bass amp question

johnnysmack

dont no if this is d right thread for dis but anyway. how much wattage would a bass amp require to b comfortably heard wen playing wit drums n electric guitar? i no a 100 watt guitar amp can b heard fine over drums, would it b similar for d bass r would it require a bit more welly behind it?

gotBass

If you want to be heard, the number and size of speakers can have as much to do with things as the power output.

Rough guide;
playing with drums, I'd have at least a 1x15 speaker with minimum 150watts.
alternatively if you are playing in a room with a nice pa, why not run the bass signal into the PA and let it do the work then you can have a nice small portable amp.

My set-up is as follows:
300W bass head
2x10 cab - 2 x 10 inch speakers
1x15 cab - 1 x 15 inch speaker

It's rare I use all cabs, mostly use the 2x10 with the head.
Oh yeah if I use a 5 string bass, I use 1x15and the 2x10.

hope this helps.

smellslikeshoes

150w would be absolute minimum but you really should be aiming for 300w. It really depends on the set up you're going to be playing with and especially the drummer but there will be occasions that if you have less than 300 its going to struggle. Ive been playing with a drummer lately and anything under 300 would be absolutely blown away by him.

brendansmith

Em lads, do ye not think ye might be overdoing it a bit. 100watts was always grand for me when i played bass

Rigsby

I would agree with "gotBass" 's post above. The amount and size of your speakers can have a lot do do with volume besides watts. I think the general consensus would be 150w if playing with a drummer in a band.

Brendansmith : You dont say in what context you played bass at 100w. Was it at a gig with a drummer ? Doubtless you could get away with lower than 100w if playing alone at home.

gotBass

smellslikeshoes wrote: »

150w would be absolute minimum but you really should be aiming for 300w. It really depends on the set up you're going to be playing with and especially the drummer but there will be occasions that if you have less than 300 its going to struggle. Ive been playing with a drummer lately and anything under 300 would be absolutely blown away by him.

JohnnySmack,
number of speakers, impedance of cabs and power output is one of the most discussed topics by bass players on the web. I've played many a session with a 1x15 and 100Watts, I say 150W because its a safe bet that you should never really have to turn the amp to full power and having a few watts over will ensure that your amp is never overly stressed, hopefully ensuring long reliable use.........

Just incase you are going out buying amps cabs or combos.

An extreme example would be putting a 500w head into a 1x10 inch speaker.
(Yes I know you would most likely blow it up) but this is only an example.
electrical signals get turned into sound by the speaker. If the speaker is only small it generally cannot move enuf air to make soundwaves. the amplifier is making loads of electric signal but is limited by the 1x10.

however if you had a 100w amp going into a 2x10, the speakers can take the power from the amp and convert it to more sound. Therefore the lower powered amp and more suitable speaker setup would sound louder.

For any newbies out there thinking that huge powered bass combos are better, there are other considerations like cab configuration, speaker efficiency etc., but more on that at another time. the simplest lesson to learn is this, and is based around separate amp and cab setup. I'm not going into huge detail on this, as it is a can of worms....

Your amp output is rated A Watts at B ohms.
Your speakers are rated at C Watts and D Ohms
If D is less than B
( speakers have lower impedance than amplifier can handle) the amp will run hot and possibly blow. If D is bigger than B things are ok.

If A is bigger than C, this can be ok, but make sure that you are not way over. the amp can be run at low volume and will be ok. If the Amp is run at full volume it has higher output than speakers can handle, and you get farty noises on top of your nice clean bass sound. ( not nice and could blow speakers)

If A is less than C then the speakers can handle everything that the amp can throw at them, but running the amp at full belt may cause it to get damaged.

to summarise, if getting separates:
Get an amp with a higher watt output and lower impedance rating than your speakers, and avoid running it a 100% volume output.
If in doubt ask about it here or the guy in the shop where you are buying should have a clue.

I hope that someone finds this useful...

best of luck with your bassy adventures.....;)

Rigsby

Great post ! ^^^

I admit I always get a bit confused about watts and ohms when talking about amps and speakers. The guys in some music shops seem to be in the same boat as me. :rolleyes: When I asked this type of question in a well known music shop the guy had n't a clue.

johnnysmack

i gotta agree wit rigsby dat was a great post n cleared up some stuff for me. tanks for all d help guys.

joenailface

it seriously depends on your drummer, im in what can only be described as a noise rock band and some sort of alternative rock band and i have played both bass and guitar with both bands. while 100w guitar amp would be plenty for almost any situation, with bass amps youd be surprised how quickly they get drowned out by a loud drummer

in the alt rock band the drummer hits the drums with a medium-high force and my 300 watt ampeg does the job with room to spare, in the noise rock band the drummer goes through at least two pairs of sticks per 3 hour practice (because he hits them so unbelieveably hard) and even with the bass amp running full and DI'd to a sizeable PA and we still have to ask him to hit them easier, where as my 100w marshall jmp 800 does both with a max of volume and gain at 6 each

assess what your needs are is all i can say, i know mine may be an extreme but it never hurts to have that extra head room, if its too powerful just turn it down, if it's not powerful enough and your at 10 where do you go, you cant go anywhere (unless your amp goes to 11) maybe just ask a few friends can you try thiers and see where you stand, if you only need a 100w amp why buy an outlanishly big amp

studiorat

I use a 100w ampeg into a 15" cab. It's perfect for a 3 of 4 piece and I've always got loads of room to spare. If I need more I take a di out of the back into the PA.