If you had to choose: Ampeg BA112, BA115, or BA210

[grado]

I'm looking into picking up a decent practice bass amp. This thing will almost certainly not be gigged.

I play a Warwick Streamer LX 5 so it's a pretty deep woodsy sounding bass, maybe even a bit to deep.

I've been looking at Ampeg because their locally available at a seemingly reasonable price.

I've narrowed it down to 3 choices:

Ampeg BA112, BA115, or BA210 (I've found a used one for around $600)

Anyone have an feeling about these amps?

[padavis]

I have the BA115. Very cool amp. Sounds great, has the headphone out, the XLR so you can send that thing through the house to get more power. My pops has the SVT3 head and this thing isnt quite that, but it is a very nice practice and small stage amp. Sounds like an Ampeg and thats all that really matters.

[grado]

Originally Posted by padavis

I have the BA115. Very cool amp. Sounds great, has the headphone out, the XLR so you can send that thing through the house to get more power. My pops has the SVT3 head and this thing isnt quite that, but it is a very nice practice and small stage amp. Sounds like an Ampeg and thats all that really matters.

They sure are affordable aren't they? I see them new (BA115) at a local shop for $419. That's not bad.

I'd love to find one local used so I can avoid the 14% in tax.

Kind of why I'm wondering about the used BA210, If I could talk the guy into taking $500 for it, then that would be close to the same price as the BA115 after tax.

[LL1]

Depends on your style and how loud you practice.?.
if you go with the 15,,you will get alot more feel, especially if you use the low b. I always kind of consider 10's for treble which is fine,,but not to appealing for being your only speakers for bass, even for practice imo. one way to think about it is... 12's for mids, 15 for low mids, and 18's for bass. Again, depends on your style/sound and what works for you.

[grado]

Originally Posted by LL1

Depends on your style and how loud you practice.?.
if you go with the 15,,you will get alot more feel, especially if you use the low b. I always kind of consider 10's for treble which is fine,,but not to appealing for being your only speakers for bass, even for practice imo. one way to think about it is... 12's for mids, 15 for low mids, and 18's for bass. Again, depends on your style/sound and what works for you.

As far style goes I'm not into a lot of treble. I'm sort of the "a bass should sound like a bass and guitar should sound like a guitar" kind of guy. That being said I don't like all the mids to sound muddy either.

Ideally I would practice as quietly as possible while still maintaining the feel of the bass, so I guess not all that quiet. The last amp I had, never really sounded good at all, but it really sounded horrible at lower volume levels. It was an el-cheapo Traynor Bass amp from the mid 90's.

[jokerjkny]

aighty, some thoughts...

any combo w/ 10" speakers will sound punchier and more inyourface. smaller speakers move faster easier, which makes them sound much more authoritative.great for cutting thru a mix. but you do lose natural bottom end, and at higher volumes, goosing the bass on the preamp section might cause farting. the best way to combat the higher volume fart, is to simply add more 10" speakers.

15" speakers have a great natural pillowy low end that just feels good to dig into, but at the loss of natural punch and that ability to cut thru the mix. bigger speaker surface means slower speaker movement. with that said, i do like having 15" speaker cab to fill out a 4x10 cab for a nice big lower end to help fill in the gaps of a power trio.

12" speakers are a nice balance of the two. or to some ears, a sad compromise of the two. but i think its a nice balance. you get some quickness that 15" dont have, and yet, a nice authorative punch that's almost as good as a 10" speaker.

now with all this said, i HATE the ampeg combos. they're awful. the tweeters are crazy hissy, and the overall tones are muddy and thick. all of which are my biggest pet peeves.

a better alternative are the GK combos or better yet the ashdown combos. killer tones that are clear and with an EQ that's waaaaaaaaay more versatile.

[jokerjkny]

Originally Posted by grado

As far style goes I'm not into a lot of treble. I'm sort of the "a bass should sound like a bass and guitar should sound like a guitar" kind of guy. That being said I don't like all the mids to sound muddy either.
(...)

while i'm in that camp as well,

one thing to keep in mind, that a bass should also be "articulate". i.e. when the sound is projected out into the audience, it shouldnt be muddy and rumbly, but rather stout, punchy, and again, articulate, where each note is heard and made out distinctly. so, you'd be surprised at how treble is your friend.

as guitar players, we take this for granted, due to the trebly, midrangey aspect of that wailing guitar. but for bass players, being able to be properly heard is a constant battle.

knowing your speaker tendencies as i described before, and also knowing that buying as MUCH wattage as you can afford helps like gangbusters in this area. wattage is important, due to the fact that lower end frequencies need LOTS of power to be properly pushed from your speakers. which in turn makes your tone "PUNCHY" and stout. so you're not only heard but felt as well, which makes for your sound to NOT be muddy. and mud is what bass players fear, hate, abhor, shun, wanna kick in the crotch the most.