Acoustic Amplification?

[Garrett]

My next Bass is going to be a Ibanez AEB10. My newb question is this.....Is there anything special I need to look for in picking out a good combo amp for use in small venues?



Owen O'Malley mentions a possible projection difference between the finishes.....



Your thoughts and opinions on this guitar, finish and amplification will be appreciated?

My apologies if this subject has been covered before...

[nofi]

roland makes several great combos that seem custom made for an abg. i have an old roland 1x15 combo that still sounds great after twenty years.

imo a heavily finished bass sounds acoustically weaker than a satin or natural finish because the top can't flex enough to do it's job.

another abg fan is always welcome here. i think you make four.

[godofthunder]

I have always loved Ibanez stuff I still have my '76 Destroyer (Explorer). I wouldn't worry to much about finishes, you are going to need a amp either way. I would say get something with a 1x12 or 1x15, no need for a tweeter 50-100 watts should cover it. I would look for a old tube Combo by Traynor, Fender, Ampeg  etc. get some nice warm tones man .

[nofi]

tube amps are nice but i always found the prices way high (for me). for an abg a good solid state combo sounds great and for a new one the price is right.

an abg by it's very nature produces  a warm tone naturally which tranfers nicely to any quality amp.

[lowend1]

Ampeg B100R

[rahock]

Like nofi said, Roland is a great choice. GK is great too, they all have a 10db cutoff switch that is made to back off the boost created by the pre amp on the instrument. I cuts the feedback way down and  allows you to get a lot more use of the amps power without adding any extraneous devices.
Rick

[nofi]

it's about time you checked in. we don't gets these chances very often around here.

[lowend1]

If you're after a warm, vintage tone in a SS amp, I will, at this point take off my shoe and pound it repeatedly on the table for the Ampeg B100R Rocket Bass. The B100R was voiced to sound like a 60s Ampeg B15 - with a more power. I have one of these, and it will get you 95% of the way to its target. I've used it with my two ABGs and it's wonderful. Looks cool as hell, too. Better if you can grab a US-made one used, but I think the new outsourced ones have been sufficiently debugged by now.
http://www.ampeg.com/products/diamondbluebass/b100r/index.html

[Psycho Bass Guy]

it's about time you checked in. we don't gets these chances very often around here.

Hey now! 

[nofi]

abg discussion type chances i mean.

[nofi]

next time gear wire demo's an abg they should use a real bass player not a poorly informed guitarist.

[rahock]

it's about time you checked in. we don't gets these chances very often around here.

Yeah, I've got a boatload of family in from out of town and I'm pretty busy lately
Rick

[Garrett]

I appreciate the advice, i`m taking it all in.....thanks!

I do have a question about string choice.....what`s a good all around string for a ABG?

[nofi]

there are bunches of string makers out there and you can use electric bass strings as well. most abgs come with phosphur bronze strings that give it that distinctive tone. d'addario bronzes come standard on tacoma basses and i like them a lot. i also like labella tape wounds for a flat string tone. you can go to bgra.net for lots of reviews on everthing bass. this site has not been updated in awhile but it is still quite valid. you will probably try a several sets of strings before you find 'your' sound. good luck.

btw if you want a smaller, less expensive amp for playing around the house the Acoustic B20 is great. it is 1x12 with 20 watts of power but is much louder than you would expect from 20 watts and people can gig with them in low volume situations.

[Garrett]

bgra.net and Acoustic B20

I was thinking about the AB50 but i will have a closer look at the B20. Thanks for the advice Nofi, I appreciate it!