We are all aware of how impactful the bass sound is to a band. There are a lot of ways that a loud bass tone can help the rhythm section and the rest of the band work together. While choosing the best bass amp for gigging is undoubtedly critical, the amp you play through has a significant impact on the quality of your tone — and is perhaps one of the most critical components of your setup.
The process of amplifying your music is straightforward but important to understand if you wish to enter into this domain of music. The vibrations created by the bass strings reach the pickups on the bass, where they are amplified to create a louder and more melodic sound. The louder your tunes are, the broader audience segment you can address simultaneously. The critical element to remember when deciding to use a bass amp is that it should not be pushed too hard. This is feasible if you choose an instrument that is entirely compatible with your music. As a result, we’ve compiled a list of the most recent top models that meet your criteria.
Bass Amp For Gigging Reviews
Positive Grid Spark Guitar — Best Small Bass Amp for Gigging
The introduction of the positive grid spark guitar has changed the game for guitar players that love to jam. Its demand has been excellent from the day it launched and the most significant reason for it is the easy-to-operate guitar amp wrapped under a classic look. This small-bodied practice amplifier produces a power rating of 40 Watts combo that lets you control tone stacks, comes with tone starter presets, a built-in tuner, and more! The outstanding work of the designers and manufacturers can be easily witnessed through its sturdy knobs and overall design. The dimensions are 7.48 x 13.78 x 7.09 inches and it weighs 15.22 pounds.
This model is not restricted to professional guitar players. The newcomers in the music industry will love this amplifier as it teams well with intelligent technology. You can set different modes like glassy, metal, hi-gain, bass, acoustic, and more. If you are already impressed and consider this the best gigging bass amp, there is more. The Spark app gives you access to thousands of different sounds and effects or tunes of pre-recorded music as well. Analyze the chords through the app and play along to the tablature.
Pros
- The five compressors, nine overdrives, ten modulation pedals, six delays, and nine reverb are just enough to create and experiment with your music by mixing and matching the tunes.
- The app adapts to your style easily to generate authentic bass and drums while you play through its Smart Jam feature.
Cons
- It is time to improve the technology of the app as it crashes occasionally which is not something the audience will like.
- The chords analyzed by the app are not 100% correct and the option to play-your-own-tune needs improvement.
BOSS KTN-50-2 — Best Bass Combo Amp for Gigging
The 50W Boss KTN-50-2 bass amplifier is one of the most impressive iterations of the Katana amp series. This model can be considered as the best bass amp for gigging by professional music players because of the large selection of excellent sound effects and quality it provides. Its most used feature is the availability of its ports to connect the headphones or USB for recording during the practices. The variation button on this 50 KTN-2 model allows you to alter the amp types twice while playing your favorite songs. Its dimensions are 18 x 15 x 12 inches.
By varying the four tone slots, you can access 60 different musical effects, allowing you to wow your audience with your live performance or recorded music. Whatever sound you’re looking for, this amplifier can deliver it with ease. Compared to a tube amplifier, this one-pound combination amplifier provides a more flexible musical experience. To the listener, the high-gain tones never feel harsh because of how beautifully they’re handled by this bass amp. The nicest thing about this amplifier is that it lets you employ five sound effects simultaneously to build your song, making it ideal for live performances.
Pros
- This bass amp delivers clean and highly-distorted tones.
- Its variable power output enables you to easily push the amp’s power without having to upgrade the wattage of your house . It offers a handful of line-out settings, which allows for both headphones use and straight line-in recording.
- You can record the amplified output through this musical combo. Also, this bass amp comes with an acoustic setting.
Cons
- It is not too loud to reach a long distance. Hence, you can use it for small gigs.
- There is no application for iPads,iPhones or Android phones and therefore, can be controlled only through desktops.
- The knobs and features may be too difficult to understand for starters and it doesn’t come with a clear guide.
Fender Rumble 500
If you are searching for an option that is efficient enough to manage your music practices or your gigs along with an easy carrying ability, you may find the Fender Rumble 500 as the best bass amp for small gigs. It features two ten-inch speakers, connections for headphones and USBs, plus a slew of other features that liven up a musician’s journey.
There is a port for extension cabinets that draws a large number of users. Additionally, you now have access to a variety of musical tones thanks to the newly integrated overdrive circuit and switchable contour settings. Now it’s your turn to demonstrate your ability with either the traditional gritty growl or one of the newer renditions.
The ⅛-inch headphone output jack allows you to play music privately without the disturbances of the world. Its dimensions are 17.91 x 27.55 x 22.84 inches. Further, this jack can also mute the output to enhance the effect. There is no space for errors when you are practicing your music with this bass amp because of its five years warranty policy.
Pros
- This bass amp for gigging includes a rear-panel XLR line output with ground lift control for easy connectivity with external stage and studio performance and recording devices.
- It has a 500W class D power amp and ported speaker to produce music at louder volumes and give out deep bass responses.
- Despite the heavy wattage, the box’s weight is just 36.5 pounds.
Cons
- There might be some issue while composing on the down tunes (D standard).
- The sound may start crackling after a very short time even if you take good care of the volume levels which is why we’re not considering it to be the best bass amp head for gigging for professionals.
Donner 25W
With a power consumption of 25W and 8 inches, 8 omega speakers, this combo offers you an amazing musical experience. The years of experience do not matter when you play with the Donner 25W as it is very easy to operate and at the same time, it gives you multiple options to choose from. If you choose this bass amp, you will have the volume to control the loudness, as well as Bass, Middle, and Treble controls for adjusting the tunes easily by adjusting the frequencies. Moreover, you will be surprised to know that this combo offer weighs only 20.8 pounds which makes it a top choice of bass combo amp for gigs.
It might be one of the most preferred models because of the ⅛ inch stereo AUX input and ¼ inch headphone output. Now, you can practice playing your favorite tunes either by playing along with the original output or privately in your headphones. The speaker has two cone layers, the outer being the paper cone and the inner one being the aluminum cone. Hence, the design is capable of producing deep and warm low frequencies. The surroundings are covered with hard metal to shield against physical damage and the rubber pad to provide a stable stand. This bass amp is so stylish and user-friendly that you will not need any professional help to understand how it works.
Pros
- The ¼-inch headphone cable is approximately 10 feet long which makes it quite easy to use and operate.
- The well-manufactured design with power indicator lights makes it one of the most superior bass amps.
- If you have to practice alone, this bass amp provides the feature of music inputs or drum tracks that will play along.
Cons
- It is a basic amp with no frills. Therefore, it might sound a little bland with electric guitars.
- It strictly needs a 110V AC connection to work.
- It is beneficial for small gigs or practice sessions but not loud enough to present a larger crowd.
LyxPro AGL20 — Best Budget Bass Amp For Gigging
The LyxPro AGL20 is a very popular and reasonably priced choice. It is one of the top-selling guitar amplifiers and there are numerous popular options in the same price range. Its 40-watt amplifier, built-in speaker, ¼-inch instrument input, headphone jack, and AUX input make it the ideal choice for novice and intermediate players. Gain, Bass, Treble, Volume, and Grind are integrated controls that provide ultimate control via numerous adjustable knobs, a built-in speaker, and a connection for headphones. Most of the musicians have considered it as a high-quality but cheap bass amp for gigging.
The various dials on the LyxPro’ssystem offer you a chance to set up your own tone and create a mind-blowing music piece for the listeners.
Pros
- You get every feature that any other gigging bass amp offers at a very cheap rate.
- The amp has secured hard rubber edges to protect from any damage and continue your musical journey smoothly.
- The amp has two channels, one for instrumentation and the other for vocals. So, practice your singing along with playing the original track.
Cons
- The gig bass amp may not work well in loud volumes and you may hear buzzing sounds if you choose to do so.
- To connect your guitar to the amp, you need an instrumentation cable with a ¼-inch TS plug on both ends.
- The cable that the bass amp generally comes with is not of very good quality and you may have to purchase a new one as per your liking.
Buyer’s Guide
Can You Use A Guitar Amp For A Bass?
If you’re wondering whether you can use a guitar amp for bass, the answer is yes and we’re giving you a guide to select from the options mentioned above. The bass amps for gigging mentioned above protect your instrument from being damaged. The ports for both the bass and the guitar are the same, so you may plug in your bass, however, the speakers will be damaged if you play music at high volumes. It goes without saying that no musician wants to take a hiatus from their music. As a result, it is prudent to be aware of the dangers that this procedure entails.
The size of the speaker, the output power, the frequency range, and the features of a guitar amp are the differences. You may have noticed more air rushing about you when at a concert where the performers were playing bass guitars. The bass guitar’s low frequency is the explanation behind this. As a result, a larger speaker is required for maximum effect. Choosing the best combo bass amp for gigging will help you to manage every performance without any disturbance. If the speakers are small, these are specially designed to operate at low frequencies. Hence, examine the difference between the two and pick the ideal bass amp.
Hi everyone! I’m Thomas Moody, also known as Guitarzan.