Amp that goes both ways

[thrdgll]

Hey, guys! I'm brand new here, so forgive me if this topic has been worked over already. I'm a no-budget home recording hobbyist with very little technical knowledge. I'm looking to get a cheap amp that will give me a fairly decent recorded sound for both bass and guitar. My gear comes mostly from pawn shops and scrap heaps, so I'm just trying to get a general idea of what to keep an eye out for.

thanks!

[Rick Hunter]

Vox Pathfinder. Best deal ever. Do a search on the tapeop search. Its pretty cool.


Justin

[clamp]

I've worked in new and used music retail for 7 and half years and have recorded many a bass and guitar track. Here's my non-profit advice.

For bass: If you're pawn savy keep your eye out for any solid-state with a 15" speaker: brands Ampeg, Crate, Kustom, Peavey, Sunn, Fender (BXR Models), Yamaha, etc. Try any freak brand they'll let you and jugde with the ears (I just bought an ELK guitar amp).

For guitar: Lately all my guitar recording has been direct. Not through modelers but cheap Crate tube preamps and expensive Peavey compressors. Keep your eye out for old Sovteks (Mig 50 heads) and Ampeg (Vintage 30 loaded) cabs.

To simplify: Buy a Roland JC-120 and mic it.

My overall message is buy two great cheap amps but if you require an amp to cover your ass buy a JC-120.

[thunderboy]

Bass records great through a Princeton (tho not too cheap...hmmm.)

Maybe a Champ?

Does size/power matter here?

jt

[thrdgll]

"Does size/power matter here? "

Not really. I doubt I'll ever use it live, I just need a decent sound for recording in a very small room. I'm not as picky as most about recording quality, but all I have at the moment is a half-broken Marshall Lead Combo (Salvation Army special!) and trying to tweak an acceptable bass sound out of it is pretty much impossible. It doesn't help that my bass is acoustic (Unplugged style, not standup), and prone to pick up fret and pick noise. I want to ditch the broken Marshall and get something to cover all the bases, if possible.

Thanks for your suggestions!

[wayne kerr]

To simplify: Buy a Roland JC-120 and mic it.

Dude, are you kidding? The guy's on a budget! Besides, the JC120 is a one-trick pony.

CC
PP

[ajmogis]

Fender Champ

[jajjguy]

Music Man HD 130 has served me well for both gtr and bass, though it is rarely my first choice for either.

[aurelialuz]

amp that goes both ways? i'd look for one with a huge trannie in it.

OOOOH.

i'm here all week.

alex

[Randy]

Another voice for the Fender Champ (make sure it's one of the tube champs). I love that amp.

It is quite possibly the perfect recording amp, even though it is not as cheap as a Crate or whatever, it will probably not lose its value. So if you want to sell it later, you will get your money back-- free rental!

Quiet, it can sound like the perfect clean tube amp (bass or guitar), crank it and you have sweet distortion. You can even borrow a 15 in. 4 ohm speaker and bypass its 8 in. speaker and get even better bass tone.

An amp truly deserving of its name.

[SLAG]

amp that goes both ways? i'd look for one with a huge trannie in it.

OOOOH.

i'm here all week.

alex

Wouldn't it be Bi-amped? A trannie would be a bass amp that was modded to a guitar amp (and has a huge adams apple).

[aurelialuz]

Wouldn't it be Bi-amped? A trannie would be a bass amp that was modded to a guitar amp (and has a huge adams apple).

oh, good point. and there's got to be a zvex super hard on pedal (two outs, you know) involved in there somewhere...

alex

[kayagum]

"Does size/power matter here? "

Not really. I doubt I'll ever use it live, I just need a decent sound for recording in a very small room. I'm not as picky as most about recording quality, but all I have at the moment is a half-broken Marshall Lead Combo (Salvation Army special!) and trying to tweak an acceptable bass sound out of it is pretty much impossible. It doesn't help that my bass is acoustic (Unplugged style, not standup), and prone to pick up fret and pick noise. I want to ditch the broken Marshall and get something to cover all the bases, if possible.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Dude- save yourself the trouble and just get a SansAmp Bass Driver and record direct. Your acoustic bass should sound fine through that, and you'll be surprised how well your electric guitars will sound through it (it will sound like a clean Fender bassman. Add pedals to taste). $150, and you'll have a solution that many pro studios use.

If your acoustic bass has a passive pickup (which sounds like a possibility given your complaints of fret and pick noise), definitely get a preamp. If you don't want to go that route- just pick up a Mexi P-Bass.

[nestle]

I say a CHAMP too, but the silver face one-
I put an eminence speaker in mine and it the go to amp everytime for rock. i love it

[andrew embassy]

I have a champ and a vox; I haven't run the champ through a 15, but now that you guys are talking about it I'm really excited to. Both of these amps are awesome for guitar and relatively cheap (the Vox espcieally cheap), and if people are excited about the Champ doing bass duties then I say go for it.