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#117463 by YearoftheRiver
Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:44 am
I'm looking to purchase a bass amp to play gigs in small clubs, outdoor events and possibly at church from time to time. What would be a recommended wattage for these type of scenarios?

Thanks!!!
Mark

#117486 by philbymon
Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:37 pm
The Peavey Combo 400 will do ya just fine for those venues. The TNT works great, too. The only problem with these amps is the weight, imho. They are very road-worthy, & you can dial in very good tones.

You can prolly find either of them at pawn shops for a song.

#117488 by Cajundaddy
Fri Jul 16, 2010 3:07 pm
That depends a lot on the type of music you play, the size gigs you usually play, and how much gear you really want to drag around. A 60 watt tube Fender Bassman has probably covered more small club gigs than any other bass amp in the last 50 years. Most players consider this underpowered by modern standards but it depends on the music. For jazz, country or roots rock it still may be enough for typical small clubs.

Suggestion: Pick an amp that will cover 90% of the shows you plan to do in the near future and use the "line out" to run your sound to the house PA with subs for large shows. Maximum SPL is a lot more useful than watts when shopping for an amp. Find an amp that will deliver 120db SPL@1M all night with the kind of tone you are looking for and you are good to go. If your band does 80s metal or just plays really loud you may need 130db and a cab the size of a large refrigerator to get in the game.

For reference, my band plays mostly 60-70s rock (sometimes pretty loud) and my bass player uses an SWR 115. It is rated at 200w and produces 120 db SPL all night without overheating. It covers everything except large outdoor shows where we also run his sound through the PA. It fits in the trunk of a Nissan Altima and doesn't weigh much. He has used this rig for 7 years now (maybe 300 shows) and never comes up short on power.

#117553 by Super Chuck
Sat Jul 17, 2010 2:13 am
I use a 450 watt ampeg with a two ten cab. for the small clubs and 1300 watts with 4 tens for the bigger clubs. I stack them so the top speaker is right behind my head. I can hear my self great but with the speakers off the floor they don't flood the bar.

#123155 by 335 Guy
Mon Sep 06, 2010 6:39 pm
Wattage needs for bass depends on whether the amp is solid state or tube. Most bass rigs today are solid state. and IMO, one needs at least 200 watts of solid state power to sound decent at all, regardless of the speaker. 400 watts and more are better in a solid state bass rig. But if you go with tubes, you could get by with a 100 watt amp. Most of the old tube bass amps ( Fender and Marshall ) will distort too much for my tastes. But older Ampeg tube bass amps kick butt. Pretty clean and punchy. Traynor has a newer tube bass head at 200 watts but it's pricey. Most new tube bass heads are much more money than their solid state bretheren. About the best buy out there right now in a new bass head is the Hartke LH 500. 500 watts of solid state power, compression, tube pre-amp, direct outs, effects loop, etc. make it a great buy at $350.00. It doesn't have lots of EQ variations but out of the gate, it's pretty good sounding and doesn't need lots of EQing with a good cabinet and guitar. The tube pre gives it a warm tone. Check them out:
http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i- ... 0-PAK-LIST
#125411 by Nobodys Fool
Fri Oct 01, 2010 1:16 pm
YearoftheRiver wrote:I'm looking to purchase a bass amp to play gigs in small clubs, outdoor events and possibly at church from time to time. What would be a recommended wattage for these type of scenarios?

Thanks!!!
Mark


I use a Line 6 LD300 for most of the gigs I play, and it really gets the job done. My bandmates all love the sound of it, and I get a lot of compliments from people in the audience, as well. A little heavy (I use a collapsible cart to move it), but well worth the money, and you get a bunch of different amp models in it, plus you can tweak the models and save the settings. It's like getting 5 amps in one.
#128246 by Ulfr
Fri Oct 29, 2010 3:17 pm
I could not be more satisfied, I love this head for several reasons. Line 6 LowDown HD750 750W Rack Mount Bass Amp Head, not only does it have excellent sound, more than enough power for most occasions, but the built in tuner is a one button savior that simplifies things to the inth.

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