Hi All. First post from bass-newbie.
I'm a middle-aged novice guitar player. Five years learning, garage band, weekly jam/practice, only "playing out" 1-2 times per year for family/friends gatherings. The last couple of years I've had to fill in on bass occasionally, so I'm trying to improve my skills. I've picked up a MIJ Jazz Bass that I'm very happy with and I'm taking online lessons.
I'm currently playing at home either unplugged or at low volume through a Fender Princeton clone, but I'm looking to up my game with a bass head that has headphone out and aux in for play-along utility and silent practice. Ideally, down the road, I'd also like this amp to be usable in our practice space and/or with DI for small "gigs". So far, I'm considering the Traynor SB200H (Traynor Amps) and the TC Electronic BH250 (BH250 | TC Electronic).
All that said ... I've noticed that the Traynor head lacks a Master Volume control (present on their 500 watt model: Traynor Amps) and the TCE head lacks a Gain control (present on 550 watt model: BH550 | TC Electronic). Could anyone out there please school me on whether the lack of the secondary gain/volume control on these amps would be a limiting factor in terms of managing the level of grit/drive relative to overall volume (is this "headroom")? Also, does the lack of these secondary gain/volume controls limit the use of OR require the use of pedals to get some drive happening at lower volumes? [note: I live hours away from well-stocked music stores, so I can't just go out and try these amps myself]
Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
I'm a middle-aged novice guitar player. Five years learning, garage band, weekly jam/practice, only "playing out" 1-2 times per year for family/friends gatherings. The last couple of years I've had to fill in on bass occasionally, so I'm trying to improve my skills. I've picked up a MIJ Jazz Bass that I'm very happy with and I'm taking online lessons.
I'm currently playing at home either unplugged or at low volume through a Fender Princeton clone, but I'm looking to up my game with a bass head that has headphone out and aux in for play-along utility and silent practice. Ideally, down the road, I'd also like this amp to be usable in our practice space and/or with DI for small "gigs". So far, I'm considering the Traynor SB200H (Traynor Amps) and the TC Electronic BH250 (BH250 | TC Electronic).
All that said ... I've noticed that the Traynor head lacks a Master Volume control (present on their 500 watt model: Traynor Amps) and the TCE head lacks a Gain control (present on 550 watt model: BH550 | TC Electronic). Could anyone out there please school me on whether the lack of the secondary gain/volume control on these amps would be a limiting factor in terms of managing the level of grit/drive relative to overall volume (is this "headroom")? Also, does the lack of these secondary gain/volume controls limit the use of OR require the use of pedals to get some drive happening at lower volumes? [note: I live hours away from well-stocked music stores, so I can't just go out and try these amps myself]
Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks!
