of North Caroline that could teach me how to slap/pop bass...
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May 21, 2011 18:55
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Morter posted:
Honestly it's not that fun by yourself.
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May 21, 2011 19:11
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Morter posted:
Yup. It does exactly that. Don't worry too much about the batteries, they last a long time. Morter posted:About jamming with people, there's no one I know who plays instruments, nor do I have any ambition to play publicly. I'm just learning the bass cause I like the sound of it and the rhythms you can make and You'll get bored quickly. Learn the basics from here and go from there. Don't do slap/pop until you've been playing for a while. It's fun to learn but unless you have a good handle on theory and left hand technique it'll be really frustrating. Check Craigslist's musician's sections for some beginners to practice with. The bass is a poor solo instrument.
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May 21, 2011 19:33
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I think you guys are misunderstanding. I'm just playing to teach myself so I can play along with songs I like. But I won't try to justify it.  Hey guys, if you can teach bass, or play any other instrument, and live near the Charlotte/Union County area of North Carolina, PM me (Also, seriously, thanks for the headphone amp info.)
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May 21, 2011 19:50
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Morter posted:I think you guys are misunderstanding. I'm just playing to teach myself so I can play along with songs I like. But I won't try to justify it. For playing along with songs, all you need to know are some basic major/minor scale patterns. Do start with the online bass lessons for technique and work your way to the scales section. You should get there pretty quickly. If you want some instant gratification you can probably start playing Seven Nation Army immediately.
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May 21, 2011 20:29
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Don't you have a regular stereo or something to listen to the song you're playing along with? I understand wanting to mix them together for headphone use, but if you want to play out loud you don't want regular music being piped through a bass amp because its gonna get all muddied up.
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May 21, 2011 20:31
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^^^ Yeah don't pipe them through the same speaker, but doing that with headphones is ok. Just thought of another thing. Even if you're playing by yourself, get a strap and practice standing up. Grooving with my body really helps me keep rhythm and I tend to lose complex beats when sitting down.
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May 21, 2011 20:46
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rawrr posted:What's the general opinion on G&L basses like the L-2000? G&L basses have some of the fattest, most beautiful tone I have ever heard. They're thick, full, and have a ton of options with a pretty straightforward control setup. I played one at my local music store and it was on consignment and set up really poorly but despite that it sounded absolutely AMAZING! My only problem with it is the string spacing was a little narrow for my tastes and when I pulled off the G string it went over the edge of the neck and did that disgusting rattling sound. But that might have been setup issues. Apparently it belonged to a dadrocker who bought it new and played it like one time then sold it. Dadrockers 
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May 21, 2011 22:37
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I played a Tribute L2500 for about three years - it was the bridge between my Warwicks and my Stambaughs. The good: * The string spacing is more narrow than your normal Fender 5-string. 1.75" at the nut and 17.5mm spacing at the bridge, same as a Musicman 5-string. This obviously isn't a universal "good," but it's a requirement for me. * The pickups are incredible. Huge, huge, huge. * Very well built. The bad: * USA L2500's are flawless setup-wise, Tributes aren't. You'll have to tweak it a bit. * Thicker neck than I'd like. * Electronics suck. There, I said it. Lots of tones available, but only a couple that are useable. I always just played it in passive mode, but were I to get another one I would rip all that poo poo out and replace it with an Aguilar OBP3 with a blend pot and coil tap. * Heavy
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May 22, 2011 01:41
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I'd love to have an old L-1000. P-bass on steroids.
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May 22, 2011 05:03
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I'd love to throw Nordstrands in a L5500.
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May 22, 2011 05:16
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Sorry to stink up this thread, but I was hoping maybe one of you bass experts could chime in for me. I've been considering thinning out my gear collection and I have a 90's Epiphone Rivoli bass (one that looks like an ES-335). I bought it years ago to have a bass around, but I never really got around to honing my skills. Are these things worth it to sell? I couldn't find any completed listing on ebay. I saw a guy mention on some bass forum that $600 was cheap, but then I can't find any other listing anywhere. Any input would be great. It's the one listed on this page as being made from '94-'99. http://www.epiphonewiki.com/index.php?title=Rivoli
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May 22, 2011 18:12
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ScreaminKing posted:Sorry to stink up this thread, but I was hoping maybe one of you bass experts could chime in for me. I've been considering thinning out my gear collection and I have a 90's Epiphone Rivoli bass (one that looks like an ES-335). I bought it years ago to have a bass around, but I never really got around to honing my skills. Like you I don't see them for sale very often, but I'd imagine you could get $600-700 shipped without too much trouble. The last ones on Talkbass went for a bit less but had headstock repairs. For some reason it seems like there there were way more cool cheap semi-hollows being made in the 90s so Rivolis, Dearmond Starfires, etc are usually a quick sell on the Talkbass forums.. I just bought an Aria TAB for cheap or else I'd think about making an offer.
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May 22, 2011 19:27
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ScreaminKing posted:Sorry to stink up this thread, but I was hoping maybe one of you bass experts could chime in for me. I've been considering thinning out my gear collection and I have a 90's Epiphone Rivoli bass (one that looks like an ES-335). I bought it years ago to have a bass around, but I never really got around to honing my skills. The modern Rivoli basses are great, and, like most hollow-bodies, there is a smaller, but dedicated market of buyers. You'd have no problem selling it for $700 if you list in the right places (i.e. Talkbass forums). And like Narwhale said, their affordability is what makes them more popular. They're very well made though. I REALLY wish I could buy it off of you. I've wanted one for years. They just look fuckin cool.
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May 22, 2011 23:05
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Narwhale posted:Like you I don't see them for sale very often, but I'd imagine you could get $600-700 shipped without too much trouble. The last ones on Talkbass went for a bit less but had headstock repairs. For some reason it seems like there there were way more cool cheap semi-hollows being made in the 90s so Rivolis, Dearmond Starfires, etc are usually a quick sell on the Talkbass forums.. I just bought an Aria TAB for cheap or else I'd think about making an offer. Scarf posted:The modern Rivoli basses are great, and, like most hollow-bodies, there is a smaller, but dedicated market of buyers. You'd have no problem selling it for $700 if you list in the right places (i.e. Talkbass forums). And like Narwhale said, their affordability is what makes them more popular. They're very well made though. Woah, really? That's nuts. I had no idea that people were actually after these things, I might have tried to sell it sooner. I must have bought the thing about 10 years ago brand new. I hardly used the thing. Before seeing your posts, I actually pulled it out of it's case and dusted it off. The thing is in almost pristine condition. There are a couple of small light scratches on top, but they're definitely on the surface. I'm in Toronto, so hopefully I can find a motivated buyer for it. Thanks so much for your help guys.
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May 23, 2011 00:35
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ScreaminKing posted:Woah, really? That's nuts. I had no idea that people were actually after these things, I might have tried to sell it sooner. I must have bought the thing about 10 years ago brand new. I hardly used the thing. Wait, were you talking in Canadian $s initially? After a little more digging it seems like US$500 is a little more likely. You could get more, just depends on if you can find a motivated buyer (which you should be able to).
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May 23, 2011 05:15
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Scarf posted:Wait, were you talking in Canadian $s initially? After a little more digging it seems like US$500 is a little more likely. You could get more, just depends on if you can find a motivated buyer (which you should be able to). I saw those two listed on Talkbass, and one went for $500 US with a broken headstock. So I figure one in perfect (and almost unused) condition would be worth substantially more, don't you think? The Canadian and US dollar are basically on par too (CAD is worth a bit more right now).
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May 23, 2011 19:07
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ScreaminKing posted:I saw those two listed on Talkbass, and one went for $500 US with a broken headstock. So I figure one in perfect (and almost unused) condition would be worth substantially more, don't you think? The Canadian and US dollar are basically on par too (CAD is worth a bit more right now). Oh ok, yeah I had no idea what the exchange rate is.  But yeah, it should definitely go for more. How much more? That'll just depend on how motivated the buyer is. I'd say the initial estimate of $700 would be a safe bet.
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May 23, 2011 20:03
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gotly posted:I'm pretty much sold. Amazon has it for $355. Got a price match for $345 from Music123 but probably going for Amazon for the ease of returning it. I'll try and make a decent demo video. Just broke down and ordered this. I'm pretty loving excited. I'll try and make a video or something since a lot of them are crappy.
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May 23, 2011 20:54
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What's the best way to start jamming with someone who has played guitar for years but knows no theory? I keep saying 'tell me what chords you're going to play and I'll make it happen' and it falls apart because he changes too quickly to tell me, or his progressions are seemingly random. It all gets a bit awkward because he's playing well and I'm fart-arsing around trying to follow him.
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May 24, 2011 16:46
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Southern Heel posted:What's the best way to start jamming with someone who has played guitar for years but knows no theory? I keep saying 'tell me what chords you're going to play and I'll make it happen' and it falls apart because he changes too quickly to tell me, or his progressions are seemingly random. He's playing well... as a solo bedroom musician. There's a difference between playing well by yourself and playing well with other people. Being able to read and predict someone's changes often takes a loooooong time, playing with that person repeatedly and learning their go-to patterns, habits, etc. But you're main problem is that HE should be following YOU. You're the bassist, you're the rhythm, you're the backbone. I'd suggest picking a key to vamp in, you come up with a bass line in that key and have him jam around it. Then once you guys are comfortable with that tell him something like "ok, let's start again, but this time I'm going to insert a change into <whatever>, just watch me and I'll signal you a measure before the change."
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May 24, 2011 17:09
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Southern Heel posted:What's the best way to start jamming with someone who has played guitar for years but knows no theory? I keep saying 'tell me what chords you're going to play and I'll make it happen' and it falls apart because he changes too quickly to tell me, or his progressions are seemingly random. I love jamming with new people but I hate it when I run into that poo poo. I'm at the point where I'll just play through the rest of the jam session and then never do another one with the person, because I'm sick of bedroom guitarists. I have a buddy who can shred like Satriani; his technical proficiency amazes me. We've jammed a few times. At one point I was writing down a chord progression, he was like, "A7? What's that?" and it blew my mind.. not only is the seventh important, A7 is one of the most basic guitar chords.. I don't know how they get so good without knowing these basic things.. Don't let it get to you or make you feel bad. I completely know what you're feeling. "What are the chords?" "Well, I play this, then this, then this, whatever that is.." Gah. Scarf is right, he should be following you. It's HIS fault things aren't working. If you really want to figure out his stuff, have him play slower (half speed?), and use your ears to figure out the root notes of the chords. From there you can build up from the foundation. You might also pick a three or four chord progression, each chord being the same length, and endlessly loop through it while you guys get a feel for each others' playing. Em - G - C - A, or C - G - D - A, or Gm7 - C7 - Eb7 - D7, or something. Standard 12-bar blues is also fun and easy. 4x I - 2x IV - 2x I - 1x V - 1x IV - 2x I (so E-E-E-E-A-A-E-E-B-A-E-E). Any of those can (and often should) be sevenths too. e: If he's not familiar, you might point him to some sites about the Nashville Number System. Having that as a reference call really help with communication. Bourbon fucked around with this message at 19:07 on May 24, 2011 |
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May 24, 2011 18:56
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Where are some good sources on learning different beats for different styles of music? None of the rhythms I can play are anything I would actually want to listen to, and I'd like to be able to play along with other musicians who enjoy what I do (folkie punk/indie stuff0 without looking like a total goon.
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May 24, 2011 21:07
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I hate to ask this here but I couldn't find anything related to bass tablature on the forums. Does anyone know where I can get an accurate tab for "I Am The Walrus"? I've been able to learn most Beatles songs by ear, and if I had trouble, I'd find files of just the bass isolated so I could learn by ear from them, or just look up free tab resources and learn from there. But IAtW, starting from the halfway point, goes nuts on the bass with fast gallop-type notes (is there a term for that?), usually really low, and I can't pick it up. Plus, any tabs I've found online were complete inaccurate, and even the isolated bass tracks are completely muffled and muddy. I can't make it out. If I asked in the wrong place, point me to the right direction, but this is driving me nuts. I've learned much more complex songs over these past 4 months in much shorter time, but I can't hear Paul's crazy plucking any better. 
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May 24, 2011 21:36
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Southern Heel posted:What's the best way to start jamming with someone who has played guitar for years but knows no theory? I keep saying 'tell me what chords you're going to play and I'll make it happen' and it falls apart because he changes too quickly to tell me, or his progressions are seemingly random. He sounds good as he is, so if I were you I wouldn't bog him down with a bunch of music theory which is mostly unnecessary for making pop songs anyway. I also wouldn't change how he's making his music by telling him "O.K. you play these four chords over and over and then we play these three and then we go back to those four." That's boring as hell and what Ableton Live is for. Guitarists don't necessarily have to play to the bassist's rhythmic and harmonic backbone either, in fact most of my favorite bands growing up at best merely implied this backbone in most of their songs. That being expressed, he needs to have full, complete compositions to give you prior to getting together to play, or at least several good riffs which might sound good together. Listen to them, and if they're long or whatever, jam by yourself to his material at home (the same way he develops his material). Once you get the basics of a composition of his figured out, get together and play what you have with what he has. Slowly over time, you'll refine what you have until it's coherent and sounds good with what he's playing. If he's any good, he'll start to come up with different things to do based on what you are doing. It's possible to jam by ear but this is the most you can do until you both start to get a real feel for one another, which could take a year. If he's just improvising as well, get a field recorder and tape what you both do and when something sounds sweet, remember how the hell you did it. Take a bunch of these "panels" of riffs or whatever, and find ones that sound good conjoined. Congratulations, you just made a pop song the way most beginning indie bands make them.
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May 24, 2011 23:27
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Learn guitar and watch his hand, and work on your ear. It sucks, but you do what you can.
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May 25, 2011 02:03
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Bitch, I Am the Walrus.      
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May 25, 2011 02:24
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Thanks for the advice, chaps - I think i will try to do both: get basslines to his existing songs down, and then try to put a little structure onto the stuff we jam in. I have another question. I have inherited a lovely old no-name EB rip-off from the 70's:   I'm currently playing an Ibanez SR300 and have no desire to change, but this little guy is in a very sorry state, the E string is a flatwound and the rest are round-wounds, there are chips and dents all over the thing. Because I clearly have too much time on my hands I was going to tart it up a bit: - Repaint it - Move the strap-button - Replace the knobs, wiring, output jack (they're all funky) - Possibly replace the pickups (any ideas?) - New strings obviously I figure even if it's a mess it can't be any worse, and it might be pretty cool. I'm familiar with soldering, wiring and painting wood - but what do I need to know that's specific to doing it to this bass?
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May 25, 2011 13:22
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What's the deal with the different string gauges? Extra-light on a guitar I can understand since they're easier to bend and not as harsh on your fingertips, but is there reason to have a light gauge on a bass? Is it just down to how much pressure you need to use, and the tension your instrument's set up for? I'm assuming you get a better tone from the heavier sets. It would be cool to know what gauges people like to use too. I'm looking to try some flatwounds, but my bass was strung when I took it for a setup and I've no idea what's on there (beyond the fact they're Rotosound Swing Bass)
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May 28, 2011 20:04
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