What should you look for when purchasing a Bass Guitar Amp? The answer to this question is one which has always challenged the beginner as well as the professional bass guitar player. High powered amps are extremely costly especially those amps that use tubes as the base components. Considering the advances in the musical world with digital sounds and with new federal guidelines concerning the use of analogue equipment the best bet for my money would be going with the solid state amp compared to the tube driven amp. Most solid state amps will provide enough power to meet the needs of the majority of bass amp applications. However, a note must be made that pragmatics is not always the best route to follow when dealing with the creativity of music. Music is the realm of the soul of the composer.
Another consideration about the selection of an amp is what type of applications. Will the amp be used for practice, for a small performance, or is the bass amp going to be used in a major exhibition of the bass guitar? For most bands the cost of the amp prohibits the purchase of individual amps for each occasion. Therefore, when purchasing a bass guitar amp select the one that will give the best performance under any occasion. In most cases getting a combo with a closed back will be sufficient for most functions, Manufactures make their combo units so that the additional amps can be installed for any specific requirements.
Speaker size is another area of personal choice. Most people tend to think the larger the speakers the better the sound. This is actually not true. Two small speakers with a large speaker produce a truer sound range. Larger speakers distort the notes due to the reverberation. The range of the sound is limited and distorted by the low pitch of the bass. However, the artist’s ear is the true measure of the type and size of the speakers. Music is a very personal reflection of one’s soul. To limit the choice of the musician to certain size or combination of speakers for their bass guitar amp is like limiting the colors of the painter’s palette.
Considering the size and weight of the magnets in the larger speakers plus the weight of the wood cabinets, one needs to consider the power needed to produce a quality sound. A 100 watt amplifier is sufficient for practice sessions. In concert settings a 200 to 400 watt amplifiers should be considered to produce quality music.
