Kurt_Teplice Posted September 16 Share Posted September 16 Dears, I use Helix with a bass guitar the way I send a signal from Helix to my Ampeg combo (via 6,3 mm jacks; just for a stage - to not depend on the monitors) and to PA (via XLR, cabinet simulation included) and I would like to ask for your suggestions: I would like to purchase a bass amp so I could go for a gig only with the head and use the local cabinet (simply to save some space in a van). I need it only for the power, not to work with sound since it is created directly in Helix and I connect the Helix to the FX loop return so I basically by-pass the EQ etc. I would start on 400 W power. So my idea is some simple (simplier = better) but powerful amp. Would you have any recommendations please? Thank you in advance for your feedback. BR, Kurt Strohschneider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theElevators Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 "the best" is so subjective... However when I played bass guitar primarily, my main factors were always: dependability and portability. One time I played a show and there was a tiiiiny box on top of a huge cab, I thought it was a very fancy DI box. I plugged in, put it on like 1.5 and BOOOM! woah!! Well long story short--I got myself this: https://www.markbass.it/product/little-mark-iii/ for $750 15 years ago. It has a nice punchy sound, no stupid tubes, and can sound like anything you will ever need, looks great and fits into a backpack. It has plenty of power to play a huge stage, if needed. A lot of people scoff when they see it, thinking it's a toy... that's what I thought first before I plugged into it at that aforementioned gig. Shortly thereafter I got myself a Markbass speaker cabinet as well. No regrets. If you don't care about any of the bass amp features at all, then get a power amp, if those exist. I play guitar using a Mooer Baby Bomb 30-W power amp for stage volume, and it sounds fantastic. For bass, you need more power, and after doing a quick search I'm convinced that getting a compact bass amp is the way to go instead. I was not able to find a power amp suitable for bass for 100 USD or so. That's because most bass players just use an amp, so you should probably do the same. Also, most bass players don't use modellers / processors because most of the time you just need your direct sound. I'm not saying it's right, but I only used 2 things on my bass: distortion for a few songs and a looper. I never used any compressor, because most amps I've played have a built-in compressor/gain to achieve what I needed. So get a quality compact powerful solid state amp, which Markbass has a reputation of building. 15 years later, mine still works fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lou-kash Posted September 20 Share Posted September 20 Last Saturday I went to a gig with just my bass and the HX Stomp. The Stomp went straight to the PA via TRS-to-XLR adapter, and the sound guy feeded the sound back to the stage monitors. That was all. I haven't had such a clear and transparent bass sound on stage in a long time. Perfect. But as always, your mileage may vary, depending on the venue, the sound guy, and the music style you're playing. Other times I'm usually taking an SWR Workingman's 12 combo as my stage monitor, using only its FX return = power amp input. (Zdravím do Teplic, občas tam jezdím za kamarády z kapely Aku-Aku. :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunedinDragon Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 I haven't been on a stage in years with a bass amp. If you have a Helix you already have several choices for a bass amp and speakers. All you need to do is plug it into a mixing board. That should save you all the room you need in your van. See how easy that was? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted September 23 Share Posted September 23 The "best" anything...be it a vehicle, brand of boxer shorts, or toenail fungus ointment is the one that works for you. What works for me, or the guy in line behind you at the bank is of little consequence. Everyone's needs/wants are going to differ. Do you actually need an amp on stage? I haven't used one for years now. The modeling wizardry that brought us all here makes running an amp completely unnecessary. Now if you want one, so be it...get whatever twirls you're beanie. There are no wrong answers... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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