amp question

[prophetik music]

i recently purchased two bass guitars - an acoustic bass guitar and a 6-string electric. both are relatively low-end instruments, more to give me some practice than anything else.

i'm interested, now, in picking up an amp for use in my church and elsewhere. i don't need some massive stack or anything, more just something that's big enough to handle itself in a small performance setting (our church is about 300 people on a sunday...and it's a church ).

the amp i use at church is a peavey kb/a 300 (it's a 150w amp, i think, based on a 15" woofer). it gets a decent sound, considering it's a keyboard amp, and has approximately the power i'm looking for. so, any suggestions on a decent bass amp in the 150-200w range?

i'd prefer to spend under 250$ or so if possible, and i'll likely try to buy used (i never buy new for most pieces of audio equipment).

also, if anyone wants to explain some stuff about heads, cabinets, etc, that'd be great. i'm not certain that my grasp on general amplifier concepts is as good as it could be.

[Cyril the Wolf]

AND THE CYRIL COMETH TO SCHOOL ON THE BASSAGE!!! (1)

Okay, so my church isn't as big as yours, and I use more power than I ever need at my gigs, but I had an 80 watt amp that I used at bars and still only had to turn it up half way, and that was with the gain turned down! The funny thing about that peavey combo was that it was from 1979. Still did a decent job, didn't project for shit, but it was budget in the 80's. Bass tech has come a long way. SOooooo here are the "new prices" for a couple of my favorites.

Fender Rumble 75 - $250 new from Zzounds

Fender Rumble 150 - $350 new from Zzounds

I like the Rumble series personally becuase they are pretty damn flexible for what they are. You can blend distorted and clean with them, and you have the Fender Bass tone, which is damn good I believe. I play through a modded Rumble 100 cab myself. Though I have strange set up.

If you can find a Peavey TKO or TNT combo used for your price range, go for it. They sound pretty damn good. I used to use a TKO and it only had issues because it was old. I played through a newer TKO and it had a much better tone and a lot more options. Plus they generally come with 7-Band EQ for lulz. I think you could find that if you looked.

I'm not good at the teaching without specifics but if you really only looking a=at small performance venues, then you really don't need more than 200 watts. With a sufficient cab, that's all you need. If you're playing anywhere else that's huger, try to go direct into the board and use your bass as a monitor. It gives great results.

Also, if you have the opportunity to try it, try 4x10/2x10 speaker configs versus 1x15 speaker configs. They have their pros and cons. 1x15 cabs are generally not as punchy but have better low response where as the 10's give you better definition in exchange for some low (which could be probably pumped out of them anyway given EQ)

Brands that can sound good but I have had bad experience with are SWR and Ibanez. SWR cabs tend to sound tinny, at least the ones in your price range, same with the Ibanez.

If you can get your hands on a Marshall bass combo in your price range then do it. I have a MB|B 25 and its awesome. I use that for church, but my church is considerably smaller.

Any more questions, please ask!