Bass Amps

Even if you’ve matched your bass head and cab properly impedance wise and set your amp for clean sound, sending simply too much power to your bass cab can result in blown speakers. This often happens when you are using a rig you are unfamiliar with, as we tend to know the limitations of our own equipment and have chosen that setup for a reason. Borrowing another bassist’s amp or using a backline rig only to blow it up is definitely not a great feeling.

Even with all the EQ controls set to Zero, you can get a wide range of tones from one knob on the BX250 250W Micro Bass Amp Head. Watch the video to check it out.

No matter how good you are at bass, if you’re out of tune during a live gig, the audience - and your bandmates - will be less than impressed. Even if your bass is properly intonated and you’ve used an electronic tuner to tune it up before the first downbeat, a variety of factors may cause you to step on that tuner pedal a little more than you’d like, which can really slow the momentum of your band’s live show. But don’t worry- this post will help you get to the root of the problem. 

If you’re a bass player who rolls a heavy speaker cabinet to the gig, and once the cab is on the stage, you turn the cab on its side, or remove pop-out casters. This could be just what you have always done, or it could be to make the cab sit onstage with more stability (ever played on a slanted or uneven stage?)

If you have a guitar amp with a flexible equalization section and sufficient tone shaping capability, the idea of adding a preamp pedal to your setup may seem unnecessary.  After all, your amplifier’s controls along with your guitar's onboard tone controls are useful tone shaping tools in and of themselves, so why add another one?

In a perfect world, sound engineers at every venue would ask bassists whether they prefer to go DI or have their cab miked up. While many sound engineers do take player preference into account, the fact of the matter is that for small local shows where five bands are on the bill, many engineers understandably stick with one method for all the bands to make the in-between set transitions as smooth and fast as possible. 

If you're laying down bass or guitar tracks in the studio and the engineer asks you to go direct, you may be slightly concerned, especially if you're a guitarist. Playing through a DI is a very common practice for bassists, but guitarists generally prefer to mic up an amp to get their sound and might be a little apprehensive about using a DI. For some, a DIed guitar and/or bass track may sound dull, sterile, and flat, even when using a high quality DI unit. 

Some of the awesome adjectives bassists use to describe their ideal tone- for instance, “grindy,” “punchy” “clanky”- can be attributed to a single knob present on many of today’s bass amps. While the big picture of overall tone depends on a myriad of different factors, from the amp and cab to the bass itself, and of course the player’s technique, the often-overlooked high mids knob can be just what you need to dial your tone into its sweet spot.

Aside from drummers, bassists generally have the most weight to carry at load-in. Bassists stand out among the rest of the band with their huge, heavy bass cabinets that often take two people to move and have a huge onstage footprint. Of course, smaller combos do just fine at smaller venues, but there are still some bassists who prefer the headroom of a “big rig” in nearly any gigging situation. These players, contrary to popular belief, are not necessarily egocentric showoffs who like to have the biggest rig onstage and the loudest instrument in the mix- in fact, there are many reasons why a big rig can help support the overall sound of the band.

We've discussed how to get a killer overdriven bass sound at length in previous articles, but what about all the bassists out there who want a clean sound? Don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you!  For some serious pocket grooving, stripped down, low volume acoustic gigs, or certain styles of music, such a clean tone is indispensable. Whether you're a bassist who likes to play with overdrive looking to clean up your act or a clean bassist who wants to make your sound even cleaner, this article will help you dial in your rig.

If you're used to playing electric bass, switching to an acoustic bass for a set can be intimidating. In addition to the technical adjustments you need to make in the move from an electric bass to an acoustic bass, there is also a whole new set of equipment considerations you need to take into account. After all, you can’t show up to that small coffee house gig with your full stack (technically you can, but you might scare the audience away when you load in!)