# How big of a bass amp do i need?



## ozzman619 (Feb 12, 2012)

hey guys im kinda newish to playing bass. i recently formed a band with some good friends of mine and we have 3 guitarists and no bass player, so since im the only one with a bass i volunteered. my only problem is my bass amp is no where near big enough to play any show.

so im wondering what size of a bass amp will i need to play a small-medium sized venue. and is it possable to buy one and spend less $600? (buying used of course, but new would be nice )


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 12, 2012)

Look for a used Hartke VX3500. It's essentially a half stack in combo format. It should be plenty loud, and cheap.


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## ozzman619 (Feb 12, 2012)

i just looked on my local classifieds and found the actual head/cab version for $650, definately something ill be looking into. how reliable are these things, it looks kinda well used.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 12, 2012)

All the Hartke gear I've ever seen/used has been built like tanks.


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## GenghisCoyne (Feb 12, 2012)

what kind of music is it? what tuning?


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## ozzman619 (Feb 12, 2012)

thrash, 80s hair metal, and some heavier stuff like machinehead and bodom, so e-b standard tuning


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## cGoEcYk (Feb 13, 2012)

I'd start with 300w, 4x10 (8-ohm). You could add another 4x10 later if you need to increase volume by a good chunk.


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## davisjom (Feb 13, 2012)

Just throwin this out there. I've heard of people using high powered active PA speakers instead of stacks. If you have effects pedals you may be able to just hook up to a monitor. I'm not 100% sure tho.


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## cGoEcYk (Feb 13, 2012)

davisjom said:


> Just throwin this out there. I've heard of people using high powered active PA speakers instead of stacks. If you have effects pedals you may be able to just hook up to a monitor. I'm not 100% sure tho.


That might work for producing a sound but it wont have the goodness.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 13, 2012)

davisjom said:


> Just throwin this out there. I've heard of people using high powered active PA speakers instead of stacks. If you have effects pedals you may be able to just hook up to a monitor. I'm not 100% sure tho.



A proper set up like that will cost much more than the OP is looking to spend. Good thinking though.


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## davisjom (Feb 13, 2012)

MaxOfMetal said:


> A proper set up like that will cost much more than the OP is looking to spend. Good thinking though.


Thank you. Behringer has a 550w 12 inch active PA monitor for less than $300. He could get two for his price range. But like you said, a better quality one would be more expensive. and hartke is always a great option. 

EDIT: One of these monitors costs $229.99 - two will cost $459.98. Thats well under the $600 he wants to spend, and leaves him about $140 for cables and other stuff.


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## Powermetalbass (Feb 26, 2012)

300W a good start. I had a 200watt and once the drummer was added to my metal band it was hard to cut through. 300 would be a bare minimum for a loud metalish band. I went with the Peavey Tour 700. Solid, reliable, good price and I never hit anything above VOL 4 on it. costs around $550 new


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## ozzman619 (Feb 26, 2012)

with running pa speakers are you guys saying just plug right into them? or would i need some sort of preamp.

as for a halfstack im definatly looking for something at least 300watts cause i borrowed an amp from a friend for a show and it was only a 200watt amp with 2 10inchers i think and it was pretty much maxed and it just wasnt cutting through the rest of the band.


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## broj15 (Feb 27, 2012)

I got my Hartke vx3500, scratch and dent, for $800 and it is extrememly loud. I have played several shows and the lowdesti've had to have it was 2.5 and i play in drop A. You should have no problem cutting through with one of those. Just save up a little bit more


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## xiphiod (Feb 27, 2012)

I run a Carvin BX500 into a SWR Goliath II
The BX500 is $379 direct from carvin - 500 watts @ 4 ohms
I bought the SWR used on craigslist for $200, it's a beast

I play in a band with 3 guitars, keep my volume between 3 and 4, never have any trouble being heard. The graphic EQ on the Carvin really helps.


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## davisjom (Feb 27, 2012)

ozzman619: "with running pa speakers are you guys saying just plug right into them? or would i need some sort of preamp."

If you are using active/powered PA monitors then you can plug your bass directly into it. Along with whatever pedals you may be using.
If you have passive/unpowered PA monitors then you will need a power amp and/or a mixer board (or if you want to skip a step, using a powered mixer with passive speakers)


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## ozzman619 (Feb 27, 2012)

so would grabbing like a sans amp bass drvier di and 2 active pa monitors be a good idea, or should i just go for a head and 4x10 cab?


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## Ryan-ZenGtr- (Feb 27, 2012)

Buy a used PA and start a business renting it out, use for gigs as bass amp = PROFIT + WIN!!!

I vaguely recall there was a formula for bass wattage.

Guitar Amp wattage x3 = Desired bass amp wattage


Best bass setup I ever owned was a Mesa PowerHouse cab and Mesa Walkabout bass amp. It was incredible, every note was a little miracle. An absolute joy to play through. Made the band sound incredible. I cannot recommend that setup enough.

I was weak and sold my rig for a profit, as I'm not playing bass out at the moment. On my gear regrets list. 

Make sure to buy the most uber cabs you can afford, as it's all about the speakers in bass land. Those Mesa cabs, in my experience, were the best music products I've ever owned for the amount of joy they brought, compared to vanilla equipment.

It's hard to explain what I'm getting at here. 

Example:
So, you buy a Dual Rectifier or other quality tube amp and guitar tone is improved, about as much as you expect.

Buy the Mesa bass gear, suddenly the whole instrument is the power of the band, everything you touch is incredible and playing bass is awesome!!!


Get a good bass amp & cab , it's worth it. Otherwise bass playing is a chore.

(cab is the most important part, be sure you can move it easily and transport it to gigs as they can be very large and heavy)


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## Bevo (Feb 27, 2012)

Don't forget the speaker surface will be a big factor in the amount of sound you produce. Bass makes a bigger dent with more surface area, think 1-12 VS 4-12 guitar speakers with a good palm mute.


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## cGoEcYk (Feb 28, 2012)

ozzman619 said:


> so would grabbing like a sans amp bass drvier di and 2 active pa monitors be a good idea, or should i just go for a head and 4x10 cab?


Just get a bass rig man. I don't know what kind of bassist uses little PA monitors (which are more suitable for vox, keys, stuff like that) as their main rig. It would be a waste of money and wont get you the volume or voicing you want.

PA speakers are designed to have a flat frequency response to accurately represent/portray whatever you are feeding into them. Bass cabs voiced for rock (think Ampeg, Mesa) have a significant low midrange bump which is the sweet spot for having thick but not muddy presence in a live mix. With enough EQ you might be able to get a normal tone out of a PA, but why go through the trouble?


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## troyguitar (Feb 28, 2012)

Will you not be just running DI to the PA at any show? My old bassist had a 100 or 150 watt 1x15 combo that worked fine for anything we ever played. All he needed it for was a stage monitor, the venue PA's did all of the hard work.


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## Dead Undead (Feb 29, 2012)

Some of the best bass tones I've heard at live shows have been direct into the mixer with a SansAmp. Just my


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## Bevo (Feb 29, 2012)

That does work well but are you sure every venue has a decent PA system or even has a PA system?

End of the day you will need some gear, a super high power combo with extra cab or 500 watt head and a few cabs.
Make sure it has the DI and it will give you a few more options.


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## davisjom (Mar 1, 2012)

cGoEcYk said:


> Just get a bass rig man. I don't know what kind of bassist uses little PA monitors (which are more suitable for vox, keys, stuff like that) as their main rig. It would be a waste of money and wont get you the volume or voicing you want.
> 
> PA speakers are designed to have a flat frequency response to accurately represent/portray whatever you are feeding into them. Bass cabs voiced for rock (think Ampeg, Mesa) have a significant low midrange bump which is the sweet spot for having thick but not muddy presence in a live mix. With enough EQ you might be able to get a normal tone out of a PA, but why go through the trouble?



there are many different styles of PA speakers. Everything from a single 8 inch to dual 18 inch. I've seen a bassist use a passive 2x12 PA monitor with an amp head and he cut through the mix better than the other bassists at the show. With that said, if he uses effects pedals, plugging them into a powered PA will save him the trouble of buying an amp head and a cab. Powered PA's are basically combo amps without the knobs. Its also a cheaper alternative, plus, like someone else mentioned, when he isnt using it, renting it out could be a way to get an extra bit of money, then he can sell the PA later and then get a setup more suited for his style. I've spoken to many people at Sweetwater Sound, and they ALL said a simple 7 band EQ pedal would fix any voicing issues someone might have. I have no idea what a "normal" tone is for you. But what he likes and you like could be totally different. Thats why there are so many options for gear.


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## HaMMerHeD (Mar 1, 2012)

The nicest live bass sound I ever heard was Victor Wooten's Hartke LH1000 into an HX410 and HX115 stac, miked into the venue PA. I arrived to the show about 30 minutes early and heard the sound tech's testing the rig without house reinforcement, and it sounded the same, only not as loud.

The LH and HyDrive setup is, of course, way overpriced for what OP is looking for, but the point is...Hartke makes nice stuff. Not stuff for every taste, but nice stuff nonetheless.


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## Herb Dorklift (Mar 7, 2012)

I use a Markbass CMD121p. 300w, 1x12; it's more than enough, especially since it gets DI'd.


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## mortbopet (Mar 7, 2012)

I can testify to the Hartke awesomeness.

i own a Hartke HA3500 which can play crazy loud
With that, i own a 410xl and 115xl cab. If you cant afford both, then start with the 410xl (4x10), and then the 15" later. BUT - that 15" will really help you if you are looking for a room-filling bass.
If your going with Hartke, make sure that you DONT buy the transporter series, they suck donkeyballs. I can recommend the xl series myself. Nice sound, and way cheaper than the Hydrives!

(got my amp and cabs used for 700 usd, which is crazy cheap here in denmark!)


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