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SansAmp is a GREAT tool, but it doesn't replace an amp altogether. You should have a decent amp to get the job done, AND a SansAmp.

Having a PA is nice, but, an amp is usually cheaper... and more portable.
I've played a hell of a lot of venues where if I were only running through a SansAmp into the house PA, I would have no clue what I was sounding like... MANY venues have sub-standard monitoring on stage, or only monitor vocals, using the players' amps for stage monitors. If you don't have an actual amp, you're fucked, and no one but the audience hears the bass.

While an AMAZING tool, a SansAmp isn't really an amp replacement in many situations.

Billy3000 wrote:Every once in a while I'll encounter the skeptical sound guy but they shut up as soon as they hear it.

That surprises me. Most sound guys I've encountered are quite familiar with the SansAmp, and similar DI boxes... they love 'em. For someone to be doing that job and not be familiar with them seems... strange.

Ankhanu wrote:

Billy3000 wrote:Every once in a while I'll encounter the skeptical sound guy but they shut up as soon as they hear it.

That surprises me. Most sound guys I've encountered are quite familiar with the SansAmp, and similar DI boxes... they love 'em. For someone to be doing that job and not be familiar with them seems... strange.

I thought this, if it's a guitarist rather than a bassist they're more skeptical, but they're pretty common-place.

With some of the dive's that I've played having an amp is a must, a lot of places don't even have monitors for the singer.

Yeah it wlll be an amp thanks for the information everyone. If I'd also probably DI for pretence but its for one of my younger brothers who is just getting into the being in bands game, cost, portability security of practise space/bandmates and ability to play on Amps + vocal PA gigs all point to the amp otption.

I've only played a few bass amps, but more watts is always better.
I've always been one for MAX HEADROOM (haha do u see what i did thur?) and the bass is such a dynamic instrument, I need an even greater amount of headroom.

There are some guitarists who play bass who "can make do" with any number of shitty amps for bass, but for actual bass work, you need a big ass BASSY bass amp. I had great luck with an SWR working man combo. Probably the much older brother of this guy http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifie ... -combo-amp

pretty much loud enough for a rock band.

PS, I've never heard any DI bass guitar that sounded better than a bag of piss.

We gig with the Micro VR stack, but we use a second cab. That makes it 200W (with a single cab, it puts out like 150W or so).



Because of the elevation, everybody hears the bass pretty well without having to turn it up too much but I've pondered getting an Orange Terror head (500W) just for something extra.

the first guitar in our practiceroom uses a marshall jcm800 with an orange 4x12" cab (vintage 30), the other a sovtek mig-50 with a 4x10" cab. Both with a lot of fuzz...
I use as bassamp my marshall jtm45 with a 70s orange 4x12" cab (celestion g12h) and i run this amp on about 4 (with both channels).
It gives me a real cool 60ies rockbass sound (like cream, the who, jimi hendrix exp.) The sound is not real clean, but with a slightly tube-overdrive sound. Lovely

I used to have a second bassamp (solidstate 200w) with an 15" cab, but it sounds not so good as the marshall and both amps together are just too loud...

honeyiscool wrote:We gig with the Micro VR stack, but we use a second cab. That makes it 200W (with a single cab, it puts out like 150W or so).

I've gigged the Micro VR with a single cab, and it wasn't quite enough. If adding a second cab makes it louder, it might just be a good gigging amp.

Ankhanu wrote:

Billy3000 wrote:Every once in a while I'll encounter the skeptical sound guy but they shut up as soon as they hear it.

That surprises me. Most sound guys I've encountered are quite familiar with the SansAmp, and similar DI boxes... they love 'em. For someone to be doing that job and not be familiar with them seems... strange.

Most of the times it's when my cover band is playing at a random bar that happens to have a pa and sound guy. I only use just my sansamp if they have a monitor for me on stage and the sound guys at a couple places have been skeptical. Like I said it's usually just at crappy bars, but it did happen once at the Masquerade in Atlanta. We were playing on the smallest stage in the venue and the sound guy in there was skeptical about me using just my sansamp and was like "ummm you can try it at sound check but you'll probably need to get your amp." It was pouring down rain outside and we weren't allowed to park closer than a block away because of whoever was headlining the main stage that night so I told him that wasn't an option. The sansamp was fine.

I agree that the sansamp mostly only works if you have a monitor, but my band plays plenty of shows where we bring just our own PA and have the speakers set up right behind/to the side of us so our singers can still hear themselves, this works fine for me and my drummer as well as far as hearing my bass. I seriously haven't brought my 300 watt bass rig to a show since april and I've probably played at least 25 shows since then.