Versatile studio bass amp

Cue Zephyr

Cue Zephyr

Guest
Jan 19, 2014
46
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4,571
Eindhoven, The Netherlands
www.ezyopourchez.com
#1
Howdy folks,

Although there's nothing wrong with recording DI, I've always played with the idea of at least getting a small amp. My band's bass player took his Ampeg BA-112 to rehearsal once and he made it sound wonderful with his Fender J.

I'm looking for something versatile, capable of modern and vintage tones. Overdrive would be nice, whether that be with tubes or digital, but I won't discount getting a pedal either.

I use a G&L Tribute L-2000 which is known to be tonally aggressive, so I need something that can take it.

Looking around I found possibilities like the Ashdown MAG series, Tech21 Bass VT 500, Peavey Mark IV which are all huge amps that will probably rattle the windows.

I realize I need a bass mic to record it well.

I'd like to keep the amp at or under half a grand. Used is an option.

Cheers!
CZ
 
#2
The Ampeg BA 112 is a combo and while I don't know the specs I'm guessing it's just around 100 watts and probably not the best rig to overdrive by itself. All the options you mention are quite a bit more powerful than what's in the BA 112 if I'm nit mistaken. I would go with the ashdown or tech 21 personally and probably in that order but that's just my taste. The cabinet you use will also make a big difference in volume, tone and clarity with any head you chose. Do you already have a cabinet? Is your budget just for the head or do you need a head and cab for that money? If you need both I'd probably go with a used combo for that money. I'd hope to find something like a Markbass combo used and at a good price.

Im not against micing a bass rig but there are some reasons people often just go direct. A rig will make bleed into other mics in the room hard to avoid with bass. Having a good preamp/di pedal can generally get you the type of overdrive you describe and there's a lot of options if you end up needing a pedal. With a lot of DI pedals you can have a XLR direct to the board and a 1/4" out to the Amp so it's probably worth getting a unit you like for recording bass.
 
#3
Recording will be solo. I can't record a full band in my studio. I can record an acoustic duo at best. So mic bleed won't be an issue.

I don't have a cabinet, but should I get something like the Tech21 Bass VT 500 I wouldn't mind running it as an overpriced DI for a while until I get a cabinet, because I know it has a nice DI in it.

If going combo, yes, I'd like to keep it at half a grand.

I have two DI boxes right now, a Radial ProD2 passive DI that I use for keyboards mainly and a PZ-DI that was initially designed for piezo pickups, but has an impedance switch that goes form 220k to 1M to 10M. I use the latter for my mandolin's pickup.

For pedals I'd consider the Bass Driver DI and the Bass VT but only because I know Tech21 makes nice stuff and I don't know much about bass pedals. :)
 
#5
+1 to the Tech21 VT or VT Deluxe pedal. Solid company makes great sounding products.

another, bit more off beat suggestion would be the Mesa M-Basis 2000. Very versatile amp with lots of great features.
600w @ 4 ohms: Mesa's "Simulstate" technology that uses tube driven mosfets in the power section
2 separate preamps: 1 12Ax7 driven, 1 is FET (SS). Can be combined in any ratio using a blend control
Assignable 9 band graphic EQ section
Great DI

these are discontinued, but can be found pretty easily

personally, I use a Mesa Walkabout in the studio when the client is open to something other than the studio house DI into the board. Always gets a great recorded tone and most engineers have really loved it.

good luck
 
#6
Cue Zephyr said:
Recording will be solo. I can't record a full band in my studio. I can record an acoustic duo at best. So mic bleed won't be an issue.

I don't have a cabinet, but should I get something like the Tech21 Bass VT 500 I wouldn't mind running it as an overpriced DI for a while until I get a cabinet, because I know it has a nice DI in it.

If going combo, yes, I'd like to keep it at half a grand.

I have two DI boxes right now, a Radial ProD2 passive DI that I use for keyboards mainly and a PZ-DI that was initially designed for piezo pickups, but has an impedance switch that goes form 220k to 1M to 10M. I use the latter for my mandolin's pickup.

For pedals I'd consider the Bass Driver DI and the Bass VT but only because I know Tech21 makes nice stuff and I don't know much about bass pedals. :)
Click to expand...

Make sure to be careful when using any bass amp without a load/cabinet. Most amps will burn up and be ruined if there's no speaker cabinet. I think most class D amps can work without a load but check to be sure before you buy anything. As for pedals I like both you mentioned but I would make sure to get the VT bass DI as apossed to the VT bass pedal without all the DI features you'd probably want to have. Tech 21 does make great stuff and buying a DI that is bass specific is worth it in many cases. A combo with a good line out might work best for you at that budget and I'd keep my eye on used gear for those type of prices.
 
#9
pfschim said:
personally, I use a Mesa Walkabout in the studio when the client is open to something other than the studio house DI into the board. Always gets a great recorded tone and most engineers have really loved it.
Click to expand...
+1...the best sessions I've ever had were using my WA Scout 112 either mic'ed or from the DI. The WA DI always gets rave reviews from engineers I've worked with.
 
#10
How much volume are you looking for for use in the studio? If not a lot then you don't need big wattage.

For recording I favor the industry standard Ampeg B-15N. But that's a pricey amp. However, a used Ampeg B100R can be had for around $300 that will also work well. It has a very complete 4-band EQ section and low/mid/high boost switches, so the tonal range is huge. No DI, but an outboard unit is usually a better idea anyway. You can get some very nice pro level DIs used at very good prices. I'd suggest a Countryman Type-85 as a good all-around DI if you don't have one.

I just recently scored a B100R in excellent condition and a Countryman DI in near mint condition. And that combination came in well below your $500 target budget. Which leaves enough money for either a Shure SM57 or a Sennheiser e609 microphone. Either one of those and you'd be set to go.

So shop around. There are deals to be had.

Luck! :thumbsup:
 
#11
40Hz said:
How much volume are you looking for for use in the studio? If not a lot then you don't need big wattage.
Click to expand...
Not much at all. Sure if I had it I could lend it out for live usage but that's not a priority at all.
I run a 18W tube amp for my guitar and that already gets too loud way too quickly.

40Hz said:
Which leaves enough money for either a Shure SM57 or a Sennheiser e609 microphone. Either one of those and you'd be set to go.
Click to expand...
My weapon of choice is a Beta 57, but I thought I'd need something like a Beta 52 or similar for bass recording. I use a Radial PZ-DI and that works well on any sort of magnetic pickup as well.

Anyway, I'll be on the lookout for a B100R and some other suggestions in this thread. Thanks!
 
#14
IME, unless you are looking for screaming feedback, even a small amp driven hard can record well with a well-placed microphone. It might not sound great from 8 feet away, but close miking can capture a whole lot more than you can hear from even a short distance away. It's what you hear from the mic that matters, not what you hear in the room. YMMV.
 
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#15
TheLowDown33 said:
If you're not going to mic a cab, but rather use the DI out the back of the head, it may be better to get a DI pedal. Also don't discount cabsim plugins in your DAW, there are some really, really good ones.
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The whole idea of getting an amp was to put a mic on it. ;)

JRA said:
studio? amp? why?
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Like a lot of what I do - because I can. :p

SteveCS said:
IME, unless you are looking for screaming feedback, even a small amp driven hard can record well with a well-placed microphone. It might not sound great from 8 feet away, but close miking can capture a whole lot more than you can hear from even a short distance away. It's what you hear from the mic that matters, not what you hear in the room. YMMV.
Click to expand...
That's what I want. :)

I had a different speaker in my guitar amp a while back and although it sounded wonderful in the room, it didn't translate well to a recorded tone at all. So I sold the speaker and put the old one back.

Point being that a mic hears different things than you do.

At any rate, the amp will double as a practice amp. I have a THR10 for guitar that has a bass mode which I use at low volume for bass practice but it doesn't push lows at all.
 
#16
Cue Zephyr said:
The whole idea of getting an amp was to put a mic on it. ;)

...I have a THR10 for guitar that has a bass mode which I use at low volume for bass practice but it doesn't push lows at all.
Click to expand...

It's amazing how much you can get with close miking. Try two...One at a few inches off axis and another a couple of feet or so away on axis... You might even put one on the port, if there is one... Somewhere between them you should find what you are looking for...
 
#18
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